Looking out over all of those young faces in the audience, many accompanied by proud family members and friends, I was struck by the great contrast between the abundant gathering for the poster contest awards and the more lonely circumstances of our regular meetings. The large number of people attending the poster contest presentation brought home to me, in a very direct sense, the fact that we conduct most of our business as a Board away from the public eye.

Board meetings are, and always have been, open to the public. Despite this, very few people actually attend the meetings, even on an intermittent basis. As would be expected, we do have the occasional matter before us that draws the affected parties to a Board meeting. Unfortunately, we seem to attract very little attendance at our meetings outside of those limited occasions (I must note, however, that one customer has regularly attended and participated in Board meetings throughout the greater part of my tenure on the Board and, for that interest, I extend my sincere appreciation).

I know I speak for all of the Board members when I say that we prefer to conduct our business with as much public participation as possible. None of us forget that we are your elected representatives, conducting your business and we welcome your attendance at Board meetings as we address the matters of running the water and sewer utility. Attending meetings allows you to tell us directly what you like, and dislike, about the District and the job we are doing of providing water and sewer service to your homes and businesses.

Our meetings are generally held on the second and fourth Thursdays of each month. Meetings convene at 6:00 p.m. at the Lakehaven Center, located at 31531 First Avenue So.

We are currently in the process of giving the Lakehaven Center a much-needed cosmetic upgrade and hope to have the work completed soon. Rather than build a new meeting facility, which would undoubtedly involve a substantial outlay of funds, the Board decided that, with the relatively minor expenditure for items like new paint and carpet, we could make do with what we already have.

At the time of the writing of this article, news has revealed that Londi Lindell, the current City Attorney for the City of Federal Way, is leaving to take a new job as the City Attorney for Mercer Island. Apparently the commute to the new job will be much shorter, leaving her more opportunity to enjoy activities with her young children. Having been a working parent myself, I can fully appreciate the difficult task of juggling career and parenting and I applaud her for her choice. Nevertheless, having enjoyed a positive working relationship with her in her role at the City of Federal Way, I will certainly miss Londi and wish her the very best

To our customers: Don't be a stranger!

A meter change-out program has been initiated with the intent to replace the District's oldest water meters. The program is expected to take about 5-6 years to complete. We will notify each customer before shutting off service to change the meter. Rest assured your service will resume as soon as possible. Our goal is to minimize the inconvenience to you.

If you experience any difficulties during this process, please feel free to call Joe Bolam at 253- 945-1582

If you believe your home is located in an area of high water pressure, you may wish to check the water pressure in the plumbing system at your residence or business. To measure your water pressure, you can purchase a pressure gauge at a local hardware store that will adapt to an outside garden hose faucet, or borrow a pressure gauge from the District to perform the pressure measurement. The measurement must be taken when no other water is being drawn from the plumbing system. If the measured water pressure exceeds 80 pounds per square inch (80 PSI), the plumbing code typically requires the installation of a Pressure Reducing Valve (PRV) on the customer's plumbing system, on the customer's side of the water meter. The PRV reduces the water pressure in the public water system to a lower level that would prevent damage to your plumbing system.

If your pressure exceeds 80 PSI, please check to see if a PRV has been installed for your plumbing system. In most cases, the original builder should have installed a PRV if one was required; however, this may not have occurred. It would then be the current owner's responsibility to install the PRV. If your pressure exceeds 80 PSI and a PRV has been installed, the PRV will require adjustment and/or other maintenance or replacement. Please be aware that the life span of a PRV is generally 15 to 20 years. If you have any questions or wish more information on this subject, please call Development Engineering at 253-946-5400.

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The District, in partnership with the Federal Way Elementary Schools and the local business community, sponsered our 4th annual poster drawing contest to develop a 2001 Water Conservation Calendar. The winning posters will be the featured art on the calendars. Calendars will be available through the participating schools as a fund raising project for those schools this fall.

Business Contributors were Barnes & Noble, Big Five Sporting Goods, Blimpee's, Border Books, Creative Minds, Gap, Godfathers Pizza on 320th, Round Table Pizza and Sea Tac Mall.

Congratulations to the following poster winners: Amara Miller, Amy Johnson, Ashley Melsheimer, Ashley Templeton, Bill Louathong, Ciara Coleman, Diana Alechcheko, Ezra John Griffey, Jasmine Walker, Jesse Dunbar, Katia Lukyanova, Kirstin Larson and Patti Colburn.

If you would like information on where to purchase a calendar please call our office at 253-946-5426.

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Conservation Activities

The District will participate in the 25th annual Safety Show at SeaTac Mall on Saturday, October 7th, 10 a.m - 7p.m. and Sunday, October 8th, 11 a.m – 6 p.m. Please stop by our booth and see the safety display.