About 25 years ago I came to Black Diamond to look at the site of my new home. I met a policeman by the name of Kevin Esping. He must have been watching the site of the new mobile home park for senior citizens, called Rainier View, a vision that the prior director of King County Housing Authority, Jim Wiley, had for Black Diamond. Thanks Jim.

After I moved into the park, I met Gomer Evans. I mention these men because they continue to help our city grow. In my love for the city, it is a privilege to work with these good citizens, painting the Masonic Hall, remodeling the police station with Kevin and building and remodeling the Black Diamond Bakery with Bud Razor and the late Doug Weiding. What fun times we had.

I feel these friendships were built on respect and a mutual understanding of the problems at hand. More recently, Gomer asked me and others to help him with the restoration of the locomotive at the museum. In my opinion, this is how you build a city that one can be proud of (planning and volunteering).

Recently, several people came to my home carrying a petition to be signed regarding YarrowBay Development. I declined.

Later a friend was visiting and in conversation she mentioned she signed the petition. I asked her why and she said she really didn’t know why. The following day another neighbor answered the same question saying, “I really don’t know why I signed it.” Were the people informed clearly on the issues? Hey people, we are not sheep following footprints.

If you people from Green Valley want to be petition runners go to Bonney Lake. They are planning to construct 6,000 homes. Do you think that traffic will be going back and forth on state Route 169.

Hey neighbors, this is progress. Ours is a well-planned development with trails and parks while still keeping the rural scenery of nature’s landscaping. Get behind YarrowBay with their effort to give us a village that people will say, “the city went with a company that had our interests at heart.”

Tom A. Daniels

Black Diamond