Lake Washington is a great place to take the family on a sunny Saturday afternoon. With the calm waters, families can go boating, inner tubing or jet skiing. There is no shortage of fun on the lake but what many families are unaware of is that there is a major danger on that water. That danger is the Kenmore Air Harbor. With its poorly distinguished water strip for taking off or landing, people are risking serious injury or death if they are not careful.

I have lived on Lake Washington for six years and I have witnessed many close calls for other people’s safety and have had one encounter of my own. I was out on the lake one day, sitting on my boat with the anchor down near other boats just enjoying the day when suddenly I looked out and there was a seaplane taking off heading straight for us. In a panic my family and I tried to move our boat but we were unable to do so. The seaplane was luckily able to pull up in time, although I still had the opportunity to touch the plane with my hand if I wanted to. After this encounter I thought I was to blame, but then I looked around and there was no indication anywhere that I was on the takeoff strip.

I write this letter in hopes that the City of Kenmore will make information about this airport known to the people so they can be aware of what is around them. Once this information is known to the community then hopefully together we can find a solution to this problem to avoid future injuries or death. A simple solution may be to put up signs or find a way to make known the takeoff and landing strips so that innocent people are not in danger. This is a public safety issue and the citizens of Kenmore should have the awareness of where this airport is located and used and should not have to worry about the safety of their families while on the water.

Kristen Barclay,

Kenmore