Liberty Lake seeking hometown heroes

HOMETOWN HEROES

Liberty Lake follows Nebraska’s lead in recognizing veterans

By Dan Webster

SPOKESMAN-REVIEW MARKETING CORRESPONDENT

Some people look at streetlights and see mere illumination. Liberty Lake resident Don Walker sees honor. And respect.

Walker came to that realization not long ago when he was visiting his grandson, who lives near Gretna, Neb., a small city southwest of Omaha.

“As we were driving down the main street,” Walker recalls, “I noticed the light poles on both sides of the street had these banners honoring Gretna veterans.”

He was so impressed he took a picture of the banners. Then he had a thought: “That would be a spectacular thing for Liberty Lake.”

He did his homework, contacting the Gretna Hometown Heroes group to get basic how-to information. Then he began gathering local support, contacting among others the local Rotary group, Liberty Lake Mayor Cris Kaminskas, the Liberty Lake City Council and Avista Utilities.

The result? The Liberty Lake Hometown Heroes Banner Program is set to become a reality.

The project involves a total of 50 banners, each measuring 60 inches by 30 inches and each honoring an individual Liberty Lake veteran. The banners will be attached to 50 light poles – 25 on each side – along Country Vista Road, west of the Liberty Lake Road intersection.

Bob Wiese, president of the Liberty Lake Centennial Rotary, says the project fits right in with other veteran-themed activities the Rotary has supported. One is an annual Memorial Day pancake breakfast, while another involves raising money for the Inland Northwest Honor Flight group, which he explains “transports Inland Northwest war veterans to Washington, D.C., to visit those memorials dedicated to honor their service and sacrifices.”

“We’re thankful we live in a community with businesses that support it,” Wiese said of the banner project. Not just businesses, though, but also, he added, “a local government and community members who step up and have the ideas.”

Melanie Rose, Avista’s Regional Business Manager, said Avista was only too happy to be involved.

“I met with (Don Walker and Bob Wiese) of the Liberty Lake Rotary in late March to hear about the proposed Hometown Heroes project and shortly thereafter let them know that the project has Avista’s full support,” Rose said.

“Avista is a long and strong supporter of veterans,” she added. Some 9 percent of Avista’s employees, she said, are veterans. In addition to working with Fairchild Air Force Base during hiring events and career fairs, the utility company pays for Fairchild crew members and their families to attend Spokane Indians baseball games.

“What a privilege it is to honor the brave men and women who will appear on the banners,” Rose said. “Avista is dedicated to supporting and enhancing community vitality, and this project is a perfect fit.”

Veterans eligible to be honored can be nominated on the project website LibertyLakeHometownHeroes.com. Nominees should be a current or past resident of Liberty Lake or, Walker said, have a “reasonable connection” to the city. The application deadline is Aug. 1.

Sponsorship for each Hometown Hero will fall on the respective veteran’s family, friends or organization. Sponsors will be asked to donate $150 toward the production of the banners and the hardware used to mount them on the streetlights. Walker stressed that no donations will be required of any Gold Star veteran, which means those killed in action.

Plans are for the first 50 banners to be hung by Aug. 30. After they are hung for a certain amount of time, the banners will presented to family members and sponsors. Thereafter, banners will be displayed annually from Memorial Day through Veterans day, with each veteran being recognized for two straight years.

Walker is thankful to all those who are contributing to the project, from Wiese to Rose, Mayor Kaminskas to Liberty Lake’s Interim City Administrator Jen Camp. But he gives special praise to Avista.

“They thought, ‘How can we say no to this?’ ” Walker said, “So they said yes – and not only did they say yes, they agreed to supply all the hardware, put up the banners and take them all down, which is a big project.”

A big project, yes. And, too, a big thanks to the veterans for their service.

How to nominate

Applications for Hometown Heroes are available at libertylakehometownheroes.com, libertylakerotary. org, through Facebook, or by calling (509) 998-6484. Nominations are accepted until Aug. 1.