March 2016 Splash

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MARCH 2016

The road ahead for golf carts How the city of Liberty Lake plans on applying new guidelines to the community’s most popular mode of transportation page 12

MARCH MADNESS 101 PAGE 47

SLOWING DOWN IN LEGACT RIDGE PAGE 8

THE LOOKOUT DEBUTS PAGE 7

2 • MONTH 2016

The Park Bench

Community-first counsel – Usab

steps up to support Fallen Heroes

By Craig Howard Splash Editor As an avid snowboarder, Tricia Usab is accustomed to navigating a diversity of downhill slopes.

As a local attorney, community volunteer, wife and mother, Usab takes on challenging climbs that have their own rewards.

Born and raised in northeast Florida, Usab grew up far from any sort of snowy clime. She called the humble community of Ormond-by-the-Sea home in her early life, a town that lives up to its rhetorical, hyphenated name with an eastern border a stone’s throw from the waves of the Atlantic.

“At one end of my street was the St. John’s River and at the other end was the beach,” Usab recalls. “I spent every weekend in the ocean.”

In high school, Usab participated in debate, volleyball and track. Her interest in debate paved a path to law as a career.

She earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Florida and remained a Gator to attend law school.

Usab is now a practicing attorney with Paine Hamblen LLC in downtown Spokane and specializes in real estate, bankruptcy and estate planning.

While in college, Usab discovered snowboarding and has not missed a season of the winter sport since she was 21. After earning her law degree, Tricia moved to Frederick, Maryland with her husband, Jack. After marrying in 2002, the couple made it a point to spend every vacation in the Rocky Mountains during their six years in the Old Line State. They now have two children who also thrive in the snow.

When Tricia and Jack moved to Liberty Lake in 2006 one of the deciding factors was the community’s proximity to an abundance of surrounding ski

NEWS resorts.

Snowboarding is not Usab’s only athletic endeavor. In 2009, she participated in the Coeur d’Alene Ironman and followed it up with a sprint triathlon and half Ironman.

Along with signing up annually for the Valley Girl Triathlon, she is looking ahead to the possibility of another half Ironman or an Olympic distance race this year.

Usab has also hit her stride as a dedicated community volunteer.

She helps with Books for Tots, a nonprofit that distributes books to children in Kootenai County and the Fallen Heroes Circuit Course, a project that began in the summer of 2012 when former Marine Bob Wiese approached the city of Liberty Lake about an idea to install exercise stations to honor local soldiers who lost their lives serving their country.

Usab is part of a citizen-based advisory committee that has coordinated the installment of five Fallen Heroes stations, recognizing the Marines, Army, Air Force, Navy and Coast Guard as well as a quintet of heroes from the greater Spokane area.

The course now covers 5.54 miles with a presence in parks like Rocky Hill, Pavillion and Town Square as well as the Trailhead at Liberty Lake Golf Course and Nature’s Place at Meadowwood Arboretum.

Preliminary talk has surfaced over the last year regarding additional stations on the north side of town that would honor fallen heroes from police and fire enforcement, though nothing has been finalized.

The Splash caught up with Usab recently to talk about Fallen Heroes, life as a lawyer and her case for why Liberty Lake is “the best community” she has ever called home.

Q: How did you become involved with the Fallen Heroes Circuit Course Committee?

A: I heard about the Fallen Heroes Circuit Course Committee through Bobby Wiese. Initially my involvement was limited to informing the committee about the various business organizational structures available in Washington and the requirements to become a nonprofit. However, I felt compelled to stay involved with the committee in order to honor our local veterans and give back to the community that I love.

Q: What were some of your initial impressions of the project?

A: I was really excited about

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Liberty Lake resident Tricia Usab works as a local attorney with Paine Hamblen LLP and is part of the advisory committee for the Fallen Heroes Circuit Course, a project that has placed five exercise stations honoring each branch of the military and local fallen heroes at sites throughout Liberty Lake.

Photo by Craig Howard the idea of honoring our veterans while working with the city of Liberty Lake to add circuit course stations to our community.

Honestly, our actions seem miniscule in comparison to the sacrifices that our veterans have made but it is one small way to permanently express our gratitude to all of the service men and women of our country, while paying a special tribute to our local heroes.

Q: Between the city of Liberty Lake, residents and businesses, it seems that Fallen Heroes has experienced a considerable degree of support. How would you characterize the level of involvement and what do you think it says about this community?

A: The support for this project has been tremendous from start to finish. The city of Liberty Lake provided the circuit course equipment and the residents and businesses funded the plaques fabricated to dedicate each station to a local hero. I think the people of Liberty Lake embraced this project as a way to thank our servicemen and servicewomen for the sacrifices they have made

to protect our country and to give us the opportunity to live in safety. Liberty Lake is by far the best community I have ever encountered. I feel lucky to be a part of it and I think a lot of people in this community feel the same way so they are encouraged to get involved.

Q: What has it been like to work with families and friends of these Fallen Heroes as each project has progressed?

Each hero’s story has been different, but the common thread is the love felt for each hero and the void left by his or her absence. As painful as it has been for those left behind to share their stories with us, I think the dedications have given each family a little comfort to know that total strangers are saying, “We thank, honor and remember your loved one.” I feel like this small act provides some assurance that their loved ones will not be forgotten.

Q: Shifting gears to your professional life – what are some of the most rewarding aspects of being an attorney?

A: The most rewarding aspect of being an attorney is the

The Splash

opportunity to help someone through a difficult time or to avoid a problem all together. I enjoy being a resource to someone and working collaboratively to analyze and solve problems. Working in the legal field has given me an opportunity to learn about many different industries and people.

Often, I have to figure out a way to consolidate and synthesize a lot of complex information into a form that can be quickly explained.

As an attorney, I am constantly having to learn new things, which is a benefit for someone who enjoys being a student.

Q: Is the legal field what you thought it would be when you first enrolled in law school?

A: I honestly didn’t have any clear expectations. Before going to law school, my only frame of reference for a lawyer was the T.V. show “L.A. Law.” During law school, “Ally McBeale” was airing, but I knew that Ally McBeale did not even remotely resemble the practice of law. Unfortunately, I think that a lot of young people face the same dilemma when deciding on a profession. Many of us don’t know what it means to be a member of a given profession, until after we have received our degree and started our first job. I always encourage young people to intern in a given profession before endeavoring to receive a degree in that field. My experience in the legal profession has been mostly positive, but like most things in life there are advantages and disadvantages of practicing law. I think the practice of law is rewarding, but it has a steep learning curve and you have to figure out pretty quickly how to swim or you will sink. An attorney must totally immerse himself or herself in order to develop competency in an area before assisting a client.

Over time, this process creates knowledge and experience, but it often comes with some growing pains.

Q: Why do you think there is sometimes a less-thanglowing impression of the practice of law in general? I’m thinking of public cynicism out there about “legal speak,” high costs of billable hours and other issues.

A: I think part of the problem results from a lawyer having to anticipate the unknown. We either have to draft agreements trying to avoid potential pitfalls that may or may not happen or we have to anticipate what the other side is thinking or doing. All the

MONTH 2016 • 3

while, we must rely upon complex legislation or case law that is often unclear in its interpretation and one slight difference from one case to the next changes the analysis. Lawyers have to speak in generalities because the legal field is not an exact science. Lawyers spend 100 percent of their time focusing on the interpretation of words and those words strung together are the basis for communication, but all communication requires that assumptions be made for the communication to be successful.

The problem is that two different people could make two entirely different assumptions, resulting in two completely different conclusions.

Additionally, a lawyer must constantly juggle the uncertainty of the future against the client’s immediate needs of today. We have to provide value today, but not sacrifice a thorough consideration of tomorrow’s possible problems. This is a very delicate balancing act, and it is one that often takes considerable time, analysis, and energy, but it can result in frustration on the client’s part.

Q: Why is it important for you to contribute time to causes like Fallen Heroes and Books for Tots?

A: I volunteer for organizations like the Fallen Heroes Circuit Course Committee and Books for Tots because it is important to help others and I truly believe that when people work together they can improve the world around them.

Q: What can you tell us about the possibility of future Fallen Heroes installations?

A: Currently the committee is considering a couple of different avenues to honor and/or assist local fallen heroes, but as of yet nothing has been decided.

Q: Finally, what have you enjoyed most about being part of the Liberty Lake community?

A: I have enjoyed everything about living in Liberty Lake. I love seeing people flood the streets and sidewalks when the spring season starts. I love seeing families in the park during the summer months spending quality time and taking advantage of the extra daylight. I love our community events and I try to attend as many as possible. I am so grateful to the city, citizens and businesses in this community because they have all worked together to make our community great.

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4 • MONTH 2016

NEWS

Relay for Life chair pilots event back to local galaxy

By Steve Christilaw Splash Correspondent Kevin Johnson doesn’t hint at which character he is, maybe Finn, the runaway stormtrooper, or maybe the hotshot fighter pilot Poe. But he definitely sees himself as part of the new, rebooted world of “Star Wars.”

It’s a fitting way to approach his job as event chair for the Liberty Lake Relay for Life, a fundraising event sponsored by the American Cancer Society that raises money to fight cancer as well as recognize and support cancer survivors.

“We didn’t have an event last year, so I guess we’re way ahead of where we were last year,” Johnson laughed. “But we’re also ahead of where we were in 2014, too.”

A self-proclaimed “Star Wars” geek, Johnson draws comparisons between the recent premiere of the latest film in the science fiction series and the real-life revival of a fundraiser that takes on a different kind of enemy.

“They brought in J.J. Abrams to reboot the franchise and get things going again after time off,” he said.

“What I’m doing is a lot of what he’s had to do. I need to reintroduce the people who have helped with the

Liberty Lake resident Kevin Johnson is the event chair for the Liberty Lake Relay for Life, set for June 4. Kevin’s wife, Lis, is a cancer survivor. The couple is pictured above at a Relay for Life event with their three children.

Contributed photo Relay for Life in the past and also introduce a whole new group of people.”

The Liberty Lake Relay for Life will be held Saturday, June 4 at Liberty Lake Elementary School from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Johnson has been dedicated to the Relay for Life since 2005, while his family was living in the Snohomish County town of Sultan, WA. It all started on April 7. Johnson

calls it his favorite day of the year – but didn’t start out that way.

“That’s the day my wife (Lis) was diagnosed with leukemia,” he said. “We’d just had our first baby and she was covered with bruises – even bruises on the palm of her hands. How do you get a bruise on the palm of your hand? We went to the doctor and he examined her and sent us immediately to the ER. We found out later was the cancer ward.”

Later that night, doctors broke the bad news.

“It was leukemia and if we didn’t start treatment immediately she would have three to six months to live,” Johnson said. “We had a 5-month-old and I immediately started thinking about what it would be like to raise him by myself,” he admitted.

But Kevin and Lis embraced the challenge.

“We moved a playpen into her room and he stayed there with her,” Johnson said. “How can you not fight with everything you have when you have a little face smiling at you?

And my mom was there to help with everything. It was a team effort.”

Johnson said he started looking for a way to give back and stumbled across a poster for Relay for Life.

Before long he was the event chair for the Sultan event.

The Splash

Want to find out more?

The 2016 Liberty Lake Relay for Life will take place June 4 from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. at Liberty Lake Elementary, 23606 E. Boone Ave. Teams are still forming. Planning meetings will take place March 17, April 21 and May 19 in the Tierpoint Conference Room (Suite 121) at the Liberty Lake Portal, 23403 E. Mission Ave. For more information, contact Event Lead Kevin Johnson at Libertylakerelay@gmail. com or learn more online at relayforlife.org/libertylakewa or on Facebook at facebook. com/libertylakerelay.

“It was a little weird for that first event back in 2005,” he said. “We didn’t know anyone. We got there and discovered that all of the cancer survivors were wearing purple shirts and they would come up to my wife and tell her ‘We’re rooting for you.’

It’s a powerful community. We had no experience with cancer at all before then. Since then it’s touched our live and the lives of our friends and family.”

The initial treatments were successful, and before long the doctors gave the family the goahead to try for more kids.

“We had a daughter and another son, so we have three kids,” the proud father said. “And the leukemia has been remission now for 10 years.”

The family moved to Liberty Lake a year ago, but the involvement with Relay for Life remained. This will be their 11th fundraiser.

For Johnson, it’s a chance to do something he loves.

“I really enjoy talking to people,” he said. “Maybe there’s something wrong with me, but I like asking them what they have and how they’re doing. I’m happy to share our story. My friends joke that I’m the ‘Cancer Guy.’” The message he likes to pass along is that you need three things to get through a fight with cancer: faith, a sense of humor and a good support system.

“I have a co-worker who was just diagnosed with breast cancer and that’s what I told her,” he said. “It’s important.”

Each year on April 7, Johnson insists on having a family day.

“I want to celebrate what my wife has accomplished and I want my kids to understand what she’s done,” he said. “My is kind of the quiet type and she soft-spoken. She doesn’t talk too often about her experience. I guess that’s what I’m for – and she supports me doing it.”

The Splash

NEWS

March for Meals delivers important support for senior nutrition

GSC Meals on Wheels features fixed lunch sites known as Silver Cafes in Spokane Valley, Appleway Court, Opportunity, and the Spokane Valley Senior Center. The programs serves approximately 500 seniors each year through these programs.

There is a Silver Cafe in Liberty Lake at Talon Hills, that serves approximately 100 seniors each year. There are 25 home delivered meal routes in the greater Spokane Valley including Liberty Lake that delivers almost 60,000 meals each year in this area.

Since 2002, Meals on Wheels America has led the annual awareness campaign in an effort to fill the gap between the seniors served and those in need that is widening due to increased demand with a rapidly aging population combined with declining public and private resources as well as rising food, transportation and

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The entire month is dedicated to the annual “March for Meals” campaign designed to support public awareness of the program and its impact on the community.

For those unfamiliar with GSC Meals on Wheels, their service and dedication to elderly homebound and frail residents in Spokane County is significant.

Last year alone, GSC Meals on Wheels delivered 275,000 meals while making 94,900 visits and safety checks by volunteers who donated 20,600 hours of their time.

Spok ane’s D ental Providers • Same

By Pam Almeida

With hints of spring approaching, most people are looking forward to baseball or work in their garden. However, March is a very significant time for Greater Spokane County Meals on Wheels for another reason entirely.

MONTH 2016 • 5

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During March, GSC Meals on Wheels will reach out across Spokane County to cultivate the continued support that will make it possible to deliver nutritious meals, friendly visits and safety checks to the county’s seniors all year long. Some of the events during the March for Meals celebration include: Walk-a-Thon (March 1 - Spokane Valley Mall, March 5 - River Park Square and North Town Mall); Donation Day at Ron’s Drive In, Spokane Valley (March 5) and Champions Week (March 21 – 25) when local celebrities and dignitaries volunteer to help deliver meals.

GSC Meals on Wheels regularly receives calls and letters from recipients describing how important the home-delivered meals are and how much they appreciate the check-in from the volunteer. A daughter of one of their consumers in Mead recently wrote, “Thank you for Meals on Wheels. My dad has nothing but positive things to say about the delicious food and the pleasant volunteers. My siblings and I feel so much better knowing he is eating better and receiving a safety check as well.”

If you are interested in becoming part of the GSC Meals on Wheels volunteer team or would like to make a donation to the GSC Meals on Wheels program, call (509) 924-6976 or visit www. gscmealsonwheels.org to learn more.

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6 • MONTH 2016

Police Report

NEWS

The following items were reported by the Liberty Lake Police Department from Jan. 18 to Feb. 22. They are listed in chronological order.

Incidents and arrests

• Hit and run – On Jan. 19 at 5:03 p.m., LLPD responded to a hit and run at the 1300 block of North Liberty Lake Road.

Complainant reported seeing a vehicle strike another in the lot before taking off. The officer provided the driver with the insurance information for the vehicle responsible.

• Burglary – On Jan. 19 at 11:06 a.m., LLPD responded to a burglary at the 1300 block of North Whitman Lane.

Complainant reported someone had stolen $112 from the cash drawer.

• Stolen vehicle – On Jan. 20 at 4:20 p.m., LLPD responded to the 20000 block of East Nora Avenue for a recovered stolen vehicle.

Officers responded to the location upon receiving a call about a suspicious circumstance. The subject at the location reported he’d purchased the vehicle for $500 from an individual who lived in Spokane. The registered owner of the vehicle was contacted, and confirmed the vehicle had been listed as stolen some time ago.

However, the owner of the vehicle reported she just wanted to “cut all losses” and did not want the vehicle back.

• Fraud – On Jan. 21 at 9:54 a.m., LLPD received a fraud report from the 23000 block of East Maxwell Avenue. Complainant reported someone had charged $191.80 to a fraudulent account in his name.

• Suspicious persons – On Jan. 23 at 6:24 p.m., LLPD responded to the 22000 block of East Country Vista Drive for a suspicious circumstance.

Complainant reported two males arguing in the parking lot. An officer arrived and spoke to one of the subjects involved who reported he wasn’t arguing, but his phone was acting up and it was arguing with the other subject. The officer watched the male get on a bus and head back downtown.

• Fraud – On Jan. 28 at 2:37 p.m., LLPD responded to the 22000 block of East Country Vista Drive for a fraud. Complainant

The Splash

reported someone had used her credit card fraudulently for the amount of $75.

• Suspicious vehicle – On Jan. 28 at 10:18 p.m., LLPD responded to Harvest Parkway and Cataldo for a suspicious vehicle. A vehicle was reported driving through the field towards an area where multiple burglaries had been reported. Upon checking the area, no vehicles were seen in the area and the fence was intact.

• Suspicious person – On Jan. 28 at 12:16 a.m., LLPD responded to East Baldwin Lane and North Salmon River Lane for a suspicious person. An officer made contact with a male who was identified and arrested for having outstanding warrants. However, upon further investigation, it was found the subject’s brother had used his name falsely and the warrants belonged to him.

The subject was released from custody.

• On Jan. 30 at 9:35 a.m., LLPD received a report of forgery at the 2000 block of North Madson Road. Complainant reported that she received a call from STCU reporting a check had been forged on her account in the amount of $60.

• Forgery – On Feb. 1 at 10:27 a.m., LLPD received a report of a fraud from another agency.

Complainant reported to the agency someone had stolen a credit card out of her mailbox and used it fraudulently. One of the charges took place at a location in Liberty Lake and the suspect was identified. Charges will be forwarded for theft and fraud.

• Traffic accident – On Feb. 1 at 12:30 p.m., LLPD responded to

East Appleway and North Liberty Lake Road for a traffic accident.

No injuries were reported.

• Suspicious person – On Feb. 12 at 9:23 p.m., LLPD responded to a suspicious person call at the 1400 block of North Cavalier Court. Complainant reported two people standing outside the house near the hedges. Complainant reported people were yelling at his house as they left the location.

Upon contact, no one was found in the area and the house was secure.

• Citizen assist – On Feb. 13 at 8:29 p.m., LLPD responded to the 1900 block of Sedge Lane for a citizen assist. Complainant reported that she had recently become divorced and believed her ex-husband was stalking her.

The officer arrived and found no one at the location other than the complainant. He then advised her on the process of seeking a protection order.

• Domestic violence – A man was arrested on Feb. 16 at 8:52 a.m. at the 2300 block of North Madson for domestic violence and an outstanding felony warrant.

Officers were called to the location after it was reported to 9-1-1 a male inside the location was upset and yelling at a female who he was grabbing by the coat and refusing to let leave. The man was contacted and booked into the Spokane County Jail on the charges.

SVFD Report Spokane Valley Fire Department crews responded to a total of 87 emergency calls in the greater Liberty Lake area* from Jan. 19 through Feb. 16, 2016:

• Emergency medical service calls - 71 • Motor vehicle accidents – 4 • Fires – 0 • Service calls – 3 • Building alarms – 6 • Hazardous materials - 0 • Dispatched and cancelled en route – 3 *Service area for SVFD Station #3 in Liberty Lake Alarm System – 1/25 and 2/4 – SVFD crews twice responded to the alarm system at Accra-Fab Inc., 23201 E. Appleway Ave. Just after 6:30 a.m. on Jan. 25, there was a water flow alarm activation in an office area. Crews arrived and searched the building, including the roof and found nothing. On Feb. 4, a fire and smoke alarm activation brought crews to the scene shortly after 6:30 a.m. Employees were evacuated. Further investigation determined a smoke detector in the warehouse ductwork had activated but there was no smoke or fire.

Service Call – 2/1 – Just after 6 p.m., SVFD Liberty Lake Station 3 crew was dispatched to the Liberty Lake Police Station, 23127 E. Mission Ave. Crews assisted police in performing a blood draw on a male under arrest. Liberty Lake Police served a valid search warrant to perform the blood draw.

Motor Vehicle Accident – 2/3 – At approximately 6:45 a.m., SVFD crews responded to a lowspeed, two-car accident in the median at Appleway and North Signal Drive. The drivers were treated and released at the scene.

SVFD crews assisted the Liberty Lake Police with unlocking one of the vehicles after it automatically locked when the driver exited.

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The Splash

MONTH 2016 • 7

City of Liberty Lake

Lookout

March 2016

Trailhead at Liberty Lake- the region’s all-weather golf destination MEMO

By Chris Johnston Head PGA Professional Did you know that Trailhead Golf Course is open 362 days a year?

That’s right, we only close on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day. Our golf shop and driving range are open 362 days a year and the golf course

is open when the weather permits.

If it snows one day and melts the next, we will be open for play. The golf shop is open to purchase passes for the following year or get that last-minute gift in the winter. The driving range is now covered, enclosed in the back and heated with the ability to use all year

round. We installed roll up doors last spring to cut down on wind, rain, snow and even sometimes the sun.

So if you want to practice even when the weather is not golf friendly then Trailhead is the place to visit! Ask us about our discounted key fobs to save on range balls.

is estimated to be $12,000 annually.

Liberty Lake has an amazing trail system, five Fallen Hero Circuit Courses, several health clubs and training facilities, and three golf courses. There are also challenging races that start or end here such as the Windermere Marathon, Valley Girl Triathlon, RIM Ride, and Liberty Lake Loop, just to name a few.

The city is also filled with ways to grow or choose local, fresh healthy foods, such as the community gardens, the Farmers Market and regular gardening and nutrition classes offered at the Liberty Lake Municipal Library.

When you take all of the opportunities that present themselves right here in our beautiful city, the environment lends itself to healthy living for residents as well as those of us that commute to Liberty Lake for work. Liberty Lake is truly a WellCity! city. The contractor and designer for this project are Graham Construction and Barker, Rinker, Seacat (BRS), respectively. By the end of May, the conceptual design will be complete and the project will be ready to take to the public in preparation of an Aug. 2 bond vote.

The project is located on the vacant portion of land at Town Square Park and includes three main parts: a community building (flexible space, library services), aquatic facility (lap swim, spray features, zero entry) and site work (parking, landscaping) The mayor and City Council are eagerly anticipating feedback from our community at open houses at

City Hall over the next month. They are scheduled for: Thursday March 3, 6pm to 8pm, City Hall Council Chambers (focused on building) Monday March 14, 6pm to 8pm, City Hall Council Chambers (focused on aquatics) Wednesday April 20, 6pm to 8pm, City Hall Council Chambers (project update) If you are interested in participating in any of the smaller focus groups, please contact us. Our staff will do their best to find a meeting that works for you. Thank you for helping us shape this project to reflect the character and values of our city!

BRB approves annexation of 644 acres

City achieves high scores for wellness

By Tricia Prince The Association of Washington Cities (AWC) Employee Benefit Trust has announced that the city of Liberty Lake is one of 111 winners of its distinguished WellCity Award. This recognition is awarded to cities and public entities that met stringent WellCity standards for employees who demonstrate their commitment to health.

This is the third year that the city of Liberty Lake has maintained these standards and received this award.

Award winners are all part of AWC’s Employee Benefit Trust, a health insurance pool that provides coverage to more than14,000 employees and family members across the state. When an employer meets the WellCity standards, they earn a 2-percent discount on their medical premiums. For Liberty Lake, this

Town Square Project-

Liberty Lake’s gathering place We are excited to announce heavy lifting work for the Town Square Project has started. The city is beginning conceptual design portion of the project and has planned for a $12 million design and construction budget.

It is important that we get input from everyone interested during this development to ensure that the project reflects the values and ideals of our community. We are conducting focus community group meetings as well as meetings with businesses and organizations in and around the

Mayor

By Mayor Steve Peterson The beauty of Liberty Lake is that it has developed as a well-connected community.

We are connected by the trails, our parks, our library, our service organizations, our churches and our homeowners’ associations. Our kids share in the Central Valley School District which is an exceptional educational system and we enjoy a robust public and private sports menu.

The Splash is our local newspaper that reflects the happenings and the achievements over the months and years. My goal with “Liberty Lake Lookout” and “Memo from the Mayor” is to help provide vision and voice for the current and future direction of the city that keeps you connected with our goals and priorities.

Our values will be clear as we maintain our city as “Spokane County’s premier address” that ensures a commitment to our citizens of a safe, clean, green and welcoming community! I encourage you to join in our conversation and meetings as we design and build the capital projects that will serve us for the next 100 years. It is truly my pleasure to serve your as your mayor!

OnThis Date in City History The city of Liberty Lake added about 450 people to its population a decade ago this month when the Spokane Boundary Review Board approved the annexation of 644 acres northwest of Liberty Lake. The five-member panel deliberated for about an hour in the Public Works Hearing Room in downtown Spokane and unanimously approved the annexation proposal.

“I’m glad we can put this behind us now,” Mayor Steve Peterson said after the BRB approved the proposal in March 2006. “We’ve been working on this for the last couple of years.”

Discussing concerns and findings for the proposed annexation area, BRB members considered a series of objectives -- preservation of natural neighborhoods and communities, use of physical boundaries such as bodies of water, highways and land delineations.

The annexation paved the way for the River District, Liberty Lake’s ambitious northside development overseen by Greenstone Homes. The first phase of construction included 495 homes and 45 townhomes. In August of 2006, Greenstone CEO Jim Frank described the goals surrounding the project.

“This project will set the tone for the future of the economy, the quality of life in Liberty Lake and the entire region,” Frank said. “There’s an enormous amount of responsibility and great stewardship that comes with a project like this. Our goal is to look at the river and create a project that celebrates and honors the river. It will enhance the quality of the river and habitat, provide better access to the river both visually and physically and have an urban style and character.”

from the

8 • MONTH 2016

City introduces design team for Town Square project

By Craig Howard Splash Editor They are two projects that have been talked about in Liberty Lake for well over a decade – a largescale community center and an aquatic facility.

Last month, the discussion moved well beyond treading water.

City Administrator Katy Allen told City Council representatives on Feb. 2 that the Liberty Lake community center/pool venture will be on the drawing board of Graham Construction, a designbuild outfit based out of Calgary with offices in Spokane and Seattle as well as across Canada.

Graham was selected from among five applicants that interviewed with a committee at City Hall in late January.

“They really stood out in their commitment to community and supporting the campaign to have this built,” said Allen.

Graham-led projects in the Spokane area have included the SPS NEWTECH Skills Center and the Washington State University Biomedical & Health Sciences building. Graham will team up with a pair of subcontractors on the project, BRS (Barker, Rinker, Seacat) Architects out of Denver and Tacoma-based Water Technology Inc. on the pool side.

At the council meeting on Feb. 16, representatives from Graham and BRS made a guest appearance at City Hall, fielding questions from residents, city

NEWS

staff and council members.

The overflow crowd in council chambers brought up a wide range of issues connected to the project and the rare need for additional chairs.

Brian Holecek, operations manager for Graham, applauded the groundwork completed to this point by the Community Facilities Task Force, a citizenled committee that researched issues like optimal site location, potential costs and regional facilities similar to community center/pool the city is hoping to build. As of now, the project has a footprint of 16,000 square feet on 4.5 acres in an area that Town Square Park and Liberty Lake Farmers Market both call home.

“They’ve outlined a good road map as far as what we need to succeed on this project,” said Holecek, who met with task force representatives in early February.

Joe Phipps, who has served as chair of the task force, said construction of the center and pool has the opportunity to be “a legacy project” for the city and noted the central gathering place could emerge as “the main street” Liberty Lake has never had.

Holecek said he supported the idea of five workshops and around the same number of community meetings leading up to the final presentation before council.

In addressing the need to build momentum going into the Aug.

See TEAM, Page 9

The city of Liberty Lake has raised the possibility of a traffic roundabout at the intersection of Appleway Avenue and Liberty Lake Road after consulting with representatives from the Washington State Department of Transportation.

Photo by Craig Howard

The Splash

Situated on the southwestern slope of Liberty Lake, Legacy Ridge began as an ambitious housing development in 2004 on 640 acres. The initial two phases of the project included 290 lots. The area has also been known as Legacy Hill, Holiday Hill and Carlson Hill.

Photo by Craig Howard

Legacy Ridge residents team up with LLPD to make streets safer

By Michael Cambron Splash Correspondent A recent cooperative agreement between the Legacy Ridge Homeowners’ Association and the Liberty Lake Police Department makes enforcement of speed limit violations a new reality.

In the past, state law prohibited police departments from enforcing civil infractions on private roads and speeding is considered a civil infraction. Since the streets and roads in the Legacy Ridge development are private property overseen by the HOA, there was no effective way to control drivers speeding through the community.

However, a provision in the law (RCW 46.61.419) now makes it possible for state, local or county law enforcement personnel to enforce speeding violations on private roads – as long as certain requirements are met.

The Legacy Ridge HOA met these requirements when they provided sufficient information to LLPD that the terms and provisions of the state law had been met. Those standards included the following: • A majority of the Homeowners’ Associations Board of Directors voted to authorize the issuance of speeding infractions on its private roads and declared a speed limit of 25 miles per hour.

• Written notice of the authorization has been provided to the homeowners.

• Speed limit signs have been posted at all vehicle entrances to the community.

• A written agreement regarding speeding enforcement has been signed by the homeowners’ association and the chief law enforcement official of the city where the private roads are located.

“Our police department worked with the homeowners’ association and entered into a local agreement that allows us to enforce speed limit regulations within the Legacy Ridge development and keep the community safer,” said Liberty Lake Police Chief Brian Asmus, “This will benefit both the police department and the homeowner’s association for us to be able to take action.”

Asmus was quick to point out that the department will not be patrolling the development on a regular basis, but if an officer is responding to or returning from a call in the development and spots someone speeding through the community, that officer will be able to enforce the speed limit law.

Legacy Ridge is one of the most popular subdivisions in Liberty Lake. The community is centered around Legend Tree Drive and is known for its picturesque homes and landscaping. There are also a number of hiking trails with a significant amount of pedestrian traffic regularly crossing the roadway in certain areas.

Community Association Manager Tracy Burnette is grateful the HOA and police department were able to work together and make the agreement happen.

“It is important for people to keep their speeds down for the safety of pedestrians, drivers and the wildlife in the area,” Burnette said. “A lot can go wrong when people drive faster than they should.”

The Splash

MONTH 2016 • 9

TEAM

Continued from page 8 2 election that will determine funding for the project, Chuck Musgrave, a principal with BRS, said the company “has an excellent track record of getting elections passed and helping communities achieve the goals they set forward for their project.”

Musgrave said the team will emphasize creating a destination place that is uniquely Liberty Lake.

“We want to help the community walk through the stages of helping us develop this project,” Musgrave said. “We’re going to try and find out what belongs in Liberty Lake. We want to work with the community to discover their priorities.”

When asked by Council Member Odin Langford about the strategy to quantify operations and maintenance costs associated with the site, Musgrave said, “from day one, we’re going to talk about the budget.”

“We will address it,” he said.

“We have people on staff who have worked in maintenance and operations. We will present a full budget for that but we need a building first.”

Council Member Bob Moore, who attended many of the task force meetings, expressed hope that the design team would explore the best options for parking, traffic flows as well as ingress and egress issues surrounding the facility.

“We will work on the position of the building,” Holecek. “We will be targeting future growth and bringing data back as far as what works in other communities.”

The design crew also plans to be heavily involved in getting the word out about the bond vote slated for this summer. From distributing flyers to setting up a table at the Liberty Lake Farmers Market, it appears the team will be visible beyond organizational meetings at City Hall.

Council Member Cris Kaminskas said the design-build approach the project – featuring the establishment of a blueprint before a vote is taken – means less delay if the election is successful and funding is secured.

“It’s good to see that we’re addressing a lot of this process up front,” she said.

Mayor Steve Peterson said it would be important to keep in mind Liberty Lake’s diverse community when creating programming for the site.

“We want to make sure we’re including everyone,” he said. “It’s a matter of looking at how this center connects the community.”

When responding to a resident concern about the cost of the project – the pricetag has been set at $12 million – Peterson pointed out that the benefits of the building will likely include a positive ripple effect on property value.

“Let’s talk about what we want for this community,” he said.

“What is the value going to be and what is the benefit for the present and future in our community?

The benefit will be over the next 100 years.”

Allen said the cost per square foot has been pegged at $200.

The $12 million price includes $1.5 million for contingencies and FFE (furniture, fixtures and equipment).

Jim Nelson, bond underwriter and senior vice president with DA Davidson, appeared with city Finance Director RJ Stevenson to describe the costs of debt service in various scenarios. The city is leaning toward a 30-year bond that would add 51 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value or an additional $153.75 on a home valued at $300,000.

“If you’re constructing an improvement that has a long period of life, you can let the people who use it over the decades pay for it over the decades,” said Nelson.

Stevenson pointed out that as the city grows, the levied rate will decrease as it is spread out over more properties. Based on projections in increased assessed value, the tax rate connected to the bond would plummet to 39 cents per $1,000 in 2026 and 29 cents by 2036.

The city still needs to cover costs connected to operations and maintenance of the pool and community center, an amount that could run between $350,000 to $450,000 annually, Allen said.

See PROJECT, Page 17

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The Splash

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The Splash

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MONTH 2016 • 11

Consign Furniture opens with extensive, diverse inventory Staci Lehman Splash Correspondent Where do you go if you want to buy a taxidermy lion, a pink 1950s stove or a Balinese ornamental bed? Visiting the new Consign Furniture store in Liberty Lake is more than just going to a furniture store, it’s kind of like going to a museum.

In late December, the business opened in the old Ashley Furniture building next to the Home Depot on Country Vista Drive.

It has already been doing brisk business, selling high quality, used furniture. Owner Erik Rock says business is so good, in fact, that he’s had to hire more help than originally anticipated.

“When we opened, we instantly felt the impact and realized we were going to need more people,” said Rock.

Consign Furniture was formerly located in Post Falls, where the store first opened in 2012.

Rock purchased the new space and moved the family-owned business to Liberty Lake because he needed more space.

“We were losing business because the building was so tight,” said Rock of the Post Falls store.

at Consign Furniture. On a recent visit, in addition to bedroom, dining and living room sets of all kinds, styles and materials, the store had a rock basin sink, a clawfoot bathtub, several grandfather clocks, a telescope and taxidermy animals of all kinds.

“We love the unusual,” said Rock. “I can’t tell you how many people from California buy a taxidermy for their new lake house here.”

Rock says his business is very closely tied to the real estate industry. Many of the people who consign with him do so because they are either combining households and need to get rid of extra furniture or are moving to a new home and acquiring new furniture to fit that house.

Consigners often turn around and buy their new furniture from the store as well. Even when the economy crashed and the housing market was extremely slow, Rock says the consignment furniture business wasn’t.

“We learned that it’s recession proof,” he said. “Think about it, people were losing their homes and having to sell their furniture.”

Yet some might wonder why

Consign Furniture is now open in Liberty Lake at the site of the former Ashley Furniture location on Country Vista Drive next to Home Depot.

Photo by Staci Lehman pay a fee to have someone sell your furniture when you could do it yourself? According to Rock, a lot of people don’t want to deal with the hassle or safety risks of selling furniture on Craigslist and hauling it themselves can be a major inconvenience. When you consign with Consign Furniture, all you have to do is give them a call, send them some pictures and they will come pick up your items for free – even if you aren’t in the Liberty Lake area.

Rock says he has trucks in

The search for a new location was an extended one because the Ashley Furniture building initially wasn’t in his price range, although Rock had been interested in the building for a long time.

“When I used to live in Legacy Ridge, I’d drive down the hill every day and see this giant beautiful empty building,” he said.

The move to Liberty Lake is already paying off. Rock says.

With 59,000 square feet to work with, he can bring in and sell a lot more furniture. That much square footage also gives his store a claim to fame – it reportedly makes Consign Furniture the largest consignment furniture store in the U.S. Don’t let the name fool you, you can get a lot more than furniture

Unique clocks, zebra-pattern chairs and other unique items can be found at the Consign Furniture store.

Photo by Staci Lehman

Vintage items like this mid-century modern oven are part of the inventory at Consign Furniture.

Photo by Staci Lehman

Coeur d’Alene, Sandpoint and Harrison on a regular basis, and they travel far in every other direction as well. With over 4,000 consigners already selling their furniture through Consign Furniture, several truckloads of new items are brought in every day. That means there is always something new.

Items sell quickly too though and are oneof-a-kind at the store, so if you see something you like, you may want to grab it up right away.

For those who prefer online shopping, you can also browse through Consign Furniture’s treasures on the Internet.

Pictures of new items are posted on the store’s Facebook page every day so you can see what is available. You can also sign up on their “wish list” for items you are interested in and store staff will contact you if that item comes in.

Even while people are just starting to discover this new store, its owner is already looking to expand. Rock has another Consign Furniture store in Reno, Nev. and would like to start another, possibly in Western Washington, although he’s not really sure on a location yet. For now, he’s just happy with how things are working out in Liberty Lake.

“This building is generating a ton of business,” he said.

12 • MONTH 2016

COVER STORY

The Splash

From fairways to safe ways – City looks at new standards for golf carts

Each summer, golf carts line the upper ridge of the amphitheater at Pavillion Park as residents gather for movies and concerts.

Photo courtesy of Friends of Pavillion Park

Cart before the course – Niche vehicles prove useful beyond golf

By Treva Lind Splash Correspondent Over the past decade, Liberty Lake’s golf cart culture has grown as a popular mode of transportation for people to travel easily to the farmers’ market, school, stores and movies or concerts hosted at a local greenspace.

In fact, it’s a long-held tradition for many neighbors to gather “on the ridge” in golf carts for viewing at Pavillion Park. Along with many golfers living here who use their carts on courses, other factors have contributed to the lifestyle.

“We have three golf course and a well-defined trail system,” said Liberty Lake City Administrator Katy Allen. “When you put that in conjunction with all the outdoor events we have in Liberty Lake, I think this golf cart culture has just grown. Families have embraced it. I use it with my grandkids to go to the library, to the park. They love the golf cart.

Getting there is just fun. There aren’t any issues with parking.”

Liberty Lake also has a number of cart owners who don’t necessarily golf with them, but enjoy using the vehicles for their ease, fun and less dependence on traditional cars. About seven years ago, Allen noticed many residents bought electric golf carts under a limited-time income tax credit.

“People who bought them weren’t necessarily golfers,” she said. “I think it started with

golfers, and then it’s grown into a mobility option.”

Today, golf carts can be equipped with street-legal features such as turn indicators, rear-view mirror, lights, turn signals and enclosed cabins.

Mike and Mindy Howe, Liberty Lake residents, joined the golf cart craze about five years ago. Mike golfs, but the couple utilizes the vehicle often for park concerts and occasionally to pick up mail.

“I see a lot of carts in the neighborhood, and people going to the farmers’ market and parks,” Mindy said. “I think it’s very much a part of our culture and lifestyle.”

Mindy said she’s pretty familiar with the cart safety guidelines.

“I think what’s in place right now is very reasonable and good for safety,” she said. “Our culture is about helping residents, making life easier, outdoorsiness and aclean environment and I think golf carts help with that.

Teenagers can have mobility to get around and families can go to events together.

The Howe’s point out one golf cart excursion each year that tops the list.

“Our favorite golf cart experience is going to the Spokane Symphony concert every year with our neighbors, who also go in carts,” Mindy said.

“We enjoy the concert from the top of the ridge and bring picnic dinners – that’s like a tradition.”

By Treva Lind Splash Correspondent On a recent afternoon, Mark Rathbun drove his golf cart on Molter Road’s sidewalk for a short trip home from the gym.

As warmer months arrive, such Liberty Lake golf cart sightings will multiply as more residents take the light vehicles regularly on trails and sidewalks to visit parks and activities. In a community featuring three golf courses, the tradition became engrained long before cityhood became official in August 2001. In 2006, the city passed an ordinance outlining safety rules for golf carts on public thoroughfares.

“That’s what we like about the community – there are so many trails,” said Rathbun about Liberty Lake’s golf cart culture. “I like to take it to the post office, the gym, the store. I try to cross at crosswalks and look both ways. I pull over if I see someone walking.”

This month, Liberty Lake’s golf cart rules are under review as city officials consider ways to boost safety for use on public right-of-ways. Part of the scrutiny rises from a growing numbers of complaints the city has received involving pedestrian versus golf cart encounters on narrow sidewalks, forcing people off the right-of-way. The city’s ordinance

also hasn’t been reviewed since laws in the state have caught up with cart usage in public areas.

One consideration is to clarify that cart operators must yield to pedestrians, joggers and cyclists on sidewalks, or perhaps a ban of carts on sidewalks though they would still be allowed on wide trails and neighborhood roads. Another change may add a requirement that cart operators register the vehicles with the city and sign that they understand safety rules.

The City Council is expected to consider new golf cart safety updates as early as its first and second meetings in March, or otherwise sometime this spring.

“One of the main things we’re looking at is a golf cart registration program,” said Police Chief Brian Asmus. “Before we’d issue a registration, we would make sure each operator signed an acknowledgement that they’re aware of the rules and will abide by them. We find when we stop people for golf cart violations, we hear people say they didn’t know that was a rule.”

Both Asmus and City Administrator Katy Allen say the goal is improved safety while still allowing the vehicles’ use. Current cart safety rules on right-of-

See CARTS, Page 13

Jim and Cheryl Baumker of Liberty Lake are among many residents who hop in a golf cart when visiting family and friends or attending social events like the summer movies at Pavillion Park or the Liberty Lake Farmers Market.

Photo by Craig Howard

The Splash

COVER STORY

While golf carts have grown into a popular mode of transportation throughout Liberty Lake, plenty of the vehicles can be found at their original homes, such as the Meadowwood Golf Course.

Photo by Craig Howard

CARTS

Continued from page 12

ways include required seatbelts, drivers at least 16 years old with completed driver education or licensed driving experience, headlights and taillights or rear reflectors at night and rearview mirrors for street use.

Golf carts can’t be operated “in a negligent manner,” endangering others and property or impeding lawful travel of any motor vehicle or use by pedestrian of public streets, sidewalks, paths, trails, walkways or parks. Carts can’t legally be operated on streets that have speed limits exceeding 25 mph. Passengers also can’t exceed seating capacity.

“Our goal is to make sure people are educated about the use of golf carts,” Asmus said.

“We have a substantial trail system that is very wide and golf carts are allowed on them.

They are typically wide enough for a golf cart and pedestrians to use. Currently, the ordinance also allows use of golf carts on sidewalks.”

The police department has taken a more proactive stance on writing up infractions the past two years, he added.

“We’ve started a rigorous education campaign to let those operators know what the laws are,” Asmus said. “We’re receiving

more complaints about golf carts that aren’t being operated safely.”

Asmus has reviewed other city ordinances for carts on right-ofways, some that may or may not work for Liberty Lake.

“Some cities require all golf cart drivers to have a driver’s license,” he said. “Our current ordinance doesn’t. I’ve seen golf carts prohibited on sidewalks.”

Allen uses a golf cart herself often to go to Liberty Lake venues with her grandchildren. She said some places are difficult to access on a cart without limited sidewalk use, such as between some neighborhoods and Pavillion Park.

Such issues need to be part of ordinance discussions, Allen said.

“The sidewalks aren’t wide enough for golf carts and a person, so we have to talk about some etiquette rules at the very least if you’re on the sidewalk and you have to yield to a pedestrian or runner,” she said. “There are ways to address this without outright banning on sidewalks.”

Liberty Lake was ahead of other cities, even state law, when it adopted golf cart safety rules a decade ago, Asmus added.

“What we did in 2006 is we decided to institute a local ordinance that would address some safety issues but realizing that our city is a golf cart

Mike Steffy of Liberty Lake is an avid golfer who utilizes his Yamaha electric golf cart on the fairways and for utilitarian tasks like picking up the mail.

Photo by Craig Howard community,” Asmus said. “The ordinance was about finding legal ways people could use them around the city. As far as I know, we were one of the first communities in Washington to do so.”

There has been talk of each cart being issued a number – similar to a license plate – that could be identified and reported if a violation occurred. If the city adopts a cart registration program, it’s currently unknown whether a fee would be required.

“If there would be, it would be nominal,” Asmus said. “Some cities charge $25 a year. That would be a council decision.”

Added Allen, “It there are any fees, it would be just to cover any administrative cost.”

MONTH 2016 • 13

The business of golf carts

By Treva Lind Splash Correspondent Depending on features, new and used golf carts range widely in cost, from about $900 for a basic version up to $12,000 for a custom vehicle with top-ofthe-line amenities.

Newer used carts with some accessories can cost around $3,000 to $5,000, said Bailey Renz, a sales associate and part of the family-operated Golf Cars Etc. The Spokane Valley business, at 14902 E. Sprague Ave., is a distributor of Club Car. It also handles repairs and installations of custom features.

Renz said Liberty Lake’s golf cart culture is well-known.

She estimates during she’s helped hundreds of Liberty Lake residents since starting at the business in 2000. The customers – both golfers and non-golfers – describe the family fun and convenience of the unique rigs.

“For kids, it’s so fun,” Renz said. “It’s a car that’s more their size. I can’t tell you how many young families come in here from Liberty Lake specifically looking at golf carts.”

Some people buy fourpassenger carts, but customers also request a conversion kit for a two-passenger cart that adds two back-facing seats, so it can seat four.

“It’s something we do for customers in Liberty Lake quite a bit,” Renz said.

Many golf carts are electricpowered but those taking gasoline also are sold here. One popular add-on is installation of an enclosure.

“Typically you just have a top to a golf cart,” Renz said. “This encloses the whole thing and has door, like in a little car.”

The business installs safety items such as rearview mirrors, lights and seatbelts. While a few golf carts can reach speeds up to 35 mph, Renz said most don’t go over 19 mph without modifications. The business doesn’t recommend higher speeds and the demand isn’t really there.

“We put safety first,” Renz said.

The Splash

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The Splash

LIBRARY

Valentine Basket Auction a hearty success

Final Gut Health Workshop -“Create Health with Real Food” Presented by Melissa DiLuzio Thursday, March 10, 6-7 p.m.

Learn how food affects our health, how to improve your immune system and select healthier food choices. This is the class you’ve been waiting for. Get guidance on healthy eating habits and healthier eating choices.

Adult Coloring Night Mon, March 14 6:30-7:30 p.m.

Drop by the library and enjoy the latest stress-reducing trend for grown-ups – coloring parties!

The library will provide coloring sheets, coloring supplies, peaceful music and light refreshments for an enjoyable hour of coloring. Feel free to bring your own pencils, markers and coloring sheets. This event is for adults, 18 and over.

Please invite your friends; we are looking forward to this event!

Email Basics Computer Class Tuesday, Mar. 22, 1:30-2:30 p.m.

In this class you will learn how to manage and clean your email inbox and create folders to organize emails. We will also cover how to attach a file to an email and how to download attachments.

This class will cover the general maintenance and use of email and focus on examples from the more popular email services, such as Gmail, Yahoo and MSN.

MARVELOUS MARCH Dr. Deuss’ Birthday!

The second annual Valentine Basket Silent Auction sponsored by the Friends of Liberty Lake Municipal Library was a great success, raising over $800 for library technology needs.

The Friends thank everyone who participated and wish them well in next year’s auction. Be watching for the Friends’ Annual Tea and Silent Auction in April.

The 2016 theme is “Downton Abbey”! The popular event will be accompanied by live music and a fashion show from the era!

Library March Education Roundup

MONTH 2016 • 15

You should not, would not want to miss a celebration quite like this! Come and celebrate Dr. Seuss’ birthday! Books, balloons, games, treats, and more!

Wednesday March 2 at 4 p.m.

STEM-tacular Saturday Saturday March 5 at 2 p.m.

With the weather warming up, the reading garden outside the Liberty Lake Municipal Library is bound to become a more popular place. In April of 2014, construction began on the garden north of the main entrance. The idea for the project grew out of discussions of how to enhance the appearance of the building. The project was funded by the Library Foundation in partnership with the city of Liberty Lake. The soothing space includes natural stone elements, benches and flagstone paths as well as trees, shrubs, perennials and specimen plants. The garden also features several custom wood pieces, including a bench, gate and trellises.

Photo by Craig Howard

Friends of the Library prepare for proper ‘Downton Abbey’ tea

It’s almost tea time! The Friends of the Liberty Lake Municipal Library are busy getting ready for their annual Tea which will be held April 30 from 2 – 4 p.m. at the Meadowwood Technology Campus. This year’s theme is “A Farewell to Downton Abbey,” a tribute to the beloved PBS television series which is now in its last season.

The Tea will feature authentic English Tea cuisine, a fashion show of Roaring 20s and 30s styles, a drawing and the always popular silent auction. The Friends are now reaching out to the community to request cash donations and items or services for the auction. All donations are tax deductible.

Organized in 2003, the Friends of the Liberty Lake Municipal Library is a volunteer, nonprofit community organization dedicated and committed to providing support to the library.

They do this by receiving donations and raising funds to pay for materials and activities

beyond the scope of the city budget for the library. To raise these funds, they take in donated books and sell them at two annual book sales and the Used Book Corner in the library, hold a monthly silent book auction and recently held a Silent Valentine Basket Auction. Their biggest fundraiser is hosting the annual Tea for the community.

Last year they provided funding for the Summer Reading Program, which was completed by almost 400 children and adults, computers and chairs in the Learning Center, a lectern for the many speakers who present classes at the library, the Early Reading Program, STEM-tacular Saturday (classes in Science, Technology and Math), materials for the Halloween and Christmas parties and other programs for adults and children.

You can help support the library by buying tickets for the Tea, putting up a Tea poster in your business, donating items or services for the silent auction, donating your used books and buying used books at the library (at bargain prices!) Visit the library for more information on these opportunities or go to www. libertylakefriends.org.

Build a flip clock! cost is $10.

Open to kids ages 10 and up. Ages 10-13 must be accompanies by a parent to help cnostruct this great electronics project. Register at parksnrec.libertylakewa.gov

Youth Book Club

March 10 at 4 p.m.

We will be discussing “Snow like Ashes” by Sara Raasch. Ages 1117 are welcome

Family Movie Night March 17 at 6p.m.

Movie to be announced

Kids’ Crafts

Saturdays, March 13, 20, and 17, from 1:30 -2:30 p. m For ages 6 and up

Lego Club

Meets every Friday 4-5 p.m.

For ages 4 and up.

Youth Book Club

March 10 at 4 p.m.

We will be discussing “Snow like Ashes” by Sara Raasch. Ages 1117 are welcome

www.libertylakewa.gov/library

23123 E. Mission Ave. Liberty Lake • 232-2510

The Splash

16 • MONTH 2016

Safety Scroll Every day a smoke alarm saves someone’s life

By Chief Bryan Collins Spokane Valley Fire Department I recently reviewed some of the smoke alarms with new technology that have just hit the market. One of these alarms is the Atom Smoke and Fire Alarm from First Alert. It features a new, thinner micro-design which adds an element of style to safety.

This alarm is about the size of your thumb and provides all the necessary protection to help keep your family and home safe.

Recent news reports about another new smoke alarm technology by a company called Nest. The person who designed it had a hand in creating Apple’s original iPod. Nest alarms are being touted as an important component in today’s high-tech home. There is a “cool” factor in many of the reports about these products that I’d never seen associated with smoke alarms in the past.

All this buzz made me think about

how far the smoke alarm industry has come. Today, consumers can find devices that combine smoke and carbon monoxide detection in a single unit and others that contain both ionization and photoelectric sensors, providing the best protection from both flaming and smoldering fires.

Smoke alarms can be batterypowered or hardwired and can be interconnected. Many have features for easily silencing nuisance alarms, while others can send a message to your smart phone if the alarm goes off or if the batteries need replacing.

However, despite all this new technology, we still struggle to address one of the biggest challenges in fire safety today – reducing home fire deaths.

Fire prevention advocates across the country point to the widespread use of smoke alarms, which began in the 1970s, as a major factor in reducing home fire deaths. Since then, the number of fire deaths in homes has gone from roughly 6,000 annually to its current level of just under 3,500. That’s the good news.

Less encouraging is the number of fire deaths we continue to see in homes with no smoke alarms

or no working smoke alarms.

If fire breaks out in your home during the day, you will usually smell it and respond. But at night when your family is sleeping, fire can steal the oxygen needed to breathe or produce toxic carbon monoxide gas that be sleepinducing and even deadly. In the U.S., more people die from house fires than from all natural disasters combined. Approximately twothirds of home fire deaths occur in homes without working smoke alarms.

Since most fatal fires occur at night, it’s essential that every home have working smoke alarms to provide an early warning.

Working smoke alarms increase the chance of surviving a home fire by 50 percent. Install smoke alarms in all sleeping rooms, hallways that lead to sleeping areas, basements and each additional level of your home.

Smoke alarms should be mounted on the ceiling 4 inches from the wall; wall mounts should be 4 to 12 inches from the ceiling. Do not install near draft areas such as windows or vents.

Working smoke alarms routinely need a battery change. The recommendation is to check your smoke alarm and change the battery when you change your clocks twice a year as daylight savings time begins and ends.

Smoke alarms with long-life batteries are designed to remain effective for up to 10 years and do not need a battery change. If

the alarm chirps, warning that the battery is low, replace the entire smoke alarm right away.

For smoke alarms with any other type of battery, replace batteries at least once a year. If the alarm chirps, replace only the battery.

One of the services Spokane Valley Fire Department provides to our community is a free home safety evaluation. This includes a review of current alarms and discussion about a home escape plan with you and your family.

We encourage you to prepare and practice an escape plan. Be sure to crawl low under smoke, plan an outside meeting location and once you’re out, stay out. If you have any questions or need assistance, please contact the Spokane Valley Fire Department at (509) 928-1700 or visit www. spokanevalleyfire.com.

(The Spokane Valley Fire Department does not endorse any particular smoke alarm or manufacturer. Our focus is to ensure that all homes within our service area have working smoke alarms to help reduce home fire deaths.)

Bryan Collins has served as the Spokane Valley Fire Department’s fire chief since March 2013. He has worked in the field of fire safety for the past 30 years.

SVFD serves the cities of Spokane Valley, Liberty Lake, Millwood and unincorporated areas of Spokane County with a combined population of 125,000 across approximately 75 square miles.

You are The Splash Want to see your name in print (for all the right reasons, of course)? Or maybe you just want to help point out great ideas for content worth sharing with your neighbors? The Splash is a community newspaper, so if you are part of the Liberty Lake community, we want to know what’s important to you. We like to say there are eight of us, and there are more than 100,000 of you. Maybe one of the questions below applies to you? If so, you can help us out.  Do you go on vacation?

Maybe you’re heading somewhere fun (and warm) for spring break. If so, pack a copy of The Splash and pull it out to snap your photo in front of your favorite destination or landmark. When you return to the Liberty Lake, drop us a line with the pic, and we’ll share it with readers. Call it “Splash Travels.”  Are you part of a club or service organization?

Well, what do you know? Let us add you to our list of recurring Liberty Lake events in the near future that will be well-suited for clubs and organizations

that have regular meetings. Send us the info.  Do you celebrate?

We want people to know about everything from your new baby, to your upcoming wedding or anniversary, to your incredible office or sporting achievement. Photos, announcements, honors — please send!  Did you capture a shot?

Shutterbugs, unite! If you are capturing great Liberty Lake moments, whether while out and about or in your backyard, e-mail us your photo so we can share it around the neighborhood.

Send along names of those pictures and complete caption information as much as possible.  Are you a local freelance journalist?

The Splash sets aside a budget and great assignments for people like you. Send some clips our way, and we’ll be in touch.  Do you eat?

We thought so. Perhaps you have a favorite order at

a Liberty Lake eatery? Before you clean your plate, get your picture taken with your order and send it to us. Include the place, order, cost and why you love it.

It’s just one more way we can point one another to all the best Liberty Lake offers.

You are The Splash. E-mail editor@ libertylakesplash.com so we can share the things that are important to you.

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Publishing House

“Honoring local communities and encouraging citizen involvement”

509-242-7752 | www.libertylakesplash.com

The Splash

MONTH 2016 • 17

NOW OPEN URGENT CARE

PROJECT

6 DAYS A WEEK

Continued from page 9 The soon-to-be retired bond on the Trailhead Golf Course would free up $150,000 a year, she added.

Plenty of support was seen and heard on behalf of the Liberty Lake Municipal Library at the meeting. Library Director Pamela Mogen said the current home of the library has reached a peak.

“We have a lot of programming right now and we have the potential for a lot more but we just don’t have the space,” she said.

Kaminskas said she was aware of the benefits additional square footage would bring to the library but added she wanted “to make sure it pencils out on the dollar side” while ensuring that other community groups had sufficient opportunity to use the space.

Langford was more direct.

“We have an interest on our board that this does not become a public library project,” he said.

Before the council vote to award the design-build contract, Kaminskas made a motion to evaluate the relocation of the library and strike the suggested space for a new library (9,000 square feet) from the contract language.

Council passed the amended agreement by a unanimous vote. A total of $100,000 has been set aside in this year’s budget for the design contract.

City mulls prospect of Appleway/ LL Road roundabout When organizing the travel agenda for a visit to Olympia last month, the delegation from Liberty Lake made sure to include a stop in nearby Lacey, a suburb that boasts the world-famous Weyerhaeuser corrugated container facility.

While their journey to the coast did not include touring hallways of recyclable cardboard, Peterson and Allen did glean some helpful insight from a pair of successful projects in the city of nearly 45,000 – both of which could influence the future landscape in Liberty Lake.

At the Feb. 2 City Council meeting, Allen told the governing board about stopping by one of Lacey’s ultra-efficient traffic roundabouts that moves approximately 35,000 vehicles a day. Unlike Liberty

Lake’s version of a single lane roundabout at Harvard Road, Lacey feature several multi-lane renditions. Overall, the city has 13 roundabouts with four more scheduled for construction.

“On the west side, they’ve really perfected the design of the roundabout,” Allen said.

In a response the question of “Why is the city building roundabouts?” on the Lacey website, city officials describe the long-term benefits of the approach in comparison to traditional traffic signals, noting that “engineering analysis has determined that roundabouts can perform more effectively than traditional signals at many intersections.”

The model on the coast could have increased relevance based on recent talks Allen and other city officials have had with the Washington State Department of Transportation regarding the intersection at Appleway Avenue and Liberty Lake Road.

While initial plans included traffic light revisions at Liberty Lake/Appleway and another lane being added to the I-90 onramp as part of an extensive upgrade of Liberty Road this summer, Allen said discussions with WSDOT have raised the possibility of a roundabout at the heavily traveled intersection.

In Lacey, roundabouts are being hailed as a preferable trafficcalming option at intersections like the one at Marvin Road north of Interstate 5. City engineers say they junction could fail within 10 years if a roundabout is not installed, “causing unacceptable traffic delays, congestion, and even backups onto I-5.”

Wary of the growing issue of congestion on Appleway and Liberty Lake Road and the proximity of both arterials to the I-90 entrance, Allen said the city is looking at various options, but stopped short of saying a roundabout would be installed this year.

“Even if it works, Eastern Washington is not Western Washington,” she said. “We have snow and people here are not as experienced at driving in roundabouts.”

While the future of one intersection in town may still be up

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Family Medicine Liberty Lake - caring for the entire family. in the air, Allen said plans for the roundabout at Mission and Molter are a go. With the construction of a large-scale Comcast facility on the Meadowwood Technology Campus scheduled for completion later this year along with the influx of new commuters, the city is striving to stay ahead of the congestion curve.

“We need to move forward with that one now,” Allen said.

As for the prospects of two roundabouts being built at the same time, the city administrator appeared to apply the brakes.

“Our community is small,” she said. “We can handle only so much construction at once.”

Council Member Dan Dunne applauded city staff’s efforts to look at new approaches to transportation issues, specifically “if a roundabout would work better than a signal at that intersection.”

“It’s important to recognize the potential for innovation,” Dunne said.

Town Square project research Allen and Peterson also visited the Lacey Community Center during their sojourn to the state capital. As Liberty Lake enters

the design phase of its own community center and aquatic facility at Town Square Park, city officials are gathering information on similar venues across the region.

While not featuring a pool, Lacey’s version of a civic gathering place spans 10,000 square feet and includes a large banquet room with seating for 360. An additional meeting room, kitchen and terrace round out the space, built 17 years ago.

“It’s not fancy but it’s nice,” Allen said. “It has a lot of good natural light.”

Allen added that the city is considering a collaboration with the local YMCA for help with pool operations and maintenance.

The city has also talked with representatives from the Central Valley School District for advice on generating support for the ballot on Aug. 2. Voters will determine whether or not to fund the project through a capital facilities bond similar to the one CVSD passed last year.

“We will have enough information about the facility that anyone who votes on it is going to know what they’re going to get,” Allen said.

COMMUNITY

18 • MONTH 2016

The Splash

Calendar of Events COMMUNITY EVENTS March 1 | CVSD kindergarten registration begins | Parents are encouraged to visit the CV Kindergarten Center starting March 1 to register children for kindergarten. To enroll, the child must be five years old on or before August 31. More at www. cvsd.org.

March 2 | Grange potluck and meeting 6 p.m., Tri Community Grange, 25025 Heather St., Newman Lake. A potluck will be followed by a 7 p.m. meeting for this community-based service organization. More at 481-7447 or geje2@yahoo.com.

March 3 | STCU Workshop: “Prevent Fraud & Identity Theft” 6 to 7 p.m., Spokane Valley Library, 12004 E. Main Ave. Learn what attracts criminals, how to spot fraud warning signs, and what current trending scams are out there. Light meal provided. Details and registration at ww.stcu.org/workshops.

March 5 | Father Daughter Dance 7 to 9 p.m. (doors open at 6:30 p.m.), CenterPlace Regional Events Center, 2426 N. Discovery Place, Spokane Valley. Presented by the Liberty Lake Kiwanis and the City of Spokane Valley. The theme for the night is “Enchanted Evening in Oz.” Tickets are $45 per father/daughter couple and $20 for each additional daughter.

For tickets and more: 688-0300 or www.spokanevalley.org/ recreation.

March 12-13 | CVHS Spring Arts and Crafts Fair 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Sat.), 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. (Sun.), Central Valley High School gym, 821 S Sullivan Road. Craft Show benefiting the Central Valley High School Band programs. Admission is $2. More information at cvmbPublicity@ hotmail.com.

March 12 | Hope for Savi 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. AR Tools and Machinery, 12009 E. Empire Ave., Bldg. C. Food, auction, and raffle to support the family of two-yearold Cevanah to help cover the medical costs of brain surgeries to remove an aggressive tumor. For more information, or to donate, call Tammy at (208) 771-5328 or Stacy at 701-6574.

March 13 | Daylight saving time begins March 17 | St. Patrick’s Day March 18 | CVHS Parent Dinner Auction| 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., Spokane Valley Event

Center, 10514 E Sprague Ave. This dinner and auction to raise funds for the Central Valley High School senior all-nighter. More at 228-5100.

March 21, 24 | Registration for annual Easter Egg Hunt 3:30 to 8 p.m. (both days), Liberty Lake Municipal Library, 23123 E. Mission Ave. Liberty Lake’s 20th annual Easter Egg Hunt will be held 11 a.m. March 26 at Pavillion Park for toddlers through fourth grade students. Registration, with a fee of $3 (or six plastic eggs filled with wrapped candy), is required for each child. More at 921-6746 or davis72205@ hotmail.com.

March 22 | Prospective Kindergarteners Day 9 to 11 a.m., Pioneer School, 618 N. Sullivan Road, Spokane Valley.

Pioneer School, a school for highly capable students, is now accepting applications for 20162017 kindergarten and first grade students. Space is limited for Kindergarteners Day. RSVP and more at 922-7818 or www. pioneerschool.com.

March 26 | 20th annual Liberty Lake Easter Egg Hunt 11 a.m., Pavillion Park. Egg hunt for children up to fourth grade.

Admission is $2 or six eggs (filled with wrapped candy) per child.

Due to volume of participants, children must register before March 24. To register, volunteer, or get more information call Alisha Davis at 921-6746.

March 26 | Community Easter Egg Hunt noon to 3 p.m. (daylight hunt) and 8 p.m. (flashlight hunt), Valley Real Life, 1831 S. Barker Road. A “daylight” egg hunt for kids up to fifth grade and a “flashlight” hunt for children kindergarten through fifth grade along with carnival games, inflatables, and food available for purchase from Greater Spokane Food Truck Association vendors.

Free. More information at www. vrl.church.

March 31 | Kiwanis scholarship deadline The Liberty Lake Kiwanis Foundation is seeking candidates for its 2016 scholarships. Scholarships will be awarded to graduating seniors or a former recipient who is continuing his/her education.

Graduating seniors from Liberty Lake, students related to a Liberty Lake Kiwanis member, seniors from East Valley, Central Valley, or West Valley school districts, or other community members

deemed eligible are encouraged to apply. More at 710-7466.

March 25, 27 | Good Friday, Great Sunday at Lakeside 7 p.m.

(Fri.); 9 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.

(Sun.), Lakeside Church, 23129 E. Mission Ave. Good Friday and Easter services. More at www. lakesidechurch.com.

Recurring Baha’i Fireside Conversation 5 p.m. to 6 p.m., third Friday of the month, Spokane Valley Library, 12004 E. Main Ave. Discussion of Baha’i teachings, history, and perspectives on resolving the challenges facing humanity. All are welcome. More at 599-2411 or www.bahai.us.

DivorceCare Recovery Support Group Tuesdays 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., Eastpoint Church, 15303 E. Sprague Ave. Learn how to heal from the deep hurt of divorce and discover hope for your future. DivorceCare for Kids (ages 5-12) meets at the same time and location. Cost is $25 for workbook. More at 892-5255 or www.eastpointchurch.com.

Friends of the Liberty Lake Municipal Library 4 p.m. the last Tuesday of every month, Library, 23123 E. Mission Ave. Inland NW Freethought Society 2 p.m., second Sunday of the month, Shari's, 240 N. Sullivan Road. A secular social group. More at 216-4788.

Kiwanis Club of Liberty Lake 6:45 a.m. Wednesdays, Liberty Lake City Hall, 22510 E. Country Vista Drive. More at www. libertylakekiwanis.org.

Liberty Lake Centennial Rotary Club Noon Thursdays, Meadowwood Technology Campus Liberty Room, 2100 N. Molter Road. More at 922-4422.

Liberty Lake Lions Club Noon on the second and fourth Wednesdays of each month, Barlow’s Restaurant, 1428 N. Liberty Lake Road. More at 8697657.

Liberty Lake Municipal Library 23123 E. Mission Avenue. Toddler and preschool story times, Create space for kids, Baby lap-sit story time, Lego club, Knitting Club, kids crafts and more. More at 232-2510.

Liberty Lake Toastmasters 5:45 to 7 p.m. Wednesdays, Liberty Lake Sewer and Water District building, 22510 E. Mission Ave. More at 208-765-8657.

Men’s Weekly Bible Study

Tuesdays 7 a.m., Millwood Presbyterian Church, 3223 N. Marguerite Road, Millwood. The men’s weekly Bible Study meets in the Reception Hall with different members sharing in the leading of the study. All men are invited to join. More at www.milwoodpc. org.

Pancreatic Cancer Action Network 6:30 p.m. the first Monday of each month, Liberty Lake Municipal Library, 23123 E. Mission Ave. More at 534-2564 www.pancan.org.

Senior Lunch 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Monday through Friday, Talon Hills Senior Complex, 24950 E. Hawkstone Loop. Seniors age 60 and older invited; recommended donation $3.50.

Spokane Valley Writer’s Group 6:45 p.m. the first and third Thursdays of every month, Lakeside Church, 23129 E. Mission. This supportive critique group welcomes adult writers.

More at 570-4440.

MUSIC & THE ARTS Through March 6 | “How the Other Half Loves” 7:30 p.m.

(Fri., Sat.) and 2 p.m. (Sun.), Ignite!

Community Theatre, 10814 E. Broadway Ave. A comedy about the intertwining lives of three couples. Tickets $13-15.

More at www.igniteonbroadway. org.

March 3-12 | “On Having Good Fortune & Other Worthwhile Things” Liberty Lake Community Theatre, 22910 E. Appleway Ave. Tickets cost $12. For times, tickets, and more: www. libertylaketheatre.com.

March 5, 7 | Auditions for “Jack and the Beanstalk” 10 a.m. (Sat.) and 6 p.m. (Mon.), Liberty Lake Community Theatre, 22910 E. Appleway Ave. Auditions seeking men and women for performances March 18-19 and 25-26. More at www.facebook. com/libertylaketheatre.

March 14 | CVHS Orchestra Concert 7 p.m., Valley Nazarene Church, 15515 E 20th Ave. For more information call the CVHS activities hotline at 228-5233.

March 17-19, 20, 23-26 | “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” 7:30 p.m. (March 17-19, 23-26) and 2 p.m. (March 20), Central Valley Performing Arts Center, 821 S Sullivan Rd. Tickets start at $8.

Tickets and information at www. cvtheatre.com.

March 18-19, 25-26 | “Jack

The Splash

COMMUNITY

and the Beanstalk” 7 p.m.

(Fri.) and 2 p.m. (Sat.), Liberty Lake Community Theatre, 22910 E. Appleway Ave. An entertaining and cleverly imaginative popular version of the favorite British folk tale. Tickets cost $12. Tickets and more at www.libertylaketheatre. com.

March 25 | Teen Video Challenge submission deadline Teens ages 13 to 18 are invited to create a 30 to 90 second video interpreting the 2016 summer reading slogan: “Get in the Game—READ.” $150 prize.

Details at http://sos.wa.gov/q/ teenvideo or call Nono Burling at the Washington State Library at nono.burling@sos.wa.gov.

March 31 | CVHS Choral Concert 7 p.m., Central Valley Performing Arts Center, 821 S. Sullivan Rd. More at the CVHS activities hotline, 228-5233.

Recurring Country Jammers Dance 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., first and third Sunday of the month. Newman Lake Grange, 25025 E. Heather Lane, Newman Lake.

More information at jandg2@comcast. net.

Drop-in Square Dance Lessons 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. (through May 18), Western Dance Center, 1901 N. Sullivan Road. Square dance lessons for $3 per person; no partner needed. More at 2709264.

Spokane Novelists Group noon to 4 p.m., second and fourth Saturday of the month, Otis Orchards Community Church, 23304 E. Wellesley Ave., Otis Orchards.

A support/critique group for writers. Open to anyone with an interest in writing fiction (no memoirs, nonfiction, poetry, etc., please). Participants should bring 5-10 pages to read aloud and 6-8 copies for others to read along and critique. More at 5907316.

Spokane Valley Camera Club 7:15 p.m., third and fourth Monday of the month (September through April), Liberty Lake Sewer and Water District building, 22510 E. Mission Ave. All levels of ability—students through experienced photographers—are invited to learn. Social events include field trips and workshops.

More at 951-1446 or www.sv-cc. org.

Teen Writers of the Inland Empire 4 p.m., first Thursday of the month (except holidays), Spokane Valley Library, 12004 E. Main Ave. Teen writers (grade six and older) meet to write and share their work. More at 893-

8400.

CIVIC & BUSINESS March 23-24 | Spokane River Forum Conference Coeur d’Alene Resort, 115 S 2nd St, Coeur d'Alene. Focus on ways to enjoy and restore the river or join technical and policy discussions at this annual conference featuring national, regional and local presenters. Register and more at www.spokaneriver.net Recurring Central Valley School board 6:30 p.m. on the second and fourth Mondays of each month, CVSD administration building, 19307 E. Cataldo, Spokane Valley.

Liberty Lake City Council 7 p.m. on the first and third Tuesdays of each month, City Hall, 22710 E. Country Vista Drive.

Liberty Lake Library Foundation Noon the first Wednesday of each month, 23123 E. Mission Ave. Liberty Lake Merchants Association 11:30 a.m.

Tuesdays, Liberty Lake Portal, 23403 E. Mission Ave., Suite 120.

More at 999-4935.

Liberty Lake Municipal Library board 10:30 a.m. the first Thursday of each month, 23123 E. Mission Ave. Liberty Lake Planning Commission 4 p.m. on the second Wednesday of each month, City Hall, 22710 E. Country Vista Drive.

Liberty Lake SCOPE 6:30 p.m. on the first Wednesday of each month, City Hall, 22710 E. Country Vista Drive.

Liberty Lake Sewer and Water District board 4 p.m. on the second Monday of each month, 22510 E. Mission Ave. HEALTH & RECREATION March 4 | Warrior Camp Mixed Martial Arts Event 7 p.m., HUB Sports Center, 19619 E. Cataldo Ave. The cost of admission for these live MMA cage fights is $20-30. Tickets are available at Warrior Camp, 5027 E. Trent Ave., Spokane. More at www. warriorcampfitness.com March 5-6 | APEX Awareness Volleyball Tournament 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., HUB Sports Center, 19619 E. Cataldo Ave. More at www.hubsportscenter.org.

March 11-13 | Middle School Basketball State Championships 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., HUB Sports Center, 19619 E. Cataldo Ave. The top boys and girls teams in the state battle for the title. Tournament passes are $20 to $25. More at www.

See CALENDAR, Page 45

MONTH 2016 • 19

The Splash

20 • MONTH 2016

Bon voyage Bear – Hittle to retire as CV principal in June

By Craig Howard Splash Editor Birthdays are special occasions at Central Valley High School – just ask Principal Mike Hittle.

Hand delivering celebratory cards to staff is one of many personal gestures Hittle has become known for at the campus on Sullivan Road since he arrived in 2002. The Ohio native began his career as an educator in his home state back in 1973.

“He is our leader,” said Brandon Mack, a math instructor who has been at CV for a decade. “He has always demonstrated a great balance of relationship-building with school spirit and academic excellence. He should be very proud of the school that he has been at the helm for these past years.”

When Mack broke the news of his son’s impending heart operation to his colleagues, Hittle was there to offer reassurance and advice.

“He has always been family first,” Mack said. “He was a huge encouragement to my family as he helped us talk through our son’s heart surgery as one of his children had gone through the exact same thing.”

When Hittle’s wife, Karen, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2008, the tables of reinforcement turned as the entire CV community rallied on behalf of a cause that became known as “Team Hittle.”

“I can never thank the students and staff enough for their support during that time,” Hittle said.

“The many well wishes and cards from the students and staff were a huge reason Karen and I kept a positive attitude.”

While the Hittle family dug into research and stories of recovery connected to pancreatic cancer, the campus community joined the worldwide effort to defeat the disease. At a home football game in November 2008, students raised some $1,700 in donations toward research and treatment.

A CV care package with cards, letters and posters made the trip with the Hittles to Houston where Karen was treated for nearly three months at the MD Anderson Cancer Center.

“We read one or two items every day,” Mike recalls. “I am also eternally grateful to the staff and administration team for their

donation of sick leave to Karen through the district’s shared leave program and how they all pulled together to keep CV running well in my absence.”

Karen eventually won the battle of her life in heroic fashion, a victory that Bear Nation still celebrates. Now she and her husband are ready for the green fields of retirement. Hittle, who turns 65 in April, will step down as principal on June 10.

“Now it is time to serve my family as a husband, father and grandfather,” Hittle said. “I’ll miss the students and staff the most.

I’m very proud of CV and all of our accomplishments. I feel honored and humble to have been a small part of the process.”

While Hittle talks in modest terms about his impact on the school, those who have worked with him describe a broadreaching influence.

“When Mike started in the fall of 2002, it was obvious he wanted to develop an educational environment that had a sense of family, an expectation of professionalism and dedication to high academic standards – which he has accomplished,” said Robin Barnhart, a marketing and DECA instructor. “He has worked tirelessly to create a school culture that is inclusive and challenging, while providing the necessary support for students and staff to achieve their goals.”

In addition to 33 years in education, Hittle served 20 years in the U.S. Army and retired as a lieutenant colonel in 1994. He was awarded the Bronze Star for his efforts during Operation Desert Storm in 1991.

At CV, Hittle is known for his discipline, but has been recognized more as a motivational coach than a drill sergeant.

“Mike has been an amazing leader,” said Leanne Donley, teacher and longtime ASB advisor.

“He leads by example. He trusts his staff to do what we need to do. He trusts his students to do what they need to do. He praises us when we succeed. He supports us when we fail. He understands that to be great here, we need to keep proprieties straight.”

Looking back, Hittle said there are plenty of proud moments during his tenure including various state titles, a wide range of

See HITTLE, Page 21

The Splash

MONTH 2016 • 21

Rates steady, inventory low and prices rising!

0 9,90 6 2 $

,900 9 8 $3

Longtime Central Valley High School Principal Mike Hittle has announced he will retire at the end of the 2015-16 school year. Hittle began his tenure at CV in 2002, the same year the campus on Sullivan Road celebrated an extensive renovation.

Photo by Craig Howard

HITTLE

Continued from page 20

volunteer projects, standardized test scores exceeding state and national averages and specialized programs for students at all learning levels. The outgoing principal also talks in glowing terms about CV’s success in the annual selection of Spokane Scholars, a program that honors high-achieving seniors before they embark on their respective college journeys.

“What stands out to me is the success our senior students have had at the Spokane Scholars Recognition Banquet,” Hittle said. “This event honors students from 25 local high schools and provides scholarships in six different academic areas. During the past several years we have had more award winners than any other high school, including all the private high schools, in the area.”

Hittle has also earned several of his own honors while at CV, including being named Greater Spokane League Principal of the Year twice.

As for Hittle’s replacement, CVSD Executive Director of

Secondary Education Kent Martin has been working with Northwest Leadership Associates to help promote the principal’s job to potential candidates. Applications for the position closed at the end of February. The district is planning to interview this month and present its recommendation to the CV board on March 28. The new principal would start July 1.

While Hittle looks back fondly on his career at CV, there have been some hurdles along the way. He describes a “burnout factor” from dealing with a certain percentage of parents who have added strain to his role.

“I really enjoy working with the students and staff and I could do this forever,” he said. “However, the burnout comes from dealing with overly emotional parents who support our policies and rules until it affects their child, adjusting to the many top down, federal and state, educational requirements that change constantly.”

Hittle emphasizes that most CV parents are “very supportive and helpful” but the stress of dealing with a number of seniors each year scrambling to meet graduation requirements and the corresponding feedback from parents has been taxing.

“I totally understand that the emotional parents are trying to protect their children and their child is their number one priority at the moment,” he said. “However, the parents need to understand that we have over 2,100 number one priorities and we must be very consistent in following our policies and regulations.”

Overall, Hittle said he is proudest of “the positive climate we now have at CV.” “I don’t take the credit for this because we have an amazing student leadership group that sets the tone and supports all of our students,” he said. “Also the staff has developed a level of trust with the administration team and many of the initiatives we introduced to improve our culture have been accepted and supported.”

For teachers like Mack, Hittle leaves a legacy that will live on in Bear Nation.

“I’m going to miss him at CV,” Mack said. “Mike pushed us toward excellence, and was always encouraging in every academic endeavor that we embarked on.

I know we are proud of what he has helped CV become, a school that our community is extremely proud of.”

,900 9 4 $4

D SOL

1421 North Meadowwood Lane #200 • Liberty Lake, WA 99019

The Splash

22 • MONTH 2016

We’ve birthed a new OB Unit—for you!

When your big day arrives, you can count on the dedicated team at Valley Hospital for family-oriented care that’s responsive to your needs and preferences. We’ll make your special moment even more memorable with our recently renovated birthing suites and experienced labor and delivery staff who provide everything from prenatal to postpartum care.

What to expect at Valley Hospital:

Newly remodeled waiting area and birthing rooms.

• Private birthing suites, each with sleeping accommodations for your birth partner, tubs and spa-like showers with pulsating shower heads, built-in bathing sinks for bonding with your little one, new TV’s and wi-fi • Family-friendly cesarean section experience and window drape to allow viewing of the birth • Caring and experienced labor and delivery staff To learn more about our recently renovated OB unit, visit SpokaneValleyHospital.com or to schedule a tour, please call (509) 309-6038.

Brought to you by

The Grasshopper and the Ants

from Aesop’s Fables

In a field one summer’s day a grasshopper was hopping about, chirping and singing to its heart’s content. A group of ants walked by, grunting as they struggled to carry plump kernels of corn.

“Where are you going with those heavy things?” asked the grasshopper.

Without stopping, the first ant replied, “To our ant hill. This is the third kernel I’ve delivered today.”

“Why not come and sing with me,” teased the “Winter is far away and it is a glorious day to grasshopper, “instead of working so hard?”

“We are helping to store food for the winter,” play,” sang the grasshopper.

But the ants went on their way and continued said the ant, “and think you should do the same.” their hard work.

The weather soon turned cold. All the food lying in the field was covered with a thick white blanket of snow that even the grasshopper could not dig through. Soon the grasshopper found itself dying of hunger.

He staggered to the ants’ hill and saw them handing out corn from the stores they had collected in the summer. He begged them for something to eat.

“What!” cried the ants in surprise, “haven’t you stored anything away for the winter? What in the world were you doing all last summer?”

“I didn’t have time to store any food,” complained the grasshopper; “I was so busy playing music that before I knew it the summer was gone.”

The ants shook their heads in disgust, turned their backs on the grasshopper and went on with their work.

Don’t forget -- there is a time for work and a time for play!

The Splash

24 • MONTH 2016

Recipe Box

Lucky Charm Marshmallow Treats INGREDIENTS: 1/2 C Salted Butter 8 C Miniature Marshmallows 10 C (11.5 ounce box) Lucky Charm Cereal DIRECTIONS: 1. Grease a 9X13 pan; set aside 2. Have an adult help you melt the butter in a large pot over medium-low heat. Add the marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Reduce the heat to low and stir in the Lucky Charm cereal.

3. Turn the mixture into the prepared pan and press into an even layer. Allow to set at room temperature until firm. 30 minutes to 1 hour. Have an adult assist you in cutting into squares and serve. Store leftovers at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 4 days.

Catch a Leprechaun

You can make your own trap to try to catch a leprechaun.

MATERIALS: 1. Sparkly items (coins, rocks painted to look like gold, glitter, etc) 2. A small box (a shoe box works great for this) 3. Decorations for the box to make it attention grabbing. Leprechauns love some bling!

4. Craft stick (or something to prop your box) INSTRUCTIONS: 1. Gather or create the sparkly items for enticing the leprechaun.

2. Use you decorations to make your box as attention grabbing as possible.

3. Set up your trap by placing the sparkly items under you propped box.

4. Wait for the Leprechaun to come!*

Books We Recommend

Fiona’s Lace, Author Patricia Polacco (2014) Grades K-3 Annie makes beautiful lace and uses it to lead Mick straight to her heart. They marry and have two girls, Fiona and Ailish. She teaches Fiona to make lace. The family immigrates to America.

They were sponsored by a wealthy family in Chicago. While her parents worked second jobs in the evening Fiona made lace for extra money. One night a large fire broke out and she had to unwind her spool of lace to leave a trail to reunite the family. It was based on family history which makes it all the lovelier.

How to Catch a Leprechaun, Author Adam Wallace (2016) This is a brand new very whimsical book with fun illustrations. The leprechaun gloats over all the times he has evaded capture and dares you to try.

They’re short, so they’re hard to measure Counting their gold gives them pleasure They dress all in green And sometimes they’re mean These elves, they protect their treasure.

-Unknown

Find 5 Differences

The Splash

MONTH 2016 • 25

PACE Trait DILIGENCE Persistence, dedication and hard work

Congratulations to Karsen!

She’s the latest

KiDDS Dental No Cavity Club winner!

Karsen won a $25 gift card to Build a Bear and a photo session with

Call our office to schedule an appointment to see if your child is cavity-free!

891-7070

Grow Up Smiling!

1327 N. Stanford Lane, Suite B, Liberty Lake 509.891.7070 www.GrowUpSmiling.com

Find out about all of our events and contests on Facebook!

Animal Facts Every month we will feature an information on a different animal. Cut them out and collect them all!

RABBIT Worldwide - 2-11 lbs. 10 yrs. Runs 35 mph - Buck-doe-kit or bunnygroup - Live in burrows, a group of burrows is called a warren - More than half live in North America - Herbivore that cannot vomit - Excellent night vision, have third eyelid - Rabbits only sweat on the pads of their feet - Were released on deserted islands so that shipwrecked sailors would have a food source

bottom of the puzzle.

Create a new word search

26 • MONTH 2016

The Splash

“Oh the thinks you can think if only you try” Dr. Seuss s s u e S . r D Author Spotlight

The man the world knows affectionately as Dr. Seuss was born March 2, 1904. After college he worked in advertising.

His first book “And Think That I Saw It On Mulberry Street” was rejected more than 20 times before being published in 1937.

Geisel wrote and/or illustrated over 60 books, most of them under the pen name of Dr. Seuss, which was his mother’s maiden name. He won many awards including an Emmy, a Peabody, a Pulitzer, and Oscar, 3 Caldecots and more. Since his death in 1991 he remains the best selling children’s author of all time.

MAKE YOUR OWN WORKSHEETS ONLINE @ WWW.ATOZTEACHERSTUFF.COM

NAME:_______________________________ DATE:_____________

C I O N K N U L G O O B B I J

S B L O H E O S A L L Y S X X

K G M A O O R E K O O Y A A W

N H C N I R G W D Z C R S C M

A A C Y E N O O M C O D D I D

B R I N Y E N A V L U M R B F

B P Q L B R E L D U N D D U F

R M U L L I G A T A W N Y M S

O V Y J O I I O O F O O F B G

W H G H P M U W W Q D F E R N

N B H C N U H Q F U T O W O I

W E M O L O H T R A B X L S R

G N A T C H F L U M M O X O R

V O K M U A M E L K C I B D E

S L Y P P U M G L I K K E R H

BANKS BARTHOLOMEW BICKLEMAUM BROWN DIDD FLUMMOX FOOFOO FOX FUDDNUDLER GLIKKER GLUNK GRINCH HERRINGS HUNCH JIBBOO

LORAX MOONEY MULLIGATAWNY MULVANEY MUPP NATCH QUILLIAN SALLY SAM UMBROSO WUMP YOOKEROO

Recreate the Cover Check out these books! r e n r o C

One Fish Two Fish Red Fish raft C Blue Fish (1960) MATERIALS: Paper Something to add color Drawing Materials Scissors (optional) This book is one of the best selling children’s books of all time. Most of you are familiar with it, so here is a craft that you can tailor to the supplies you have. You can make handprints if you have paint, trace your hands onto colored construction paper, or trace your hands onto white paper and color them in.

INSTRUCTIONS: 1. Create Hands in this order: Left hand yellow, right hand green, right hand red, left hand blue.

(Use the picture for guidance) 2. Add faces, air bubbles, words. You can embellish further if you wish.

3.Presto! You’re done.

Horton Hatches the Egg (1940)

Faithful Horton is convinced by irresponsible Mayzie to egg sit while she takes a break. Horton suffers taunts, bad weather and is captured by hunters, but does not abandon the egg. He is placed with a circus that travels to Palm Beach where Mayzie demands the egg be returned.

An “elephant-bird” cross finally hatches. Horton and the baby return to the jungle and Mayzie’s laziness is rewarded with nothing.

Thidwick the Big Hearted Moose (1948) A classic Dr. Seuss about bullies and self-respect.

It stars a happy moose with amazing antlers and a cast of characters that take advantage of him. Eventually he stands up for himself and the bullies get their comeuppance.

My Many Colored Days (1996) This may be the shortest, easiest to read Dr. Seuss book ever published. Though not illustrated

by Dr. Seuss they did capture his whimsical nature without trying to copy. Colors, feelings, animals and moods in one bright package. What could be better to share with a child than that?

The Splash

MONTH 2016 • 27

PACE Character Trait of the Month – Diligence

and establish a plan to reach their goals. Then they stick to it!

By Jeff Simmelink

Baseball is a game of failure. Hall of Fame hitters fail 70 percent of the time. However, players don’t see it that way. They see baseball success as the great mountain that needs to be conquered.

They revel in the little battles and the opportunity to overcome adversity. Each pitch presents an opportunity to do something great.

With all that failure, you may ask how the great ones succeed. The answer, in a word, is diligence.

The dictionary defines diligence as “a constant and earnest effort to accomplish what is undertaken; persistent exertion of body or mind.” Baseball is a game of preparation and execution. Great players are diligent in their preparation so that when the opportunity presents itself they are able to execute. They develop the repeatable actions, or habits, that allow their bat to arrive at

Jeff Simmelink the correct moment on the correct plane, the fastball that paints the black on the outside corner on a 3-2 count or the ability to pick off the runner at first.

Habits are formed by performing a correct action thousands of times over an extended period of time. We like to call this the “daily grind.” Players take pride in the daily grind. Great players develop daily routines to hone their game. They put in a constant and earnest effort to perfect these actions every day - regardless of their mental or physical state. The diligent player doesn’t require a coach or teammate to encourage them. They visualize the future

Great players aren’t great by accident. There are thousands of good players around the world, however, there are only a few players that perform at the level of an Albert Pujols, Edgar Martinez or Randy Johnson. Aspiring young players tend to only see the results. They don’t see the preparation and the relentless pursuit of perfection that these elite players put in behind the scenes.

Nobody sees Albert Pujols putting in an hour on a batting tee before every game. Nobody saw Edgar Martinez spending time in the video room prior to each at bat studying his previous at-bat and the opposing pitcher.

Nobody saw the sweat expended

by Randy Johnson as he worked with a medicine ball to improve his core strength. They establish their routines and never stray from it. Come rain or shine, great players put their work in. It’s not an option. It’s what they do – diligently.

Regardless of your goals, the key

to success is what you put into it and the consistency of which you do it. Worthwhile achievements are not found by accident. They begin with a goal and usually include a long journey, a journey ripe with opportunity to deviate off the path. Diligence, the constant and earnest effort to accomplish what is undertaken is the key.

Take each step one at a time.

Have the faith to trust your vision, put your work in, and success is right around the corner.

Now let’s play some ball!

Jeff Simmelink has been the head coach of the Club Spokane Dodgers since 2001. He was a catcher at Lower Columbia Community College for two years before signing a professional contract with the Cleveland Indians. Following his playing career, Jeff graduated from Eastern Washington University with a degree in computer science and mathematics. He is currently a Principal Solutions engineer at Itron, Inc. (a PACE Partner). He enjoys spending time with his wife of 31 years, two children and his pet bulldog.

The Splash

28 • MONTH 2016 Brought to you by

About and for Liberty Lake seniors

Rural postman puts stamp on 37 years of hauling mail

By Steve Christilaw

Splash Correspondent Charles Lamphiear is in that gray area of his career – the one where the retirement he’s been working toward for 37 years is finally about to happen.

Charles Lamphiear has worked as the postman in the Valleyford/Mica area for the past 37 years, delivering mail along a 70-mile rural loop. The resident of Valleyford will retire from his route this month.

Contributed photos

“I’ve set the date, March 1,” the longtime rural mailman said. “It’s the kind of thing where you look forward to it for years and years and when it finally comes it’s a strange feeling.”

you’re seeing people who are just buying acreages for their home. It’s different.”

Lamphiear has spent his entire career on a 70-mile loop through the greater Valleyford/Mica area.

It’s a daily thread that ties the people of the area to the world and Lamphiear is much, much more than a mailman. He’s a friend who just happens to drop off a daily supply of letters and packages and, yes, bills. Rain or shine, every week and every season.

“That’s probably the biggest thing that I’ll miss,” he said. “You build relationships with people. They treat you almost like family. They’re genuinely interested in what’s going on in your life. These are country people. A lot of them are farmers.

They’re salt-of-the-earth people.”

Driving a rural mail route is different than being an in-town postal carrier. People will smile and wave at their mail carrier as they go door-to-door, but it’s different when the mail seeks you out in the country, where you most likely can’t see your neighbor.

It’s a service that has always deserved more of a personal thank you – especially when you have a habit, as Lamphiear does, of going the extra mile.

“It’s old-fashioned, I know, but

As the days of his unique career grow short, Lamphiear says he takes care to make actual contact so that he can say good-bye. Since he lives in Valleyford, it’s not like he’s leaving and will never see his friends and neighbors again.

But after almost four decades, his retirement is the end of an era.

these are the kind of people who want to know how you’re doing and they like to invite you in for a cup of coffee or a slice of pie – if they’ve just baked a pie,” he said.

This winter, on a particularly snowy day, he noticed an older woman beckoning him to drive farther down a private road.

“I was at the mail boxes when I saw her,” he said. “She was waving at me and I don’t like to ignore people when they look like they need help.”

This woman agitated.

was

particularly

“Her dog had been missing for a couple days,” Lamphiear said.

“It was in need of medication. We

found it down a bank and she was in no shape to go down the bank after the dog. She pleaded with me to help her. Of course I did. I got the dog up for her, put her in the car and took them both home.

“She was just as happy as can be,” he said. “She thanked me and thanked me and thanked me. The next day she wrote me a very nice note and left me cookies and candy.”

Lamphiear said the route has changed over the years. For starters, it’s doubled in size.

“I’m not saying it’s a good thing or a bad thing, but a percentage of these people are farm people, country people,” he explained.

“It’s a tight community. But now

On rural routes, carriers provide their own vehicles. Lamphiear says he’s hoping to nurse his final ride to the end. It needs a little work, but maybe it can make it. After all, it only has about 250,000 miles on it.

And he’s excited about what’s ahead.

“I have two grandsons,” he said.

“I’m looking forward to teaching them how to fish.”

But he admits that he will miss perhaps the greatest perk of the job.

“I love watching the seasons change, watching the crops pop up in the spring on the farm,” he said.

“I love seeing all the wildlife you see: deer, herds of elk, bobcats, coyotes. I even saw a cougar.”

“Not the Pullman kind,” he laughs.

The Splash

MONTH 2016 • 29

Where Wellness Is A Way Of Life

Come join us for a

SUDOKU

Senior Irish Festival

SATURDAY, MARCH 12th 11 a.m. - 3 p.m.

Live Music • Food • Community Tours!

• Independent Living • Light Assisted Living • Walking Trail • Wellness & Fitness Center • Gourmet Chef • Cottage Homes • Swimming Pool & Spa • Assisted Living • Bistro

Locally Owned and Operated by the Arger Family

30 • MONTH 2016

SPORTS

The Splash

CV girls’ basketball begins post-season as undefeated state favorite

By Mike Vlahovich Splash Sports Editor There have been a couple of Central Valley teams nearly as young, including the relatively youthful team in 2001 that set a high bar while winning consecutive state girls’ basketball titles. But the excitement is palpable for this year’s CV basketball followers, who may have never seen a team quite like this.

Like the Bears’ 2001 undefeated squad, there is only one senior on the team. That senior, however, was Reanna Jewell, the Greater Spokane League MVP. They also played a host of juniors; this team has one.

Future Arizona State standout Emily Westerberg was a major cog as a sophomore. This year, sophomores and freshmen fill the entire starting lineup and

these girls defied convention by going undefeated through 24 games while winning the Greater Spokane League, district and subregional championships, with sights set on a trip to state.

The latest crown came on Feb. 20 as the Bears edged a skilled Lewis and Clark team, 51-46, to win subregionals. Lexie Hull led the winners with 16 points.

They now move onto the regional bracket (tournament results after press time) as the top seed and remain No. 1 in the state 4A poll.

Freddie Rehkow has coached East Valley and Central Valley teams and reached the state finals with the Bears in 2012 before losing the title game by three points. Even he marvels at what transpired this season.

See CV GIRLS, Page 42

Central Valley sophomore Lexie Hull drives to the basket against University earlier this season. Hull and her teammates are undefeated and ranked No. 1 in the state among 4A schools going into the regional tournament.

Photo by Bob Johnson

The Splash

SPORTS

MONTH 2016 • 31

Sports Notebook

with 20 against Richland, Justis Simmons had 36, 19 of those against G-Prep and Josh Thomas had 35.

Technically, in the school’s eyes, they could have been considered state berths based on tournament history. The original 16-team state tournament format has been tinkered with by the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association over the years, this being the current iteration.

Bears girls roll on After compiling a perfect regular season record, the Lady Bears scrambled past University and Lewis and Clark twice and pounded Richland for district and regional titles.

The Bears (24-0) won the subregional over LC 51-46 after beating Richland 74-34.

Season scoring leader Lexie Hull averaged 15 points per game (down from her regular season 19.1), but her twin sister Lacie and Hailey Christopher upped their games. Lacie (8.7 during regular season) averaged 12.3 in the four playoff games. Christopher (9.1)

averaged 11.3 in the playoffs.

Wrestlers medal around CV wrestlers brought home plenty of hardware, but not enough for a team trophy following season-ending Mat Classic XXVIII state tournaments.

Central Valley senior Bryson Beard won his second straight title with a pin, two major decisions and 10-6 in the 126-pound 4A tourney final.

Bridger Beard was a finalist, finishing second at 132 pounds.

Braeden Orrino finished fourth.

Three others, Gage Connole (138), Kyle Neil (145) and freshman Zack Stratton (160) were CV’s other competitors.

CV finished eighth with 65 points in the 4A tournament.

Bears’ gymnasts at state Central Valley gymnast Bethany Gehrett was among the top six balance beam competitors during the State 4A meet in Tacoma.

She reached the individual finals with a fifth place finish during team competition and the next day was sixth overall during

individual events.

The meet also meant the end of teammate McKinzie Carter’s illustrious four-year gymnastics career. Carter participated in all four events for the last time, on beam where she tied for 11th, bars, floor exercise and vault.

She was joined by teammates Chloe Roberts, Anna Lamoreaux, Savannah Folsom and Kendall Watson.

The meet rang down the curtain for longtime coach Kim Brunelle who completed a 41-year career, the last 30 at CV. During that time the Bears had five top four finishes, five district, two GSL and a regional championship.

Carter turned in her second best places in three events over the course of her four seasons.

She was 14th all-around, two places below last year; 26th on bars, her best, 17th, coming as a sophomore and 11th on balance beam after she shared second last year. She ended up 29th on vault.

There were 47 competitors in each event.

The Final Point – Where have you gone three-sport athlete?

you squeeze in school camps, conditioning and weight training.

It’s enough to make the head spin. Your choice is made for you or you collapse in exhaustion. The result is a smaller pool of threesport athletes.

While interviewing for my story on West Valley three-sport star Johnny Sage, Eagles’ football coach Craig Whitney and I got into a philosophical – and for me enlightening – discussion on how kids like Sage manage time and what concessions coaching staffs must make to accommodate them.

I witnessed it first-hand with my son Jared who’d attend football camp. We’d lug him to summer basketball and baseball, often on the same day. We jetted out immediately after high school graduation ceremonies because he refused to miss an American Legion baseball game.

Same for Whitney who, as coach, carries the additional burden of conducting summer camps as well as schlepping his sophomore son, Connor, to all those summer commitments.

“We’ve probably got more three-sport athletes, maybe, than some of the bigger schools just out of necessity,” Whitney said of coaching at smaller Class 2A WV. “We probably don’t have

as many as we would like.”

Miss out on a kid who devotes his time to fewer sports, Whitney noted, and it hinders the school’s capability to excel in all. In order to satisfy everybody, compromise is essential.

“Obviously,” the football coach says, “when they’re out of town with a basketball camp, out of town with a baseball tournament, we’re going to miss them in the weight room. But what we don’t want is kids at home sleeping or watching TV.” His charges speed and weight train early morning Monday through Thursday so they’re free for basketball and baseball on summer afternoons and evenings. The rest of the week frees them to travel out of town for tournaments, or take time off to be with family.

“Kids deserve some family down time,” Whitney explains.

Coaches as well. “We’ve gotten a little smarter.”

Last summer dad/coach and son’s schedule went something like this: Connor would speed train from 7 to 8 a.m. and lift after that. Craig would drop him off at driver’s education, bring him home for lunch and rest before they were off to a baseball or basketball game, sometimes both.

“We’d drive to get him there, go get coffee and go back to watch the game,” Whitney said.

Throw in football camp and seven-on-seven league; four or five weekends for baseball tournaments and his daughter’s sports as well and it makes for a busy Whitney summer.

“Obviously our lifestyle is built around being busy,” said the patriarch of the sports specific clan. “(Connor) has little time to get into trouble. And if he did, I don’t know when.”

It’s a grinder for the athletes who not only play sports but, like Sage, keep their grades at the highest level possible. Whitney says. “My hat’s off to them. It isn’t easy.”

I admit that keeping busy taking our kids to their summer activities and tournaments are some of our family’s fondest memories. Still, I argue, it’s wrong to force them to specialize.

Whitney said that when Montana was recruiting Eagles’ football player Tyler Hobbs, what sold the coaches was his basketball play.

“All club teams are pretty demanding,” Whitney says.

“Sometimes a family has to tell people ‘no’ once in a while. As coaches we’re kind of our own worst enemy. You’ve got to be flexible or you lose kids.”

By Mike Vlahovich Splash Sports Editor Central Valley’s boys’ and unbeaten girls’ basketball teams went deep into the post-season, each reaching the regional round of 16, a win away from the state tournaments March 3-5.

The CV boys (19-5) climbed a step at a time to their title. After finishing third during the Greater Spokane League season, the Bears moved up a notch to second in districts and then reached the top step to win the sub-regional that included teams from the MidColumbia Basin Conference.

The team lost 54-46 at GSL champion Gonzaga Prep, but bounced back to outscore Richland 82-75 in overtime and Lewis and Clark 67-57 for the sub-regional title. LC had upset the Bullpups in their semifinal.

Over the course of the three victories, Cameron Tucker scored 47 points, including 22 against LC. Ryan Rehkow totaled 40, leading five players in double figures

By Mike Vlahovich Splash Sports Editor Unlike today, being a three-sport athlete back in the day wasn’t even a topic of conversation. In the fall you played football. In the winter, you were off to basketball or wrestling. In the spring, it was another sport and in the summer, even if you hadn’t during school, you could or did play baseball. All with breaks in between each before fall rolled around again.

Now every minute of an athlete’s life is programmed and you are cajoled into making a choice. My wife’s boss’s daughter no sooner finished volleyball at Gonzaga Prep last fall than she donned a club volleyball uniform and hit the road – right up until high school volleyball resumes in late August.

Basketball, baseball and softball players traverse the country and play in high school leagues summer-long. If you’re lucky

The Splash

32 • MONTH 2016

Reflections from the Lake

By Harley Halverson Liberty Lake in 1980 was a different community. It consisted of some homes around the lake, empty land to the north, the ZipTrip gas station and Liberty Lake’s first major industry – Hewlett Packard. There were no grocery stores, no restaurants, no golf ranges and no city.

Hewlett Packard chose this community because of its beauty and the availability of land – enough land to build 11 large buildings. Unfortunately, it never happened.

HP started in Palo Alto, Calif. on the doorstep of Stanford University. Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard were both Stanford graduates with degrees in electrical engineering.

Bill Hewlett designed a clever audio oscillator using vacuum

tubes (no transistors in 1936).

Several were purchased by Walt Disney for sounds in the movie “Fantasia.”

The audio oscillator was the first product but only the beginning of hundreds of instruments designed for the electronics industry. In the 1950s, when I joined the company, the design laboratory had microwave products in one corner, oscilloscopes in another corner, frequency counters in another and voltmeters and audio products in the last.

These became the first four divisions of HP. As the company grew, these divisions became more autonomous with their own management teams.

The microwave corner was where I worked. We designed

signal generators covering all usable frequency bands, spectrum analyzers, microwave measuring instruments, power meters and other complex measuring tools for the electronics industry. In fact, we used HP instruments to help design the new instruments we were working on. HP engineers were one of HP’s best customers.

As the company grew, we ran out of room to expand in Palo Alto. The different divisions moved out of the corporate office to other cities. This is when part of the microwave division moved to Liberty Lake.

Some of the top managers and engineers came here to start the new division. We were very excited about the move and confident that we would be successful.

In order to grow, we had to hire quality production people from the Spokane area. We also hired the best graduate engineers from all over the

Does my mom have options besides dentures?

A patient of mine who wore dentures once told me how she chose what to order from a restaurant menu.

Her question was not, “What looks delicious?” It wasn’t even, “What would be healthy for me?” Instead, she was looking to order the few limited items that she knew she could chew. Her life changed dramatically when we were able to replace her dentures with dental implants instead. While dentures give you about 25% the chewing power of normal teeth, implants provide an actual replacement for natural missing teeth and restore over 90% chewing power. Secured in the gum or jaw, this method of placement makes them the most natural tooth replacement system. In short, they look and feel like your own teeth. You even care for them as you would your natural teeth. While dentures can be initially more affordable, their removable nature not only makes them less reliable, but less functional as well. Dentures require maintenance and care that is both time-consuming and potentially costly over time. We would be happy to visit with you or your loved ones about whether dental implants are right for you.

— Dr. Timothy J. Casey

Liberty Lake resident Member, American Dental Association

country. HP was considered one of the finest employers for engineering students so we got the “pick of the crop.” At its peak, the Liberty Lake division had about 1,600 employees.

The computer activity in HP started because HP needed computers to control its instruments. As the computers and handheld calculators became more capable, they developed a market of their own independent of measuring instruments. It wasn’t long before the “tail was wagging the dog.” Computers became a major product for the HP family.

But the customers for computers were very different from the customers for measuring instruments.

The decision was made to split the company. The computers needed the name recognition so they kept the name Hewlett Packard.

The instrument divisions took the name “Agilent.” So the Liberty Lake division was no longer HP but now Agilent.

As the Liberty Lake division grew, we became more specialized. We became the world’s largest producer of test equipment for the cellular telephone industry.

Anyone who manufactured cell phones used our instruments on their production line.

The end of our division was not as rosy as the beginning.

During the last several years, we have been teaching the Chinese HP engineers how to design our products. Now they are doing it and there is no longer a need for Agilent in Liberty Lake.

The Agilent building has become Meadowwood Technology Campus and many of the high quality engineers have found other jobs in the Spokane area. What was bad for Agilent has been very good for the electronics companies in Spokane. Those of us who worked and lived through these many changes all have a tear in our eye.

The Splash

SVFD “pit crew” achieves record-setting cardiac survival rate

From Splash News Sources Spokane Valley Fire Department achieved a record-setting 66.7 percent cardiac survival rate in 2015, among the highest rates in Washington state. The measure is based on the “Utstein Bystander” measurement, an industry standard with the following criteria: the collapse is witnessed, the collapse has a cardiac origin, a bystander intervenes with CPR

Student of the Month Liberty Lake resident Abby Horton is a senior at Central Valley High School who has compiled an impressive collection of achievements throughout her academic career. She is a standout on the school’s Knowledge Bowl and Science Olympiad teams and maintains a 4.0 grade point average. A member of the National Honor Society, Abby also played two years of soccer at CV. She is a talented artist and piano player who visits local nursing homes to play songs for residents. An AP Scholar with Honors, Abby also serves as Spanish Club president and volunteers with the Spokane Humane Society.

Recently, Abby was named a nominee for the Spokane Scholars program in World Languages. She has narrowed her college picks to Washington State University, Carroll College, Denver University and Auburn University. Way to go, Abby!

MONTH 2016 • 33

and/or AED and the patient is in a shockable rhythm.

The department credits “Pit Crew CPR,” an innovative approach to cardiac arrest intervention adopted by SVFD in 2012, for this high survival rate.

Over the past five years, the agency has averaged just over 50 percent cardiac survival rate, compared with national survival rates ranging from 7.7 to 39.9 percent, according to the National Academies of Sciences.

Loosely modeled after NASCAR, “Pit Crew” CPR is an approach to a cardiac arrest incident that emphasizes defined roles, responsibilities and the efficient and planned use of personnel on scene to provide the highest ratio Liberty Lake resident Tanner Gummersall is a threesport senior standout at Central Valley High School in football, wrestling and track.

In his first varsity football start last fall against Coeur d’Alene, Tanner intercepted a pass and returned it for a touchdown. He would go on to earn first-team All Greater Spokane League honors as a strong safety as well as first-team All GSL Academic recognition. Tanner is a fouryear letter winner in wrestling and advanced to regionals this year after finishing second at districts. In track, Tanner has participated in the 400, 800, mile and 2-mile.

He had a personal best in the mile last year of 4:35. Tanner maintains a 3.87 grade point average and is a member of the National Honor Society.

He is also a part of the CV Leadership Team. He plans on attending Brigham Young University after graduation.

Way to go Tanner!

Athlete of the Month

of compressions throughout the arrest, in conjunction with other advanced life support procedures.

“In Pit Crew CPR, everyone has a role and they know exactly what to do,” explained Emergency Medical Services Chief Brian Foster-Dow. “The approach provides structure to ensure a compression rate of 100 per minute is maintained.

This ensures blood continues to reach the brain which gives the victim of a cardiac arrest the best possible chance of surviving.

In 2015, our crews achieved a compression ratio of 96 percent, one of the highest in the state.”

CPR classes are taught by SVFD personnel one Saturday a month at the Spokane Valley Fire Department Training Center at

Citizen of the Month Along with deserving a medal of valor for attending nearly every Liberty Lake City Council meeting, Pat Dockrey is known as the founder of Food 4 Thought, a local program that provides weekend meals to nearly 400

2411 N. Pioneer Lane. Please call (509) 928-1700 for reservations.

This class is provided to the public at no cost and is a participatory course only. (Certification is not provided).

To be certified in CPR, contact Inland Northwest Health Services at (509) 242-4264 or visit www. healthtraining.inhs.org. For more information about CPR training through AMR as well as a local support group for cardiac arrest survivors, call (509) 323-8829.

In 2014, SVFD helped introduce a free app called PulsePoint that alerts local CPR/AED-trained residents to nearby incidents of cardiac arrest. The PulsePoint app can be downloaded at the Apple App store or Google Play. area students who qualify for the free and reduced lunch program. A graduate of the University of Idaho with an undergraduate degree in physics, Pat spent his career as a successful mechanical engineer. He and his wife, Linda, have lived in the Liberty Lake area since 1976.

Pat is a charter member of the Liberty Lake Kiwanis Club and has also served as a longtime volunteer with the Spokane Sheriff’s Office. He is also a member of the Greater Valley Support Network and volunteers at Mica Peak High School. Those who attend City Council meetings recognize Dockrey as an astute, concerned citizen whose comments add insight and texture to municipal discussions. For all your efforts and accomplishments, Pat, the Splash honors you!

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The Splash

34 • MONTH 2016

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The Splash

HISTORY

MONTH 2016 • 35

The days when Liberty Lake had local fishing crowd hooked

By Ross Schneidmiller Liberty Lake Historical Society Growing up in the 1950s through the 1970s, opening day of fishing was a big deal at Liberty Lake.

Living a street back from the public launch, we often awoke to a slew of boat trailers outside our lower yard. My dad did not seem to care and I thought it was cool that so many fisherman thought Liberty Lake was the place to be.

Catching trout was the goal and the Fish and Game Department kept the lake stocked to its gills (pun intended) making the fisherman happy.

Out of concern for water quality, the community in the 1980s opposed efforts of the Fish and Game to enhance the lake’s trout fishing by purging it of fish and restocking with trout.

As time passed, the lake grew in popularity for bass fishing. Prior to writing this article, I naively thought that was new for the lake, but my research proved otherwise.

In 1905, an association dedicated to improving area fishing planned to stock fish in area lakes as well as the Spokane River. The Spokane Fish Protective Association identified which fish species was “most adapted” to each body of water.

This eventually led to 100,000 bass being placed in Liberty Lake by 1909.

The bass flourished in the lake and this was best evidenced by the prized small and large mouth bass that were pulled from the lake and entered into local fishing contests.

A number of Spokane’s sporting goods, hardware and department stores held such contests over the years. The rules for most were similar: • Fish must be caught with rod, reel, hook and line or artificial bait.

• Fish entered for a prize must be measured and weighed at the store.

• The store reserved the right to place each fish on display for at least one business day.

These contests usually ran for the entire fishing season and the local papers kept readers apprised of how the participants

were faring. For example: • “Liberty Lake produced the prize winning small-mouth bass at 3.25 pounds and large-mouth bass at 7 pounds in the 1926 Ware Brothers Co. Fishing Contest.”

(Spokane Daily Chronicle Nov. 9, 1926) • “The biggest large-mouth bass of the season, 8 pounds 2 ounces, minus 24 hours shrinkage, was on display at (John T.) Little’s (Sporting Goods Store). The catch…on a pork rind at Neyland’s Landing, Liberty Lake.” (Spokane Daily Chronicle May 25, 1931) The fishing competitions were good for the stores as well as the readership of the local papers.

What was being caught and what was used to catch them kept readers coming back and going to the sporting goods stores to purchase that bait or lure.

Displaying prized fish may be a thing of the past in today’s “catch and release” culture, but now when the only thing taken from the lake is a smartphone photo there is prized fish to catch another day!

Newspaper advertisement for the Ware Brothers Co. Fishing Contest 1926.

Contributed photo

William Cable proudly displays his big catch at the Zephyr Hotel, circa 1912. The Cable family at this time resided on the family homestead over the hill across the Idaho border on what today is known as Cable Creek Farm. (check out the Cable family history on the cablecreekfarm.com website) Contributed photo

The Fish and Game Department stock Liberty Lake with trout at Sig’s Resort, circa 1960s.

Contributed photo

The Splash

36 • MONTH 2016

House supports McCaslin’s bill to recoup abatement costs

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From Splash News Sources In a 76-21 vote on Feb. 17, the Washington House of Representatives approved Rep. Bob McCaslin’s bill that would allow cities to recover costs incurred while removing nuisances that threaten public health or safety.

The bill was requested by the city of Spokane Valley.

Along with Rep. Matt Shea and Sen. Mike Padden, Rep. McCaslin represents the state’s 4th legislative district which represents cities like Liberty Lake, Spokane Valley and Millwood and borders Idaho on the east, the 6th legislative district on the south, Spokane on the west, and the 7th legislative district on the north.

When people move out of homes and leave debris behind, a property may sit empty for years.

Cities then spend taxpayer funds cleaning up private properties with piles of trash, abandoned furniture, rodents or other nuisances.

McCaslin’s House Bill 2519 would ensure cities could recover at least $2,000 of taxpayer dollars spent during this process, although many properties need cleanup well in excess of $2,000.

“Tens of thousands of dollars are being spent on nuisance abatement every year, so it is important we allow cities to recover some of those funds,” said McCaslin, who represents

Rep. Bob McCaslin Jr. the 4th legislative district. “This reform would help our cities and also restore property values in neighborhoods where a nuisance property has been a problem.”

Due process is followed by cities when going to court to address abatement. Currently, cities must prove that a nuisance exists, obtain a court order for the abatement, conduct abatement and then go back to court. They must then show the costs of abatement and get approval to recover the costs. Advance notice is provided to property owners and tenants throughout the process.

House Bill 2519 now moves to the Senate for further consideration.

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The Splash

MONTH 2016 • 37

The Water Front

The story behind increased sewer rates

By BiJay Adams

LLSWD General Manager In the 1960s, nuisance bluegreen algae blooms in Liberty Lake were becoming more intense and aesthetically displeasing each year. By the late part of that decade, tons of decaying aquatic plants and dried algal mats were being removed on the lake.

The scenario prompted residents to take action about the lake’s health and quality of water. They turned to the local property owners’ association to help remedy the problem. In 1973, residents took initiative to petition, vote and elect three commissioners to represent a special purpose sewer district.

In an effort to improve the water quality of Liberty Lake, the newly formed Liberty Lake Sewer District constructed a wastewater collection system and treatment facility that replaced existing onsite septic systems. Located on Harvard Road just north of I-90, the district’s Water Reclamation Facility (WRF) was completed in August 1982.

The WRF is now designed at two million gallons per day and is permitted under a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit issued by the Washington State Department of Ecology (DOE) for the Spokane River. Presently, the daily effluent is approximately 750,000 gallons per day.

The district was one of the first dischargers in the region to upgrade their facility to achieve enhanced phosphorous removal from its discharge to the river. In 2006, the district invested $11.6 million and completed phase one of facility upgrades. In this upgrade, the district converted its facility from an extended aeration process to a biological nutrient removal treatment process.

This reduced the phosphorous discharge from 20-25 pounds per day prior to the upgrade to 3-4 pounds per day after the upgrade was completed. Currently, the facility removes 91 percent of the phosphorous that enters the WRF. In 2010, DOE completed a Total

Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) standard for dissolved oxygen in the Spokane River and Lake Spokane. This TMDL established criteria for the discharge from the district’s WRF. Criteria were established for chosphorous, Carbonaceous biochemical oxygen demand (CBOD), and ammonia nitrogen. In July 2011, the DOd issued an updated NPDES permit to the District that required stringent new levels of phosphorus removal that align with the TMDL. The NPDES permit mandates LLSWD to have upgrades to the WRF completed to meet the new criteria by March 1, 2018.

The design for phase two of the facility upgrade is now complete.

These upgrades include advanced tertiary treatment through chemical addition and membrane filtration.

This additional treatment will further reduce phosphorous discharge to less than a half pound per day. This will equate to better than 99 percent removal of phosphorous entering the facility.

The end product will be what is known as “Class A” reclaimed water. Estimated cost of this upgrade is $17.1 million. In early 2015, the district received loan funding through DOE’s State Revolving Fund. The $15.1 million loan must be paid back over 20 years. In March 2016, the district will advertise for the phase two construction contract.

Construction will begin in the early summer 2016 and will be completed in fall 2017.

The NPDES permit held by the district requires all dischargers to the Spokane River to participate in the Spokane River Regional Toxic Task Force, a group that includes environmental organizations, tribes, regulators and others to

study Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs). LLSWD is a member of the task force and is also part of the Spokane River Stewardship Partners.

Manufacture and use of PCBs ended in the mid-1970s in the U.S., but the residual impact is ubiquitous in the environment and some are still inadvertently produced. The task force is involved in reviewing existing data on PCBs, developing a public education program on PCBs and creating a comprehensive plan to reduce PCBs and other toxics in the river.

In addition, dischargers conduct testing within their systems to determine sources of PCBs. Testing for PCBs at the levels required in the permit cannot be done locally. In fact, there are only a couple of labs in North America that can test to the levels required, which is parts per quadrillion. The district is sending samples to a lab in Vancouver B.C. at a cost of nearly $1,100 per sample. How small is a part per quadrillion? For reference, a part per quadrillion is like taking the entire area of Canada and place a dollar bill on the ground.

The dollar bill would represent the one part per quadrillion.

The district’s treatment facility upgrades and increase in sampling have ultimately resulted in increased sewer rates in the recent years, as well as planned increases for the future.

BiJay Adams has served as general manager of the Liberty Lake Sewer and Water District since 2013. He was first hired

by LLSWD in 2002 to serve as the Lake Protection manager and also worked as the Water Resource manager.

Adams was the first lake manager in Washington state to be certified with the North American Lake Management Society and has been a past president and board member of the Washington State Lake Management Association.

What can you do?

Don’t flush drugs, paints or toxics down the toilet or dispose of these chemicals into street drains, sewers or drywells which could contaminate surface or groundwater. The district’s WRF is a biological plant and is not designed to remove these chemicals.

The Spokane County Transfer Station at 3941 N. Sullivan Road will take toxics such as oil, antifreeze, paint, pesticides, herbicides, solvents, etc., free of charge.

For additional information, contact the Spokane County recycling hotline at (509) 477-6800.

For pharmaceuticals, utilize special disposal days when advertised.

Another great resource is the Spokane County Interactive Waste Directory website.

This website features a searchable database of over 200 waste types, 150 vendors and 30 assistance providers. It also includes general education pages and regulatory information. The directory aims to provide businesses and residents with the tools to ensure wastes are properly managed and disposed of, rather than left to seep into our river, lakes and aquifer. To visit the Waste Directory go to http:// spokanewastedirectory.org.

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The Splash

38 • MONTH 2016

Father Daughter Dance 2016

City rolls out ambitious meeting schedule for Town Square project

By Craig Howard Splash Editor

In April of 2008, voters in Liberty Lake turned out in marginal numbers to cast their ballots on a $9.8 million capital facilities bond that would have funded a new community center and library in the heart of the city.

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The City Council had passed an ordinance in late February, just in time to include the proposal on the April 22 ballot. With little time to prepare, proponents of the project did their best with yard signs and doorbelling – but to no avail. Requiring a 60-percent supermajority for passage, the initiative earned a paltry 38 percent and the acreage on Meadowwood Lane remained a rustic field, home mostly to grazing goats brought in by the city to cut down on weeds.

While it took some time and many more council meetings, the 6.4 acres owned by the city has seen some encouraging development in recent years. The addition of Town Square Park and the Fallen Heroes Circuit Course

honoring the Navy and late Corpsman Greg Vercruysse, have added some much-needed civic texture to the site that is home to the Liberty Lake Farmers Market from May to October.

Now the city has announced another bond vote, this one to fund a $12 million community center/aquatic facility project that would be built on 4.5 acres near the park and the Fallen Heroes station. A few aspects of the Aug. 2 vote are vastly different from the campaign eight years ago, starting with a design-build approach that will have a detailed layout in place long before ballots go out.

There is also a Capital Facilities Task Force formed last year and led by capable citizens who will now shift their efforts to getting the word out about the election this summer. Meanwhile, the city has already begun meeting with the design team of Graham Construction and BRS (Barker, Rinker, Seacat) Architects.

There will also be no shortage of community meetings, workshops, open houses and discussions leading up to the vote.

While it might be difficult to predict how ballots will turn out, the city appears it will have its ducks in a row going into August, in profound contrast to the vote in April 2008.

The city of Liberty Lake is hoping to embark on another capital facility project at Town Square Park (shown under construction above) based on the outcome of a bond vote slated for Aug. 2. Approval of the $12 million initiative would fund an ambitious community center/pool venue that may include a library.

File photo

The Splash

MONTH 2016 • 39

Beautiful gated development

The following is a schedule of project-related meetings between now and mid-May: Wednesday March 2 Liberty Lake Library Conference Room • 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. - Building Committee meeting • 1 to 4 p.m. – Business stakeholder meetings • 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. – Stakeholders slot #1 • 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. – Stakeholders slot #2 • 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. – Stakeholders slot #3 Thursday March 3 Library Conference Room • 9 to 10:30 a.m. – Friends of Library/Trustee meeting • 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. – Central Valley School District • 11:30 to 1 p.m. – Senior Center City Hall Council Chambers • 3 to 4 p.m. – Planning Department • 6 to 8 p.m. – Community Open House #1 – Cost Card Game Monday March 14 Library Conference Room • 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. – Building Committee meeting • 11 a.m. to noon – Swim Stakeholder meeting #1 • 1 to 2 p.m. – Swim Stakeholder meeting #2 • 3 to 4 p.m. – Swim Stakeholder meeting #3 City Hall Council Chambers • 6 to 8 p.m. - Community Open House #2 – Aquatics Values Game Tuesday April 5 Library Conference Room • 1 to 5 p.m. – Building Committee Meeting City Hall Council Chambers • 6 to 9 p.m. – City Council meeting presentation #1 Wednesday April 20 Library Conference Room • 1 to 5 p.m. – Building Committee meeting City Hall Council Chambers • 6 to 8 p.m. – Community Open House – Project update Wednesday May 4 Library Conference Room • 1 to 3 p.m. - Building Committee meeting Tuesday May 17 Library Conference Room • 1 to 3 p.m. – Building Committee meeting City Hall Conference Room • 6:30 to 9 p.m. – City Council final presentation

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The Splash

40 • MONTH 2016

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The Splash

MONTH 2016 • 41

Where are they now?

Former Council Member Jenkins recalls time in LL as idyllic

By Craig Howard Splash Editor Last month, Patrick Jenkins returned to Liberty Lake City Hall for the first time in several years and noticed right away that the City Council dais was in the wrong place.

“It’s supposed to be down here,” said Jenkins, who served on the city’s governing board from March 2003 through early January 2010.

Sure enough, the table and chairs reserved for the mayor and council members had been shifted to the west end of council chambers, opposite from where Jenkins and his colleagues had convened during his tenure of nearly seven years.

Other aspects of City Hall were different too. On the elected side, only Council Member Odin Langford remains from Jenkins’ time along with Mayor Steve Peterson. A mere handful of municipal staff have carried over since 2010. One of them, City Engineer Andrew Staples, took time to catch up with Jenkins during his brief visit.

“Things have changed a lot,” Jenkins said. “But it’s still great to be back in Liberty Lake.”

A native of Utah, Jenkins relocated to Spokane with his wife, Cynthia, in 1997 after earning a degree in political science from Utah State. After completing his MBA from Gonzaga, Jenkins caught on with Liberty Lake-based Telect as a product manager. In 2000, the couple moved their family to Liberty Lake. Patrick and Cynthia are proud parents of five kids.

After the vote for Liberty Lake incorporation passed in November 2000, Jenkins volunteered to serve on the transitional finance committee.

He later became involved in the

successful campaign to establish a library independent of the Spokane County Library District through the Friends of the Library group.

Known for his thorough approach as a city leader – Peterson once said that Jenkins “knew all the issues” – the Inland Northwest transplant joined City Council after being appointed over five candidates to replace original Council Member Scott Bernhard who had moved outside city limits. He won a four-year term on the November 2003 ballot and was victorious again in 2007.

Jenkins left Telect in 2006 for Spokane-based DeMars Financial.

When it became clear that much of his growing client base was in Utah, Jenkins relocated to Logan, a city 90 miles outside Salt Lake.

He has continued to call the investment business a career home and now carries the calling card of Yellowstone Partners.

With a number of customers still in the Northwest, Jenkins returns to Washington periodically. He would like to get back to Liberty Lake permanently.

it should have been named “Pleasantville.” Looking back, it’s a great description for the city.

Q: What made you decide to get involved in the campaign to establish the Liberty Lake Municipal Library? What do you remember about that effort?

A: Initially, I thought the library concept was a great idea. It felt like a continuation of the theme that was the catalyst for the formation of the city of Liberty Lake, controlling the services the residents need. When the county decided they didn’t want a branch in the city, that was a real disappointment for a young family like ours. The county then came back with the concept of limited hours – but Liberty Lake is such a unique community, it has the financial infrastructure because of the many employers in the community that it can provide such a higher grade of public services than the larger county. When the concept of our own library was introduced to me, it was easy to get behind. A library to some is just a collection of books, but I felt that it could be a centerpiece of the community that brings that social aspect, education and

technology together. I have been back to visit that library a few times since 2010 and it is now what I envisioned it could be – an incubator for the future of Liberty Lake.

Q: What was your first year like as part of City Council?

A: As I look back at that period in my life, I still wonder where all the time came from. Today there is no way I could spend 40 to 80 hours a month on community projects the way we did then.

Those first few years that I was on the council were very entrepreneurial. I was only 28 and I was working for Telect and the city had only been formed for about 18 months. There was so much to do to build a foundation.

It was a very exciting time. At the time, we met in the Liberty Lake Sewer and Water District building and the meetings started at 7 p.m., and often went until 1 a.m.

We had very strong personalities at the table. I gravitated toward Mayor Steve Peterson’s perspective frequently, but occasionally we would disagree on an issue and it was like World War III had broken out. He was a tremendous mentor to me and

See WATN, Page 43

Q: When you left Liberty Lake for Utah, what was the most difficult aspect of the move?

A: The friends and the environment. When Jim Frank developed the Meadowwood area, he did something I have never seen before or since. He wasn’t just building houses, he was building community. It was so hard to leave that community interconnected by miles of paths, movies on Saturday nights, a school in your backyard and some of the kindest people I have ever met. I don’t think my wife has forgiven me yet for making her move. I worry sometimes she will move back without me.

Our family members joke that

Patrick Jenkins served on the Liberty Lake City Council for nearly seven years before relocating to his Utah in 2010.

Photo by Craig Howard

The Splash

42 • MONTH 2016

CV GIRLS

Continued from page 30

“They are only young by grade,” he said following CV’s district title win over University. “As far as experience, they’ve probably

played more games than most (older) varsity players.

That’s what travel ball can do.

Having talent doesn’t hurt. This team went nine deep and seven of them scored in double figures

at least once.

“All the players play,” Rehkow added. “I trust my bench and wanted to keep the players as fresh as possible.”

Belying their years, twins Lexie

Central Valley Women’s Basketball Team

Central Valley Men’s Basketball Team

and Lacie Hull were the Bears second and third leading scorers last year as freshmen behind Madison Hovren, CV career scoring leader and currently on the Army basketball roster at West Point. Lexie poured in 89 points in four playoff games last season after averaging 13.0 during the 2014-15 campaign.

The Hull pair anchored this year’s lineup. Lexie averaged 18.9, second in the GSL, and Lacie’s average was around 9.0, although, as an observer pointed out, the point guard would just as soon pass as score. Yet she averaged 13.0 in the district tourney.

The wild card was CV’s depth.

Hailey Christopher, another sophomore, was the team’s second leading scorer and had nine double-figures games with season highs of 14 three times. She had that total in the subregional win over LC. Sophomore Katie Hawkins, off the bench, had five double figures games with a season best 16. Freshmen Mady Simmelink was CV’s fourth leading scorer and Camryn Skaife was a catalyst in games like the district championship when she hit three early 3-pointers to provide separation against University.

“For a team that young, their basketball IQ and discipline is amazing,” said Rehkow before the Bears continued their quest for a state berth. “I haven’t had one like that. They’re special.”

The Splash

MONTH 2016 • 43

WATN

Continued from page 41 helped me put several financial strategies in place that I felt were important for the longevity of the city. The other members of the City Council made huge contributions and equal impact on my life. It was a very memorable time.

one point in my life, I worked, participated in city government, went to church, my kids went to school, I mountain biked, golfed, boated and was surrounded by the greatest people I have ever me – and all that existed within four square miles. That is incredible.

Q: Looking back, what are you most proud from the time you spent on City Council?

Q: Have you become involved with local politics in your new home?

The pedestrian bridge over I-90. The city of Liberty Lake is split by I-90. That bridge not only physically connects the city, but also extends the culture of physical activity to the north side. We also set up a designated portion of sales tax that was dedicated to road improvement.

One of the biggest threats to the city when it was first formed was the deteriorating condition of the roads. We set up an earmarked fund that received a percent of sales taxes and applied it to road improvement. The hope was that the infrastructure would continue to flourish as the community did.

A: When I first came to Utah, I set up a committee that created a trail system (similar to Liberty Lake’s) around the valley we live in. I presently sit on a foundation for the local school district and participate in business relations for the school district. Perhaps one day I will return to a City Council, but I haven’t because I know it will not have the same appeal that Liberty Lake did.

Q: Biggest regret?

A: The first project we tackled when I joined the City Council was merging the sewer district into the service offering for the city. I really wish we would have approached that differently and that it had ended less divisive.

That had the potential to bring the entire community together and could have had the financial resources of the city to help protect the lake. That is the one thing I hate about Liberty Lake, that it is two communities. I really wish that had ended differently.

Q: How has your appreciation for Liberty Lake changed, if at all, since you left this area?

A: Liberty Lake is like so many things in life. You fail to appreciate how great it is while you there. When I return, I am still astonished at the beauty that is all around and the quality of life that community provides. At

Q: As you look at Liberty Lake now, is it the city you envisioned it would be when you were serving on the City Council?

A: It’s even better. When I was on the City Council, we were desperately trying to get the affairs in order to attempt to make the city financially work and functionally perform as a city.

In the latter years we started to cast a vision and were fortunate to have business leaders like Jim Frank, Bill and Judi Williams and others behind the process. I think as the city has matured, the members leading the community are far more talented than I was and they have taken what we built and made it to a truly amazing community.

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Q: Finally, is there any chance you and your family would ever move back?

A: It has always been our intention that as our business matures both in Utah and Washington we would return to Liberty Lake. This fall, we hope to bring our kids back to see what they remember about the community. Great memories.

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44 • MONTH 2016

The Splash

To the Editor: I’ve been pleased to note how various school groups have been holding assemblies, seminars and class meetings to deal with bullying.

The name calling, ethnic and racial slurs and disparaging remarks regarding religious groups are characteristic of this behavior. I’ve also noted in a TV guide, the letters V, L and D – V for violence, L for strongly coarse language and D for suggestive – are used as to guide parents in their child’s TV choices.

Now the media plays and replays the same bullying characteristics of some presidential candidate to show off and enhance their ratings.

Freedom of speech – yes. But freedom requires discretion and responsibility. Liberty is not license. I would remind the voters in Iowa and New Hampshire that there are 48 other states in our country.

And I would remind everyone that a pit bull, even with lipstick, can be a vicious and dangerous animal.

Margaret Keeve Liberty Lake

About the Opinion P

The Splash opinion ge is paintended to be unity a com forum for discussing local aseissues. inter act with Ple us by sending tt aer letohet editor ortyLiber Lake oices V guest column for rat conside ion.

Let ter s tohet editor of no e than mor 035wor ds or guest columns of about ords 700 wshould be e-mailed o t editor@liber tyl akesplash.com or iled ma to .O.P Box63, 3 Libert y Lake,A W99019. A full name and telephon number must be included for s of purpose verifica tion. A phot o of the author must aken be orovi tpr ded for all Libert y Lakeoices V guest columns.

The Splash eserve r s the right o edit t eject or r any t n submission. Business scomplaint or endor sements will be accept ed, and political endorsement tt ers will ylebe onl accept ed if ythe inter act with issues of a campai Vie ws expres sed in signed columns tt ersor dole tno aff . s nece ssarily eflect r the ws of viethis spaper new or its Editorials, which appear he heading under t "Spla sh Editorial," epre sent r the voice of sh Theand Spla are writt en by Pub lisher Josh Johnson.

Dear Editor: About 3 p.m. on Feb. 9, I witnessed an event that was so sad that was very difficult to watch. As I was leaving my house, I noticed two dogs running on the ice out from Dreamwood Bay. The ice is so thin that I knew this would become a tragic accident.

Sure enough, one of the dogs ran towards a ribbon open water.

The ice broke and one of the dogs fell into the water. The dog was full-size, maybe like a collie, but it was quite far out that I couldn’t be sure. The second dog was checking on his companion, but was smart enough not to get too close. The ice was so thin in the area, the second dog was lucky not to also fall through.

The second dog watched the

first dog struggling to get out of the water, to no avail. The first dog continued to attempt to jump back on the ice, but each time it manage to rise, it only broke the ice around it. If the dog had tried to swim out via the open water, it might have reached Dreamwood Bay. Unfortunately, the dog was so tired and the water was so cold, I don’t think it could have swam that far. I would say the dog was out about 1,000 feet. It was a helpless feeling knowing that there was nothing to do that would save the dog. I checked along the shoreline and did not see any boats available for a rescue attempt.

I think this is a good example of the dangers of letting dogs run free, especially with our

warmer weather and the dangers of unstable ice on the lake. We used to see many dogs running loose, but not so much in the past several years.

I would like to remind dog owners this tragedy could befall any owner since the dogs think the ice is safe enough to run on.

Leonard Selzler Liberty Lake

Mama owl looking out from her nest.

Contributed Photo

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The Splash

MONTH 2016 • 45

CALENDAR

Continued from page 19 Volume 18, Issue x EDITOR/PUBLISHER

Ben Wick

ben@libertylakesplash.com EDITOR

Craig Howard

craig@libertylakesplash.com

GRAPHICS EDITOR

Danica Wick

sarah@libertylakesplash.com ADVERTISING COORDINATOR

Joy Katt

joy@libertylakesplash.com

CIRCULATION Dean Byrns Mike Wiykovics

circulation@libertylakesplash.com CONTRIBUTORS

Michael Cambron, Steve Christilaw, Staci Lehman, Treva Lind, Ross Schneidmiller,Mike Vlahovich The Liberty Lake Splash P.O. Box 363 Liberty Lake, WA 99019 Phone: 242-7752; Fax: 927-2190 www.libertylakesplash.com The Splash is published monthly by or before the first of each month. It is distributed free of charge to every business and home in the greater Liberty Lake area.

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hubsportscenter.org.

March 15 | Riverview Little League Baseball registration closes Tryouts will take place 6 to 9 p.m. March 9 at the HUB, 19619 E Cataldo Ave, Liberty Lake, and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. March 12 at Continuous Curriculum School, 16924 E Wellesley Ave, Spokane. More at www.riverviewlittleleague.com.

March 18-20, 25-27| Pacific Northwest Qualifier Volleyball 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., HUB Sports Center, 19619 E. Cataldo Ave. USA Volleyball’s national qualifying tournament. Admission $15 (13 and over). More at www. hubsportscenter.org.

March 31 | Trailhead Ladies Nine Hole Golf Club registration 9 a.m., Trailhead Clubhouse, 1102 N. Liberty Lake Road. Enjoy casual golf, tournaments, socials, and PGA clinics with women golfers of all ages and abilities. For more call Bette at 928-6854.

Recurring KidFIT Spokane HUB Sports Center, 19619 E. Cataldo Ave. This children’s movement and fitness program offers classes in dance (ballet, tap, jazz, hip hop), gymnastics and cheerleading for girls and boys ages three and older. More at 953-7501 or www. kidfitspokane.com.

Windermere marathon registration open Registration for the June 5 marathon or half marathon from the Valley area to Spokane is open.

Registration and more at www. windermeremarathon.com.

HUB Sports Center 19619 E. Cataldo Ave. Various activities and events occur throughout the week including: Badminton open gym: 7 to 9 p.m. Tues., $5/person Basketball open gym: Noon to 1 p.m. Tues. and Thurs., $4/ person Pickleball drop-in: 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. Mon. through Thurs.; 7 to 9 p.m. Sun. $2/seniors ($4/ non-seniors) Table Tennis: 7 to 9:30 p.m., Mon. and Wed.; $3/player Classes including Keno Karate, Modern Farang-Mu Sul, Wing Chun Kung Fun and Zumba Aerobics. See website for cost and times.

All calendar listings were provided to or gathered by Splash staff. If you would like your event considered for the community calendar, please submit information by the 15th of the month to calendar@libertylakesplash.com.

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The Splash is committed to serving Liberty Lake through excellent community journalism. We can’t do it at all without you, our readers, and we can’t do it for long without support from our advertisers. Please thank our business partners and look to them when offering your patronage.

Our sincere appreciation to the following businesses for their foundational partnerships with The Splash and its partner publications:

Clark’s Tire and Automotive • Family Medicine/Healthy Living Liberty Lake Greenstone • Liberty Lake Family Dentistry • Liberty Lake Orthodontics Liberty Lube • Post Falls Family Dental • Spokane County Library District Thrivent Financial

Index of advertisers

Following are the local advertisers in this issue of The Splash.

Amaculate Housekeeping 34 Anytime Fitness 17 Banner Furnace & Fuel 14 Casey Family Dental 32 Central Valley Theatre 20 Clark’s Tire & Automotive 3 Coldwell Banker - Rob Brickett 21 Cornerstone Pentecostal Church 5 Consign Furniture 10 Evergreen Fountain 29 Exercise Institute 14 Family Medicine Liberty Lake 17 Greenstone 9 Jim Custer Enterprises 14 John L. Scott-New Agents 40

John L Scott - Pam Fredrick 46 Just Chillin Eats and Sweets 14 KiDDS Dental 25 Kiwanis of Liberty Lake 3 Lake City Figure Skating 46 Lakeside Vision PLLC 10 Liberty Lake Athletic Club 4 Liberty Lake Baptist Church 27 Liberty Lake Community Theatre 18 Liberty Lake EyeCare Center 3 Liberty Lake Family Dentistry 5 Liberty Lake Municipal Library 19 Liberty Lake Orthodontics 46 Liberty Lake Pet Sitters 34 Liberty Lake Sewer & Water District 11

Northern Quest 48 Ott Knott Used Golf Carts 44 Rockwood 22 S&L Handyman 10 Simonds Dental Group 34, 48 Stearns Home Loans 5 Spokane Model Train Show 43 Thrivent Financial 43 Valley Hospital 34 Valley Real Life 19 Windermere Marathon 30

Service Directory 46

Of note: This thank you message was produced by The Splash’s advertising team, which works its tail off on behalf of partner businesses, helping them share their messages through advertisements. This is an independent function from The Splash’s editorial team, which has its own evaluation process to determine the community news stories and features it pursues. For more information about a win-win partnership that expertly markets your business to thousands of readers (while making this home-grown community newspaper possible), email advertise@libertylakesplash.com. With story ideas, contact editor@libertylakesplash.com.

The Splash

46 • MONTH 2016

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The Splash

March Zagness – A look back at the Gonzaga team that started it all

By Craig Howard Splash Editor As the Gonzaga Bulldogs glided through the layup line before a home game against Pacific last month, the theme song from “Rocky” echoed through the stands at the McCarthey Athletic Center.

While the quixotic tale of the unheralded boxer may have been lost on many of those warming up for the showdown with the Tigers, one former Zag sitting nearby could relate.

When Matt Santangelo came to Spokane in 1994, the program was coming off its first WCC regular season championship but had still yet to participate in the NCAA Tournament. Santangelo arrived as a highly recruited point guard from Portland’s Central Catholic High School, glad to be at Gonzaga but not thinking about March Madness.

“When I came to GU, I was not really considering post-season play,” Santangelo said. “I knew Gonzaga was competing for the conference championship and I was going to get a chance to play.

After that, I didn’t know what to think of March – it seemed unattainable. It was something for the big schools.”

Santangelo redshirted his freshman year, a season that started with his teammates going 0-6. Despite the dismal beginning, the Zags pulled it together, winning the WCC tournament and earning an automatic bid to the bracket that had eluded the school for decades.

With Santangelo watching in street clothes, the 15thseeded Zags found themselves overmatched against the University of Maryland and AllAmerican Joe Smith. The school’s debut at the Big Dance ends with a disappointing 87-63 loss.

By the time Santangelo was a sophomore, the Zags had begun scheduling elite non-conference opponents, a shift that signaled a change in the perspective of the program, according to current head coach Mark Few who served

ON THAT NOTE

Former Gonzaga point guard Matt Santangelo (right) now serves as the color commentator for radio broadcasts of his former team with play-byplay announcer Tom Hudson.

Photo by Craig Howard as an assistant on the 1997-98 team.

“We just decided we were going to go in and play the big schools,” Few said. “Then you start recruiting to that, the fact that you’ve scheduled teams like Kansas and Michigan State.

The team won the “Top of the World Classic” in Alaska in the early part of the 1997-98 season, defeating Tulsa, Mississippi State and Clemson. A two-point loss to Michigan State a week later served notice that the obscure school from Spokane could compete with anyone.

“They scheduled big and we had a group that could compete,” Santangelo said. “We had Casey Calvary, Bakari Hendrix, Quentin Hall. Mike Nilson, Colin Floyd, Richie Frahm. All of the sudden, we have some guys.”

The Zags had won 23 games by the time they reached the WCC Tournament final against San Francisco in early March of 1998.

After a surprising loss in the championship game, Santangelo and his teammates thought they still had a chance at getting back to the Round of 64. They were wrong.

Spurned by the NCAA Selection Committee, the Zags settled for the National Invitational Tournament, upsetting Wyoming on the road before losing at Hawaii. Before the following season started, the team understood it would need to win the conference tournament and earn the automatic bid in order to guarantee a spot at the highest post-season level.

“The one thing that was so different back then is that we practiced in the summer and fall specifically for the WCC Tournament,” Santangelo said.

“We knew those three days could make or break your season. We saw it as the only way to get into

the NCAA tournament. That’s the way we trained.”

A legendary ex-Zag was often part of that practice regimen.

Spokane native, Gonzaga alum and NBA All-Pro John Stockton worked out with the team during his off-seasons a member of the Utah Jazz. Santangelo remembers Stockton’s ultra-competitive approach having an impact on the entire GU roster.

“Knowing what I know now, I should have asked a lot more questions, but just though osmosis, there was a lot of learning there,” Santangelo said.

“He had a lot of influence on us.”

The Zags beat both Washington Pac-10 schools in the 1998-99 regular season, rolled to the WCC regular season title and crushed Santa Clara in the WCC Tournament final. Santangelo had 34 in the title game, including eight three-pointers. They were headed back to the bracket, this time determined to not merely make an appearance.

“We’d been having success against those big schools, so just getting to the dance was not enough,” Santangelo recalls.

“Quentin Hall would always say, ‘Let’s make some noise.’ That was the phrase he coined at the time.

It wasn’t boastful, it was just kind of this thought that we’re not supposed to be done here.”

The 10th-seeded Zags soon found out they would play Minnesota in a first-round game at Seattle’s Key Arena.

“We were excited,” Santangelo said. “We didn’t know what to expect. Our group had a pretty big chip on our shoulder. We were upset because the Pac-10 hadn’t recruited us or we were at a small school. We used that as fuel.”

Many national observers fumbled over the pronunciation of Gonzaga’s name and were unsure where campus was located.

Motivation out of obscurity carried the team to a 75-63 win over the Gophers. A stunning 8274 victory against third-seeded Stanford followed, a team that had been to the Final Four a year earlier.

“Against Stanford, we knew we had to play really, really well just to compete,” Santangelo said.

“We outrebounded them and shot the ball well and got out of there with a win.”

Suddenly “Zagmania” was sweeping the Inland Northwest and much of the country.

MONTH 2016 • 47

“I just remember every window having the ‘Go Zags’ signs,” Santangelo said. “I remember the front page of the Spokesman. The hype and media around practices was magnified. It seemed surreal for sure.”

The Zags landed in Phoenix for a third-round matchup with Florida, again as underdogs. A last-second tip-in by Casey Calvary propelled the nation’s favorite storyline to a 73-72 win and a slot in the regional final against Connecticut.

While Gonzaga fell to the eventual national champions, 6762, the program was officially on the map. The following season, Santangelo’s senior year, the team again reached March Madness, upsetting Louisville and St. John’s before losing to Purdue.

“They’re the ones who got it all started,” Few said. “None of this would have ever happened if those guys hadn’t stepped up and achieved like they did.”

Current players like Silas Melson, a guard from Portland like Santangelo, said he is aware of the opportunity for greatness in March and the legacy left by the team that proved Cinderella can indeed dance.

“The only thing I know about that team is that they were in the position that we are in now,” Melson said. “Coach Few talks about that a lot. Out of March, I’m hoping that the team is peaking so we can make a tournament run.

We need to make some noise.”

Now the executive director of Spokane Hoopfest and color commentator on Gonzaga radio broadcasts, Santangelo doesn’t push the history, but understands he and his teammates helped forge the foundation for what Zag Nation has become.

“I don’t want to be the old guy in the corner,” he said. “If they want to talk about it, I’m certainly there. Maybe having the old dogs around lets them know that we’ve been through this before. It’s a reminder to the guys that they are part of something bigger.”

Reminders of Gonzaga’s dramatic NCAA Tournament success in 1999 and 2000 are draped high above the court at the McCarthey Athletic Center. Photo by Craig Howard

The Splash

48 • MONTH 2016

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