March 2017 Splash

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Welcome to Legacy Ridge at Liberty Lake Located in eastern Washington along the Idaho border, Legacy Ridge at Liberty Lake is a quiet community featuring beautiful homes, attractive landscaping, and stunning views in every direction.

Residents enjoy the views from their patios, community walking paths, neighborhood parks, and abundant open space.

Minutes from lakes, golfing, hiking trails, restaurants, and shopping; Legacy Ridge has become very desirable destination for those looking for a place to call home.

APPRECIATING LUD KRAMER PAGE 39

Recent News

VOTERS TO DECIDE ON NEW SCHOOL PAGE 4 MORE NEWS

HOLISTIC HEALING AT FAMILY MEDICINE PAGE 31 (HTTPS://LEGACYRIDGE.ORG/COMMUNITY-NEWS/)

2 • MARCH 2017

NEWS

The Park Bench

Cleanup Catalyst – LL resident Yager a key to waste collection synergy

By Craig Howard Splash Editor Growing up, Tami Yager participated in a variety of sports, both at school and in her family’s Seattle neighborhood. When it came time to go to college, she was good enough at basketball to earn a scholarship to George Fox University in Newberg, Oregon.

These days, Yager’s priorities have shifted from the basketball court to the waste basket.

As the Public Sector manager for Waste Management Inc., Yager works to establish and maintain public and private collaborations in a field that affects every city, business and household. She is also involved in efforts related to strategic planning and community outreach.

When the greater Spokane area underwent a dramatic transition in its regional solid waste network in 2014, Yager was an important part of the multitiered discussion.

Yager started at Waste Management as a project manager in August 2011 before being promoted to her current role in January 2013. Prior to that, she worked as a regional operations manager with IEM, a waste collection company specializing in retail clientele, for nearly three years. Waste Management currently contracts with 27 million industrial, commercial, residential and municipal customers, including the city of Liberty Lake.

It was with the city of Vancouver however, that Yager made her mark.

She served in the southwestern Washington jurisdiction from 1993 to 2004 as manager of the solid waste program. During that time,

Liberty Lake resident Tami Yager works as the Public Sector manager for Waste Management Inc., a Houston-based company recognized as one of the nation’s leaders in waste collection. Yager worked for the city of Vancouver, Washington in various capacities from 1993 to 2010.

Photo by Craig Howard she also held other roles, including manager of the Water Resource Education Center and director of Community Services. When she left the city in 2010, Yager was working as Emergency Management administrator.

Yager was part of a major annexation effort in Vancouver the doubled the size of the city and eventually saw the community go from 43,000 citizens to 164,000 in just 10 years. As part of the growth, the city privatized waste management, leading to cost savings for residential and commercial customers while reducing municipal debt.

Yager also helped organize Vancouver’s inaugural strategic plan and worked on many of the economic development projects that now define the state’s fourth largest city. Landmarks like a downtown park, city-owned hotel and convention center, a popular farmers market and the relocation of City Hall were all part of Vancouver’s shift in terrain during Yager’s tenure.

Yager may have been raised west of the Cascades, but she has plenty of family connections in Eastern Washington, including her mom, a native of Deer Park and a brother who lives in Clayton.

In addition to her bachelor’s degree in Sociology/Social Work from George Fox, Yager has a master’s in Public Administration from Portland State University.

On the family side, Yager and her husband Doug live in the River District neighborhood of Liberty Lake. They met while both worked or the city of Vancouver and again find themselves working in the same field with Doug serving as a project manager for Waste Management Sustainability Services.

When not working, Yager enjoys skiing, gardening and the outdoors as well as walking her rescue dog, “Journey.” She is involved with Ride for Life, an annual motorcycle event that raises funds for the American Childhood Cancer Organization of the Inland Northwest.

Q: Waste collection seems to be one of those services that many of us take for granted, but I’m guessing there is more to it than most people realize.

Can you enlighten us on your field?

A: Given my education and work experience in city and county government, my position with Waste Management is the perfect fit for me. I work locally with city staff and councils to help them define the types of solid waste and recycling services they want to keep their communities healthy, clean and safe. For customers, our goal is to make recycling and garbage collection easy and reliable. Our drivers are the best in the business for customer service and safety and they regularly go above and beyond the to help customers in special ways. One of the extra and important things that comes with

The Splash

Waste Management as your local service provider is our Waste Watch program. Our drivers know local streets and businesses because they run the same routes week after week. So, they know when things look out of place. Through this program, they are trained to “observe and report” when they see something suspicious.

One driver called 9-1-1 when he saw a man slumped over his steering wheel. He wasn’t sure if the man was taking a nap or something else was wrong. The man was very sick and needed immediate medical attention. Thanks to our driver calling 9-1-1, the man was rushed to the hospital. Both Liberty Lake Mayor Steve Peterson and Spokane Valley Mayor Rod Higgins participated in the driver Waste Watch training last year. It means a great deal to us to know that our local mayors value public safety and program like this. And I must give a shout out for our clean and quiet trucks. These are the best and newest technology trucks in North America. The distinction is that they powered by natural gas for cleaner air, quieter operation and a smaller carbon footprint. Many companies in our industry have not yet transitioned to this new and clearer technology. It’s cutting edge and an important part of what we bring to our local communities.

Q: When the regional waste collection terrain shifted a few years ago, leaving Liberty Lake and other local cities with a new setup, what was your role in the transition?

A: My role has been to make this transition work as well as possible for the cities and for Waste Management. For background, the city of Spokane managed the regional solid waste system for more than 20 years. In 2014, the city of Spokane transferred management authority to Spokane County. During this transition, Spokane Valley and Liberty Lake decided to develop their own plans and programs. They chose to take local control of their collection and disposal services through service contracts. There are benefits to the old system and well as the new one. To me, what is most important is that city leaders and staff get what they need. I have considered it a privilege to work with the cities as they chart this new path.

See YAGER, Page 9

The Splash

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4 • MARCH 2017

Central Valley voters to decide on new schools

By Staci Lehman

Splash Correspondent The Central Valley School District (CVSD) may be adding a third high school.

The CVSD School Board voted unanimously at its Dec. 12 meeting to include three major projects and several smaller ones on a bond that would go to voters in 2018. Those large projects include renovating Horizon Middle School, constructing a sixth middle school in the district and constructing a third high school to alleviate crowding at existing Central Valley and University high schools.

A 2015 fact sheet says that, since 2005, the district has grown by 1,700 students, without adding new schools. That is the equivalent of one new high school or three new elementary schools. And that number is projected to grow.

Around 900 additional students are expected to be added between now and 2021.

NEWS

While the district is experiencing capacity issues, members of a Capital Facilities Committee made up of parents, staff and community stakeholders say the need for more space is most apparent at the high school level. At the December meeting, CVSD Board President Debbie Long told committee members that a quality education is the most important factor, no matter which school a student attends.

“Space is an issue,” Long said.

“I think the toughest conversation that we have is that third high school. We may be a Bear, we may be a Titan…I want my child to get the most they can out of their education in an environment that is responsible. So space is an issue and I appreciate it that you took it to heart.”

A new high school has been discussed for almost 40 years since the district purchased approximately 50 acres at 16th and Henry, near the Saltese Uplands Conservation Land, in 1980.

“There was a discussion about this for many, many years and it is also one of those things that I heard through the interview process, through the community response,” said CVSD Superintendent Ben Small. “It was brought up an awful

lot and every single time we would think about doing a bond in the Central Valley School District,” If the bond passes, the school will be built to accommodate about 1,600 students. Initially though, it will only have to house between 1,400 and 1,450.

During the process of researching the potential for another district high school, officials also looked into whether the Saltese site is the best location. A review of alternative sites turned up only one comparable property and it had a major drawback.

“With the price that we paid for the property in 1980, compared to what we would pay for a piece of property on Country Vista or a piece of property in the Telido Station area (north of I-90 near the HUB Sport Center) of that size, you quickly can do a cost-benefit ratio and find that building it here versus buying property at $10 to $12 million is what you would spend on property,” said Small. “I think we would take criticism for doing that when we already have this property purchased.”

If voters approve the bond and a new high school is built, the site could include a potential bonus.

“We have space on that site

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plan for about a 15,000-squarefoot building that would house an interpretive center,” Small said.

“It would house some kind of an amphitheater and house our students that are coming to the site to learn about the wetlands to learn about the conservation land that’s up to the east of it and we have already been talking to people from the Community Colleges of Spokane, from other school districts that would love to have that kind of space available to them.”

The 2018 bond will also include a new middle school at Telido Station that would be built for 450 students, with capacity to expand to up to 750.

The renovation of Horizon Middle School, also slated for the bond, would update the HVAC and electrical systems, flooring, car and bus pickup zones and other areas. Built in 1982, the school is in serious need of updating, district officials say.

While the numbers are preliminary, the Capital Facilities Committee anticipates the bond amount to be around $130 million.

The proposed new high school would require approximately $86 million of local funds and $13 million in state matching funds. The new middle school would account for $26.6 million in local funds and does not qualify for state match money.

The renovation of Horizon Middle School is expected to be about $18.4 million in local funds and $6.6 of federal dollars. In addition, some smaller projects, such as HVAC upgrades at the two existing high schools, would be included in the bond.

The school board will pass a resolution in 2017 to set the amount of the bond and decide on the date in 2018 that it will appear on the ballot.

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The Splash

NEWS

City experiences windfall in 2016 tax revenue

By Staci Lehman

Splash Correspondent While business at Liberty Lake City Hall these days is focused on the present, it is the past year’s windfall in tax revenue that is still generating conversation.

The economy bounced back in a big way for the city in 2016, with revenue far exceeding expectations. According to Finance Director R.J. Stevenson, the total rang in at a cool $3,050,207.

“Last year was an outstanding year for the city,” Stevenson said.

Stevenson and other city officials were expecting closer to $2.3 million, although he says that was a fairly conservative estimate.

The actual amount of tax revenue received is quite an increase from recent years including $2,554,187 (2015), $2,582,630 (2014) and $2,128,326 (2013).

While the additional revenue came from a combination of utility taxes, building permit fees and various sales taxes, Stevenson says the biggest growth in 2016 came from sales tax on construction materials for new homes being built in the city, the new Liberty Creek K-2 school that has been under construction for the past year, the expansion of the Liberty Lake Sewer and Water District wastewater treatment plant and the new Comcast call center located in the Meadowwood Technology Park.

“These are what I consider ‘onetime’ revenue sources because we will only collect the sales tax once, not an ongoing source like a department store,” Stevenson said.

Council Member Cris Kaminskas agrees.

“Every once in a while we see these blips,” she said. “The only thing with sales tax is these unexpected blips can’t be counted on.”

Another strong source of sales tax in 2016 came from auto and RV dealerships, as the economy picked up and people resumed spending on big-ticket items.

As for what the extra 2016 revenue will be spent on, it hasn’t

been decided yet, city officials say.

Yet because the majority of the money was generated from one time sources like construction, Stevenson expects the city will likely re-invest the money into capital infrastructure projects. Some will also go into the reserve fund and some was used to buy a piece of property above Liberty Lake Road to be used as conservation land in the future. Kaminskas said the funds could also find their way to some projects the city is saving for in the future.

While the budget for 2017 has already been set, Council Member Bob Moore says that money could still be used in the coming year if it is decided to move forward on any of those items soon.

“We can always amend the budget if a project comes up to use that money on,” he said.

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Because of that additional money, Moore also said he’s not sure a property tax increase passed by City Council in 2016 was necessary.

“When the city voted to increase taxes for 2017, I made a comment that we didn’t need an increase because we were expecting this revenue,” he said.

Kaminskas wasn’t able to attend the meeting where the vote on property tax took place but she also didn’t feel the increase was necessary.

“The net result (of the property tax increase) was $19,000 or $20,000,” she said. “I didn’t think it was worth it.”

For the current year, the city has increased the amount of projected tax revenue. It is estimated more aggressively to be closer to $2.8 million in 2017. But Stevenson emphasizes that that is a projection at best.

“We believe building will continue into 2017, what we cannot predict is the economy,” he said. “I prepare a monthly dashboard report to council to indicate how we are doing.”

Kaminskas also believes growth will continue this year, although not at the same levels. She adds that she prefers predictable sources of revenue.

“It’s great that we have these unexpected windfalls but we shouldn’t count on them,” she said. “We need predictable revenue streams to provide services.”

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LIBRARY

6 • MARCH 2017

Library seeks volunteers for a diversity of support

This year the Liberty Lake Library is focusing even more on our wonderful community, small businesses, and local groups. We have many different programs and events at the library for children, teens, adults and our retirement communities.

Did you know we have adult craft nights on Thursdays and family crafts on Saturdays several times a month? During the week, Jandy, our children’s librarian, holds story-times, Lego clubs, code clubs and other STEM programs. In the last couple of months Joanne, our adult librarian, has offered classes that focus on creating unique items like Mason jar hot chocolate gifts. We also have a book club that meets every month!

In addition to offering amazing programs, the library wants to reach out directly to our members. Do you have a talent you would like to share with others? Do you want to spend time with a fun group of people as well as a lot of books, audio books and movies? Then we have an opportunity for you! The Liberty Lake Library is looking for volunteers to donate their time and expertise. Tell us what you can do. Your special talents may be exactly what we are looking for.

We’re looking for teens and adults to assist with crafts, share a unique talent or teach a class. We also need people to assist with other library activities including shelving books, playing detective to find missing items and helping the staff with many other types of projects. If this sounds like something you would enjoy, go online to libertylakewa.gov/library or stop by the library and fill out a volunteer application.

2017

The Splash

Call for Vendors & Businesses We are seeking vendors and businesses to participate in Barefoot in the Park this year!

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Library will be closed all day Thursday, March 16th for inventory.

For More Information Call (509)755-6700

CHILDREN EVENTS

standard Nerf darts.

• Limit to 24 participants.

Registration and permission slip required.

Activities

ADULT EVENTS

Stem-Tacular Thursday Thursday, March 2nd 4:00 pm

DIY Notebooks

Thursday March 9th 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm

Recycle a card into beautiful works of art!

Markerbots. Build your own drawing robot! Ages 5 & Up. Ages 5-7 must be accompanied by an adult. Register here>goo.gl/ Wt4bu0

Family Movie Night

Thursday, March 30th 5:30 pm

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. 133 minutes, rated PG13

Totally Untidy Playtime Family Crafts

Saturday March 18th 2:00 pm

Paint a plant pot and plant a seed, ages 3-93.

Tuesday March 14th 10:30 am

Ages 0-3 Join us for messy (and non-messy) sensory playtime.

Check Facebook for photos and more information.

Code Club

Weekly on Wednesdays 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm

Learn how to make cool games, animations and websites at Code Club. Weekly meetings. Ages 8 and up. Register here>goo.gl/Vo0nCm!

Nerf War - MUST REGISTER Homemade Bubble Bath & Sugar Scrubs Thursday March 23rd 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm

Friday, March 10th, drop off at 5:45 pm. Games from 6 pm - 7:30 pm Register here>goo.gl/nJvwmK • Participants should bring their own Nerf gun.

Come make mason jar bubble bath and sugar scrubs. Take home a wonderful spa treat!

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All interested are invited to attend

www.libertylakewa.gov/library

The Splash

MARCH 2017 • 7

The Lookout MEMO from the

Mayor

By Mayor Steve Peterson

Looking for the Pot of Gold? It’s March and as legend has it, you will normally find the Pot of Gold at the end of the rainbow.

Unfortunately, before you see a rainbow, you have some rain.

The challenge that rain, snow and freezing bring is the creation of potholes. While all communities suffer from potholes, some suffer

more than others. The secret to minimizing the impact of potholes developing in our streets is investing in regular and timely maintenance every year.

Liberty Lake takes a proactive approach to street care which begins years in advance. In the past five years, we have completed overlays on Valleyway, Mission and Appleway which provide an additional 2 to 4 inches of asphalt covering. Last year we planned and this spring and summer we will rebuild Liberty Lake Road and its intersections to ensure smooth

travel for our growing community.

We will begin planning a complete overlay of Country Vista along with an overlay from Country Vista along Mission to the roundabout at Molter.

The Heights has been surveyed and we will begin overlaying major portions this year. This is all done in search of that elusive “Pot of Gold” which we define as the difference in maintenance cost estimated at $1.50 per square foot versus a complete street replacement at $8 to $12 per square foot. By doing more in advance to prohibit underlying base deterioration

Garden Notes

City Horticulturist At the time of this writing, snow and ice still cover the garden, the lawn, the driveway. Dirty and dreary, rotting snow has lost all luster, sparkle and charm.

Sow herb seeds in a window garden. Using pencil and paper

The city strives to keep our streets at a 90-percent plus rating and funds them appropriately through our utility tax and by seeking state and federal grant opportunities.

Comparing our efforts with Spokane or Spokane Valley which target their roads to a standard of 60 to 80 percent is yet another reason the city of Liberty Lake is considered Spokane County’s premier address!

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Liberty Lake Planning and Building Services is excited to announce our new permit tracking software, PermitTrax. In January 2017, the city began utilizing PermitTrax for building, permit and planning application processing and reporting.

By Joice Cary

Spring is a promise, honored

by Mother Nature, that winter is passing. With spring officially arriving on March 20, endurance becomes anticipation. It may still be too early to remove mulch, prune fruit trees or even step into the barely thawed garden, but there is work that can be done.

and extending the duration of our pavement, the MORE we will save in the long run.

New software streamlines permitting process

Spring is around the corner for plants, people

Winter can be a season of endurance for gardeners.

Intellectually we understand its relevance in nature’s cycle of renewal and freely marvel at such stark beauty but, seriously, we are ready for a change.

March 2017

design a space with purpose – nectar flowers for humming birds and butterflies, fragrant flowers just for cutting or an entire bed full of tasty heritage tomatoes. Stock up on sunscreen, indulge in a new hat, smile and anticipate, spring is coming. Promise!

Trailhead offers early season golf

Now that the snow is gone and temperatures are warming up, come out and enjoy Trailhead at Liberty Lake, the only golf course that is open in the regional Spokane area. Now that we can gather the range balls you can hit off the driving range. The driving range is covered and heated. As the snow melts and the course dries out, you can even start playing a round or two. Off season rate is $10 a round. A small bucket of range balls is $6.

The new software also has online permit, code enforcement and inspection scheduling capabilities, as well as the ability to view current projects and check on permit or code enforcement status. When the new Liberty Lake Citizens Connect online portion debuts, applicants will have the ability to apply for simple over-the-counter type permits online, track the progress of their permits and schedule inspections without having to visit or contact City Hall.

Liberty Lake Citizens Connect will also allow citizens to research current permit information through a map of current projects. Have your answer to “What are they building there?” at your fingertips.

https://www.facebook.com/libertylakewa • www.libertylakewa.gov

The Splash

8 • MARCH 2017

Future of Trailhead facility moves up council priority list

Palenque Mexican Restaurant with a footprint of 7,200 square feet and an assessed valuation of $255,800.

Chris Johnston, who has served as the head pro at Trailhead for the past five years, spoke before the governing board at a special workshop on the subject at the Feb. 7 council meeting.

By Craig Howard Splash Editor

City officials may not have spoken in the hushed tones of a golf broadcaster at a workshop on the Trailhead at Liberty Lake clubhouse last month, but the tenor of the discussion seem to carry the same gravity as a play-by-play account of a putt on the 18th green.

The facility – built in 1973, according to county records – has been the topic of speculation for several years now at City Hall, more specifically, whether to renovate the venue or tear down and rebuild. These days, the future of Trailhead has moved up the municipal priority list like an underdog making a charge up the leader board. The site includes a pro shop, banquet space and the

“In the last five years, there have been a lot of changes to the golf course and driving range,” Johnston said. “We’ve addressed just about everything else but the building.

We would love a new clubhouse. It could make things more profitable.”

The city purchased the 55-acre course in 2002 for just over $2.1 million amid rumors that the site might be slated for apartment buildings. Over the years, it has become one of the region’s premier nine-hole executive courses, known for its challenging play and wellmanicured grounds. The adjoining driving range is a popular practice setting with perks like illumination and heated nooks.

While the clubhouse has not enjoyed the same level of upgrades as the course and driving range, it has undergone some improvements. In 2004, the city

A

spent $68,000 on renovation efforts. A $5,000 remodel of the pro shop followed in 2011. A mold abatement project was undertaken in 2014 while repair of the deck took place the following year. A new roof was added in 2016.

Johnston said there is still plenty of room for amelioration at the 44-year-old structure.

“The building is not laid out well,” he said. “It gets hot in the summer, the HVAC system is getting old and we’re just doing our best to get inventory into the pro shop.”

Johnston said Trailhead has missed out on a number of tournaments because of limited space in the banquet room. Golf cart parking on a level lower than the clubhouse has also been a disadvantage, he added.

Johnston told council that a banquet site with room for 100 people inside and 100 outside would be ideal. Over the last three years, the banquet space has only generated an average of $550 annually. Johnston recommended keeping the view from the deck that looks out over the course and the tree-lined landscape in the distance. Adding an indoor practice

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“It’d be great to double the square footage of the current space,” he said. “This is kind of the last piece of the puzzle here.”

The city will pay off the Trailhead bond this year with a final payment of $112,000. The county’s current assessed valuation of the property is listed at just over $5 million.

Johnston said it has been “an advantage” to have Palenque on site. The popular restaurant began leasing space with the city in 2003, paying $2,700 a month including a $500 credit for janitorial support that benefits the clubhouse/ banquet space. Palenque’s current least is up in April of next year.

On the business side, the Trailhead pro shop continues to generate encouraging revenue for the city. Over the last three years, merchandise, lessons, gift cards, the driving range and cart rental have produced an average of $573,000 annually with expenses ringing in at $471,000 each year.

While the $100,000 profit margin does not include capital or debt service, the numbers had several

See TRAILHEAD, Page 15

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The Splash

YAGER

Continued from page 2 Q: How do you feel things have worked out overall with this new arrangement?

A: So far, so good. Waste Management is two years into a 10-year contract with Liberty Lake.

The City Council received a glowing service report about our service from City Administrator Katy Allen on Feb. 7. We are currently planning for another successful Spring Cleanup/Goodwill Day. This year the event will be April 29 for Waste Management customers in Liberty Lake. We’ve had a great turnout every year, and the we have a blast working with city employees. In 2016, Waste Management worked with Spokane Valley staff to refine our yard debris collection program and schedule and get the word out through WM’s service guide.

Spokane Valley prides itself on allowing customer flexibility to select curbside service of self-haul.

Spokane Valley will be announcing new service options in 2017 for implementation in 2018. The WM Team also regularly works with Spokane County Solid Waste staff.

WM provides garbage, recycling and yard debris collection throughout the urban areas of Spokane County and garbage service in the rural areas. WM and the County are looking at the potential to expand our urban service boundaries for single stream recycling.

Q: Waste Management has committed funds each year to benefit nonprofit causes in Liberty Lake. Why is this important to your company?

A: Our employees live, work and play right here. We are local and committed to doing our part to making our communities healthy, strong and safe. We do what we can to support local nonprofits, the chambers and events like Valleyfest as a way to enrich our local communities and invest for the future. The projects that won my heart last year were focused on helping veterans. In the fall, we were thrilled to work again with Dan Kleckner on the Golfers for Warriors event. And at Christmas, our drivers purchased presents out of their own pockets for a local veteran family in need.

Waste Management has a special connection to veterans because WM is one of the country’s top employers of veterans and because

NEWS

our shared commitment to safety.

Q: Why did you and your husband decide to move to Liberty Lake and what have you enjoyed about living here?

A: We moved to the area to work for Waste Management. We fell in love with the River District and ended up building a small Greenstone lot. I cannot say enough good things about our neighbors. We know everyone on our street and many within a twoblock range. We regularly have bunco parties, play cards, help each other with landscaping, snow plow each other’s driveways, mow each other’s lawns, the list goes on and on. We could not live on a better street with better neighbors.

To top that off, what’s not to love about this area, an awesome trail system for walking and riding your bike, and experiencing our fabulous lakes, rivers, parks and community events. It’s quick access to urban amenities and rural scenic drives.

I am sold on the greater Spokane Valley area.

Q: You were part of the volunteer effort to promote the Town Square community center/library/pool project last year. Why did you get involved with this campaign and where do you see this proposal going after the vote fell just short last year?

A: I’ve come to know City Administrator Katy Allen and Mayor Peterson well through my work with Waste Management. They know I live in Liberty Lake and am involved in the neighborhood.

I volunteered because I thought it was important that my neighbors knew about the potential for a new community gathering place and swimming pool right here in Liberty Lake. Some neighbor kids are on swim teams and they must travel outside of the area to practice diving. That’s a bummer and puts pressure on parents to drive their kids to one more activity. If we had a facility in Liberty Lake, kids could ride their bikes to practice.

I was disappointed that the bond fell short by a few votes. Sadly, a few folks just didn’t find the time to vote. Those that did vote, voted in support of Town Square.

I agree with council’s approach to seek public input on these types of decisions. What’s hard is when a vote requires 60 percent to pass and we don’t get the participation.

Q: As a resident of Liberty

Lake who also works for Waste Management, do you keep an eye out for how the service is functioning in your city?

A: Absolutely. I am a super advocate for my customers. I am also passionate about recycling and waste management, so I am always visiting with folks at Legends or Piccilo’s or the grocery store, and even when they mayor’s wife yells out, “Hey there’s the garbage lady.” Beyond this, I am in regular contact with city staff to make sure we are providing our best service.

Staff in each of “my cities” have my cell phone number. On the rare occasion when we miss a collection or someone calls city staff about a holiday schedule, I am here to provide information or fix a glitch.

Q: We hear often about the benefits of recycling both in relation to the environment and sustainability in general. Do you think we, as a society, have made progress when it comes to recycling eligible household waste?

A: Society has made huge strides in recycling and sustainability. In fact, our local communities and businesses have access to the best recycling programs in the U.S. since Waste Management constructed a state-of-the-art recycling center to serve the region. WM’s investment allowed for single stream recycling (“all in one recycling cart”) and was a game-changer for the area.

It made recycling easier than ever, so participation increased exponentially. It also created new local jobs and infused $18 million into the local economy.

Q: Finally, what do you enjoy most about your job?

A: I enjoy the connectivity with city employees and elected officials and like working with cities to tailor services and programs to fit their needs. I love being part of Waste Management because it an extraordinarily ethical and reputable company that holds its employees to the highest safety and service standards. I also appreciate being part of a local team with national expertise, which is really important because every city wants top value for their dollar. When we have an issue, or are implementing a new program, we can tap in to other WM teams all over North America.

This saves time and money for our customers, helping us keep rates affordable and deliver the highest possible value to our customers.

MARCH 2017 • 9

Market Statistics: Days on Market

27%

From 74 in Jan. 2016 to 54 in Jan. 2017*

Median Home Price

11%

From $175,000 in Jan. 2016 to $195,000 in Jan. 2017*

Months of Inventory

31%

From 4.4 months in Jan. 2016 to 3 months in Jan. 2017*

* Information obtained from the Spokane Multiple Listing Service. Information deemed reliable but not guaranteed. For Single Family Homes and Condos, site built less than 2 acres, Spokane County.

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

The Splash

10 • MARCH 2017

In other city news:

• Council unanimously approved a six-month moratorium on industrial development along the north and south sides of Appleway Avenue. Referring to a recommendation by the planning commission, City Administrator Katy Allen said the issue is about refocusing the zoning for more light industrial use such as office/ campus development as opposed to heavier manufacturing.

• Police Chief Brian Asmus gave an overview of Proposition 1 which will appear on the April 25 ballot and ask voters for a renewal on a one-tenth of 1 percent collection on sales tax to benefit emergency communication systems and programs like Crime Check. The average cost per household would be $12 a year.

If passed, the proposal would have the potential to fully fund Crime Check, the non-emergency number residents are urged to call when reporting crimes not in progress.

• Paul Puhek and Holli Parker with the Liberty Lake Farmers Market gave a report on the market’s upcoming season.

Puhek said the venue may host as many as 60 vendors this year, continuing a trend of steady growth that has taken place since the market opened in 2002 with half-a-dozen vendors. Puhek told council that the expansion into Town Square Park has been a boon to the market. “Art at the Market” will expand to a two-day schedule this year starting on Friday night.

• Scott Talley, a driver with Waste Management Inc., was honored at the meeting as “Driver of the Year” for the Northwest region. Talley’s safety record, customer service and attendance won him the award over 2,000 WM drivers. He has also been a key contributor to the company’s “Waste Watch” program in which drivers alert law enforcement of concerns.

• Allen told council that several dates for spring community events had been established, including the Easter Egg Hunt at Pavillion Park (April 15), the Bulky Waste Cleanup Day at Town Square Park (April 29) and the annual Library Tea (also April 29).

• On March 20, work will begin on installing a city-owned electronic alternating sign at the corner of Country Vista and Liberty Lake Road. The sign will stand nearly 8 feet tall and 12 feet wide and promote community events and city happenings. Installation is expected to take about a month.

Community center discussion takes on new layers

By Craig Howard Splash Editor No parcel of land has been mentioned so frequently throughout the incorporated history of Liberty Lake.

The 6.4 acres in the middle of town off Meadowwood Lane cropped up again at the Feb. 21 City Council meeting – this time as a component of a larger conversation about how, when, why and where the city might finally establish a community center.

Like he had two weeks earlier with a workshop on the future of the Trailhead pro shop facility, Mayor Pro Tem Shane Brickner led a roundtable discussion to gauge where his council colleagues stood on the potential of a civic gathering place. The topic has emerged consistently since a bond vote on the Town Square community center/library/aquatic facility – proposed on the 6.4-acres – narrowly failed at the ballot last fall. Part of the property is now home to Town Square Park.

“We’re not talking about anything that would lock this project into stone,” Bricker said. “This is more about what council envisions going into this facility.”

Council Member Hugh Severs said he liked the idea of an integrated community center/City Hall concept that could include commercial space on an upper floor. He referred to the stately Post Falls City Hall when commenting that Liberty Lake’s version of municipal headquarters “could use a little upgrade.”

Council Member Cris Kaminskas echoed Severs’ comments about a flexible space. She said the proposed structure on last year’s ballot “was missing true activity space,” especially for kids. She brought up the example of YMCA recreation rooms that include games like foosball, ping pong and air hockey.

Kaminskas was not as keen on the idea of combining a new City Hall with a community center, saying it might not resonate with residents.

“I can see people asking, ‘Is the city spending taxpayer money wisely?’” she said.

Similar to the stance she took last year when the library became part of the bond measure, Kaminskas steered away from any strategy to move the library from its current space. She did speak in favor of situating a public pool near the site of the city-owned baseball fields, The Diamonds at Liberty Lake, an idea that several other council members also support.

In evaluating the failure of the bond vote, Council Member Bob Moore said last year’s blueprint didn’t frame the project in a way that would benefit local seniors.

“I’d like to see a multi-use activity center and a true community center,” he said.

Moore also emphasized that the city should look internally for funding options instead of putting another bond on the ballot. He pointed to examples like the ballfields and city parks that were built by revenue from the general fund.

“I think we can finance this through the general fund if it’s done properly,” he said.

As for the library, Moore said he didn’t feel a new venue was justified. He referred to a study by the Association of Washington Cities that stated the current space would be adequate until Liberty Lake reached a population of 16,000.

“As far as library activities go, the library could use space in a community center,” Moore said.

Council Member Odin Langford said the city needs to consider “the full community” when looking at a civic hub.

“When you talk about a community center, you’re talking about demographics,” he said.

“This is a space for everyone in the community.”

Langford said the city could consider the purchase of the Meadowwood building adjacent to Town Square Park, a structure currently occupied by Greenstone Homes and several other businesses as well as the Greater Spokane Valley Chamber of Commerce.

Langford said such an acquisition “would free up the land” for opportunities such as local businesses setting up shop on the perimeter. Whatever happens, he said the project “could happen

incrementally.”

“You don’t have to build it in one year and you don’t have to pay for it in one year,” he said.

Council Member Jessica McGuire said she has heard plenty of support among residents for a community center but said it would be important to build something that was not too ostentatious. “it needs to fit our community,” she said.

McGuire added that it would be vital for the city to address costs associated with the ongoing operations and maintenance of such a facility.

Brickner recommended the city look at a community center and City Hall that takes into account the anticipated growth of Liberty Lake over the next 20 years or so. He added that the city “needs to think about how the facility would run.”

“I don’t want to build a community center that’s empty three days a week,” he said.

Mayor Steve Peterson chimed in with thoughts about the level of efficiency at the current City Hall, saying the layout does not exactly promote consolidation.

“We have nine offices here now that are pretty spread out,” he said. “We could have improved efficiencies and interaction.”

The idea of tapping into the general fund to cover the costs of a community center did not earn the mayor’s vote. He reminded council that the fund’s first priority is to cover essentials like public safety and reliable roads.

Peterson expressed confidence that citizens “are willing to pay for something like a community center as an investment in our community.”

“Folks will step up,” he said.

Near the end of the workshop, council agreed that a discussion on municipal funding sources and how they relate to capital projects like a new community center or City Hall would be the next logical step.

Finance Director R.J. Stevenson said he could compile a forecast of city revenues and expenditures over the next 10 years that would give the governing board a better idea of how the general fund may or may not be a valid resource for such projects.

The workshop on funding sources is tentatively scheduled for the March 17 council meeting.

The Splash

MARCH 2017 • 11

Police support Special Olympics through Polar Plunge

By Chief Brian Asmus Liberty Lake Police Department

One of the many ways that your police department is involved in the community is by participating in what is known as the Law Enforcement Torch Run (LETR).

Law enforcement officers and agencies from all over the world take part in numerous local events for the purpose of raising funds and awareness for our Special Olympic athletes.

Locally, our biggest event to support our regional athletes is the annual Polar Plunge that, this year, was held on Feb. 17 and 18 at the Liberty Lake County Park. Teams are formed and receive pledges to plunge into the frigid lake and the funds raised remain local to support our 1,400 athletes.

Some of us have pledged to plunge into the lake 24 times in a 12-hour period on the day before the large team plunge event, and we are affectionately known as “super plungers.”

We are hoping to raise $60,000 at this one event. Even though

the plunge has already occurred, those involved with the LETR work hard throughout the year and are committed to this amazing movement to support those with intellectual disabilities in our community.

Some of the other events that law enforcement officers volunteer at for this cause include fun runs, Tip a Cop, Cops on Top of Donut Shops, Fueling Dreams, Cruising with the Cops, and later this year we will be supporting a campaign called “Game On.” As a statewide organization, our goal is to raise $750,000 by the end of this year.

The funds raised are used to provide year-round sporting events, competitions, training, coaching and health screenings for the athletes at no cost to their families.

I am proud to report that the Liberty Lake community has been very supportive of our efforts and extremely generous with donations supporting our local events. For the last two years, your Liberty Lake Police Department has been the top fundraising law enforcement agency in the entire state of Washington.

Thank you for your support and if you have questions regarding Special Olympics Washington and our numerous events and how you can get involved, please contact me at the police department – basmus@ libertylakewa.gov or 755-1140.

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Liberty Lake’s ski sanctuary – Holiday Hills predated Legacy Ridge homes

By Craig Howard Splash Editor The legend of Holiday Hills lives on – just ask Dave Griffiths.

Griffiths and his wife Lisa bought a lot on Legacy Ridge in 2004 and built a home there four years later. The couple – parents of 10 kids – reached a compromise with the move from Post Falls. Dave wanted to live in the hills; Lisa preferred a neighborhood.

Dave, who grew up in the Spokane Valley area, knew about some of his new neighborhood’s history, including the celebrated phase of “Holiday Hills,” an ambitious ski resort that once called the slope home. As a teenager in the late 1970s, he rode BMX bikes on tracks built on the site after the resort’s heyday.

“It’s amazing the amount of stuff that was up here that is just gone now,” Dave said. “When we bought the property, it was fun to look back and remember that special time of my life.”

The terrain has included a go-cart track, skating rink, swimming pool, snowmobile track, restaurants, a hotel and more. By the 1980s, the land had been transitioned to a garbage collection site. After relocating, Dave could point out a large block of concrete that once served as the counterweight for the chairlift

COVER STORY that carried skiers up the modest hill.

The resort opened in 1971 as the vision of Chuck Williams, a Spokane Valley native who had started the American Sign and Indicator Corp. along with his brother Luke. Enormously successful in his business ventures before Holiday Hills, Williams had the distinction of inventing the alternating temperature/time display seen on bank marquees.

A mere four years before the premiere of Holiday Hills, the Spokane area experienced one of the most severe winters in the area’s history. Some have speculated that the heavy snowfall that began in late 1968 and continued into the following year may have been an impetus for an innovative idea like a ski resort just to the west of a lake that had a history as a recreation destination point.

“I’m guessing that some people saw that snow and figured a ski lodge might just work,” Griffiths said. “I mean, it’s Spokane, it’s a winter sport and you’re getting all this snow.”

The challenge came when the snow didn’t fall. Williams built a high-class resort with two restaurants, a pool and a hotel but crowds were sparse during the mild winters. At one point, snowmaking machines were brought in and a 1-million gallon water reservoir built to chill water for snow sprinklers. The man-made ski surface turned out too slushy at times, too chunky at others.

There were better times at Holiday Hills, including the year Spokane hosted the World’s Fair.

The property became a makeshift RV park in 1974, renting out Winnebago motor homes painted

From 1971 to 1977, Holiday Hills stood as a ski resort on the current site of the Legacy Ridge neighborhood. Photo courtesy of Liberty Lake Historical Society with the fair’s signature colors of green and blue. During the holidays, resort staff would decorate the hill’s signature “Legend Tree” in Christmas lights. The towering Ponderosa Pine – now a protected municipal landmark – shone like a beacon over the Valley.

Over time, however, Holiday Hills continued to struggle at the gate. Nearby competition from venues like Mt. Spokane and Silver Mountain – both at higher elevations – didn’t help. By 1977, the site had unceremoniously closed.

The master plan for the area went away with the ski lifts. There had once been talk of building a rodeo arena and an amphitheater for outdoor concerts.

The ambitious blueprint also included a pitch-and-putt golf course, movie theater, fishing pond and even a “Frontier Village” with Old West themes like an opera house and café.

Griffiths remembers talking to a co-worker who had skied at Holiday Hills back in the day. The report was less than enthusiastic.

Griffiths speculates that most of his Legacy Ridge neighbors are not aware that they live on the former site of the Inland Northwest’s short-lived suburban ski hub.

“I get the sense that most don’t know the history here,” he said.

In contrast, the Griffiths family is well-versed in the heritage of their adopted home. When Dave and Lisa’s son, Blake, recently visited a ski resort back east featuring artificial snow generated through sprinklers, he reported the conditions to his folks back home.

After closing in 1977, the Holiday Hills ski lodge stood for many years and became the site of competitive BMX racing. During the World's Fair in 1974, the site became a makeshift RV park.

Photo courtesy of Dave Griffiths

“He told me, ‘Dad, this is what Holiday Hills must have been like,” Dave said.

The Splash

Dynamic heights, distinct heritage – The view from Legacy Ridge

By Craig Howard Splash Editor Like many other residents of Liberty Lake’s Legacy Ridge neighborhood, Jeff and Janice Renfro have heard the phrase and cringed: “Snob Hill.”

No one is quite sure where the stigma began – maybe with Holiday Hills, the cushy ski resort that called the slope home from 1971 to 1977 and included frills like illuminated ski runs, state-ofthe art Riblet chairlifts and a pair of stylish restaurants. Maybe it was the celebrated arrival of Marshall Chesrown, the developer who made his name with the ritzy Black Rock golf club in Coeur d’Alene and had grand designs to build luxury homes on 120 acres in Legacy Ridge but saw his vision swept aside with the housing collapse of the late 2000s.

Whatever the origins, longtime Legacy Ridge dwellers like the Renfros say the exclusive, elitist stereotype is simply not true.

“They obviously don’t know the people who live here,” said Jeff, who graduated from Central Valley High School in 1967 and lived near the shores of Liberty Lake as a kid.

The area situated on a hill in the southwestern portion of Liberty Lake may look out over the entire community and beyond, but those who live here say it doesn’t mean they look down on others.

Instead, residents like Brian Cuda who moved here with his wife and daughter from Southern California three years ago tell stories of down-to-earth neighbors who rally on behalf of each other.

Whether it’s bringing homecooked meals to a resident recovering from a car wreck this winter or neighbors shoveling driveways for those in need, Cuda says goodwill on the hill is readily apparent.

See LEGACY RIDGE, Page 13

The Splash

LEGACY RIDGE

Continued from page 12 “I really have not seen that before on this scale,” he said. “There’s a real sense of community here.”

Cuda remembers receiving a flyer for a neighborhood barbecue from his real estate agent the week his family moved into the area. After finding a community that met their search criteria – lower cost of living, less traffic, quiet surroundings, four seasons and more reasonable pace of life – the civic energy has been a welcome bonus.

“So far, it’s been everything we were looking for,” Brian said.

The Renfros moved to Legacy Ridge in 2007 when Chesrown was still part of the terrain. Jeff had always hoped to retire in “a mountain cabin” surrounded by trees. The couple’s nourishing cedar home comes close.

“It has the feel of a cabin and I’m only three minutes from Home Depot,” Jeff says.

Janice talks about the “spectacular sunsets” that are part of the view from Legacy Ridge. The perspective stretches all the way to downtown Spokane and affords the Renfros exceptional vantage points for the community fireworks shows that take place every Fourth of July.

“No matter what kind of day it is, it’s always gorgeous,” Janice says.

Phil and Natalie Folyer’s comfortable home on the east side of Legacy Ridge looks out over Liberty Lake proper, a trio of golf

COVER STORY

MARCH 2017 • 13

courses and Pavillion Park as well as the lake itself. Sightings of deer, owl, raccoons and porcupines are common while a soaring hawk has been known to hover gracefully just outside the Folyer’s windows.

Despite the magnificent view and surrounding wildlife , Phil said it is the “sense of neighborhood values” that he appreciates most about living here. From residents taking pride in their yards to an advisory committee speaking out at City Hall over concerns about high density development and traffic, Phil says collaborative spirit is alive and well on the ridge.

“We all pitch in,” he said. “That’s what I love about Legacy Ridge – if you’re on the hill, you’re from Legacy Ridge.”

Justified or not, the image of the “siloed” community may start with the entrance gate at the bottom of Legacy Ridge Drive off Country Vista which makes it clear that only residents and guests are permitted here. If you are a non-resident hiker who happens to wander into the brushy trails near Legacy Ridge homes, chances are you will be reminded – sometimes sternly – that this is private property.

Dan Dunne, a member of the Liberty Lake City Council, is well aware of the issues surrounding privacy that have cropped up in Legacy Ridge in reaction to the city’s discussion of a property easement. Dunne makes it clear that the idea to connect a 23acre piece of property purchased by the city last year near Liberty Lake Road and Settler Drive to the

Construction of new homes like this one continues in earnest on Legacy Ridge.

In 2009, the housing bust led to developer Marshall Chesrown turning over interest in the luxury development on the hill to AmericanWest Bank.

Photo by Craig Howard Saltese Uplands Conservation Land on the other side of Legacy Ridge “is a conversation not a proposal.”

Meanwhile, Legacy Ridge resident Greg Husted has appeared before council, voicing concerns with the potential trail easement and the effect it could have on the neighborhood. In an informal survey of homeowners in the property that would be affected by the easement, Husted said he found that “all were strongly opposed.”

Husted has not been the only Legacy Ridge voice to be heard at City Hall over the past year or so.

The neighborhood has been wellrepresented in topics ranging from a new apartment complex being built at the bottom of the hill to school bus travel and a burgeoning development on the west side of Legacy Ridge that has been criticized for compromising views and chewing up greenspace.

“That’s why you see us at City Council meetings,” Phil said. “We want to protect what we have.”

Liberty Lake Mayor Steve Peterson says he welcomes feedback from Legacy Ridge residents, adding that he is “hopeful the involvement will continue.”

The arrival of new homes on the western edge of Legacy Ridge has raised concern among some existing residents who feel the development blocks views and infringes upon greenspace.

Photo by Craig Howard

The Holt Group Inc. serves as the declarant, or majority owner, in Legacy Ridge. Until last year, Kiemle & Hagood Co. was in place as the property manager. When it came time to pick a replacement for K & H, the resident-based advisory committee interviewed prospective companies, a reflection of the clout the group has established.

NAI Black was eventually chosen as the new property management company.

Jeff Renfro, who is part of the 10-member advisory committee,

said the group has brought “maturity and change in the level of communication in Legacy Ridge.”

For every 50 new homes built here, another representative will be added to the committee.

Renfro was the catalyst in a campaign to bring a Neighborhood Watch chapter to Legacy Ridge last year. The community crimeawareness program has signs posted along the winding roads.

A radar sign at the corner of Kennewick Lane and Legacy Ridge Drive reminds motorists to adhere to the speed limit.

“For Sale” signs from a variety of real estate companies like John L. Scott, Coldwell Banker and RE/ MAX now dot the streets that curl through Legacy Ridge. The sight of available lots and rising homes makes the discouraging scenario of Chesrown’s handoff to AmericanWest Bank in lieu of foreclosure on nearly $18 million in debt seem like much longer ago than 2009.

Peterson does give credit to Chesrown for “making an investment in our community” with the introduction of Highland Homes on Legacy Ridge and mapped-out development that prioritized amenities like trails and “neighborhoods within neighborhoods.”

As for the resurgence of Legacy Ridge, Peterson applauded “the true mix of housing that’s up there now.”

For Legacy Ridge enthusiasts like Cuda, the key is more about the mix of people.

“Everyone waves to each other here,” Cuda said. “We all get along so well. You can’t build that or manufacture that.”

The Splash

14 • MARCH 2017

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The Splash

MARCH 2017 • 15

TRAILHEAD

Continued from page 8 council members chiming in with thoughts about the venue funding its own improvements.

“I’m not sure if this is our number one priority when you look at the small portion of the community that use the golf course,” said Council Member Cris Kaminskas. “But I could see us possible leveraging these funds. We might have the dedicated cash flow just from the golf course to pay for this.”

Referring to the Town Square proposal that narrowly lost at the ballot last year, Mayor Pro Tem Shane Brickner said council needed to decide where the Trailhead project “figures into the larger community center discussion.”

Council Member Dan Dunne said he appreciated Johnston’s vision of the Trailhead building’s potential.

“It’s a great observation of what this facility could be,” he said. “I’m trying to imagine it in the context of other things.”

While those around the dais seemed to agree that some sort of upgrade on the pro shop, clubhouse and banquet space made sense, there was also a consensus that an expanded banquet facility would only be a short-term answer for the lack of a community center.

Mayor Steve Peterson echoed the sentiment.

“We need to look at the number of people served here compared to what could be built on the 6.4 acres (site of the proposed community center),” said Peterson, who reminded council what the quarterly library reported earlier in the meeting about running out of shelf space.

The mayor went on to say that he supports delivering “a premium facility” to Trailhead and said the project “could be delivered this year or the year after,” depending on the direction council decides to go.

In other city news: • Spokane Valley Fire Chief Bryan Collins gave a presentation at the Feb. 7 council meeting, providing an overview of the agency’s Community Risk Reduction program that includes free home safety inspections and installation of smoke alarms at no cost to the resident. He said the smoke detectors should be replaced every 10 years and checked regularly to make sure batteries are working

The Trailhead at Liberty Lake pro shop/clubhouse continues to be the topic of speculation at Liberty Lake City Hall as City Council debates the future of the building that has stood since 1973.

Photo by Craig Howard properly. “This is about proactive, targeted outreach and education,” Collins said. In addition to earning five-year accreditation renewal last August from the Commission on Fire Accreditation International, the agency recently received news of an improved insurance rating which will lead to cost savings for residential and commercial properties in the communities served by SVFD. • Library Director Pamela Mogen gave an overview of the library’s fourth quarter in 2016, featuring the announcement that there are now over 7,000 library cards distributed across the community. Mogen told council that only 8 percent of the library’s collection consists of digital items, a statistic that she said reinforces the need for additional space. Mogen concluded her presentation with a demonstration of an “octobot,” a sphere-shaped contraption that helps kids learn computer code.

She said there are plans to have half-a-dozen octobots available at the library this year.

• Peterson summarized his recent trip to Olympia with a contingent from Greater Spokane Inc., noting that legislators face challenges this session in funding education. Peterson said that while transportation funding “is not in the forefront” in this session, he emphasized the city will continue to push for support of the Henry Road interchange.

• City Administrator Katy Allen provided an update on the city’s contract with Waste Management Inc., noting that there has been a 4-percent growth in accounts over

the first two years of a 10-year contract. She said over 97 percent of Liberty Lake residents have an account with the waste collection company despite the service not being mandatory. Allen applauded WM for contributing $3,000 each year to nonprofit causes in the community.

•

Allen gave a rundown of

capital projects for 2017, a list that comes with a price tag of $5.1 million. The most prominent project will be the renovation of Liberty Lake Road, slated for June through August at a cost of $1.7 million.

In summarizing the construction agenda for this year, Allen described it as “a huge undertaking for our city.”

COMMUNITY

16 • MARCH 2017

The Splash

Calendar of Events Dear Liberty Lake Community Member, Each March, the Liberty Lake Kiwanis Foundation conducts an Annual Club Gift campaign to provide the Foundation with an unrestricted source of income.

Contributions to the Annual Club Gift campaign will help the Liberty Lake Kiwanis Foundation achieve its mission of providing educational and vocational scholarships to youths in the community; of supporting and promoting other charitable organizations in the community designated as qualifying organizations under 501(c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code; and promoting other social services.

Levels of giving are the following:  BRONZE Five Dollars  SILVER Twenty-five Dollars  GOLD Fifty Dollars  PLATINUM One Hundred Dollars or more All donations will be unrestricted and allocated according to Foundation priorities. Please make your check payable to Liberty Lake Kiwanis Foundation and mail to Liberty Lake Kiwanis Foundation, P.O. Box 384, Liberty Lake, WA, 99019 or donate online at www.LibertyLake Kiwanis.org.

Please see your tax advisor for specific information regarding the tax deductibility of your gift. The Liberty Lake Kiwanis Foundation is a 501(c)3 U.S. charitable organization.

Thank you for your support.

Sincerely, Jeff Munro, President Liberty Lake Kiwanis Foundation 509-475-0154

www.amaculate.com

COMMUNITY EVENTS March 1 | March for Meals – Spokane Valley Mall, 8 to 10 a.m.

Greater Spokane County Meals on Wheels is sponsoring the annual March for Meals Walk-a-thons as a way to raise money and awareness.

Trophies will be awarded to individuals and teams. Register at www.gscmealsonwheels.org.

Registration is $15. For more information call 924-6976.

March 24 | New Liberty Lake Fire Station #3 Groundbreaking, 11 a.m. Join SVFD as it breaks ground on our new Liberty Lake Fire Station #3, to be located at 21300 E. Country Vista Drive. The current fire station on Harvard Road is being relocated to help assure our emergency response coverage keeps pace with development and growth. Construction will be complete by the end of the year.

March 24 | Merciful March, 7 p.m. to 7 a.m., downtown Spokane.

This unique fundraiser benefits Blessings Under the Bridge, a nonprofit started by Liberty Lake residents Mike and Jessica Kovac that provides food, clothes, hope and encouragement to this region’s homeless population. Participants will “spend 12 hours in the shoes of a homeless person” with donors pledging money for each hour spent outside. For more information, contact Blessings Under the Bridge at 869-6697 or go to www.butb. org.

March 31 | Spaghetti Feed Fundraiser, 4-7 p.m. at the Tri Community Grange, 25025 Heather Street, Newman Lake.

All you can eat spaghetti, salad, bread, dessert and beverage. Take outs are welcome. Adults $8, children age 5 and above $5, children under 5 free. More information at 2261389 or email eyrock13@gmail. com.

April 15 | 21st Annual Easter Egg Hunt, 11 a.m. at Pavillion Park for toddlers up to fourth grade kids. Registration is required.

Cost is $2 per child. Registration will take place at the Liberty Lake Library Monday, April 10 from 3:30

to 6 p.m. and Thursday, April 13, from 3:30 to 8 p.m. Cash or check only – or six plastic eggs filled with wrapped candy per child. For more information, call Alisha Davis at 921-6746.

RECURRING ACT 2 senior classes | Affordable classes offered by Community Colleges of Spokane to those who are retired or planning to retire. A wide range of courses from geology and history to exercise and art are offered at CenterPlace, 2426 N. Discovery Place, as well as other locations throughout the area.

More at www.sccel.spokane.edu/ ACT2.

Military Sobriety Support Group | 10 to 11: 30 a.m., Spokane Vet Center, 13109 E. Mirabeau Parkway, Spokane Valley. Call Steve at 8934746 for more information.

Baha’i Fireside Conversation | 5 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.

Catholic Singles Mingle | meeting times and locations vary. This group, with no dues, is for single adults of all ages. More at www. meetup.com/Catholic-SinglesMingle.

DivorceCare Recovery Support Group | Mondays 6:30 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 eastpointchurch.com.

Grange Meeting and Dessert | 6:30 p.m., first Wednesday of the month, Tri-Community Grange, 25025 Heather St., Newman Lake. The public is welcome for this community-based service organization. For more information call 226-2202 or see us on Facebook.

Liberty Lake Library | 23123 E. Mission Ave., Liberty Lake.

Various clubs and weekly meetings including book clubs, children’s

story times, LEGO club, computer drop-in class, knitting club, and more. More at www.libertylakewa. gov/library.

Men’s Weekly Bible Study | 7 a.m.

Tuesdays. 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., Liberty Lake. More at www.pancan.org or 534-2564.

Spokane County Library District | Locations include Argonne, Fairfield, Otis Orchards and Spokane Valley. Special events and weekly activities for all ages including book clubs, children’s story times, classes, Lego club, teen anime club and writing clubs.

More at www.scld.org

MUSIC & THE ARTS RECURRING Drop-in Square Dance Lessons | 7 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 270-9264.

Pages of Harmony | 6:30 to 9:30 p.m., Wednesdays. Thornhill Valley Chapel, 1400 S. Pines Road.

If you enjoy singing, you will love the four-part, a cappella harmony of this men’s barbershop chorus.

More at www.pagesofharmony.org.

Spirit of Spokane Chorus | 6:45 p.m., Tuesdays. Opportunity Presbyterian Church, 202 N. Pines Road. Make new friends by joining this women’s chorus, specializing in four-part, a cappella harmony in the barbershop style. More at 2184799.

Spokane Novelists Group | noon to 4 p.m., second and fourth Saturday of the month.

Otis Orchards Community Church, 23304 E. Wellesley Ave., Otis

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MARCH 2017 • 17

COMMUNITY

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 590-7316.

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., Liberty Lake. 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 Spokane Valley Writer’s Group | 6:15 p.m. the first and third Thursdays of the month. Lakeside Church, 23129 E. Mission Ave. This supportive critique group welcomes adult writers. More at 570-4440.

Teen Writers of the Inland Empire | 4 p.m., first Thursday of the month (except holidays).

Spokane Valley Library, 12004 E. Main Ave. Writers (sixth grade and older) meet to write and share their work. More at 893-8400.

HEALTH & RECREATION March 11 | Para Sport 3-on-3 on Wheels Basketball Tournament, the HUB Sports Center, 19619 E. Cataldo Ave., Liberty Lake. Love basketball? Want a new challenge?

Try playing wheelchair basketball with your friends in a fun 3- on-3 format tournament that benefits ParaSport Spokane, a program for athletes with physical disabilities.

Cost is $250 per team with up to 10 players per team. For more information, call David at 8506858.

March 20-30 | Spokane Valley Bears Sports Club tryouts, various times, all at Central Valley High School gymnasium, 821 S. Sullivan Road, Spokane Valley.

Tryouts are for AAU and Competitive Y basketball for incoming third through seventh graders. For more information, email svbearsclub@ gmail.com.

March 30 | Liberty Lake Nine Hole Golf Club will hold their registration on Thursday, March

30 at 9 a.m. at 24403 E. Sprague Ave., Liberty Lake. All new golfers welcomed. Please contact Bette (509) 928-6854.

RECURRING HUB Sports Center 19619 E. Cataldo Ave. Various activities and events occur throughout the week including:

Father Daughter Dance 2017

• Badminton open gym: 7 to 9 p.m. Tues., $5/person

Under Sea

• 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.; 10 a.m. to noon Tues. and Thurs.; and 7 to 9 p.m. Wed. and Sun. $2/seniors ($4/non-seniors)

THE

• Classes including Kenpo Karate, Modern Farang-Mu Sul, and Zumba Aerobics. See website for cost and times.

CIVIC & BUSINESS

SATURDAY, MARCH 4, 2017

RECURRING

7 TO 9 P.M.

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.

Doors open at 6:30pm

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 (Sheriff’s Community Oriented Policing Effort) | 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.

To purchase tickets: GO TO: libertylakekiwanis.org Space is limited, early registration is encouraged!

Dana 995-4043 or Linda 951-3573

The Splash

18 • MARCH 2017

PACE Trait of the Month – Diligence

By Trevor Kennedy Spokane Empire I am at the tail end of what can only be described as excruciating rehabilitation process. For those who do not know, I broke my ankle just eight months ago and to think I would be able to return to play in such a short amount of time was seemingly only a wishful thought back then.

This process has possibly been the single most difficult thing that I have done in my life to this point.

There were a lot of peaks and valleys from day to day, some days went extremely well, but other days were equally as catastrophic.

The diligent work that it took to get me to the point that I am today, not only physically but mentally, was definitely not easy.

It was through such diligence and tedious planning and tenacious work ethic that even made it possible. There were days that I wanted to give up or maybe not try as hard but I have great friends and

Trevor Kennedy family that support me and have helped to keep me positive. They also motivated me on those days I didn’t feel like motivating myself.

Focusing on where I wanted to be and knowing that this process wasn’t going to happen overnight, helped me to hone in on the mindset needed to accomplish getting healthy and back to playing the game I love. Accepting that progress is progress no matter how big or small and knowing that if I worked diligently my once wishful thought could - and now has become a reality.

Trevor Kennedy rejoins the Empire for his second season as a member of the IFL after earning Offensive Rookie of the Year honors in 2016. Despite missing the final three games of the regular season due to injury, Trevor finished his rookie campaign leading the IFL in rushing yards (720), rushing touchdowns (28) and total points scored (236). He also added 35 receptions for 273 yards and nine touchdowns, plus finished third in the league in all-purpose yards with 1,613.

Trevor joined the Empire in 2016 after participating in the team’s open tryout at The Chamber in Miami, Florida. Before joining the IFL he Kennedy spent time with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League, the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Green Bay Packers.

During his collegiate career at Mercyhurst University in Pennsylvania, he finished second all-time in receptions (194), receiving yards (2,758) and allpurpose yards (4,249). He also tied the school’s career receiving touchdown record (28) and holds the record for all-purpose yards per game, averaging 118 per game over 36 career games.

T h e N a t i o n a l ly A w a r d - W i n n i n g C e n t r a l V a l l e y h i g h s c h o o l T h e a t r e D e p a r t m e n t P r o u d ly P r e s e n t s

s y a D y p p a H The Musical

Written by Garry Marshall Music & Lyrics by Paul Williams uel French, New York , NY Presented with special permission by Sam

M16ar,17ch,18

15, & 22,23,24,25 NT

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Tickets $10-$14 7:30pm curtain

CV Performing Arts Center | 821 S Sullivan Rd, Spokane Valley

Purchase your seats now at cvtheatre.com

Underwritten in part by:

CVHSe eatr

Th ters Boos

Brought to you by

INSTRUCTIONAL CLA

OFFERED MORNING, AFTERNOON, EVENING AND

FOR ALL GOALS & ABIL TODDLER THROUGH A

Competitive Teams • Parkour, B and Hip Hop Classes • Parent’s • Bitty Bee Academy & Flippin’ Night • Open Gym for All Ages • G Birthday Parties • N

March 1, 2017

ENROLL TODAY!

This holiday was started in 1972 by sisters Ellen Stanley and Mary Lynne Rave.

The purpose is “to Our coaches are passionate about focus on teaching accord the pig its rightful, though generally unrecognized, place as one of man’sgymnastics mostandintellectual and quality gymnastics in a fun and safe domesticated animals.” It is widely celebrated throughout the Midwest. environment. Classes run year-round with three 13-week sessions (Fall, Winter and Spring) and one 10-week summer session.

What do you get when you play tug-of-war with a pig? Pulled pork!

The Splash

20 • MARCH 2017

Create your own board game

Cut the board out and create your own game! Choose pieces, create your own rules and play!!

No Lie, Pigs (and their houses) Can Fly: The story of the three little pigs as told by the wolf (The other side of the story Jessica Gunderson 2016 ages 4-10 The Three Little Aliens and the Big Bad Robot Margaret McNamara 2011 ages 4-8 A clever out-of-thisworld retelling that does a nice job of introducing the solar system.

This is an amusing twist on the original story humorous, lively with illustrations to match.

The Three Fish and the Big Bad Shark Will Grace and Ken Geist 2007 ages 4-7 An underwater twist with vibrant pictures and large text make this a perfect read The Three Javelinas Susan aloud.

Lowell 1992 ages 4-10 Jim Harris does a fantastic job of capturing the Southwest in this witty take that is told in English and Spanish with the smart sister outwitting the coyote.

The Splash

MARCH 2017 • 21

PACE Trait Diligence

Persistence, dedication and hard work Porcine Facts

• Pigs can be easily trained and taught tricks.

• There are hundreds of different breeds, most of which are descended from the Eurasian Wild Boar • 7-12 piglets in a single litter.

• About 6,000 years ago they were first domesticated by the Chinese.

• Pigs were brought to America by Hernando de Soto in 1539.

• There are about two billion domesticated pigs.

• A full-grown pig can drink up to 14 gallons of water a day.

• Farmers put rings in their snouts to prevent them from rooting with their snouts • A pig’s squeal can range from 110-115 decibels.

The take-off sound of a jet engine is about 112 decibels.

• Pigs have such a good sense of smell they can be trained to find mines on the battlefield, to root for truffle and many other things underground.

• Ancient Chinese were buried with entire herds of hogs.

• Largest pig named Big Bill weighed 2,552 pounds, was five feet tall and nine feet long.

• The largest litter we know about was 37 piglets and 33 survived.

• Pig heart valves can be used to replace damaged human heart valves.

• More than 40 medicines, including insulin come from pigs

INSTRUCTIONAL CLASSES OFFERED MORNING, AFTERNOON, EVENING AND WEEKENDS

FOR ALL GOALS & ABILITIES TODDLER THROUGH ADULT Competitive Teams • Parkour, Breakdance and Hip Hop Classes • Parent’s Night Out • Bitty Bee Academy & Flippin’ Fun Move Night • Open Gym for All Ages • Gymnastics Birthday Parties • Ninja Zone

ENROLL TODAY! Our coaches are passionate about gymnastics and focus on teaching quality gymnastics in a fun and safe environment. Classes run year-round with three 13-week sessions (Fall, Winter and Spring) and one 10-week summer session.

315-5433 2515 N. Locust Road Spokane Valley 99206

www.spokanegymnastics.com

Animal Facts

Cut them out and collect them all!

Pig

- Only mammal found naturally worldwide - 14 to 650 pounds, lives 8 to 15 years - Boar, sow/gilt, piglet, herd - Oink, also squeals - 10 species - Runs a seven minute mile - No sweat glands, rolls in mud to cool off - Pork is the most widely eaten meat - Smarter than a dog - Tongue has 15,000 taste buds - Omnivore - Excellent Swimmer - Like Music

The Splash

22 • MARCH 2017

David was born and raised in Bridgewater, New Jersey and graduated from Rhode Island School of Design with a Fine Arts degree.

In 1980, he did the illustrations for the first of over a dozen books that were published with other authors. Loathsome Dragon, a book co-written with his wife was published in 1987. Since then, he has written and illustrated nine books along with illustrating several for other authors. He has won three Caldecott medals. a feat that has only been accomplished by one other person, and been nominated for three others. His books have been translated into more than a dozen languages and have won numerous awards in America and around the world.

Author Spotlight ner s e i W d i Dav

Books we recommend The Three Pigs (2001) ages 4-7 A very inventive take on the classic where pigs fly and dragons are real. Winner of the 2002 Caldecott medal.

The Loathsome Dragon (1987) ages 5-9 Written with his wife Kim Kahng, this is a memorable version of an English fairy tale.

David’s illustrations are beautiful.

The recent re-release has had some changes so try to find the original from 1987.

Hurricane (1992) ages 4-9 The exceptional artwork in this story really makes you look.

It encourages you to use your imagination and want to play outside.

Flotsam (2006) ages 4-10 Winner of the 2007 Caldecott Medal, this wordless book is colorful and sure to inspire those who read it to create their own magic.

The Splash

MARCH 2017 • 23

Student of the Month Central Valley senior Braedon Orrino brought home a wrestling state title from Tacoma last month, winning in the 145-pound bracket.

Orrino, a four-year letter winner, emerged with an 8-1 victory in the championship match. He battled to a 6-5 win in the semifinals, taking the lead with 15 seconds to go in the third period. Earlier in the season, Orrino finished runner-up in the prestigious Rocky Mountain regional tournament. He placed third as a junior and senior in the Tri-State tournament at North Idaho College.

This month, he will compete in the High School Wrestling Nationals.

The senior gained over 1,000 yards as a running back for the Bears this season, earning first-team All Greater Spokane League honors. He also accounted for 14 touchdowns.

Orrino is a member of CV’s chapter of the Washington Drug Free Youth program. He would like to eventually become a teacher and coach.

Citizen of the Month

& Thanks you for all you do in our community

From music to technology, Knowledge Bowl to Science Olympiad, Grace Hannahs has achieved on an exceptional level at Central Valley High School.

The senior maintains a 4.0 grade point average and is a member of the National Honor Society.

She plays the cello in the school chamber orchestra and has been part of CV’s varsity Knowledge Bowl team for the past years. Last year, she was part of a squad that placed third at regionals. Hannahs takes advanced STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) classes at Spokane Valley Tech and also serves as a mentor to younger students. She participates in Key Club and serves on the board of TED Ed, a student version of the TEDx program. Hannahs moved to Liberty Lake with her family from Georgia in 2013. She plans to study aerospace engineering in college.

The Community Box is brought to you by

CD MATURING? Athlete of the Month Ann Swenson has been described as “the glue at City Hall” by Liberty Lake City Administrator Katy Allen. Swenson has worked for the city since 2007, starting out as an executive assistant and moving up to deputy city clerk before being named city clerk in October 2009. “Ann is one great employee,” said Mayor Steve Peterson. “This city runs on paper and every piece of paper goes through her desk.” Swenson’s duties include processing business license applications, contract administration, taking notes at council meetings, addressing public records requests and organizing a myriad of municipal ordinances and resolutions.

“Our City Council meetings run smoothly thanks to Ann,” Allen said. Swenson earned a prestigious certification through the International Institute of Municipal Clerks in 2012. She has been married to her husband Lyle for 19 years. They have one son, Kaleb. Swenson and her family support local causes like the Union Gospel Mission and Second Harvest Food Bank.

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Will your new CD’s interest rate keep up with taxes and inflation?

Perhaps now’s a good time to consider alternatives.

Thrivent Financial offers a range of financial products designed to fit your ever-changing needs and help you reach your financial goals.

Call today.

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CFP®, RICP®, FIC Financial Associate

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22910 E. Appleway Avenue, Suite 1 Liberty Lake, WA 99019

509-928-2435

Thrivent Financial was named one of the “World’s Most Ethical Companies” by Ethisphere Institute 2012–2015.

Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc. owns the certification marks CFP® and CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ in the U.S. Thrivent Financial representatives and employees cannot provide legal, accounting, or tax advice or services.

Work with your Thrivent Financial representative, and as appropriate, your attorney and/or tax professional for additional information. Investing in securities involves risks such as fluctuating principal, and they may lose value. CDs offer a fixed rate of return. The value of a CD is guaranteed up to $250,000 per depositor, per insured institution, by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. (FDIC), an independent agency of the United States government. Insurance products issued or offered by Thrivent Financial, the marketing name for Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, Appleton, WI. Not all products are available in all states. Securities and investment advisory services are offered through Thrivent Investment Management Inc., 625 Fourth Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55415, a FINRA and SIPC member and a wholly owned subsidiary of Thrivent. Thrivent Financial representatives are registered representatives of Thrivent Investment Management Inc. They are also licensed insurance agents/producers of Thrivent. For additional important information, visit Thrivent.com/disclosures.

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The Splash

24 • MARCH 2017 Brought to you by

About and for Liberty Lake seniors

Senior singers, musicians chime in with Project Joy

By Tyler Wilson

Splash Correspondent Look out, Taylor Swift, because the entertainers of Project Joy are booking gigs all over the Inland Northwest.

Project Joy is an organization of performers age 50 and over who provide a variety of entertainment for local care centers, assisted living facilities, retirement complexes, civic and fraternal organizations, schools and more.

Entertainers include solo musicians and singers, as well as groups and bands in a variety of musical genres. The Hillyard Belles and Trainmen, for example, is an ensemble comprised of about 30 seniors who present music, dance and costuming from the 1920s and railroad era. L’Agreable is a cello and piano duo, Tap Grandmas are tap dancers and the Project Joy Orchestra combines strings, woodwinds, brass and percussions from approximately 50 local musicians.

Currently, there are more than 25 individual acts and groups available for booking through Project Joy on the organization’s website. Performers are volunteers and the program is partially funded by the city of Spokane Parks and

Project Joy is a volunteer-based program consisting of senior musicians and singers 50 years or older. The organization has 40 different groups comprised of 220 volunteers.

Contributed photo Recreation, with supplemental support from facilities, grants and donations.

Spokane Valley resident Jan Munson is a singer who performs with two groups through Project Joy – the Senior Serenaders chorale alongside about 50 other singers, and the Les Femmes ladies ensemble comprised of six to eight singers. The music is a collection of classics and familiar standards across many styles.

“We sing a lot of songs we grew up on,” Munson said. “I like all kinds of music besides rap.”

Project Joy keeps her busy.

Munson said the groups typically perform a few times per month, plus weekly rehearsal time.

“We retirees just have lots of fun, you know?” Munson said.

While many of the performers have a long history of music, anyone age 50 and older with a love of music, dance and dramatics is encouraged to join Project Joy. The Senior Serenaders are led by Harlan Henderson, who spent 40 years teaching choir in the Cheney School District.

“It gives the performers an outlet to continue doing something they were involved with when they were younger,” Henderson said. “We also get to share that with other senior citizens who may not have that ability. Maybe they can’t get out to entertainment, so we bring the entertainment to them.”

Henderson said leading the choir is all fun compared to teaching the occasional group of unruly teenagers, as he had to do sometimes in his career.

“There is no discipline issue at all,” Henderson said. “They are highly motivated to work and get things done.”

The groups often perform for memory care units and for people facing dementia and Alzheimer’s.

Munson said music in many cases can be therapeutic to those individuals.

“Some people mouth the words and we encourage them to sing with us,” Munson said. “We even have a song called ‘Music Speaks,’ about when words fail us, music speaks. So it definitely lends itself to those things.”

Project Joy groups perform at care centers, assisted living tacilities, retirement complexes, civic and fraternal organizations, schools and for special events. Contributed photo Availability for Project Joy performers is typically during daylight hours on weekdays, though early evening and weekend times can be arranged on a caseby-case basis.

Performances are typically 30-45 minutes in length. The amount of donation per performance is determined at booking and is based on the production costs for the type and size of group.

Want to find out more?

For more information on Project Joy, including details and videos of the available performers, visit www.ProjectJoy.org. The web site also contains information on how to join the organization. The Project Joy office is located at 3151 E. 27th Ave. in Spokane and can be reached at 535-0584 or by email at music@projectjoy.org. The office is open 8 a.m. to noon Monday through Friday.

The Spokane Parks and Recreation Department partially funds Project Joy with supplemental support from facilities, grants, community development monies and personal donations. Because most of the participants are volunteers, the shows and concerts are generally during the daylight hours on weekdays.

Contributed photo

The Splash

MARCH 2017 • 25

Where Wellness Is A Way Of Life

Come join us for a

Senior Irish Festival SATURDAY, MARCH 18th 11 a.m. - 3 p.m.

Live Music from the Crooked Kilt musicians Dancing with the Turner Sisters Irish Food & Beverages 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

The Splash

26 • MARCH 2017

Investment of year-round golf haven pays off for Trailhead

By J.R. Conrow

Splash Correspondent The Inland Northwest has a storied history with an abundance of golf courses for enthusiasts of fairways, greens, water and sand.

Liberty Lake is no exception with three courses located within a few miles of each other. One of which is a nine-hole course that has developed an identity of its own. Trailhead at Liberty Lake Golf Course, owned and operated by the city of Liberty Lake, is located at 1102 N. Liberty Lake Road and is the only golf venue in the greater Spokane area that is open yearround for as long as the weather cooperates.

"In golf, word of mouth is the most important element for a golf course to attract business," said Chris Johnston, head PGA professional at Trailhead. "Most courses close at the first sign of wet weather and remain closed until spring. We are the only course to be available year-round."

"We were expecting to open the weekend of February 24 but the snow and rain that fell made us push the date back," Johnston said.

"We were very hopeful, but we will try for the first weekend of March."

While the course remains in wait mode some may wonder if yearround use is beneficial. Johnston said the approach has definitely translated to success for Trailhead.

During the winter of 2015-16, from November through February, Johnston said that the course saw 2,100 golfers and about 1,700 buckets of range balls purchased.

Last year, overall, the course had about 40,000 paid fees and 11,500 buckets of balls purchased.

The cost for a nine-hole round at Trailhead is $16 per person and $13 for seniors. Season passes are available as well. For adults, it's $525 a year and $425 for seniors which includes unlimited rounds of golf. Yearly passes of $500 a year are also available for unlimited use of the range balls. Small buckets of range balls are $6, medium $7.50 and large $9.

The range itself is arguably the most unique aspect of the terrain at Trailhead. For the range’s 14 stalls, half have heaters in place and about two years ago the city

added sliding garage-type doors to further guard against inclement weather.

has also been discussed. The council has made the project a top priority this year.

"When the weather is like this, a golfer who is wearing gloves and a warm jacket can practice at the range," Johnston said. "The heat does enough to keep the hands warm and keep the environment comfortable to practice in."

"The course is one of the few city amenities that are self-sustaining," Johnston said. "The range brings in close to half the amount of revenue that the actual golf course does."

Johnston said the heaters were already in place before he arrived to Trailhead five years ago. In 2014, more grass area was added at the range so golfers have the option of either the grass or artificial turf tees to use for practice.

Since the beginning of Johnston's tenure he said his goal has been to make Trailhead a destination for all golfers of any skill level.

"On a daily basis, the hard work put it to make the course look as good as it does shows to those who come to play," Johnston said. "We are working to get the word out more to make this a top destination."

Johnston spoke at a City Council meeting last month about potential improvements to the Trailhead pro shop and banquet facility (see the council report in this issue). An entire replacement of the building

Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s are the only days the course is closed.

At the pro shop, the inventory includes clubs, balls, putters, bags, clothes, hats and more.

"When I first started, Trailhead only sold gloves and balls," Johnston said. "I told the city that it is OK to sell more than just gloves and balls. Today we sell the same merchandise as you would find at any other course in the region."

Johnston said his proudest professional achievement is being named a three-time Merchandiser of the Year, an honor not bestowed on too many golf pros.

Along with his regular dayto-day duties, Johnston attends PGA-related seminars and other events nationwide. In late January, he traveled to Orlando. In the past three years at events there, Johnston has been fortunate to meet a couple of today's top PGA stars Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas.

Johnston recollected those meetings.

"Jordan (Spieth) is a nice guy, we talked for about 20 minutes mostly about stuff away from golf," Johnston said. "After the visit, I shook his hand and wished him luck and he went on to win both The Masters and the U.S. Open and became the No. 1 player in the world. “

A wet winter this year has meant more closed days than usual for Trailhead. Heavy snow even put the brakes on the driving range.

"We have had a unique situation this winter as all the range balls are still on the range," Johnston said. "Once the snow started in December the weather has not allowed us to be able to clear the range to pick up the balls for use again. Until the weather improves we are in waiting mode."

With a late February burst of snow and rain entering the region, the range continues to wait for clearing and the course waits to open for play but Johnston said he is ready for the day when Trailhead is back in full operation.

Liberty Lake bought the course back in 2002 from private owners and will have the bond paid in full

by September of this year.

Johnston closes the story with some sage insight. “I feel like I was his inspiration,” he says with a hearty laugh. Thomas also went on to win a couple of events after Orlando. Pictures of Johnston sideby-side with Spieth and Thomas are signed and displayed in Johnston's office.

Trailhead at Liberty Lake golf course was purchased by the city of Liberty Lake in 2002.

The executive venue features an illuminated, heated driving range and remains open the entire year as long as weather permits.

Photo by Craig Howard

For information on Trailhead's hours, prices, lessons, call 9283484.

The Splash

Splash Sports Notebook

By Mike Vlahovich Splash Sports Editor Rick Sloan was driving from the downtown to the Valley when he was forced into a defensive stance.

As Sloan tells it, he was behind a semi-truck when the rig lost a tire that rolled precariously toward him, then stopped.

It was something of an analogy to the CV boys basketball season – keeping things together until the wheels fall off. With so many new players, the longtime Bears’ head coach says a 17-7 season with all the year’s ups and downs should be celebrated.

But when the Bears’ season ended with a couple of narrow losses leaving the squad just shy of a fifth state appearance in six years, there were plenty of what-ifs.

“We had some ups and downs until we figured things out,” Sloan said.

“Not only were the guys young, but green.”

The most varsity-experienced was Ryan Rehkow, one of three seniors.

He led the team in scoring at 17-plus points per game and was one of the leading rebounders.

“Ryan was our leader and made

Final Point Modern-day Titans and one historic Piston

By Mike Vlahovich Splash Sports Editor “I’ve got to become a decent coach this year.”

That’s what Don Owen said.

That’s kind of like saying Gonzaga coach Mark Few better step up his effort.

This season, Owen’s University wrestling team lost for the first time ever to Mt. Spokane. Later on, they would be thrashed by Mead.

In U-Hi’s defense, Greater Spokane League champion Mead thrashed everybody.

But the Titans were young and there were some kids, Owen said, who hadn’t bought in to what their coaches were trying to teach.

“After our first match of the year, I brought them back and said our goal is to become one of the most improved teams in January,” Owen told me at the time. “With young kids like that, you have to give

SPORTS

MARCH 2017 • 27

critical shots for us,” Sloan said. “He was a solid defensive player for us.”

Another senior, Michael Plunkett ran the point well.

Several newcomers had their moments as well, including Zach Stocker, the second leading scorer and Billy Ames, who played with a bum knee all season. Their dads and Micah Mason’s are former CV (Kevin Stocker, Casey Mason) and University (Bill Ames) stars.

Zach rang in at 10.2 points per game and emerged as a dangerous three-point threat. Jace Edwards and Plunkett combined for 16 points an outing.

“You know, this group found a way to win a lot of close games,” Sloan said. “We were solid defensive team which kind of helped. Obviously Rehkow’s year was a big factor in all that.”

But the team was inconsistent and probably too reliant on Rehkow, he added. CV had struggles defensively which put pressure on other phases of the game and had difficulty making big runs, except a few where late game surges came up short.

“I’m hoping everybody contributes a little bit more next year and does it as a group,” Sloan concluded.

CV girls on road to state The Lady Bears (23-0) had won 51 straight games heading into regional on Feb. 25 (after presstime) and are

defending state champions as they wend their way through the WIAA’s recent “Great Experiment” maze.

This is what this year’s RPI-driven Hardwood Classic has wrought: More games, but little change.

The RPI that determines state seeding inconceivably has CV ranked fifth in the RPI behind No. 1 Kentlake and No. 2 Moses Lake, teams the Bears beat 53-29 and 51-39 early in the season.

They outscored Pasco, Richland and Gonzaga Prep by a combined 206-91 to move into the regional and one step closer to State 4A, March 1-4.

Though highly unlikely, the girls could conceivably play those first and second-ranked state 4A teams backto-back in second and third round rematches prior to the tournament finals. It would be no different than last year when the draw unfortunately pitted unbeatens CV and Moses Lake in the tournament’s first round instead of opposite each other in the bracket until the title game.

Most certainly the Bears will play Moses Lake in the second round this year, presuming CV gets past No. 4 Sunnyside in the seeding regionals.

Lexie Hull averaged 16.2 points per game during the season and scored 56 points during three district wins.

Her twin, Lacie averaged 13 points during the year. Camryn Skaife had a huge tournament scoring in double figures twice after averaging 3.4

points during the regular season.

Orrino gets it done A story in The Splash earlier in the year featured Braedon Orrino, who led the Greater Spokane League football league in rushing and began his quest for an elusive state wrestling title.

Mission accomplished.

Orrino had only one scare, a 6-5 decision that put him into the championship match, which he won 8-1. Other victories came by pin a minute into his opener and 9-2 in the quarterfinals.

At the time of the story, Orrino, a four-time state qualifier with one previous place, fifth last year, said some of his problems resulted from cutting too much weight. This year he said he was conditioning more and working harder in the practice room.

It worked.

“Going into matches I’m trying to score as man points as I can,” he said back then. “I feel a lot more mature and more technically (sound).”

Central Valley tied for 11th in 4A team scoring. Teammates Bridger Beard finished third at 138 pounds and John Keiser was fifth at 220. Also qualifying for state was Bradley Wiggs at 132.

Gymnasts compete Central Valley’s Chloe Robbins in floor exercise and Victoria Axtell on vault and floor were state qualifiers and competed during the state 4A gymnastics meet.

them something to fight for.”

Sure enough, this team was right where Owen’s teams usually are at this point during the season. U-Hi finished 7-2 in the GSL. Seven wrestlers, half of the 14-weight classes that make up a dual match, qualified for the state 4A tournament from an expanded regional and five placed. Two are seniors.

It doesn’t surprise me. I’ve always considered Don a coaching savant, the best in the GSL regardless of sport. He’s made silk purses out of sows’ ears with his knack of finding weaknesses in other teams and propelling the Titans by jockeying wrestlers into different weight classes.

Cases in point: Clayton Fincher wrestled mostly at 220 pounds and qualified for state at 285 where he placed fifth. State qualifiers Caleb Thomas and Neftali Lopez made it at 195 taking fifth and sixth.

Thomas wrestled his season at 220 and 285.

Hunter Greggerson made Tacoma at 170. He wrestled half the season at 182. The list goes on. Returning state placer Terrell Sanders qualified at 120 and Max Clark at 126 but each spent their dual seasons a weight higher, as did Tim Westbrook who made it at 113.

Sanders finished seventh and Clark fifth.

Owen’s teams have won three state team titles – in 2005, ‘10 and ’11 – and finished second once. In the past 20 years, U-Hi has brought home 11 top four trophies and had 23 individual champions among countless placers.

And his wizardry isn’t relegated to wrestling alone. The longtime softball assistant calls pitches in the spring and it’s as if he’s clairvoyant.

It struck me one particular game at state when my daughter, Linse, pitched, walked something like 10 batters and won 3-2. I apologized for the wildness, but Don told me she did exactly what he wanted her to do. He knew who could hit and who couldn’t and she walked the hitters that could cause trouble.

‘Nuff said.

The Good Old Days?

Former Detroit Piston Isaiah Thomas, in a column by sportswriter Shawn Windsor of the Detroit Free Press, was quoted as saying essentially that yesteryear’s NBA basketball players would easily overshadow today’s stars.

Thomas called today’s professional game, “Straight summer league,” and said that he’d put up “crazy numbers,” in today’s league.

Windsor countered that Thomas’s era couldn’t hold a candle to the current athletes.

“Their combination of shooting, ball-handling, vision and athleticism is altering how the game is played,” Windsor wrote. “This is a good thing.”

Was the All-Star game score, 192-182, Exhibit A? Sounds like giant matadors swishing their capes aside as the bulls brush by on their way to the china shop.

I don’t argue that what Windsor wrote may be true.

But I recall an alumni basketball game at West Valley several years ago. Most were young kids not far removed from successful high school careers. Two exceptions were classmates of mine, Joe Pettit and Fred Sackett, who could have been their fathers.

Like today’s professionals, the youngsters could get up and down court in a hurry and entertain.

But their elders opened eyes. As we used to say in our recreational basketball days, “old age and treachery beats youth and skill.”

The fundamentals and defense they learned in high school trumped the much younger runners and gunners.

Maybe Isaiah Thomas had a point.

The Splash

28 • MARCH 2017

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The Splash

Liberty Lake Park made an impression under showman Hurtig

By Ross Schneidmiller

Liberty Lake Historical Society Lew Hurtig became the manager of Liberty Lake Park in its third full year of operations in 1911.

Under his management, the park quickly became “Spokane’s Inland Seashore,” a slogan Hurtig created, promoted and achieved.

Hurtig, a native New Yorker and former vaudeville performer, used the skills he learned on

HISTORY stage to build Liberty Lake Park into a regional destination point for the Inland Empire. Under his management, the park became the major destination for corporate, association, club and fraternal picnics. A natural in hospitality, Hurtig went out of his way to accommodate small to large groups in the thousands.

Special trains were arranged from Spokane transporting groups directly to the park. Ribbons worn by the participants gained them entry on the train as well as beverages, a prepared box lunch, launch ride, sporting competitions, dinner and a night of dancing upon arriving at the park.

Event planning had additional challenges in the beginning of the 20th century with food prep and storage. Fortunately for the park, it had electricity because the railway was electrical. This allowed the park to have modern appliances for the time. This helped Hurtig attract and hire better chefs, giving them the best equipment to create delicious meals for large numbers. During his tenure, the park had wellmaintained buildings, manicured grass and beautiful flower gardens and trees.

In 1920, Hurtig bought the park from the Inland Empire Electric Railway that had built it. Day-today operations under his ownership was business as usual but it was

MARCH 2017 • 29

obvious the park had changed hands. Hundreds of new rental bathing suits were purchased with “Hurtig’s Bath House” stenciled on the front. Cigars for sale in the concessions now bore his name and the four large touring launches in the park’s boat fleet were renamed for his children. Hurtig’s creativity and bent toward entertainment was evident in creative, colorful newspaper ads.

Hurtig operated the park under his ownership for another six years but eventually was forced to sell.

The park under Hurtig never lacked people but it eventually lacked profits. When the railway built the park, the major revenue source was from train ticket sales. After its completion, they dedicated the park’s roads to the county. This created a situation where they could not charge for park admittance, not a concern for the railway at that time, as most patrons arrived on their rails.

Hurtig of course received no revenue from the railway and as coolers and thermoses became more popular, people started to bring their own food, cutting into his profits.

The new owner’s plan to increase revenue was to fill in the picturesque shoreline and park with a midway carnival and amusement rides. Something Hurtig with his meticulously kept grounds was unwilling to do.

Did You Know?

Counter clockwise from left: Lew Hurtig in a promotional photo for Liberty Lake Park, circa 1915; Hurtig’s business card; landscape picture of the Park, circa 1911; the Doretha Boat Launch named for Hurtig’s second daughter, circa 1920; the photo collage background is an overview picture of the park, circa 1919. Note: The present-day Alpine Shores neighborhood is where Liberty Lake Park (1908-1963) was located.

Photo collage courtesy of Liberty Lake Historical Society

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Seven months before Hurtig assumed his management responsibilities at Liberty Lake Park, the nation was captivated by the 1910 heavyweight boxing bout between Jack Johnson and James Jefferies.

The fight took place on the Fourth of July, a big day for the transportation and resort industries. In order not to dissuade travel and patronage, railroads and resorts promised fight coverage. The large crowd at Liberty Lake Park was not disappointed. After receiving the results of each round, Hurtig, hired for the day, would emerge from the telegraph office of the park’s railway station. Announcing the fight details through a megaphone, the crowd was treated to a grand performance by the former vaudeville performer.

The Splash

30 • MARCH 2017

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Smoke Odor – Feb. 4 – Just before 2 p.m., SVFD crews responded to investigate the origin of a smoke odor inside a residence in the 22900 block of East Sawgrass Lane. Upon entering the front door, firefighters smelled a faint odor of an overheated motor or drive belt. They investigated further and determined the home’s furnace was the source of the odor. They instructed the homeowner not to use the furnace until serviced by a trained technician.

Alarm System – Feb. 5 –SVFD crews responded to a smoke alarm activation at Guardian Angel Homes, 23102 E. Mission Avenue shortly after 7 a.m. Upon arrival, firefighters investigated all rooms and areas of the building with nothing indicating a fire or smoke alarm malfunction. Maintenance crews arrived and found a leaking faucet which potentially was the problem. The building was placed on Firewatch status until the alarm system was repaired and reset.

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20 – SVFD crews responded to a slow speed rollover motor vehicle accident in the 200 block of South Liberty Lake Road. The driver was wearing his seat belt and stated that he was uninjured. He refused ambulance transport to the hospital for further evaluation.

Downed Power Line – Feb. 9 – Shortly after 7 a.m., SVFD crews responded to the vicinity of South Liberty Lake Road and Shoreline Drive to a report of a downed power line. Upon arrival, they found a power line extending across Shoreline Drive. Firefighters blocked access to the area and stood by until Avista crews arrived on the scene.

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Fire Department serves the cities of Liberty Lake, Millwood, Spokane Valley and unincorporated areas of Spokane County including the communities of Otis Orchards, Pasadena Park, and the area surrounding Liberty Lake, with a combined population of 125,000 across approximately 75 square miles. SVFD firefighters and paramedics responded to more than 16,250 emergency calls in 2016. Established in 1940, SVFD is an Accredited Agency by the Commission on Fire Accreditation International (CFAI), one of only a handful in the state of Washington. SVFD operates 10 stations providing fire suppression, emergency medical services, vehicle extrication, hazardous materials response, special operations rescue, fire investigation, fire prevention, commercial property inspection, CPR and fire safety training.

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The Splash

Family Medicine Liberty Lake promotes healthy living with unique approach

By Staci Lehman

Splash Correspondent From weight loss to aging issues, emergency care to sleep apnea, if you have a medical complaint or need, chances are good that Dr. Susan Ashley can help.

Located at 1431 N. Liberty Lake Road, Ashley’s Family Medicine Liberty Lake office is a combination urgent care and private practice with an emphasis on healthy living, so she sees a little of everything.

Originally from Houston, Texas, Ashley has been practicing in the Spokane area since she did her residency here in 1992. She is a graduate of University of Texas Medical School and is board certified in Family Medicine, AntiAging and Integrative Medicine.

A big difference between Ashley and most doctors though is that she independently owns her practice, which she says is beneficial for both her and her patients.

“I still enjoy medicine,” she said.

“And they (patients) get to know us. It’s a small practice. It’s just me and my PA (physician’s assistant).”

The office also has five medical assistants, two receptionists and an office manager.

On the private practice side of things, Ashley puts an emphasis on healthy living.

“I have a much more holistic practice than most doctors,” she said. “I’m trying to get people off prescription medicine.”

Instead, Ashley encourages people to use vitamins and supplements. She stocks a variety in her office because she says there are so many vitamins available today that it is hard to know which are good quality. According to Ashley, many vitamins of lower quality aren’t absorbed into the body for several reasons and are a waste of money. She stresses that every older patient should be using some basic supplements.

BUSINESS FEATURE

MARCH 2017 • 31

“A good vitamin and mineral supplement, fish oil and Vitamin D,” she said.

In addition to helping people stay healthy using vitamins rather than medication, Ashley specializes in weight loss and nutrition. She also offers a procedure called “cool sculpting” that freezes fat cells to permanently eliminate them.

Another new technology she has that you won’t find at most doctor’s offices is a procedure called “Mira Dry” for those who sweat excessively or who are worried about chemicals in deodorant. Mira Dry eliminates underarm sweat glands in one treatment.

“You never have to use deodorant anymore for those who don’t want to use it because it has aluminum in it,” Ashley said.

While the National Cancer Institute says there is no conclusive evidence, there is concern that aluminum in deodorant can cause breast cancer.

Aluminum is also suspected of increasing the risk of Alzheimer’s.

For her older patients who are starting to show signs of mental deterioration, Ashley uses a Quantum Electroencephalography (EEG) machine to monitor electrical activity of the brain.

“It helps us tell if it’s dementia or is it a ‘senior moment,’” she said.

Because these ‘healthy living’ services aren’t found at just any medical facility, Family Medicine Liberty Lake has patients that travel here from other states.

“We get them from all over – the Valley, Post Falls; Helena, Montana; Kalispell,” Ashley says.

In her private practice, Ashley also sees a lot of thyroid and fatigue issues, but on the urgent care side, the flu has been keeping her busy.

“We’re seeing a ton of influenza lately,” she said.

Ashley also does a lot of allergy testing, physicals, Department of Transportation exams for those who drive heavy trucks or equipment for a job, and even sleep apnea testing, which she says can be done at home now through new technology.

“You don’t have to go to a sleep lab anymore,” she said. “You just take it (a sleep monitor) home then bring it back and we plug it into a computer and download the data.”

This is more effective because people tend to sleep better at home than in a lab setting so Ashley can see what is really going on from

Is Eliminating Stubborn Fat on Your Holiday the data the monitor provides. It is very popular. And we’re open is also much more convenient for during the week List? from 8 a.m. until Wish patients than having to make an 6 p.m. to help with the urgent care Is Eliminating appointment at a sleep lab. and for people who work.”

Also for the convenience of StubbornWalk-ins Fat are onwelcome for urgent patients, Family Medicine Liberty care health issues or you can call Lake has extended office hours.

924-6199 for appointments. More Your Holiday JOIN US FOR A COOL EVEN “We’re open Saturday 8 a.m. to information on Family Medicine Liberty Lake can be found at www. noon for those who work during the HealthyLivingLL.com.

Wish List? week,” Ashley said. “So Saturday Dr. Susan Ashley is the proprietor at Family Medicine Liberty Lake, a combination urgent care and private practice with an emphasis on healthy living. A native of Texas, Ashley has been practicing in the Spokane area since her residency in 1992.

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The Splash

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The HUB 360 program, one of several community outreach programs at the HUB Sports Center in Liberty Lake, is planting seeds of hope for local students with rows of potential.

The program began five years ago and serves sixth-to-eighth graders from five Central Valley Middle Schools as well as East Valley Middle School. Participants gather at three locations – the HUB, Opportunity Presbyterian Church and East Valley Middle School. The program begins Oct. 1 and ends the first week of June.

The name of the program describes the all-encompassing goal of the program to provide a safe place for students to be a part of a community and help build a well-rounded person through enrichment, physical activity and academic study. There is no fee for students to attend.

Designed to address “at risk” students, HUB 360 collaborates with area schools to identify students who would benefit from structured afterschool activities.

The designation is kept intentionally broad to allow all students who might benefit from the program to attend. Research shows that middle school years can be a crucial developmental time. Phil Champlin, Executive Director of the HUB puts it another way, “Every kid in middle school is at risk.”

The hours between 3 and 6 p.m. have been identified in nationwide studies as peak hours for juvenile crime.

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“The program takes kids off the streets and gives them something to do,” said Spokane County Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich.

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CVSD Superintendent Ben Small echoed the sheriff’s endorsement of the program as well. After school, unsupervised middle school students can get into trouble. There is a “greater propensity that good things will happen when they are here at the HUB,” Small said.

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Students are referred from single-parent households, often latchkey kids who might otherwise

go home to an empty house. The program supports those kids who may be on the lower end of the socio-economic spectrum, as well as kids who might be struggling with homework, or having trouble fitting in, athletes between seasons and kids hoping to meet new friends.

The program emphasizes that every student has value and that there are many paths to building a successful life. The goal is to show them that they can be a contributing member of society through a variety of avenues, that there are many ways to succeed in life. “We plant seeds of opportunity,” Champlin said.

Program Director Ryan Barbieri described the three components of the program: The first centers around academics with an opportunity for kids to get their homework done before going home and to get help from mentors.

The second component is physical education/activity where kids can learn about healthy living. They are provided with snacks and have an opportunity to try out a variety of sports. Alex, who is 12, said his favorite activity is dodge ball.

Lastly, an enrichment element features local businesses and individuals who share their expertise in skills, trades and industries.

The students are provided with possibilities for their lives that they may have never considered before. Michael, 14, has been in the program for three years and says his favorite speakers have been the sheriff and representatives from the fire department. A list of the community wide advocates can be found on the HUB website (www.hubsportscenter.org/aboutthe-hub/hub360/). The kids also have the opportunity to earn “HUB bucks” to bid on fun items several times throughout the year.

Students from local high schools and colleges also volunteer to mentor the students. Who better to help a middle school student than someone who is not too far removed from the experience themselves?

Mentors are a powerful force that can have a long-term positive impact for these kids.

As a section in the HUB website points out: “The combination of food, caring, mentoring and rigorous physical exercise has proven to be a powerful healer in a troubled student’s life. Such programs are viewed as crucial to improving

See HUB 360, Page 33

The Splash

MARCH 2017 • 33

Intelligent Balance Spinal Care welcomes Dr. Larry Callaway DC to Liberty Lake. Dr. Callaway has been practicing upper cervical chiropractic for nearly 10 years, mostly in the Bay Area of California. Prior to returning to the Spokane area, Dr. Callaway was an Assistant Professor at Life Chiropractic College West, where he taught Public Health and helped interns with patient care in the Life West Health Center. Dr. Callaway is passionate about changing the health and well-being of the community, and is excited to partner with Dr. Kim White DC and Intelligent Balance Spinal Care in that endeavor.

The HUB Sports Center in Liberty Lake is one of three local sites that hosts HUB 360, an afterschool program that teaches life skills to middle school students from the Central Valley and East Valley school districts.

File photo

HUB 360

Continued from page 32 the high school graduation rates for this group. Strong data show that middle school is the last, best chance to reach these kids.”

HUB Administrative Assistant Laura Fitzgerald has been with the program for two years, first as a volunteer and then as an employee to assist Barbieri. Fitzgerald can relate to the kids and finds it rewarding to be able to see them make positive changes.

“My school years were awkward,” Fitzgerald said, “The kids are happy and excited to be here.”

The program can register up to 40 kids and they can drop in or out as their schedules allow. “We don’t want to replace activities that kids might already be involved in, we are another option, along with homework club, sports, debate, etc.,” said Barbieri.

There is a tremendous socialization aspect to the program as well. Kids are not grouped by any set definitions of who they are – athlete, good student, poor student, etc. but can join together and make new friends without any pressure. John, 11, likes the games, snacks and earning HUB bucks to buy auction items.

“The HUB is a really great place to make new friends like I have in the last four or five weeks,” he said. They can meet kids from

Together they practice gentle, measurable, effective chiropractic in a welcoming, family like environment.

The focus of our practice is to bring the body to a more balanced and symmetrical state. We release the stressed and compressed state of the body, allowing us to get great results that are measurable.

other schools before meeting them in high school. This can make the transition from middle school to high school smoother.”

Jessica, 12, has been attending the program for two years and encouraged her friend, Lauren, since the grade, to join. Jessica likes the fact that you don’t have to know everyone and can “just be yourself.”

Lauren’s favorite part of the program is the exercise. Both friends enjoy the opportunity to complete their homework before going home and both have enjoyed the wide variety of speakers, especially the National Guard representative and police officer.

The speakers broadened their view of possibilities. Jessica plans to go into catering and Lauren has her sights set to be a forensic scientist or an engineer.

Dr. Kim White

For a Free Consultation Call 509.924.4443 www.intelligentbalance.com info@intelligentbalance.com

Danielle, Jessica’s mom, is grateful for the program. “Jess loves it,” she said, “She gets her homework done and she gets to hang out with her friends after school.”

After five years, the program will see some of its early participants graduating from high school.

Champlin is working with the high schools to follow up with those kids and invite them back to mentor the new kids. “They’ve been there and survived middle school,” he said.

“It provides them with another reason to give back and serve in our community.”

Dr. Larry Callaway

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The Splash

34 • MARCH 2017

LL resident shares experience of safari to Tanzania

By Tyler Wilson

Splash Correspondent Tim Holman brought his African safari home to Liberty Lake.

The 65-year-old retiree spent two weeks in Tanzania last summer, sleeping in tents and exploring five different wildlife parks inside the country.

Lions, elephants, hippos – he saw them all. And he turned his hobby for photography into a breathtaking slideshow he shares with residents of area retirement homes.

“When we were there, it gave me a little feel of the way Lewis and

Clark saw animals when they came west in 1804,” Holman said of the trip.

The safari was a bucket list item, though Holman couldn’t convince his wife, Lois, to tag along.

“She didn’t want to go and stay in tents,” he said.

Instead, one of Tim’s sons, Jeff, decided to join the adventure, as did a couple of friends. After extensive research, they booked a custom safari that had the group traveling by small plane between five distinct eco-systems. They saw thousands of animals, and yes, they slept in tents as all sorts of animals traversed not far away.

“They were luxury tents, but they’re still tents,” Holman said.

“There were wildebeests all around the tent, as close as 10 to 15 feet away, and you can hear lions roaring at night.”

“Any time it’s dark you’re not allowed to go out of your tent (without a guide),” he added.

The trip included stops at Tarangire National Park, known for its massive elephant migrations in the summertime.

“We probably saw 2,000 elephants in two days,” Holman said.

Another stop was Lake Manyara National Park, an area famous for zebras, monkeys, leopards and lions that climbs trees to find comfortable lounging areas.

The group visited the Ngorongoro Crater, where thousands of diverse animals congregate in a massive volcanic caldera.

In Katavi National Park, the safari encountered hippos in the hundreds. During the dry season, the animals pack themselves into the smaller remaining pockets of water.

The group visited the Serengeti National Park, probably the most famous attraction in the country, and for good reason – hundreds of thousands of animals migrate through the area, including up to two million wildebeests.

“It was hard to even fathom,” Holman said of the Serengeti.

Holman praised the animal guides on the safari for their knowledge of when and how to approach wildlife, as well as their general safety expertise.

To cover so much ground in two weeks, the group utilized another less-than-serene form of travel – a single prop airplane.

“You never get used to small planes,” Holman said. “We had the same pilot twice, a young gal from Spain, and she never bounced the plane. Some of the other pilots used the rubber on the tires a few times.”

Prior to the safari, Holman honed his admiration for outdoor photography into a craft, taking classes and documenting birds and wildlife out in the wild. The practice paid off - Holman took thousands of photographs in Tanzania, and he realized he had enough for a spectacular presentation.

Holman compiled a slideshow consisting of 300 photos and 28 videos to show to residents at local assisted living facilities. He’s presented the program at Sullivan Park in Spokane Valley and Guardian Angel Homes in Library Lake and has plans for more presentations over the next several months.

He knew he had a hit when nobody fell asleep and when attendees told him that his presentation made them feel as if they were alongside him on the trip.

“I want them to enjoy it like they actually could have traveled there,” Holman said.

He also has selfish reason to presentations.

a slightlycontinue his

“It helps me to go to these assisted living facilities because I get to remember my trip,” he said.

Liberty Lake resident Tim Holman kicks back to read the Splash during a two-week photo safari in Tanzania last August.

His tour of the east African nation known for its vast wilderness included time in the world-renowned Serengeti National Park. Holman now provides presentations on his trip at area retirement centers.

Photos by Tim Holman

Holman’s travels aren’t over. He and his wife will head to the East Coast later this spring, then maybe to Grand Teton National Park early in the summer. Holman wants to visit every national park in the country and to document wildlife on his adventures.

The Splash

Hearth Homes provides supportive refuge, life-changing springboard

By Angela Lorenzi Hearth Homes Executive Director If you live in Spokane Valley, you've probably passed us by a time or two. Just two residential homes on Broadway Avenue, most assume we're a construction company or sell fireplaces, but much more is happening inside our doors!

Hearth Homes serves single mothers and their children who have found themselves homeless and hoping for lasting change. Beyond providing a safe environment, Hearth Homes staff and volunteers are dedicated to creating a family culture, modeling authentic relationships and communication to provide an experience most of the women and children have never had.

Annual library tea defined by delicious food, great support

By Staci Lehman Splash Correspondent What do books, tea and food have in common? You can enjoy all three courtesy of the Liberty Lake Municipal Library.

Tickets for the Friends of Liberty Lake Municipal Library annual fundraiser tea, set for April 29, go on sale this month and organizers say they sell fast. Which could be due in part to the gourmet food served at the event.

“Everything is from scratch and we try to buy the best stuff we can,” said Friends’ member Cindy Troxel.

Troxel has been a major force behind the tea, now in its 14th year, since coming to Liberty Lake five years ago.

“When I moved here, I thought that (the library) would be a great place to volunteer,” she said. “So I went to a meeting and lo and behold they really needed someone to oversee the tea.”

Troxel served as chair of the tea for

MARCH 2017 • 35

With nine bedrooms, there is an average of six moms and 10 kiddos housed at Hearth Homes at any given time. Every aspect of the ministry is intentional, such as the five family dinners a week that go beyond food preparation and structure, but intentionally model how to facilitate positive conversations with your family.

The intensive Life Skills program dives deep into strengthening interpersonal relationships, parenting and domestic skills. These establish a crucial foundation for children's development and strengthen the skills needed for gainful employment.

When single mothers come to Hearth Homes after an intensive interview process, they are often recovering from a life steeped in trauma – issues like domestic violence, poverty, homelessness and substance abuse.

All of the mothers share a common goal – healing. With determination many of us never achieve, mothers at Hearth Homes choose to examine life choices and heart wounds that have set in motion the patterns of pain in their lives. The staff and mentor team choose to enter into the very messy and uncomfortable conversations that value relationship and protection above performance and conformity.

The results are freed women who are given a safe environment to examine themselves without shame, build their lives without fear of failure and be accepted by a family they've never

had.

Acceptance is no small accomplishment for a woman whose addiction has led to destruction of her family. "I didn't realize I was an alcoholic,” one single mother at Hearth Homes shares. She found herself at a fork in the road – either deny she's an addict in need of help or accept that she must battle her addiction and seek accountability. Fortunately, she chose the harder path of personal accountability and it's made all the difference. She now has her children placed back in her care and is staying clean, sober and present in the challenges of single parenting.

This isn't an uncommon story at Hearth Homes; the only transitional home in all of Spokane County that will serve homeless single mothers working toward reunification with their children. Most agencies provide housing for either single women or women with children and if their status changes, such as regaining custody of their children, they must find other housing. For the mom parenting sober for the first time or without the tyrant partner dictating everything, this is a new and sharp learning curve.

One mother, who graduates this January, has been at Hearth Homes for almost two years. No other transitional home in Spokane offers this amount of time for healing and restoration. Having spent much of her

adolescence in abusive environments and foster care, becoming a mom and now a mother of three, she wasn't provided the foundations many of us take for granted. During her time at Hearth Homes, this precious mother gained custody of her children, learned how to provide a safe home, completed parenting classes, finished a job training program and is working on her GED. "I'm stronger than I was before," she says, "I can say no to people who want to take advantage of me."

This is a huge victory. Hearth Homes will continue to surround her and her children long after she moves out, providing friendship, accountability and assistance. Once you are part of the Hearth Homes family, you are always a member.

Hearth Homes invites the community to learn more about the need all around us and how they can help. Anyone interested in volunteering or giving can contact us, as we only are able to have visitors by appointment for the safety and dignity of the families we serve. Hearth Homes is funded entirely by individual donors, private grants and fundraisers. You can join us March 25 for our Red Carpet Gala event and enjoy an elegant evening of fun while impacting lives. Visit us at www.hearth-homes.org for more information or call our office 9266492.

the past four years, but passed on the honor this year in order to concentrate on her major interest area – food preparation.

“I moved here in 2012 from Geneva, Switzerland where I had lived for almost nine years,” she said. “While I was in Geneva, because I didn’t have to work, I started being able to have the time to cook. And there they don’t have all the packaged and canned foods so you learn to cook from scratch. So I fell in love with it.”

She loved it so much that Troxel even started a small catering business, preparing food for parties at the United Nations where her husband worked. After moving back to the States, she put her cooking skills to work for the annual tea, rather than paying a caterer.

“Just because of my experience, I decided that we should cook everything,” she said. “It would be fun and much more affordable for 100 people. And so I just kind of developed a little team of women from the Friends of the Library who also like to cook.”

Each year’s tea has a theme. This years’ is “Hats Off to Spring,” with an emphasis on gardening. Troxel has been experimenting with recipes that tie in with the garden side theme,

including cucumber sandwiches and strawberry and raspberry desserts.

“I have actually been this week trying out recipes,” she said. “This year I’m working with a lot of fruit and different kinds of pastries. I really like to every year change it up but still stay pretty close to the authenticity of teas in general.”

Also to be authentic, the Friends are encouraging attendees to wear hats to the tea, per the theme.

“It’s a very European thing, Europeans love their hats.” Troxel said. “We’re really going to emphasize this year that it’s a good opportunity to dust off their favorite hats or create something to wear.”

There will also be entertainment, a raffle and a silent auction of gardenrelated items donated by community members and businesses. All money raised from the tea goes to support the library’s programs, particularly the Children’s Summer Reading program and other events held throughout the year. The events and programs grow every year, so Troxel says more funds are needed to support them. As a draw for people to attend, and to support their community library, she shared a little of what she is working on for the tea menu.

“What I do always is three savory

items,” she said. “Then I do three desserts, then we do homemade scones.”

The three days leading up to the tea, Troxel and her helpers will do nothing but cook.

Even before that though, they have been cooking and sampling in the months leading up to the tea.

“I have a cuisine team,” she said.

“Every recipe is tried three times before it’s served. It takes some of the stress out of it.”

What would take even more stress out of it would be more volunteers.

Troxel says the Friends of the Library could use more volunteers, whether to help out with the tea only or to join the group. If interested, call Troxel at 703-7699.

Want to go?

The Friends of Liberty Lake Municipal Library Tea will be on Saturday, April 29 at the Meadowwood Technology Campus.

Tickets for the Tea will only be sold at the library this year, so watch the Friends of the Liberty Lake Municipal Library’s website at www.libertylakefriends.org for an announcement of when they will go on sale. This is expected to be in midMarch with tickets at $20 per seat.

The Splash

36 • MARCH 2017

Dockrey turns page after a decade as library trustee

Linda Dockrey served as a trustee with the Liberty Lake Library for 10 years before completing her second five-year term last year.

Photo by Mary Anne Ruddis

EDITOR/PUBLISHER

Ben Wick

Volunteering in the community keeps Dockrey busy. “I was very lucky, life’s been good to me,” she said, “I was taught that you have a responsibility to the community to give back when you are given more than you need. And children can’t help themselves.”

EDITOR

Craig Howard

When not volunteering, Dockrey likes to garden, cook, travel, and read. “I love picking fresh stuff from the garden,” she says. For Dockrey, playing around in the kitchen is fun. “I like the chemistry of cooking. The way things combine to create something.”

Dean Byrns

circulation@libertylakesplash.com

Dockrey is up for travel anywhere, anytime and finds a great deal of satisfaction in “seeing new things and experiencing new things.”

When asked what she enjoyed most about the work she has done over the years, she said that one of the things that she treasures the most was the opportunity of “working with a group of people who had the vision to start a library.”

company, Dockrey Mechanical.

Although, Linda admits that her role in the business allowed her plenty of time for volunteering in the community. The couple have called the Liberty Lake area home since 1976.

Dockrey volunteered for 20 years at Greenacres Elementary with one teacher helping in the kindergarten, first and second grade classrooms.

It was a great way to put her earlier studies in education to good use, she says.

As a charter member of the Liberty Lake Kiwanis, Dockrey was a co-advisory with the K-Kids program at Liberty Lake Elementary with Pat Lutzenberger for a decade.

The program won three Chase Youth Commission awards for its community service work, including raising funds for local nonprofits, coordinating food drives and supporting an orphanage in Africa.

Dockrey is currently tutoring elementary school children at the county library in Otis Orchards

She is also very proud that the Friends of the Library (formerly the Community Library Council) won the Washington Library Association Distinguished Service Award in 2006.

One of the most striking impressions was Dockrey’s praise for all those around her and her modesty for her own accomplishments.

Now that her term as a library trustee has ended, Dockrey will be looking for more volunteer opportunities. When asked what’s next, her reply was, “I don’t know yet.” Wherever she goes from here, it’s clear that whoever works with this exceptional community servant will be just as lucky to have her as she has been lucky in her own life.

ben@libertylakesplash.com craig@libertylakesplash.com GRAPHICS EDITOR/ Danica Wick A DVERTISING COORDINATOR danica@libertylakesplash.com OFFICE MANAGER GRAPHICS

Paula Gano

paula@libertylakesplash.com

Hayley Schmelzer

hayley@libertylakesplash.com

CIRCULATION

CONTRIBUTORS

J.R. Conrow, Craig Howard, Staci Lehman, Mary Anne Ruddis, Ross Schneidmiller, Mike Vlahovich. Tyler Wilson 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.

Additional copies are located at drop-off locations in Liberty Lake and Otis Orchards.

The Splash is brought to you by

Wick Enterprizes Submitted materials

Publishing House

Announcements, obituaries, letters to the editor and story ideas are encouraged. Submit them in writing to editor@libertylakesplash.com. Submissions should be received by the 15th of the month for best chance of publication in the following month’s Splash.

Subscriptions Liberty Lake residents receive a complimentary copy each month. Subscriptions for U.S. postal addresses outside of the 99019 ZIP code cost $12 for 12 issues.

Send a check and subscription address to P.O. Box 363, Liberty Lake, WA 99019. Subscriptions must be

received by the 15th of the month in order for the subscription to begin with the issue printed the end of that month.

Correction policy The Splash strives for accuracy in all content. Errors should be reported immediately to 242-7752 or by email to editor@libertylakesplash.com. Confirmed factual errors will be corrected on this page in the issue following their discovery.

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soaring to national and international acclaim.

In late 2015, Ben Wick – known by most for his service on the Spokane Valley City Council – stepped up with his wife, Danica, to purchase the Current and Splash

from Josh. The new owners live in Spokane Valley, are invested here and understand what matters to their neighbors. As handoffs go, the two papers could not have landed in better hands.

next five years, the future looks brighter than ever. Readership is growing, advertising is up and the stories keep generating talk.

Thank you for the support, greater Spokane Valley. This is your paper.

The Current now has a 25,000 copy circulation with 15,000 being direct mailed to households across Current the Spokane Valley areafounder in addition to the 10,000 copies being available for pickup at over 250 weighs in on formative business locations.

Aboutdays 9,000 copies of The Splash are distributed around the end of each month, of paper 5,500 of those through direct mail to every home and business in the greater Liberty Lake community.

“Close, but that’s an interesting story in itself. You see, our agricultural heritage means many of our community place names and identities were formed around a patchwork of irrigation districts …”

By Josh Johnson

He was the stereotypical inky wretch, grizzled and grumpy.

Coffee: black and bottomless.

Blood type: CMYK.

“Yeah, yeah,” he interrupted.

“The bottom line is that community newspapers thrive because of a shared sense of community. With such a mishmash of overlapping jurisdictions and loyalties, that’s a challenge in Spokane Valley.”

As the Current embarks on its

early to see the hot air balloons off at Mirabeau or floated frogs down Rock Creek in the annual regatta.

As for dealing with all the jurisdictional dividing lines, we employed twin strategies. One, we would hit the high points. In the early years, we did a “3 Up, 3 Down” feature to give “at a glance” news from around the community and we always made a point to dig deeper into the most important jurisdictional items. But mostly, we relied on strategy two: Write about the issues we have in common, because there are an awful lot of them.

coverage.

Of course, we also had so much fun along the way. There was our annual food bracket placing Valley eats in a single elimination competition. The idea here was to advance great Valley menu options through a bracket while sitting on couches watching the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Not a bad gig.

Advertise With Us and Let Us Brainstorm New Ideas for Your Business His opinion from decades in the business: Publishing a community newspaper was challenging enough on its own without doing it for Spokane Valley.

“What do you have, like three city or town councils in the greater Valley?” he asked me.

“Four, because we want to cover Rockford, and of course there are thousands of unincorporated

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accounts of the human spirit overcoming adversity from U-Hi grad Mitch Carbon’s remarkable triumph over cancer to the feats of Spokane Para Sport athletes

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By Mary Anne Ruddis Splash Correspondent The Liberty Lake Library was the perfect setting to meet Linda Dockrey. She had recently ended her second and final five-year term as a library board trustee. Term limits dictate that it is time to step down.

“The trustees are a wonderful group,” Dockery said. “I will miss them.”

When I joked that we might be “shushed” for talking in the library, Dockrey laughed and said that libraries have come a long way from the days of “shushing” librarians. “It’s become the heart of the community,” she said, “more like a community center.”

Dockrey knows and loves libraries. She was a volunteer on the Community Library Council prior to the city of Liberty Lake taking over the then-volunteer library. She is quick to credit many others for their work in moving the volunteer library to its present state.

Dockrey recalls going to the Carnegie Library in downtown Spokane when she was growing up. Her world opened up. At the time, she did not know that there were other careers for women beyond being a nurse or a teacher.

A librarian introduced her to books on archeology and anthropology and “it completely expanded my horizons,” she said. “There is something about a librarian handing you a book. It made such a difference in my life.”

Born and raised in Spokane, when it came time to go to college, Dockrey decided the safest thing to do was to go out of state for school since her mom was a Washington Husky and her dad a Washington State Cougar and she didn’t want to have to make that decision. She started out studying education but changed her major to archeology and anthropology at the University of North Idaho. It was there that she met her husband Pat. They have been married over 45 years and have two sons, Matthew, a robotics engineer in Seattle and Christopher, who works at a think tank in Washington, D.C. Both Linda and Pat are retired from their refrigeration and engineering

one day a week. Dockrey has also helped coordinate the Kiwanissponsored Father Daughter Dance since it began in 2006.

And it was. And it is. But to this day, I remain convinced that even if I’m a Central Valley Bear and current owner and publisher Ben Wick is an East Valley Knight, our common interests far outweigh a couple miles of geography.

And so, five years ago, when I led a team made up of greater Valley folks like myself to launch The Current, the name itself was

I wrote the cover story for the very first issue of The Current about homeless students in the greater Valley. This is an issue we should continue to address as a community, because suburban homelessness is a growing problem nationally, and

Indeed, owning and publishing The Current through its first 48 issues remains a highlight of my life, but I am certain I couldn’t say that save for one qualifying factor: We covered the greater Spokane Valley, my home and yours.

And it’s the home of current owners Ben and Danica Wick, who beautifully share the heritage of this now 5-year-old publication:

Inaccurate

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deceptive

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never

knowingly accepted. Complaints about advertisers should be made in writing to the Better Business Bureau and to advertise@libertylakesplash.com. The Splash is not responsible for the content of or claims made in ads.

Copyright © 2016 All rights reserved. All contents of The Splash may not be reproduced without written permission of the publisher.

The Splash

LOCAL LENS

MARCH 2017 • 37

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Support our partners.

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:

ENR

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New homes in Spokane, Spokane Valley, Libe Custom Fit Lighting • Stauffer and Associates

Thrivent Financial • Family Medicine/Healthy Living Liberty g Lake re e n s t o n e h o m Kiwanis • Liberty Lake Family Dentistry • Liberty Lube

Index of advertisers

Following are the local advertisers in this issue of The Splash.

Amaculate Housekeeping

16

Hearth Homes

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North Idaho Dermatology

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Northern Quest

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Casey Family Dental

38

John L Scott - Pam Fredrick

Ott Knott Used Golf Carts

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Central Valley Theatre

18

Katharine Olson, DDS

Peridot Publishing

14

6, 7

Kiwanis of Liberty Lake

Sarah Hamilton FACE

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City of Liberty Lake

Local Lens

Share your snapshots for The Splash’s photo page. Email photos@libertylakesplash.com with scenes from around town, community events and Splash Travels.

(Top photo): Liberty Lake Police Chief Brian Asmus presents Special Olympics with a donation following the Polar Plunge fundraiser at Liberty Lake County Park. (Middle photo): The Liberty Lake Kiwanis sponsors several goats in Africa that help to improve stability for residents. (Lower photo): Snow blankets the first tee at the Trailhead at Liberty Lake golf course last month.

3 35 16, 17

Clark’s Tire & Automotive

3

Liberty Lake EyeCare Center

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Simonds Dental Group

40

Coldwell Banker - Rob Brickett

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Liberty Lake Family Dentistry

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Cornerstone Penecostal Church

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Liberty Lake Municipal Library

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Custom Fit Lighting

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Liberty Lake Orthodontics

Evergreen Fountain

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Liberty Lake Petsitters

Thrivent Financial

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Family Medicine Liberty Lake

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Liberty Lake Sewer & Water District 29

True Legends

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Greenstone 28

Liberty Lube

Gus Johnson Ford

LIFT 30

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Spokane Realty- Courtney Hanks 35

Service Directory

38

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.

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The Splash

Lud and Rich – Remembering two of the area’s civic pioneers

By Craig Howard Splash Editor Lud Kramer and Rich Munson were born a decade apart on opposite sides of the country – Kramer in New York City in 1932 and Munson in California in 1942.

Both were Air Force veterans who established successful careers and eventually found their way to the Inland Northwest.

Later in their lives, Kramer and Munson shared another parallel as both became synonymous with neighboring cities in Spokane County that incorporated in the early 2000s and still echo with their respective influences.

I knew Rich through my work as a reporter with the Spokane Valley News Herald. He was one of nearly 60 candidates for seven seats on first Spokane Valley City Council after the vote for incorporation narrowly passed in May 2002. He won at the ballot that November and served as the city’s first deputy mayor.

Munson was known for being opinionated and assertive but he also had an easy smile and a generous heart. In the early years of Spokane Valley, he was one of those leaders that helped establish the city’s brand. If there was a community event in the vicinity, Rich was usually there, shaking hands and fielding questions about the latest municipal happenings.

“Rich was tireless in his service to the Valley and directed all of his ambition and energy into promoting our new city,” said Steve Taylor who served with Munson on the inaugural council and now works as the city manager in Kelso, Washington. “Rich was a true friend of Spokane Valley. I was proud to serve with him.”

Kramer was a catalyst in the effort to incorporate Liberty Lake in the fall of 2000. He and his wife, Patti, moved to the area in 1995 and quickly became involved in civic efforts such as the rally to build Pavillion Park and carve out a trail network that would eventually rival any in the region.

After incorporation, Kramer threw his energy in with other residents to start a new library.

“Lud’s footprints are everywhere,”

ON THAT NOTE said Jim Frank, founder of Greenstone Homes who also had a major role in the incorporation campaign. “He was a leader and someone you could count on for elbow grease.”

When I began covering the Liberty Lake City Council for the Herald in April 2002, Kramer was always there at the makeshift City Hall in the Liberty Lake Sewer and Water District building, accompanied by his oxygen tank and dutifully taking mental notes. While he never held office in Liberty Lake, Kramer was a dedicated resident who helped the fledgling city gain quick traction.

It made sense that Kramer brought some insight to the scene.

In 1961, at the age of 29, he’d been elected to the Seattle City Council. Three years later, he ran for secretary of state and won, becoming Washington’s youngest person to ever hold the office. He would be re-elected in 1968 and 1972.

For first-time city leaders like Mayor Steve Peterson, having Kramer as an advocate in Liberty Lake was like discovering Hank Aaron in the dugout of your expansion team.

“It was Lud's vision that harnessed the opportunity to control our community with local city governance,” Peterson recalls.

“He knew from being a councilman for the city of Seattle and secretary of state that the best government is local government, that we could set our priorities and have the financial capability to achieve them. He was tireless and focused.”

Like Kramer, Munson brought leadership savvy and experience to his new city. He’d retired as a

MARCH 2017 • 39

lieutenant colonel after 28 years between active and reserve Air Force duty that spanned from the Vietnam War to the Gulf War. Munson also found success as a stockbroker and volunteered with groups like Spokane Valley Youth Soccer, Rotary 21 and the Boy Scouts.

“Rich was enthusiastic about the new city of Spokane Valley,” recalls Peggy Doering, longtime director of Valleyfest. “He knew the vision, and brought a background of his military service to the new council.

He did his homework.”

Doering remembers Munson being one of the catalysts in the move of Valleyfest to Mirabeau Point Park, a transition that lifted the event to a regional level. Rich also stepped up to support other causes, including the effort to build CenterPlace and the first campaign Bill Gothmann ran for Spokane Valley City Council.

As the story goes, Rich offered to lead the doorbelling effort, helping Gothmann earn a seat at the dais.

Rich and Jan Munson were married 45 years and had three children. Growing up in a military family and later during his Air Force tenure, Munson had lived all over the world. Yet once he and Jan found Spokane Valley in 1977, they never looked back.

“Rich’s leadership abilities were honed in the Air Force,” said Jan who joined her husband in many volunteering efforts. “He was never one to sit back and leave everything to others. He was enthusiastic and a go-getter. His majors in college were headed toward politics.”

While Munson was not involved in the Valley incorporation campaign like Kramer in Liberty Lake, he

Lud Kramer moved to the Liberty Lake area with his wife Patti in 1995 and became immersed in causes like Pavillion Park, the trails, incorporation and starting a new library. joined the municipal movement soon after the vote passed, signing up with one of the transition committees. He would go on to serve as the city’s third mayor and hold the prestigious role as president of the Association of Washington Cities.

Jan recalls her husband saying at one point in 2002, “If they’re going to form a new city, I want to be in on it and help to do it right.”

Kramer was able to witness the first three years of Liberty Lake’s dynamic existence before he passed away from lung cancer in April 2004. A plaque in his honor is part of the landscape at his beloved Pavillion Park while each Labor Day weekend, the Lud Kramer Memorial Concert is held at the greenspace with the Spokane Symphony as the headliner.

“Lud was the perfect advisor,” Peterson said. “He would listen, think, make suggestions but never tell you what to do. That allowed us to grow with our responsibility and own our success or failure. He was a true mentor.”

Munson passed away in January 2011 of complications from lung cancer. Just a month before his death, he’d volunteered to serve on the board of the area’s community center, Spokane Valley Partners.

Lud Kramer, second from left, was the youngest person ever elected as Washington's secretary of state. After retirement, Kramer was critical in the effort to incorporate Liberty Lake in 2000.

Photo courtesy of SNAP

Rich and Lud are each missed, although their legacies live on resolutely in Spokane Valley and Liberty Lake. Like pillars of a signature building, the efforts and commitment of both men still carry substantial weight whether citizens of their former communities are aware of it or not. Looking back, Kramer and Munson were both, without doubt, the right leaders at the right time.

The Splash

40 • MARCH 2017

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