THANK YOU!

The Friends of the Library are most appreciative of the Liberty Lake Community and these wonderful organizations and businesses for their generous support throughout the year.

3ninjas Curbside and Catering

Anne’s Nails

Anytime Fitness

Liberty Lake

Bake My Day

Bakery by the Lake

Beauty Cove

The Bike Hub

Birdie’s Pie Shop

The Blissful Whisk

BocoPOP

Bill Bozly, Musician

Bruttles Gourmet

Candy Shoppe

Clark’s Tire and Automotive

Coeur d’Alene Casino Resort Hotel™

Coeur d’Alene

Summer Theatre

Cozy Coffee & Bistro

Crumbl Cookies

Dairy Queen®

Desserts by Sarah

Lola Douthitt

Elz Tastes & Tea Market

Escape Room

Spokane

Flying Squirrel

Trampoline Park

The Grain Shed

Greenstone

Grind365 Fitness

Jack & The Bean Shop

Jacobs Custom Living

Just Chillin’

Eats & Sweets

Kalispel Tribe and Northern Quest

Resort & Casino

Kiwanis Club

Liberty Lake

Liberty Lake Juice Company

Liberty Lake Wine

Cellars

LucidRoots

The Mango Tree

Restaurant

The Mat

McDonald’s®

MeadowWood Golf Course

Mexico Lindo

Mica Moon Zip Tours

Mirabeau Park Hotel & Convention Center

New Love Coffee

Nothing Bundt

Cakes®

O’Reilly Auto Parts

Palenque Mexican Restaurant

Palm Law

Papa Murphy’s®

Take N’ Bake Pizza

Pawpular Companions Pet Supplies

Pho Liberty

Rise Espresso & Dough Company

Rose & Blossom

RPM Express

Safeway™

Randy Schwaegler, Emcee

Scupltured Gardens

Sharon Sell

Spokane Chiefs

Spokane Indians

Spokane Valley

Summer Theatre

Starbucks

Barker Road

Starbucks

Liberty Lake

Thai Bamboo

Timberline Adventures

Tire-Rama

Liberty Lake

Trailbreaker Cider

Trailhead Golf Course

Triple Play

True Legends Grill

Versalia Pizza

Victory Media

Wake Up Call

Waste Management

Yoke’s Fresh Market

The Friends of the Liberty Lake Municipal Library gratefully acknowledge the support, commitment and dedication of Mark and Sarah Lathrop, owners of the Liberty Lake Wine Cellars, for hosting and sponsoring the Summer Soirée event each and every year.

Kramer

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District (LLSWD).

Back in 2006, just when the River District was beginning to sprout, the district put blueprints in place to accommodate the community at full buildout.

“It would come up in board meetings that we needed to start looking ahead,” Adams said. “We’ve been around since 1973, so we’re always upgrading facilities.”

Acquiring water rights and converting them to municipal use is critical to LLSWD’s foresighted approach. As part of the Kramer Overpass project, the district put in a reclaimed water main that runs under the freeway parallel to the bridge. LLSWD has two borings that go under I-90.

“Crossing the freeway is the biggest challenge,” Adams said. “It’s really expensive.”

One issue that has emerged with the wave of north side development and neighborhoods like Trutina is the proximity to a wastewater reclamation plant not known for smelling like roses. Adams said he is aware of the concern related to odor but says, “we are operating our plant in the best way possible to mitigate that.”

“It’s a question of fairness,” Adams said. “There are air scrubbers out there but those improvements are going to run $10 million to $16 million. Should all the customers in the district pay for that or should only the customers who benefit pay for that?”

The district has managed to keep up with growth despite the quandary of serving a community where the median income is too high and rates too low to qualify for state or federal funding.

“We’ve invested a lot of dollars in getting our infrastructure in place where it will be needed and used,” Adams said.

Banking a Bridge

The namesake of the Kramer Overpass – Lud Kramer – would have been proud of the ingenuity that went into building the bridge that bears his name. Kramer served as Washington’s 11th Secretary of State before moving to Liberty Lake in 1994. Along with being one of the catalysts for Liberty Lake incorporation, Kramer contributed to a long list of civic efforts like the library, Friends of Pavillion Park and the trail system before passing in 2004.

As a former member of the Seattle City Council, Kramer knew a thing or two about lobbying Olympia for state funding. His friend, Steve Peterson, was a frequent visitor to the state capitol during his time as mayor of Liberty Lake. Large-scale infrastructure upgrades, like the Kramer Overpass, and the widening of the Harvard Bridge, became Peterson’s rallying cry as mayor.

“Steve was over in Olympia a lot,” said State Sen. Mike Padden who represents Liberty Lake as part of the 4th Legislative District. “He knew people on both sides of the aisle and was able to convince them of the need.”

Jim Frank also points to Peterson as the driver of the Kramer project after the campaign for a second freeway interchange campaign failed to take hold.

“The bridge was not originally part of our master plan but early we realized the value of it,” Frank said.

The city contributed $6 million to the project which has an overall price tag of $14 million. Key and Kaminskas both gave Sen. Padden credit for going to bat for a consortium that included the city, Central Valley School District and Spokane Valley Fire Department.

“He really became our advocate,” Key said.

The state funds are tied to the Connecting Washington program, a $16 billion investment passed by the legislature in 2015 to enhance the statewide transportation system and maintain critical infrastructure. An 11.9-cent gas tax increase implemented in 2016 fuels the program.

“It’s a great project,” Padden said. “The construction has gone very well. This is going to help with congestion in Liberty Lake and open up more development.”

About and for Liberty Lake seniors

Vet Center Heroes Garden

By Nina Culver Splash contributor

The Heroes Garden at the Spokane Vet Center, designed to be a place of respite for veterans and Gold Star families, is getting a new addition in August as several local chapters of the Daughters of the American Revolution come together to sponsor a Never Forget flower bed.

The large garden sits behind carved metal gates behind the Vet Center on Mirabeau Parkway across from Mirabeau Point Park. More than a dozen raised beds are filled with everything from vegetables to flowers and raspberry bushes line the edges. An Eagle Scout built a fountain that sits on one side. Pear, apple and cherry trees grow next to a gazebo and there are plenty of benches placed throughout the garden to provide a place to sit and chat or be reflective.

“Sometimes people come in and just need a little space,” said Keirsten Lyons of the Washington State Fallen Heroes Project, which maintains the garden.

The new Never Forget flower bed includes an engraved stone, a plaque and Never Forget rose bushes that were created just for the Daughters of the American Revolution. The Spokane Garry, Jonas Babcock, Esther Reed and May Hutton chapters of the DAR are sponsoring the garden bed along with the Society of the Honor Guard Tome of the Unknown Soldiers and the Washington State Fallen Heroes Project.

The Never Forget flower bed will be unveiled during a public ceremony at 11 a.m. on Aug. 5.

Lyons, in addition to running the garden, is also a Gold Star mother. Her son Jake died in Afghanistan nine years ago while he was serving in the U.S. Marine Corps. She is part of a group of volunteers who come and maintain the garden every Tuesday and finds working in the garden therapeutic. She also finds joy in seeing the peace and comfort it brings others.

“For most of us, Tuesdays are our favorite day of the week,” she said. “Honestly the best part is just watching other people enjoy the space. That’s why we do it. That’s why we come out and pull weeds every week and plant pretty flowers.”

The garden was put in shortly after the Vet Center opened a dozen years ago, but after a few years it fell into disrepair. Lyons said the Washington State Fallen Heroes Project was asked to take over the maintenance of the garden around the time the COVID-19 pandemic hit. At the time, veterans who received counseling at the center were having to meet with their counselors over Zoom.

“We came in and got the garden back under control and gave them a place to meet face to face safely,” she said. “This place has gone through quite the evolution. The weeds were about chest level all the way through.”

While holding counseling sessions outside is no longer a requirement, some veterans still choose to have their sessions in the calmness of the garden, Lyons said. “We encourage people to come out here,” she said. “A lot of people still meet out here.”

Charlene Hawley began attending grief counseling at the Vet Center soon after her son Daniel, a recruiter in the Army National Guard, committed suicide in 2011. Though she doesn’t attend counseling sessions anymore, she still comes to visit the garden. “Anytime you have someplace you can come and relax and just be yourself it’s worth it,” she said. “We get together and sometimes there’s lots of crying, but no one tells us to stop crying.”

Patches Cox, a Department of Defense contractor with Survivor Outreach Services, is one of the volunteers who helps maintain the garden. She said that she likes that it provides a place for veterans that is more calming and welcoming than an office. Sitting down on a bench or at the picnic table while surrounded by a garden is just easier, she said. “It’s just a nice setting where you can just chat,” she said. “It’s therapeutic. No stress.”

The peace and calm offered by the garden isn’t only for those served by the Vet Center, it helps the volunteers as well. “It’s just a wonderful place,” Lyons said. “There’s something very therapeutic about getting your hands in the dirt.”

Having something to do in the garden can also make it easier to have conversations. “There’s a lot of hard stories here,” Lyons said. “It’s hard to sit down and talk about stuff, but when you’re pulling weeds together and planting seeds together it’s easier.”

Veterans and Gold Star family members can adopt one of the raised beds in the garden at the beginning of the year. They can choose to plant whatever they want and are in charge of weeding, watering and harvesting. If a bed isn’t adopted, it’s planted as a community bed, Lyons said. Usually those are planted with tomatoes, zucchini and other vegetables and maintained by the volunteers. After the vegetables are harvested, they’re brought inside for veterans who have appointments at the Vet Center to take home with them.

The Heroes Garden is always looking for volunteers to help maintain the garden, Lyons said. “It really is a community endeavor,” she said. “We will never turn away weed pullers.”

Volunteers work in the garden every Tuesday from 9 to 11 a.m. Anyone interested in becoming involved can email Lyons at honoringheroes@wafhp.org.

Working in the garden is something that Lyons highly recommends. “It just takes you away from real life for a few hours every week,” she said. “It’s just a nice respite.”

Student of the Month Citizen of the Month

As a Falcon or Bear, Birdie Bachman excels. The incoming senior at Central Valley High School maintains a 3.85 grade point average and part of the National Honor Society executive council. Bachman spent her sophomore year at Ridgeline High School, where she contributed to Link Crew, mentoring freshmen students. The Liberty Lake resident is a volunteer with Cancer Kids First, a nonprofit that provides support for pediatric cancer patients. Bachman makes cards and gift bags that are delivered to kids and points to her grandmother, a cancer survivor, as an inspiration. At CV, she is part of Diversity Club and a member of Junior Statesmen of America. She also participates in Youth Leadership Spokane, a training program based on principles of servant leadership. Bachman has played violin since the fifth grade and is a member of the CV orchestra.

Athlete of the Month

The state track meet is becoming a tradition for Preslie Young. The incoming senior at Ridgeline High School placed fifth in the 200 meters and was part of a Falcons’ 4 x 200 meters squad that took sixth among state 3A qualifiers this spring. Last season, she qualified for state in four events, finishing fifth in both the 200 and the 4 x 400 relay. The Liberty Lake resident earned second-team All Greater Spokane League honors in the 200, the 4 x 100 relay and the 4 x 200 relay. In soccer, Young was named to the All-State first team as a junior after leading Washington in goals with 22. She was also an All GSL honoree, helping Ridgeline reach the first round of state. She maintains a 3.9 grade point average and is a member of National Honor Society.

Pat Dockrey has been a pillar of civic involvement in Liberty Lake since moving to the area in 1976. He and his wife Linda are founding members of Liberty Lake Kiwanis where Pat has served as president twice. He served on the board of Spokane Valley Partners Community Center and Food Bank for seven years and is the founder of Food 4 Thought, a program that provides weekend nutrition for kids in need. Dockrey earned his degree in physics from the University of Idaho and worked as a mechanical engineer for 35 years. Dockrey served in the U.S. Navy for six years. He has been a ham radio operator since 2003, contributing to regional emergency communication efforts. Pat and Linda have been married for 52 years and are proud parents of two sons, Matthew and Christopher. They have one grandson.