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FEBRUARY 2016
How the debate over signs in Liberty Lake led to changes that will impact your community page 12
RETIREMENT IS A HIT FOR STOCKER PAGE 2
YOKE’S PREPARES TO ROLL OUT NEW STORE PAGE 4
FOUNDER OF GREENSTONE REFLECTS ON LIFE IN LL PAGE 34
2 FEBRUARY 2016
Dear Splash Reader,
Thank you for picking up and reading the first edition of The Splash under new ownership. It’s been a privilege to have a hand in creating our inaugural issue. The learning process of creating this was both challenging and rewarding. I am humbled by the community’s response towards the newspaper and this new adventure my team and I are undertaking. My name is Ben Wick and I am now the proud owner of The Current and The Splash. I will give you some history of myself, but I would first like to introduce you to my incredible team that has taken this leap of faith with me. When considering the acquisition of the paper I knew there would only be one man that could fill the editor position, Craig Howard. I honestly could not be successful without him. So a huge thank-you goes out to him and his family for jumping on board immediately so you wouldn’t miss an issue. My wife, Danica, graciously allowed me to give her a job as graphics editor. Although I had to allow her to work from home so she could still focus on our two daughters. This month was a whirlwind for her, but as you continue reading this issue, I think you will agree she did a great job. Our advertising coordinator is Joy Katt. She jumped in right in time to help us get all the lastminute details figured out for the businesses that continue to support this community newspaper by advertising with us. Now, a little bit about myself and my passion for the community. I am a fourth generation Spokane Valleyite. My great grandfather had a dairy farm where Sprague and I-90 are now that he lost during the Great Depression. He was here before the state was formed putting him on the pioneer’s list. I am an East Valley High School and Eastern Washington University graduate with a Bachelor of Science in computer science and minors in math, physics and communications. While attending EWU, I became heavily involved in the Spokane Valley incorporation effort. I am a member of the Spokane Valley Kiwanis. I was elected to the Spokane Valley City Council in 2011 for a four-year term where I served as the city’s representative
on tourism funding allocations, chaired the economic development committee, represented the city on the regional transportation projects, and got to know and work with city and community leaders from around the state. My role with The Splash and The Current started shortly after the last election in November when as I was reflecting on my narrow loss at re-election to the Spokane Valley City Council. During the election process, I noticed that most citizens were disconnected from what was going at the city, didn’t really know much about the issues that were going on around them, nor had many outlets to hear about what was going on around the community. Specifically regarding the election, there were only a few articles or profiles in the papers describing the potential leaders and only one candidate forum/ debate hosted for the Spokane Valley area candidates during the entire election cycle from April through November. I realized that there is a real need to get more information out that focused on our community and followed our issues. I heard in passing that Josh Johnson of Peridot Publishing was moving in a new direction and that we might lose two outlets of information for our community. I quickly reached out to Josh in order to continue service to the community by carrying on both publications. In carrying on The Splash and The Current, our pledge is “Honoring communities and encouraging citizen involvement!” Our newspaper is going to be a family-friendly newspaper, honoring our community by highlighting events, issues and individuals/groups that are making things happen within our community. We are going to provide in-depth coverage of what is going on in our community to allow you to be better informed and hopefully encouraged to get involved. Again, thank you for picking up The Splash and I hope you enjoy reading it. We have great things going on in our community and I am excited to be able to share them with you.
Ben Wick
NEWS
The Splash
The Park Bench
Shifting from the show – CV grad Stocker played eight seasons in majors
By Craig Howard Splash Editor The arrival of February meant something special to Kevin Stocker when he earned a living as one of a handful of starting shortstops in Major League Baseball. It was the time when winter rolled back and players began to flock from their off-season homes to the balmy surroundings of Arizona or Florida for spring training and formal preparations for the upcoming season. For Stocker, a Spokane native who graduated from Central Valley High School in 1988, the annual migration for over half his career meant reporting to the Philadelphia Phillies’ camp in Clearwater, Fla., the club’s warm-weather home since 1948. Stocker’s introduction to “the show” came in July 1993 when he made his debut for the Phillies at Veterans Stadium against the Los Angeles Dodgers. In a game that went 20 innings, Stocker threw out an opposing runner at the plate in the 10th inning to preserve the tie. The Phillies went on to win 7-6, part of a memorable season that saw the team win the National League pennant for the first time in a decade and face the Toronto Blue Jays in the World Series before falling in six games. Stocker, a second-round draft pick out of the University of Washington in 1991, batted .324 in 70 games for the Phillies his rookie campaign. He would go on to play four more seasons in Philadelphia before being traded to Tampa Bay in 1997. He played his final regular-season game in September 2000 with the Anaheim Angels. His career totals are solid – a .254 batting average and only 116 errors in 3,756 chances at shortstop. Stocker first suited up for a baseball squad at the age of 8 in the Spokane Valley Little League. His dad, Chuck, a former superintendent at the East Valley School District, was the coach. It was part of a multisports upbringing for Stocker who also played basketball, football and golf and even joined a bowling team as a kid. Stocker attended McDonald Elementary and Evergreen Middle School before enrolling at CV. As a Bear, he excelled in basketball and baseball, resulting in a dual-sport scholarship offer from both Gonzaga and Eastern Washington back when EWU still offered baseball.
Photo by Craig Howard Liberty Lake resident and former Major League Baseball player Kevin Stocker enjoyed a career that spanned from 1993 to 2000 and included stops in Philadelphia, Tampa Bay and Anaheim.
His senior year at CV, Stocker was the starting point guard for a basketball team that took fourth at state. Despite a thumb injury that cut short his final year in baseball, he earned a scholarship to the University of Washington and spent three years as a Husky shortstop before being drafted as a junior by the Phillies. Since his playing days, Stocker has transitioned to the broadcasting booth, spending 2005 to 2013 as a color commentator with CBS College Sports. He currently calls college baseball for Pac-12 Networks. For several years, Stocker pursued an entrepreneurial route as the owner of Emerald City Smoothie, which featured a site in Liberty Lake near Albertson’s. He sold the business five years ago. Kevin met his future wife, Brooke, when both were students at Washington. They have been married 20 years and are parents to three children – a daughter, McKenna, currently a freshman at Concordia University in Portland, and sons Logan and Zachary, a senior and sophomore, respectively, at CV. Like Brooke, who returned to school and earned her nursing degree, Stocker is currently taking online classes through UW with a goal of completing his degree in social sciences later this year. When not broadcasting, studying or cheering his kids on in sports, Stocker enjoys golf and snow skiing. Q: How early on did you think you may have a chance to reach the professional level in baseball? A: I did not begin to start thinking about professional baseball really until after my sophomore season at the University of Washington. I decided right after the season to go for it. I worked hard in the summer playing, lifting weights, working on speed. I took the training and the game a little more serious and focused. I had a really strong junior year. Q: How did participating in other sports help along the your path to playing baseball at the highest level? A: My true love was basketball. I like the speed of the game. Other sports like basketball, golf and even bowling taught me how to be part
The Splash
FEBRUARY 2016 • 3
Photo copyright The Phillies/Al Tielemans Stocker had his best season with Philadelphia in 1997 when he hit .266 in 149 games with a fielding percentage of .981.
of a team, especially dealing with a lot of different personalities. Also, each sport develops a little different kind of coordination. Bob McDonald, the UW baseball coach back then, actually came and watched me play a few basketball games at the (high school) state tournament, which he said sealed the deal on offering me a letter of intent to play baseball there. He said he needed to see how I handled pressure on a big stage. Worked I suppose. Q: There are plenty of stories about the rigors of minor league baseball. What are some of your memories of playing at various levels before reaching the majors? A: Long bus rides really were long bus rides. No matter how hard it rains in Spartanburg, South Carolina, you always go to the ballpark. The Florida State League in the summer is really, really hot. Pitchers in double-A all throw incredibly hard but rarely know where the ball is going. Did I mention that the bus rides are often really long? Q: The percentage of college and minor league players who eventually get to the majors is very low. What did you do to stay focused and determined to reach your goal? A: I set a goal out of college of six years. If I had not made it to the big leagues buy then, I would go back and finish college. I loved the game so staying focused by that time was fairly easy. It also helped that I was a high pick in the draft so the Phillies were going to give me every opportunity to succeed. It was my job to take advantage of those opportunities, which I did. I kept my mouth shut, listened and played hard. Q: You had the rare experience of starting on a team that qualified for
the World Series in your rookie year. What are some of your recollections of that 1993 season? A: I was called up July 7 of that year. My first game that night, they put in the lineup and the game went 20 innings long. We won in the bottom of the 20th. After the game, I was called into the manager’s office and reprimanded because I had two chances to win the game and grounded out each time. They did not like how I was swinging the bat from what they had seen in spring training. I came in early the next day for early hitting, got two hits that night and a home run. They were right I guess. Winning the NL pennant was really cool against the Braves that year. I love that once the playoffs began, individual stats didn’t matter. It was only about wins and losses. That is when baseball is the most fun. Q: How tough was it to walk away from the game after the 2000 season? A: If I could go back and do it over, I would. I made an emotional decision that year and emotional decisions are never good decisions. I had come off of a bad, injury-plagued year. The Mets brought me into camp that year but I never reported. I should have gone into camp for a few weeks to really make sure baseball was out of my system. I actually went back with the Rockies (in 2002) but injured my leg in spring training so I called it good. I think I could have played at least three or four more years as a utility player off of the bench and been very good at it. Q: How have the lessons you learned from baseball helped you in your post-baseball life? A: Not to make emotional decisions. Be the best at whatever you are doing that day in everything you
do. It’s tough to do and takes work. Setting goals are very important and the fun isn’t fun without the work. Biggest lesson came in the middle of the 1996 season. Just prior to the All-Star break in Pittsburgh, the coaching staff sat me down in a room in front of all of them. Apparently Jim Leyland, manager from the Pirates, had asked them what was wrong with me because I did not look like I enjoyed the game anymore while on the field the previous night. I was really struggling offensively and it was apparently showing in how I played and acted. (Philadelphia Hitting Coach) Denis Menke said something to me that really hit me hard and I have never forgotten. He said, “Kevin, if you are going to be a .200 hitter, be the best .200 hitter that day on the field. If you are going to be a .400 hitter, be the best .400 hitter on the field that day.” I took that to heart and really made a conscious effort to do that through hustle, attitude, effort, as an encouraging teammate. Slowly, I began to notice small successes in my game offensively and defensively. I had a great second half of the season and the highest batting average in September for the National League. Q: How did you get involved in the campaign to build the Liberty Lake Ballfields, now known as The Diamonds at Liberty Lake? A: Jenny Tomlinson had a dream. She had asked if I would be on a committee the city was putting together headed by Katy Allen. You
just don’t say no to Jenny. Keep in mind, I really did not do that much other than offer a lot of suggestions and ask a lot of questions. The ballfields are a great addition to Liberty Lake and baseball in the area. Q: What advice would you give to kids playing baseball now? A: One practical piece of advice I would give is to not throw year round. The arm and body need a break. I know there is often pressure to think that we need in order to keep up with everyone else but that is just not the case. By high school, work on becoming an athlete by lifting some light weights, running and agility, playing another sport and resting the body. Spend time strengthening the forearms. At night, I used to do 100 hand squeezes with hand grip per forearm. Play different positions. Only play travel baseball if you enjoy traveling. If you don’t like to travel, don’t. You will play better when you enjoy the game. If you are good enough to play at the next level, word will get out no matter where you are and coaches will find you. Q: Finally, what do you enjoy most about living in Liberty Lake? A: My wife and I settled here because it was very important to us that our kids develop relationships with their grandparents. It has been fantastic and my kids are better for it. We enjoy the four seasons and the outdoor lifestyle. We did more outside when my kids were younger but we try.
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4 FEBRUARY 2016
NEWS
The Splash
Yoke’s Sets Stage for Premiere of Liberty Lake Store
The Liberty Lake Yoke’s will feature a diverse deli with a sushi bar and freshly cooked burgers. By Craig Howard
Jacke specializes in customer service at Avista.
Payment options that fit your lifestyle. With colder weather comes rising energy use. So to help with your energy bill we offer a variety of payment options, including:
By Benjamin Shedlock Splash Correspondent Liberty Lake is getting a new friendly neighborhood grocer. Yoke’s Fresh Market, the Spokanebased grocery chain, plans to open its 13th branch on Liberty Lake Road in early March. The store opening promises to end a rocky year for the local grocery location. As the beloved local Safeway branch announced its closure last June when it was bought by Haggen, loyal customers were concerned that the shopping experience and relationships they had built with employees at the shop since 2000 would change. Fewer than four months later, Haggen, declared bankruptcy and put the location up for sale. While much of the original Safeway staff made it through the transition, longtime Store Manager Dan DiCicco is excited about the energy Yoke’s will bring. “With what I’ve seen Yoke’s do in the community over the years, they’ll fit in well here,” he said. “They’re going to jump right in here and help us out with the community service we were doing. They get it.” DiCicco is supervising the store opening. He has had a decades-long career in the grocery industry and
opened the Liberty Lake Safeway in 2000. There, he developed a reputation for giving back to the community and supporting his staff. Satisfied employees treated customers well and the store created a loyal following. John Bole, CEO of Yoke’s said DiCicco will be a key to the transition. “It’s a tremendous benefit,” said Bole. “Another part of that benefit is we’ve gotten to know him and we really enjoy him.” Bole said the Liberty Lake store gives Yoke’s a foothold it has been seeking for a while. A location on Sprague Avenue near Sullivan Road closed in 2009. Bole said the Liberty Lake addition will balance its local Argonne, Mead, Indian Trail, Deer Park and Airway Heights locations. “This is great placement for us,” said Bole. “It’s a location that is never going to be obsolete. We closed a site in the East Valley area a few years ago and we’ve been looking for another location. This fits perfect.” DiCicco and his team have been putting in a significant effort since Christmas to get the store ready
See YOKES, Page 5
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Photo by Craig Howard Former Liberty Lake Safeway and Haggen Store Manager Dan DiCicco (right) will retain his role with Yoke’s Fresh Market as the Spokane-based grocery chain opens a location on Liberty Lake Road in early March. Yoke’s CEO John Bole (left) said DiCicco will be vital to the transition.
The Splash
NEWS
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The transformation from the Haggen store began in late December. Yoke’s expects to have a staff of around 100 in place at the Liberty Lake site by the middle of this month. Photo by Craig Howard
YOKES
Continued from page 4 for the March grand opening. At 55,000 square feet, it’s a lot of space and there’s plenty to do. “It’s a big undertaking to open a store,” DiCicco said. “You’re changing the décor, you’re getting new products. When you open a new store, you’ve got to put your stamp on it, make it different.” Yoke’s will put its stamp on Liberty Lake by bringing its signature fresh foods and signature customer service to its Liberty Lake store. There will be a sushi bar and a deli featuring freshly cooked hamburgers. “People are going to see a really spectacular deli, outstanding produce,” Bole said. “We also have a very friendly, patient-focused pharmacy program. You’re going to see a pharmacy with a lot of personal attention.” Other offerings will include the Natural Corner, a section specializing in organic foods. To prepare for the transition, the team is stocking shelves now, developing the layout and installing new equipment. Some dry groceries are hitting the shelves. By mid-February, about 100 staff should be in place to run the new store. This will increase the total staffing at the location slightly from the 90 employed by Haggen. Yoke’s will keep on many of the employees that the Liberty Lake community has grown to know and love.
“You’re going to see a lot of familiar faces and a lot of new faces and new programs,” said DiCicco. “I’m excited about it.” Bole said Yoke’s is wellequipped to support Liberty Lake’s community-minded priorities because of its own local roots. While the first Yoke’s opened in 1946, the enterprise began earlier when Marshall Yoke delivered groceries by horse-drawn carriage on the north side of Spokane. Chuck Yoke bought the store from his father in the 1950s. “I think it’s a huge benefit that Yoke’s is local,” said Bole. “We are 100-percent employee owned. Profits accrue to the people that are checking in your grocery store.” Bole and DiCicco hope that as the employees benefit, Liberty Lake will, too. They want the community that enjoyed shopping at the Safeway to feel as welcomed by Yoke’s. “I’m looking forward to working with some really great people,” Bole said. “We have, over the years, really improved our company and coming out to Liberty Lake and offering the best of what Yoke’s Fresh Market is today is something I’m very excited about.” So far, the staff is on board, too. “In my career in the grocery industry, I’ve never felt so welcomed as I have with Yoke’s,” said DiCicco. “This company has been outstanding. From the first day, they’ve made me feel part of the company.”
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6 FEBRUARY 2016
Police Report At 7:02 a.m. Dec. 29 a man was arrested at Grady and Mission for possession of heroin and a warrant for second-degree trespassing. An officer observed the vehicle leave a house known for assaults, drug activity, stolen vehicles and wanted persons. After running the license plate, it was found the registered owner had three warrants out of Stevens County. The vehicle traveled down the roadway two or three houses before pulling into a driveway for a short period of time. The vehicle then got back on the roadway and traveled into a gated community where it parked on the road. Upon contact with the driver, dispatch advised the officer he had an outstanding warrant. The officer observed two small baggies lying on the passenger seat, one with a brown tar-like substance inside. When asked what was in the baggy, the man admitted he thought it could be heroin. After further contact, Woodward was arrested for the charges listed above and booked into the Spokane County Jail. At 2:40 p.m. Dec. 31 LLPD responded to an agency assist at the 26000 block of East Hauser Lake Branch Road. Complainant reported a female had come into the residence uninvited and was taking items from inside. At 9:44 P.M. Dec. 31 LLPD responded to an alarm at the 1400 block of North Liberty Lake Road. Contact was made with the contact listed who provided a good code. At 5:33 p.m. Jan. 1 LLPD responded to a citizen dispute at the 24000 block of East Autumn Crossing Avenue. Complainant reported chunk of ice had fallen from her home onto her neighbor’s property and he’d left a note on her shed that read, “Please keep your things in your yard! They could hurt us!” Complainant reported her husband had gone outside to get something from their vehicle and their neighbor was standing near their vehicle. An argument ensued. Both parties were advised it was a civil matter
The Splash
NEWS and no crime had occurred. At 11:46 p.m. Jan. 1 LLPD responded to the 24000 block of East Spotted Owl Lane for a citizen dispute. Complainant reported he and his wife were separated and she entered their apartment and took items. At 7:56 p.m. Jan. 1 LLPD responded to a hit and run at the 1500 block of North Salishan Lane. Complainant reported someone had struck their parked vehicle. At 9:42 p.m. Jan 2 LLPD responded to North Garry Drive and East Sprague Avenue for a suspicious circumstance. Complainant reported two males were taking fencing from an abandoned residence. Officers arrived and observed three to four sections of wood fencing missing from the residence. No owner information could be located. At 7:39 a.m. Jan. 3 LLPD responded to the 24000 block of East Valleyway Avenue for a traffic hazard. Complainant reported a deer in the roadway. At 4:01 p.m. Jan. 4 LLPD responded to the 24000 block of East Spotted Owl Lane for trouble unknown. Upon arrival, officers were advised a male who had previously been trespassed from the location was on site. An officer made contact with the male whose vehicle was stuck in the snow. The vehicle was removed from the snow drift and the male left the location. At 5:45 p.m. Jan. 5 LLPD responded to the 22000 block of East Appleway Avenue for theft. Complainant reported a theft of gas at the location in the amount of $41.51. At 12:30 p.m. Jan. 7 LLPD received a report of child abuse at the 21000 block of East Country Vista Drive. This incident is currently under investigation. At 5:30 p.m. Jan. 13 LLPD executed a search warrant at the 22000 block of East Country Vista Drive. Charges were forwarded to the prosecutor’s office on a man for possession of burglary tools and possession of
stolen property.
SVFD Report – February 2016
Spokane Valley Fire Department crews responded to a total of 106 emergency calls in the greater Liberty Lake area from Dec.14, 2015 through Jan. 18, 2016. The total follows: • Emergency medical service calls - 76 • Motor vehicle accidents – 9 • Fires – 1 • Service calls – 3 • Commercial/residential alarms – 9 • Hazardous Materials - 3 • Dispatched and cancelled en route – 6 *Service area for SVFD Station #3 in Liberty Lake Highlighted Calls Motor Vehicle Accident – Dec. 16 – SVFD crews responded to a car that had lost control on an icy road in the 1200 block of South Liberty Drive at 10:20 a,m. An Oldsmobile was up against a garage. The vehicle had struck a natural gas meter and the leaking gas was audible. SVFD crews stretched a line and in full protective gear turned off the valve to stop the gas leak. The driver was uninjured. The air inside the home was safe. Service Call – Jan. 3– Shortly before 2 p.m., SVFD crews responded to a woman who reported being snowed in and unable to exit her apartment in the 24900 block of East Hawkstone Loop. Upon arrival, crews found the woman outside shoveling snow. She said she tried calling the complex office with no success and said someone had told her to call 9-1-1. Crews checked all exterior doors and found them to be unobstructed. They advised the woman that the situation probably didn’t warrant the call to 9-1-1. Hazardous Material – Jan. 7 – At 5:45 p.m., SVFD crews were dispatched to 23201 East Appleway Avenue in response to a chemical hazard. Crews
observed a one gallon metal paint can in the center of the chemical storage room. An employee had mistakenly mixed acetone with nitric acid, causing a reaction that produced a brown fume. The building was evacuated, all operating equipment shut down and Spokane Fire Department’s Hazmat team called to the scene to identify the contamination area and assist in quantifying conditions for turning the building over to the owner and their designated environmental clean-up service provider. About SVFD - Spokane Valley 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. In 2015, SVFD firefighters and paramedics responded to 15,872 emergency calls, up 15.5 percent over 2014. Of these calls, 78 percent required an emergency medical service response. Established in 1940, the department operates 10 stations providing fire suppression, emergency medical services, technical rescue, vehicle extrication, hazardous materials response, swift water rescue, fire investigation, fire prevention, commercial property inspection, CPR and fire safety training. For more information call 509928-1700 or visit www. spokanevalleyfire.com. “My hair was dry and brittle from the summer sun. Karen made it soft, shiny and rich in color with Shades EQ. I love it!” Self-portrait by Tanya Smith
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FEBRUARY 2016 • 7
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8 FEBRUARY 2016
City gears up for Liberty Lake Road, roundabout work By Craig Howard Splash Editor The New Year will deliver a pair of major transportation projects to Liberty Lake – both of which feature a significant boost of state funding. At the Jan. 5 City Council meeting, City Administrator Katy Allen and City Engineer Andrew Staples provided an overview of the roundabout slated for the intersection of Mission and Molter as well as the impending overhaul of Liberty Lake Road. Staples said design work on each job is “around 90 percent done,” with the bid process just around the corner. The plan is to bundle both projects together and have the contract ready for council review by the March 1 meeting. “By packaging these as one contract we have economies of scale,” Staples said. “It will also make it easier to make sure the work is being done at the same time and the community and the contractor are on the same page.” The Washington Transportation Improvement Board (TIB) will cover 80 percent of the $580,000 pricetag on the roundabout and 78 percent of the cost on Liberty Lake Road, a sum of just over $1.2 million. Funds from the city’s 3-percent utility tax on cable, phone gas, electric and waste management will take care of the balance. The upgrade of Liberty Lake Road will include new pavement,
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medians, a pedestrian crossing, lighting, additional turning lanes and widened sidewalks. Staples said alterations to the traffic light at the intersection of Liberty Lake Road and Appleway – including the addition of a free right-hand turn onto the I-90 onramp – are expected to improve traffic flow at the confluence of the city’s two busiest arterials. “We’re very excited to solve the traffic issues on Liberty Lake Road,” Staples said. “This project is a continuation of the improvements we’ve already made on Appleway.” The roundabout at Mission and Molter is also meant to mitigate vehicle backup near the burgeoning Meadowwood Technology Campus. Some 600 new employees will eventually be in place at the new Comcast office now under construction at the site. Staples said the roundabout will be an improvement to the current four-way stop that can lead to snarls in the morning and evening. In response to concerns raised by Mayor Pro Tem Cris Kaminskas that roundabout construction would impact residential areas to the east, Staples said there will be an emphasis “to allow commercial traffic to move through more quickly.” The city is anticipating a threemonth timeline on both projects with work beginning sometime this spring and wrapping up by early summer.
A quartet of Liberty Lake City Council delegates took the ceremonial oath of office at the beginning of the Jan. 5 council meeting after being re-elected in November. From left to right: Bob Moore, Dan Dunne, Cris Kaminskas and Shane Brickner. Of the four, only Dunne faced an opponent in the general election, defeating former Council Member Josh Beckett. Judge Linda Tompkins administered the oath. Photo by Craig Howard
The Splash
Mayor Steve Peterson Took the Oath of Office the Jan. 5 City Council meeting. By Craig Howard
Allen noted that Greenstone homes had donated a parcel of 400 square feet to the city on the northeast corner of the intersection that is part of the project. “We’re going to have a season of construction,” Staples said in summarizing the work ahead. “Both of these projects are going to mean very good improvements for our commuters.” Council discusses funding mechanism for public art Dan Dunne didn’t show up at the Jan. 19 council meeting in a painter’s smock or carrying a watercolor pallet, but he did frame the outline of a longawaited public art campaign in Liberty Lake. Since joining council in 2012, Dunne has stepped forward to provide detailed perspective on a variety of municipal topics, including the multi-layered comprehensive plan. His remarks on Jan. 19 included a reminder that the city had established a public arts commission through Ordinance 162 in October 2007. While the campaign was initially characterized by an ambitious agenda and an eye toward replicating nearby cities with robust support for community art like Coeur d’Alene, the program never gathered momentum. “My goal is to introduce public art as an objective,” Dunne told his colleagues toward the start of his pitch. Dunne displayed the work of local artists like David Govedare and Harold Balazs in a PowerPoint presentation that highlighted aesthetic landmarks in Spokane and across the U.S. Balazs has
an abstract sculpture planted out side the Greenstone building in Liberty Lake. Dunne also pointed to a decorative bench on Valleyway that was connected to improvements completed on the road in 2011. After that, he said, Liberty Lake’s collection is sparse. “We don’t’ have a lot to talk about because there’s not a mechanism for ensuring the presence of public art here,” Dunne said. Dunne proceeded to outline a remedy for the lagging arts scene, marked by a funding proposal that would dedicate 1 percent of every capital project of $500,000 and above toward public art featured on the respective site. Capital projects under $500,000 would also set aside 1 percent with the funds going into a pool for future community art. “The 1 percent is a commitment to act,” Dunne said. Dunne illustrated how the program might work by bringing up two pending capital projects – the upgrade of Liberty Lake Road and the construction of a roundabout at Mission and Molter set for this year. The city would reap $18,000 – or 1 percent of the $1.8 million cost of the road project – toward art that would be added to the site. The roundabout – ringing in at $560,000 – would bring in $5,600. Similar funding approaches are part of the budgetary terrain in cities like Issaquah, Burien and Renton. Reviving the commission, Dunne said, would mean having
See Council, Page 9
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Council
Continued from page 8 a group in place that could review proposals for public art, consider sites, promote art and identify grant opportunities. Like the planning commission, the arts committee could recommend policy but the final say would be with the City Council. Dunne’s proposal generated support around the dais from Council Member Odin Langford who suggested that the art funds related to capital projects over $500,000 not be confined to an on-site installation. “I’d be more supportive if those funds went to a municipal art fund,” Langford said. “If they all went to that fund, we’d be more likely to afford a signature piece for the city – that is not going to be cheap.” Mayor Steve Peterson responded to Langford’s remarks by pointing out that largescale construction work often includes grant money from outside agencies like the state Transportation Improvement Board. “It’s not always just city money, so you would need to use those funds toward something connected to that project,” Peterson said. While the city has been enjoying a healthy budget in recent years, Council Member Bob Moore raised concern over dedicating a mandatory amount to public art when other financial needs might emerge in more vital areas like public safety.
FEBRUARY 2016 • 9
“I have concern with being obligated to put aside money,” he said. “It becomes a matter of priorities.” Finance Director R.J. Stevenson assured Moore and his colleagues that funds for arts could be accessed for other city expenditures based on the scenario. “Council could always dissolve the fund in case of emergencies,” Stevenson said. Kaminskas expressed support for the concept of public art but said she is wary about the potential impact of the program on big-ticket capital projects like the Town Square community center/pool slated for a bond vote this summer. “I just want to make sure we don’t lose votes on that,” Kaminskas said. “It could be a deterrent if it means adding money to the bond.” Peterson brought up the example of the pedestrian bridge, constructed close to a decade ago, that incorporated a colorful ornamental pattern on the perimeter fence representing the four seasons. “We could have saved $20,000 or $30,000 on that and just had a chain-link fence, but we didn’t,” Peterson said. “Now there’s something there that says we value art and the way things look in our community.” The city had hoped to install a public art piece as part of the Harvard Road roundabout several years ago but a budget – originally tabbed at $100,000 – evaporated in light of overages
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the ordinance passed, I think council would have seen far more enthusiasm for public art.” As he has with projects like the Fallen Heroes Circuit Course and Town Square Park, Peterson referred to the legacy of city leadership in encouraging council to pursue the idea of a public art fund. “This is not just for today or the next 30 years, but the next 100 years in Liberty Lake,” he said.
The Splash
10 FEBRUARY 2016
Liberty Creek Elementary set for fall 2017 opening By Treva Lind Splash Correspondent A Jan. 6 groundbreaking ceremony signaled the start of construction to build Liberty Lake’s new school for students in Kindergarten to second grade. The K-2 school known as Liberty Creek Elementary is expected to open in time for the 2017-18 school year. The facility is to be built just east of city ballfields and a short distance from Liberty Lake Elementary, which will transition to hold grades 3-5 once the new school is opened. With Liberty Creek’s building project set to go 11 months after voters approved Central Valley School District’s $121.9 million construction bond, Superintendent Ben Small credited the community’s support. The school is designed to hold about 620 students with 39 standard classrooms, computer lab, music room and special education classrooms. “The voters placed their trust in us to deliver on practical, functional, well-designed schools that improve the learning environment,” said
Small in his speech at the ceremony. Small added that the Liberty Creek construction soon underway “marks the start of delivering on these schools. This school will be brought to life by the community creating it. We are excited for what it will become.” Plans call for the school to have more than 73,000 square feet, built on about an 8.25-acre site to front along the north side of Country Vista Drive. Katy Allen, Liberty Lake city administrator, said the school district and the city are collaborating on property near the two schools, including space for a pair of baseball diamonds built by the city. In 2013, the city purchased property from the school district for $10 under an agreement that would allow the municipality to build the ballfields. Under the terms, CVSD could exercise an option to have land returned for a school, which it did for only the footprint of Liberty Creek, Allen said. “When the bond passed, we sat down this fall and talked about
Rendering of the K-2 Liberty Creek School Exterior and Library. Submitted drawings
conversion of land back to the district so they could build,” Allen said. “Once they identified the site and transportation needs, then we carved out a piece of the parcel we bought, and they in essence exercised their option for a portion of that land.” What the district didn’t take back includes an unimproved area north of the new school site and proposed for a future city multipurpose sports field, which isn’t yet funded. It would be a sports field for multiple activities, Allen added. In the interim next year, the school
district has worked with the city to use that northern property area for temporary construction staging, she said. The city also gave the district an easement for bus service coming off Boone to the north of Liberty Creek and ending in a cul-de-sac design near the new school, Allen said. Allen said the city and district want to continue partnering on how best to care for fields near the two schools. Preliminary discussions include a potential for the city to take care of the maintenance and the district to pay for water services, Allen said. “It’s a good partnership for the good of the community,” Allen said. “We’re looking at ways to share resources to make that whole area attractive for sports venues.” Separately under its construction bond, CVSD has rolled out a schedule of building projects for major upgrades at six schools and renovation of a former Yoke’s in Spokane Valley into a new facility for early education students. Mica Peak High School, formerly called Barker High School, is also on the list. The reinvention of the old Yoke’s, at 15111 E. Sprague, is scheduled for completion this month. The district queued up other projects early to include Liberty Creek as well as renovation and expansion of Greenacres Elementary School. The GES work and upgrades at Chester Elementary are scheduled to start in March for phased construction, to be completed during 2017. Projects follow at Evergreen Middle School and at Sunrise, Opportunity and Ponderosa elementary schools.
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FEBRUARY 2016 • 11
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Liberty Lake
12 FEBRUARY 2016
COVER STORY
The Splash
Signage shuffle –
Historic shifts to sign code take effect this year By Craig Howard Splash Editor In the long and embattled conversation over signage in Liberty Lake, one scenario from over a decade ago might just take the debate cake – or quesadilla. In 2005, three years after the sign code was signed into municipal law, the proprietors of a new Taco Time on Liberty Lake Road took on the city over an order to remove a towering marquee that had belonged to Burger King, the building’s previous tenant. Visible from I-90, the sign was seen by Jim Fox, owner of Taco Time’s parent company, Omni Management, as a key to drawing customers off the freeway. The Burger King placard had been permitted under the rules in place prior to Liberty Lake incorporation, but city officials held firm against Fox and his appeal to leave the sign in place. Eventually, the lofty endorsement would come down, replaced by a more conservative monument sign that meshed with Liberty Lake’s increasingly subtle commercial terrain. Judi Owens, a member of the original Liberty Lake City Council, said the emphasis on understated signage emerged well before the city officially incorporated in August 2001. The objective, Owens recalls, “was to not become another Sprague Avenue.” “There was talk about that even before there was a City Council,” Owens said. “We didn’t want the big, gaudy signs. Everyone agreed that keeping things lower-key made sense.” Fox, who had also campaigned for an electronic reader board to hawk the likes of Mexi-Fries and other Taco Time fare, accused the city of being unfriendly to business. It was a gripe that would surface from other business owners through the years as commerce and culture clashed over the question of suitable signage. In 2009, the city again issued an edict to a local business to comply with the code, this time the culprit was a free-standing
sign on Mission Road belonging to Bargain Hunt, a branch of Huntwood Custom Cabinets. Brandon Hunt of Huntwood appeared before City Council in February 2009, asking for an exemption to the ruling based on the impact of the nationwide recession. With the company facing layoffs, Hunt said the $40,000 cost to remove the sign added another layer of hardship. While the council voted 4-3 to deny the appeal, the city eventually worked out a compromise with Huntwood to retain part of the sign. That same year, council earmarked $100,000 in the upcoming budget for a wayfinding sign program meant to support local business. The idea – which would have installed business district monuments in brick and stone along with store location markers and entrance signs – never materialized but the discussion did lead to the approval, in 2010, of portable sandwich board, or “A-frame” signs.
Stepping up the signage talk In May of 2014, City Administrator Katy Allen announced a new, more assertive municipal strategy regarding signs. Studio Cascade, a Spokane-based consulting firm, would be hired by the city to provide an assessment of the existing code and gather input from community stakeholders. “There are a lot of legal implications, current trends and smart policy surrounding signage,” Allen said at the time. “We want to make this code better.” In September 2014, Studio Cascade held a public workshop at City Hall to explore revisions to the code. The well-attended gathering included business owners, city staff, members of the planning commission, residents and City Council representatives. While those in attendance agreed there should be some kind of change, the degree of transition remained
up in the air. “The city made it clear that we should approach this with an attitude of ensuring the community’s prosperity while also respecting the things that make Liberty Lake a special and unique place,” said Bill Grimes of Studio Cascade at the workshop. “Community image is a community resource and that’s something the city has the authority to regulate to some degree.” Studio Cascade ultimately emerged with a list of recommendations, including the addition of electronic, changeable message signs (ECMS) along I-90. Similar digital technology was proposed on a reduced scale for businesses on Appleway Avenue and Country Vista Drive as well as by public entities like the city, library and Liberty Lake Sewer and Water District. The city planning commission gave its approval to all the recommendations. “The consensus we got was that it is time for Liberty Lake to catch up with technology,” Charles Matthews of the planning commission told council last January.
Council tackles proposed changes Last March, City Council voted 5-1 to initiate the amendment process to the comprehensive plan, clearing the way for a potential revamping of the sign code. At the time, Council Member Bob Moore, a former member of the planning commission, said he was wary about opening the floodgates for ECMS visible along the freeway. “Maybe there are some things that can improve the code, but
I think some of the things we’re looking at with electronic signs, I don’t think that enhances,” he said. “Some electronic signs can threaten aesthetics.” Last August, at the annual council retreat, the idea of ECMS, particularly on I-90, began to gain more momentum. While no official vote was taken, council did agree to dissolve an area known as the “interchange corridor,” where large freestanding signs within 1,500 feet of the Harvard Road/Liberty Lake Road interchange had not been allowed. Council also reached an informal consensus to keep larger free-standing signs tucked within 250 feet of the freeway. Several representatives of the local business community chimed in at the retreat, all in support of the city revamping the code in a way that would allow for broader promotion. “We’re one of six RV dealers along the corridor and not all of those are in Liberty Lake,” said Jordan Dummit of R-n-R RV. “It’s hard to compete when you’re only allowed a certain amount of signage and everyone around you is allowed significantly more.”
See SIGNS, Page 15
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Feedback over sign code has run gamut By Craig Howard Splash Editor Since it officially joined the canon of Liberty Lake’s municipal standards in 2002, the sign code has generated no shortage of debate. From voices on the planning commission to exasperated local business owners to representatives of the City Council seeking a balance between the image of a city and the demands of commerce, the regulations have conjured up a wide range of opinions. What follows is a small sampling of the feedback from over the years, much of it extracted from council meetings that ultimately reinforced the guidelines in place. Over time, it turned out to be this sort of input from all sides that paved the way for council’s landmark decision last fall to write a new chapter in Liberty Lake’s much-deliberated sign statutes. “Signage remains our biggest challenge for code enforcement and has been for the last two years. We continue to issue friendly reminders to businesses and continue our education efforts.” – former Liberty Lake Community Development Director Doug Smith, 2005 “I think signs can be very ugly in the environment. I think that signs should be unobtrusive in the environment. Sign ordinances are important for the beautification of the community.” – Ken Kaiyala, owner of The Design Factory, 2005 “When it comes to signs, we’ve found that definitive standards work better.” – Liberty Lake Planning and Building Services Manager Amanda Tainio (then associate planner), 2007 “When you drive into town, trying to find a business is
FEBRUARY 2016 • 13
like trying to find somebody at a cemetery.” – former Planning Commission Chair Steve McElvain, 2007 “The wayfinding signage program is a nice token gesture but the trick isn’t so much for people in the city finding those businesses. We have to get people off the freeway to those businesses.” – former City Council Member Patrick Jenkins, 2009 “We’re a multimillion dollar business and we have a multimillion dollar facility and they won’t let me put up a banner. It’s difficult times. Our banners aren’t shoddy, they’re top quality.” – Don Taylor, general manager MasterCraft boat dealership, 2009 “If you don’t take steps to regulate that, eventually you end up with a barrage of signs and you pretty much see nothing. Eventually you get into a sign war and your businesses are just going for bigger and brighter.” – former Mayor Wendy Van Orman, 2011 “That’s probably the biggest issue we have that’s ongoing – trying to get people to realize where the Bargain Hunt store is. At some point, it gets old saying, ‘We’re behind the George Gee building.’ I like the beauty of Liberty Lake, but also want to make sure you can find businesses.” – Brandon Hunt of Huntwood Custom Cabinets, 2012 “Questions come up almost weekly about signage. We would like to simplify the sign code and address some of the new technology out there.” – City Administrator Katy Allen, 2014 “I don’t want to end up looking like Sprague or Division.” – Mayor Pro Tem Cris Kaminskas, 2014 “I believe Liberty Lake can address the issues at hand and come up with a reasonable balance between business signs and city aesthetics.” – Council Member Hugh Severs, 2014 “I believe the design controls will be sufficient to protect the dignity that we have come to expect in Liberty Lake.” – Council Member Dan Dunne, 2015.
R n’ R RV on Knox Avenue in Liberty Lake will be the first business in the city to install an electronic changeable message sign on Interstate-90. The new promotional tool will replace the company’s long-standing sign (above) although General Manager said the towering carved bear will remain. Photo by Craig Howard
Pair Applauds Progress in Promotion Precepts By Craig Howard Splash Editor Jerry Wagner sells recreational vehicles. Mike Rock sells furniture. These days, both general managers are enthused about a decision by the city of Liberty Lake to allow electronic changeable message signs on the freeway just outside their respective retail sites. At R n’ R RV, a mammoth store that relocated to Liberty Lake in 2001 after a decade on Auto Row in Spokane Valley, Wagner said the ability to use the technology will open new doors for the company. “What makes it effective for us is that we can now change our message,” he said. “We can put up an ad for payment price on a trailer and advertise the different brands we carry. We can put something up for five minutes and then change to a different product. That’s an enormous advantage to us. That was the whole reason we moved to the freeway so we could advertise to the 60,000 cars that drive by every day.” Consign Furniture made the move from Post Falls to Liberty Lake just recently, settling into the long-abandoned Ashley
Furniture building on Country Vista Drive. Rock said the change in policy regarding ECMS last fall came as “great news.” “Having that kind of signage is going to be crucial to us to reach people on the freeway,” he said. “I think the city got the vision of who we can reach on I-90.” Both R n’ R and Consign Furniture have been represented at City Hall gatherings that included discussions of the sign code. Wagner, who expressed gratitude to Mayor Steve Peterson and “newer members of the City Council” for supporting the new ECMS standards, said wrangling over allowable signage with the city has been vexing. “We’ve had a fair amount of effort at meetings toward this,” he said. “It was frustrating. The perception in everyone’s mind isn’t the reality of what they are. The perception is that it would make the city look like Las Vegas but that’s not the case. It’s going to be very subdued.” The R n’ R sign will be operational this month, Wagner said. The placard will stand 30 feet high and measure 15 feet by 30 feet, the maximum size allowed by the city. Wagner said he doesn’t anticipate a bunch of similar signs cropping up along the freeway. “What really limits a business being able to use one of those LED signs is the cost – I mean you’re looking at $100,000 to $200,000,” he said. “Not everyone can afford that. It’s a huge investment.” The Consign Furniture sign will also reach 30 feet and have a surface area of 8 feet by 12 feet. Rock said installation should be complete in around three months. The Daktronics brand is one often seen in pro sports stadiums. “Having these type of signs is a huge advantage for us and the buildings around us,” Rock said. “We’re going to have the ability to advertise a variety of messages that we couldn’t have before.” While Wagner is still not thrilled about the city-imposed restrictions on ECMS – no video is allowed and a threesecond pause must be in place between fading images – he said the sign will be a significant benefit to the company’s promotional agenda. “Because we have that sign, we’re going to be able to cut our ad budget,” he said. “It’s going to be immense for what we can advertise on the freeway. We won’t ever have to put up another banner.”
COMMUNITY
14 FEBRUARY 2016
The Splash
Calendar of Events COMMUNITY EVENTS Jan. 20-Feb. 12 | “Be My Valentine” silent auction Liberty Lake Municipal Library, 23123 E. Mission Ave. Support the library by bidding on custom gift baskets for children and adults in a silent auction sponsored by Friends of the Liberty Lake Library. More at 232-2510. Feb. 2 | Groundhog Day Feb. 3 | Grange potluck and meeting 6 p.m., Tri Community Grange, 25025 Heather St., Newman Lake. A potluck will be followed by a 7 p.m. meeting for this community-based service organization. More at 4817447 or geje2@yahoo.com. Feb 6 | Cold as Ice StemTacular 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., Liberty Lake Municipal Library, 23123 E. Mission Ave. Super cold science experiments for ages six and up, including making snow. Sign up at parksnrec. libertylakewa.gov. Feb. 11 | Book exchange 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., Liberty Lake Municipal Library, 23123 E. Mission Ave. Celebrate International Give a Book Day by brining a book or two and taking home a book for each one you bring. Newer, undamaged books, please. More at 232-2510. Feb. 11 | Cinn-A-Gram fundraiser Send a Valentine’s gift of two fresh Cinnabons, a coffee mug, gourmet treats, and a personalized message. Proceeds benefit Meals on Wheels. Order by Feb. 8 to ensure free delivery. Cost is $30. Visit www.mowspokane. org or call 232-0864 to order or 456-0397 to volunteer. Feb. 14 | Valentine’s Day Feb. 15 | Presidents Day Feb. 18 | Teen Advisory Board meeting 4 p.m. to 5 p.m., Liberty Lake Municipal Library, 23123 E. Mission Ave. Join the first meeting of this group, which will help plan teen library events. Sign up at http://goo.gl/forms/ iqgVlvkIYJ. More at 232-2510. Feb. 25 | Movie night: “Hotel Transylvania 2” 2 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., Liberty Lake Municipal Library, 23123 E. Mission Ave. Drac is back for a brand new adventure. Rated PG. More at www.
libertylakewa.gov.
MUSIC & THE ARTS Jan 30 | Kids’ crafts with Miss Elaine 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m., Liberty Lake Municipal Library, 23123 E. Mission Ave. [DESCRIPTION]. More at www.libertylakewa. gov. Feb. 4 | Valentine’s Day card making 4 p.m. to 5 p.m., Liberty Lake Municipal Library, 23123 E. Mission Ave. Create personalized Valentine’s Day cards at the library. All supplies provided. Ages five and up. More at www.libertylakewa.gov. Feb. 5 | Music, Music, Music 6:45 p.m. to 10 p.m., St. Joseph’s Parish, 4521 N. Arden Road. Benefit concert for Spokane Valley Partners Food Bank, featuring a performances from “Phantom of the Opera,” “The Sound of Music,” and more. Tickets $5$10. More at 926-7133. Feb. 5 | “Moon Over Buffalo” auditions, Liberty Lake Theatre, 22910 E. Appleway Ave. Seeking four females and four males to perform May 5-14. More at www.libertylaketheatre.com Feb. 16-17 | Spokane Symphony Chamber Winter Soirée 7:30 p.m., The Davenport Hotel, 10 S. Post St. Enjoy music from various ensembles performing music from Harry Stafylakis, Adolphe Blanc and Mozart. Table seats are $48; gallery seats are $20. More at www. spokanesymphony.org. Books n’ Brew 6:30 p.m. the third or last Thursday of the month. Liberty Lake Municipal Library, 23123 E. Mission Ave. Our book club adults offers treats, tea, and conversation. For more details and previews of each month’s book contact smills@libertylakewa.gov or call 509-232-2510. Craft Saturdays 1:30 p.m. Saturdays, Liberty Lake Municipal Library, 23123 E. Mission Ave. Crafting for ages six and up. Schedule and information at www. libertylakewa.gov. Knit & Crochet Club 10:30 a.m. Saturdays, Liberty Lake Municipal Library, 23123 E. Mission Ave. Club for learners, those seeking help with a
project, and those who would like to stitch in the company of others. More at at www. libertylakewa.gov. Liberty Lake Needle Arts Society 10:30 a.m. to noon, Saturdays, Liberty Lake Municipal Library, 23123 E. Mission Ave. Formerly the “Library Knitters,” the group welcomes all stitchers to share skills and work on personal or group projects in a supportive atmosphere. More at www. libertylakewa.gov. Spokane Novelists Group noon to 4 p.m., second and fourth Saturday of the month, Otis Orchards Community Church, 23304 E. Wellesley Ave., 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 Symphony Martin Woldson Theater at The Fox, 1001 W Sprague Ave.: “SuperPops—Herb Alpert & Lani Hall” Jan. 30 at 8 p.m., tickets $30-$72; Spokane String Quartet presents “Russian Extravaganza” Jan. 31 at 3 p.m., Tickets $10$20; “Symphonic Films at the Fox—City Lights” Feb. 6 at 7:30 p.m., tickets $15 and $30; “Tchaikovsky on Dante” Feb. 13 at 8 p.m. and Feb. 14 at 3 p.m. (pre-concert talk one hour before each performance), tickets $15-$54. Spokane Youth Symphony presents “Passione” Feb. 21 at 4 p.m., tickets $12-$16. “Zen Fantastique” Feb. 28 at 3 p.m. (pre-concert talk one hour before each performance), tickets $15-$54. More at www. spokanesymphony.com.
CIVIC & BUSINESS Feb. 18 | STCU Workshop: Protect Your Credit Score 6 p.m. to 7 p.m., Liberty Lake Municipal Library, 23123 E. Mission Ave. Learn how a credit score is determined, how to maintain/ earn a healthy credit score, and where to go for help. Light meal included. Free registration and more information at www.stcu.org. City Planning Commission
meeting, 4 p.m., second Wednesday of the month, City Hall Council Chambers, 22710 E. Country Vista Dr. All Planning Commission meetings are open to the public and community members are encouraged to attend. More at www. libertylakewa.gov.
HEALTH & RECREATION Feb. 9 | Women Executives of Liberty Lake 1 p.m., Cozy Coffee, 514 N. Barker Road. Networking and fun with women from Liberty Lake and surrounding areas. More at www. womenexecutivesoflibertylake. com. Feb. 12 | Warrior Camp MMA Event 7 p.m. HUB Sports Center, 19619 E. Cataldo Ave. The cost of admission for these live MMA cage fights is $20-30. Tickets are available at Warrior Camp, 5027 E. Trent Ave., in Spokane. More at www. warriorcampfitness.com. Feb. 13-14 | Sweetheart Shoot-Out Fustal Tournament 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. HUB Sports Center, 19619 E. Cataldo Ave. Find your favorite teammates for two action-packed days kincking the fustal around the courts. Boys/girls teams U7 through U14 divisions. Register by Feb. 5; cost is $275 per team. More info at www. hubsportscenter.org. Gut Health Workshop: A Three Part Series Learn how food affects our health, how to improve your immune system, and select healthier food choices. Classes build upon one another with time between to practice and implement changes. Come to all classes or a select few, beneficial for all! Session 2 – Gut Connection: “You Are What You Can Digest” Thurs, Feb. 4th, 6-7 pm Healthy gut = healthy immune system Session 3 – “Create Health with Real Food” Thurs, Mar. 10th, 6-7 pm Easy ideas for healthier choices Fit Club 8:30am Saturdays. HUB Sports Center, 19619 E. Cataldo Ave. The Liberty Lake Fit Club is a place to enjoy a free Beachbody workout with others in the community. More at www.hubsportscenter.org
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SIGNS
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Mayor Steve Peterson said it was time to resolve the uncertainty surrounding signage. “I think the core issue, whether you’re an investor, a homeowner or a business is to have predictability,” Peterson said. “I think that unpredictability with the sign code hurts the community.” At the end of the retreat, Allen said it would be important for the city to make a definitive statement on signs soon. “This is not an easy discussion,” Allen said. “Everyone has their own opinion but there’s not much more to go over. We just kind of need to pull it together.”
A historic shift in the code Last October, the council finally reached a decision on signs, voting to allow ECMS on the freeway with certain stipulations related to the brightness of the sign, duration of the message and message transition. Another change for 2016 would include the city and other public entities being able to utilize ECMS technology on monument signs to advertise community events and news. Last February, the city had a “demo” sign placed on Country Vista near City Hall with mixed feedback from residents. Council Member Odin Langford said the revised regulations represent a positive new turn for Liberty Lake. “I think that the allowed changes will better inform the community and give I-90 traffic potentially more reasons to exit and visit Liberty Lake,” he said. “Helping businesses and organizations get their messages to consumers using available technology that really doesn’t hurt the city’s image is a move in the right direction. It demonstrates the city’s willingness to negotiate with business and join the 21st Century methodology of mass communication.” A vote to permit businesses along arterials like Country Vista and Appleway to join the ECMS club fell short at the same autumn meeting with council voices like Moore drawing the line. “One of the things that makes Liberty Lake a unique
FEBRUARY 2016 • 15
In the Books – Looking back on news from City Hall
community is our sign code,” Moore said. “I have no problem with electronic changeable message signs along I-90, but I do along these corridors.”
The road ahead
and
signs
To this point, only R n’ R RV has completed an application with the city for ECMS along I-90. Jerry Wagner, R n’ R general manager, says the sign will replace the existing freeway frontage sign and be functional at some point this month (see sidebar). Allen said she will be taking note of the community’s reaction to the debut of ECMS within city boundaries. “I will be interested in the feedback after the first electronic sign is installed,” she said. “Residents and businesses that followed our public outreach process have a pretty good idea about what the new signs will look like. Those that didn’t follow the discussion may or may not like the changes. My interest will be in knowing if the changes are noticed and if so, what the comments will be.” Peterson said that while he doesn’t expect to see any more changes to the sign code this year, the inner-city ECMS discussion could emerge at some point in the future. “Depending on the success merchants have implementing signage on the freeway, I expect some retail business will want to do some inclusion of ECMS on Appleway and Country Vista sometime in 2017,” he said. “I expect the change would reflect what was permitted prior to 2001 that exist today at several locations.” Some around the dais, like Kaminskas, are still wary of ECMS being allowed in the city’s central business district. “They are very distracting in high traffic areas like Appleway, Country Vista and Liberty Lake Road,” she said. “No one from the businesses in that area addressed the council about the need for electronic signs in that area.” Peterson expressed hope that the implementation of directional signage – part of a larger campaign with surrounding cities and Spokane County – would take place in the near future. The signs would point the way to civic
landmarks like parks, libraries and government buildings. The mayor added that the city plans to install its version of ECMS fairly soon. “As we rebuild our intersections at Appleway and Country Vista this year we will include a community messaging sign,” he said. Council Member Keith Kopelson speculated that the code could be re-examined down the road. “I expect that the sign code will be revisited as the city continues to grow and council members potentially leave office and are replaced by new members,” he said. When it comes to the relationship between signage and supporting local businesses, Mayor Pro Tem Shane Brickner said the city can still do better. “I want to work closely with them to see what their needs are,” he said. “I have seen to many good businesses leave Liberty Lake. One thing I consistently hear is ‘We have that here?’ or ‘Where is that at?’ We have researched what we can do to include the aesthetics of the city to set regulations in place that would show the electronic sign while still keeping the city beautiful.” As ECMS crops up along I-90, city leaders like Kaminskas say they will continue to strive for a balance between the culture of promotion and the image of Liberty Lake. “I fully understand the need for some businesses to draw customers from the highway and I think we’ve accomplished that,” she said. “If we draw more business to the community, there is more sales tax revenue to allow the city to provide the stellar services that are in place. The biggest benefit for our residents will be the community message signs. We need a better communication tool to get the word out about community and nonprofit events and this is a great solution.”
By Craig Howard Splash Editor January • Council Member Keith Kopelson was appointed as the city’s representative on the Spokane Transit Authority board, replacing Mayor Steve Peterson who will now serve as the alternate. • Several residents from a neighborhood near Rocky Hill Park made their case for the city to vacate a 75 foot stretch of property behind the greenspace. One of the residents, Scott Carter, described the plot as “a nuisance” that is difficult to maintain and is not considered a positive element of the park. Council eventually approved a motion to turn the space over to property owners in order to make upgrades with the reimbursement going toward improvements at Rocky Hill. Timeline of the transaction is anticipated to be six months. • Council approved the mayor’s appointments of Gary Green, Jared Von Trobel and Stan Jochim as full-time, voting members of the planning commission. Council Members Bob Moore and Cris Kaminskas were in the minority on the selection of Jochim based on an opinion that planning commission representatives should be required to live within city limits, a stipulation of those who serve on the City Council. • Jennifer Tomlinson presented the city with a check for $5,000 toward installation of a scoreboard at the Liberty Lake Ballfields. The donation was raised by the Liberty Lake Field Team, a committee of 10 residents and the Riverview Little League. The goal is to have the scoreboard in place by July 4. Tomlinson also informed council that a new name for the facility – “The Diamonds at Liberty Lake” – has been recommended. • Council approved the agreement between the city and SPVV Landscape Architects to complete the Orchard Park master plan and authorize Mayor Peterson to sign the contract. • Gail Mackie of SpokAnimal gave a presentation to council on the agency’s Guardian Angel program, a free service that provides support when pet owners are no longer able to care for their animals.
16 FEBRUARY 2016
Safety Scroll News and notes from the Liberty Lake Police Department By Chief Brian Asmus The Liberty Lake Police Department wishes all of you a very happy and safe new year! Tax season is upon us, so as part of an ongoing series of public safety articles, I thought we would start with providing you information about some common tax scams that we have seen in our community. Tax scams take many different forms. Recently, the most common scams are phone calls and emails from thieves who pretend to be from the IRS. They use the IRS name, logo or a fake website to try to steal your money. They may try to steal your identity too. Here are several tips to help you avoid being a victim of these tax scams. The IRS will not: • Initiate contact with you by
phone, text, or social media to ask for your personal or financial information. • Call you and demand immediate payment. The IRS will not call about taxes you owe without first mailing you a bill. • Require that you pay your taxes a certain way. For example, telling you to pay with a prepaid debit card or through a money wire service. Be wary if you get a phone call from someone who claims to be from the IRS and demands that you pay immediately. There are some steps you can take to avoid and stop these scams. If you don’t owe taxes or have no reason to think that you do: • Contact the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration. Use TIGTA’s IRS Impersonation Scam Reporting web page to report the incident. • You should also report it to the Federal Trade Commission. Use the FTC Complaint Assistant
on www.FTC.gov. Please add “IRS telephone scam” to the comments of your report. If you think you may owe taxes: • Ask for a call-back number and an employee badge number. • Call the IRS at 800-829-1040. IRS employees can help you. In most cases, an IRS phishing scam is an unsolicited, bogus email that claims to come from the IRS. They often use fake refunds, phony tax bills, or threats of an audit. Some emails link to sham websites that look real. The scammers’ goal is to lure victims to give up their personal and financial information. If they get what they are after, they use it to steal a victim’s money and their identity. If you get a phishing email, the IRS offers this advice: • Do not reply to the message • Don’t give out your personal or financial information • Forward the email to phishing@irs.gov. Then delete it. • Don’t open any attachments or click on any links. They may have malicious code that will infect your computer. We recommend filing your tax return early. There have been incidents where a scammer may
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file a return using your information and obtain a refund that is sent directly to them. Typically the victim only learns about this as they file their legitimate return, only to be notified by the IRS that a tax return has already been filed in your name. If you do receive a phone call or email from a suspected scammer, please notify the IRS and the Liberty Lake Police Department. Please feel free to tell the suspected scammer that you will be reporting the contact directly to the IRS and the local police department. Our experience has been that this will usually prevent future calls and email coming to you. Stay alert to scams that use the IRS as a lure. More information on how to report phishing or phone scams is available at www. IRS.gov. “Safety Scroll” is a new feature in The Splash featuring advice and insight from the Liberty Lake Police Department and the Spokane Valley Fire Department. Chief Brian Asmus has led the Liberty Lake Police Department since 2001. To contact LLPD, call 509-755-1140. The on-call officer number is 509-218-4899. For more information, visit the police link at www.libertylakewa.gov.
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Liberty Lake Library introduces Gale Courses
From Liberty Lake Municipal Library Sources Last year the library surveyed the Liberty Lake community and asked what they wanted to see at the library. Overwhelmingly, our customers wanted more opportunities for personal development, education, and training. The library has heard you, with more programs and events presented by local experts and we are now offering free online educational classes through Gale Courses. The library has acquired Gale Courses from Gale, part of Cengage Learning. Through this unique program, Liberty Lake residents can access instructor-led, online courses through the library’s website. Gale Courses, developed as a result of Gale’s
“Be My Valentine” silent auction Jan. 20-Feb. 12 Come, see bid! Support library programs and win a fantastic custom gift basket. Baskets for adults and children. Sponsored by the Friends of the Liberty Lake Library.
Protect Your Credit Score Thurs, Feb. 18th, 6-7 p.m.
Learn why a good credit score is more important than ever. We’ll show you how a credit score is determined, how to maintain/earn a healthy credit score and where to go for help. Light meal included.
unique position within the library, classroom, and adult learning markets, offer patrons access to hundreds of instructor-led online courses covering everything from health and wellness to creative writing, computer programming, GED test preparation and much more. Gale Courses are developed by expert instructors, many of whom are currently working at universities around the country, and have continuous enrollment dates. “Part of our mission at Liberty Lake Municipal Library is to inspire and engage lifelong learning in our community,” said Shardé Mills, Adult and Research Services librarian. “With Gale Courses, Liberty Lake residents will be able to enroll in courses covering all types of topics and subjects. Whether someone is considering going back to school to pursue a degree or just interested in digital photography, the course
Book Review – “Life After Life” by Kate Atkinson By Shardé Mills
Ursula Todd is an unusual heroine. She lives her life time and time again. She dies and is reborn, in different versions of her same life, each molded by the world and the decisions she makes. Born at a pivotal time in history, 1910, Ursula and the rest of the Todd family are witnesses to some of the most historically defining moments of the modern age, World War I and World War II. Throughout, Ursula feels a strange sense
catalog offers for everyone.”
FEBRUARY 2016 • 17
something
Patrons can enroll at no cost. Courses run for six weeks, with two new lessons released weekly (for a total of 12 and new sessions beginning every month, the next set of courses start Feb. 10. The courses are entirely webbased with comprehensive lessons, quizzes and assignments. A dedicated professional instructor coordinates every course by pacing learners, answering questions, giving feedback and facilitating discussions. Liberty Lake residents can enroll and participate in courses from library computers or remotely from home computers. For more information about the catalog of courses offered or to enroll in a course, residents should visit the library website at www. libertylakewa.gov/401/ Gale-Courses. For questions or more information, please contact the library at 509-2322510.
of familiarity and tries to change the future with each life, fulfilling a destiny she is just starting to understand. At first glance, the author, Kate Atkinson has created a complex and at times confusing narrative. However, as the tale progresses, she is able to develop unique and intricate characters, while weaving a captivating tale of what it means to human, what role fate plays in our lives and how your life could change if you could only “do it all over again.” This is a wonderful story for readers who enjoy character development and historical depictions of World War II.
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18 FEBRUARY 2016
Father Daughter Dance 2016
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Lincoln left legacy of honesty and integrity By Harvey Alvy Splash Guest Column When casually asked to define an “honest person” the logical response is, “It’s someone who tells the truth.” But when honesty is revered as a character trait we need to go beyond a simple definition and ask what attributes do we expect of someone who walks down an honest path the days of his or her life? Fortunately, we have an excellent example to help us address this question—the 16th president of the United States, yes, Honest Abe. Although it’s generally assumed that Abraham Lincoln received his wellknown moniker while serving as president, in reality Lincoln “earned” the nickname by his early 20s. At that time, Lincoln was barely living above the poverty line and could claim only one year of formal schooling. Yet he was respected and admired by friends almost immediately after settling in New Salem, Ill. When town foot races were held, Lincoln was selected to judge the events and when a local militia was recruited for the Blackhawk War he was elected captain. At the age of 23, Lincoln was defeated in his first campaign for the state legislature but received amazing local support, winning 277 of 300 New Salem votes. Why was this relative newcomer so trusted by the community? What did they see in this man? Historians often mention character traits that appealed to frontier citizens – common sense, a talent for
conversation and storytelling, a willingness to work hard and persevere, satisfying all debts and educating himself to meet personal goals while making a difference in the community. However, in Lincoln’s case these outstanding traits reveal only part of the story. Lincoln’s honesty was buttressed by two other critical attributes that propelled him to heights far beyond the boundaries of New Salem: first, living his core values and second, telling the truth with humility. Both qualities earned him the respect of friend and foe—and helped to save the Union. Core values should determine our everyday behavior. Lincoln’s core values were defined in the Declaration of Independence: “all men are created equal.” As presidentelect, while traveling to Washington, D. C. for his inauguration, Lincoln visited Philadelphia’s Independence Hall on Feb. 22, 1861. In Philadelphia he stated, “I never had a feeling politically that did not spring from the sentiments embodied in the Declaration of Independence… all should have an equal chance.” For Lincoln, Independence Hall was a sacred place. As a result of the Civil War and the subsequent passing of the 13th Amendment, emancipation was realized principally because the North embraced Lincoln’s core values. In a sense Lincoln was an open book, his words and actions matched. A helpful way to
assess honesty and integrity is asking if the walk matches the talk. In Lincoln’s case the answer is surely, a “yes.” People witnessed Lincoln’s honesty through truth telling and humility. Everyone, regardless of class, race or religion felt comfortable in his presence—he was approachable. Citizens could hear honesty in the president’s voice, see honesty in his words and judge honesty by his actions. Maybe the best example of both humility and honesty is Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address; particularly the immortal sentence – “The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here.” Lincoln’s humility and perspective helped to keep his brief remarks at Gettysburg focused on the real meaning of the day – the event was about dedicating the sacred memorial grounds to the fallen soldiers and rededicating the nation to their cause. Lincoln’s words captured the moment. And, although it certainly was not his intent, his words live on, alongside the memory of those who fought at Gettysburg. Aristotle believed that a speaker’s character is the most persuasive element of a speech. Honesty then, as
a character trait, holds great potential beyond the nobility of individual morality. If people believe in your word, then the opportunity to make a difference is enhanced. Of course, the opposite is also true. If honesty and truth are absent qualities, then one’s word is meaningless. Abraham Lincoln succeeded, not because of wealth or pedigree, but because character and words matter, then, and now. Harvey Alvy, a professor emeritus in Educational Leadership at Eastern Washington University, continues to serve as an educator in the U.S. and overseas. For more than a decade he helped to mentor hundreds of prospective school leaders in the northwest through the EWU Principal Leadership Intern program with Les Portner, Billie Gehres and Sharon Jayne. A former National Distinguished Principal for American Overseas Schools, Harvey led schools in Israel, India and Singapore. He is co-author, with Pam Robbins, of Learning From Lincoln: Leadership Practices for School Success. Professor Avly donated his time and knowledge to write this guest column for Partners Advancing Character Education, for which the PACE leadership board thanks him.
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20 FEBRUARY 2016
Father Daughter Dance set for ‘Journey to Oz’ next month By Craig Howard Splash Editor Attendees mapping out directions to the 11th annual Father Daughter Dance on March 5 may want to consult the nearest tin man or cowardly lion. This year’s event will return to CenterPlace Regional Event Center in Spokane Valley, a venue that will be transformed as the backdrop for an “Enchanted Evening in Oz.” The theme will include decorations and refreshments that recall the adventures of Dorothy and Toto in the 1939 classic “The Wizard of Oz.” The donning of ruby red slippers is welcome, said Linda Dockrey, one of several members of the Liberty Lake Kiwanis that coordinates the dance. “The Kiwanis Club continues to pick the theme, provide the decorations, raffle baskets and refreshments and generally organize it,” said Dockrey. “It is the largest social event in Liberty Lake with over 500 in attendance.” Kiwanis hosted the first Father Daughter Dance in 2006 at Liberty Lake Elementary School. A local resident, Frank Cruz Aedo, brought the idea to the club and it caught on. Close to 250 guests attended the inaugural soiree.
“There are lots of events and activities for mothers and their children to do together, but not for dads,” Cruz Aedo said in 2006. “I wanted to bring something to Liberty Lake for just dads and their daughters.” While the school cafeteria served as a unique setting for the first two years of the event, organizers soon realized that the dance would require a ballroom with more space. It was around that time that Kiwanians headed west and landed at CenterPlace, a facility operated by the city of Spokane Valley near the Valley YMCA that covers over 50,000 square feet. “After the second year, it became clear that we needed a bigger venue as the dance was immediately popular in our community,” Dockrey said. “The dance has been held at CenterPlace ever since.” In 2014, CenterPlace offered to co-sponsor the dance. The venue staff now handles ticket sales and a portion of the advertising. “They said that several father daughter dances have been held in their facility but ours was the best attended,” Dockrey said. “They wanted to be involved as one of only three events that they sponsor, the others being Breakfast with Santa and Valleyfest.”
Father and daughter at the 2012 “Princess and the Frog” theme dance. Photos pulled from The Splash Archive. SUBMITTED PHOTO
Father-daughter duos danced the night away at the Liberty Lake Kiwanis’ “Princess and the Frog” themed dance at Centerplace at Mirabeau Point in Spokane Valley. More than 500 tickets were sold after day-of sales topped 45, making this year the largest turnout the group has seen in the dance’s seven-year history. SUBMITTED PHOTO
Pat Lutzenberger, longtime chair of the event, said the dance has expanded over the years to include more of the community. “The first two years were held at the elementary school and attended by mainly Liberty Lake residents,” she said. “The dance has grown every year since moving to Center Place and branching out into the Valley.” While tuxedos, suits, dresses and gowns are common attire, this year’s dance will most likely feature an array of costumes traditionally found along the yellow brick road. “Although the dance is suggested semi- formal or dressy attire, one fun aspect of the dance is now fathers and daughters are coming in costume to match the theme,” Lutzenberger said. “It always so much fun to glitter and decorate to match the theme.”
A raffle will once again be one of the highlights of the event along with dance tunes – from all eras – provided by Complete Music. Dinner is not included, although refreshments and beverages -- lemonade, water and coffee – will be served. Dockrey said it takes a team effort each year to coordinate the festivities. “So many community members get involved, not only Kiwanis members,” she said. “The city of Liberty Lake, local schools and many local businesses donate or help in different ways. We grab lots of friends to help us make the decorations and the Barker High School Key club members volunteer at the dance. Hopefully, volunteers will continue to step forward so this event can continue for many years. “This is an event that, I think, helps define life in Liberty Lake.” After serving as longtime
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FEBRUARY 2016 • 21
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Dads showing their girls how it’s done. Clap your hands, stomp your feet and move to the music. SUBMITTED PHOTO
event chair, Lutzenberger is stepping down this year. The new committee consisting of Dockrey, Marilyn Steen, Tricia Morgan and Lynda Warren will carry on the tradition. “My favorite memories are how happy and beautiful the girls look walking thru the door with their dads,” Lutzenberger said. “Another favorite of mine is seeing the dads and daughters who have been coming to the dance since 2006 and haven’t missed a dance.” Dance Fundamentals The 11th annual Father Daughter Dance, “Enchanted Evening in Oz,” will take place on Saturday, March 5 from 7 to 9 p.m. at the CenterPlace Regional Event Center, 2426 N. Discovery Place in Spokane Valley. The dance is a community wide, semi-formal
event for girls and fathers (or father figures) of all ages. Tickets are $45 per couple (additional daughter $20 each). To purchase tickets, call 509-688-0300 or visit www. spokanevalley.org/recreation. Tickets include a long-stem rose, party favors and refreshments. There will be approximately 20 raffle baskets with the grand prize is an Apple I-Pod Mini. Raffle tickets are $1 each. Liberty Lake Kiwanis is now procuring some raffle items. Credit cards are accepted for the purchase of raffle tickets. Dorian Photography will be there to document this special evening but please note they do not accept credit or debit cards so please bring cash or a check. CenterPlace does not have an ATM machine. For more information, visit www. libertylakekiwanis.org.
Decorated venue for 2012 “Princess and the Frog” theme father-daughter dance. SUBMITTED PHOTO
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22 FEBRUARY 2016
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FEBRUARY 2016 • 23
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24 FEBRUARY 2016 Brought to you by
About and for Liberty Lake seniors
WV SCOPE forges on after loss of ‘goldstandard’ volunteer
we had a young man come to the office and asked to join SCOPE June worked with him on his application.” When King found out that the applicant had not graduated from high school, she told him he would need to get his G.E.D. before he could join. “She talked him through what he would need to do and where he would need to go to get his G.E.D.,” Scott recalled. “June was ready to pay out of her own pocket to help this young man get his G.E.D. We eventually figured out that he was too young to join SCOPE, but that’s the kind of person June was. I think that spirit is what we’re going miss the most.”
By Steve Christilaw Splash Correspondent The community that supports West Valley’s Sheriff’s Community Oriented Policing Effort (SCOPE) post got significantly smaller in 2015. Tom and June King were there when the program started in Millwood in 1995 and were tireless volunteers as the program grew. Both Tom and June served as president and June held that position for nine years, earning honors for Volunteer of the Year and for lifetime achievement. Tom passed away in 2001, but June maintained her volunteerism until last July, when she passed away. “You don’t replace someone like June or any of the other long-term members we’ve lost,” SCOPE Executive Director Rick
The West Valley SCOPE Office located on Argonne Road in Millwood. Photo by Ben Wick
Scott said. “You just have to keep going and hope some of our other members will step up and help take up the slack. And we’ve been doing that.” Scott said there is a great deal of slack that has needed to be picked up. Because she lived less than a block away from the SCOPE office, any time there was an alarm, June would be the first person to arrive to check. And she would attend every Millwood City Council meeting to provide a report on the post’s activities. Scott said that King was always a stickler for starting the regular meetings at 6:30 p.m. on the dot. “On that first meeting after she passed, once the clock hit 6:30, just about everyone in the meeting lifted up their wrist and pointed to their watch, reminding me it was time to start the meeting,” Scott laughed. “We all got a big kick out of that – but that’s kind of how we’re moving ahead.”
June King helped launch the West Valley SCOPE Program in 1995 with her husband Tom. Photo courtesy of Spokane County Sheriff ’s Office
cars and fill out paperwork. “June could be a little gruff on the outside, but she went out of her way to take care of the deputies whenever they stopped by,” Scott said. “I think they miss her as much as we all do.” Losing a long-term member who has intimate knowledge of almost everything involved with an effort like a SCOPE office is difficult. The vast amount of institutional memory lost can be overwhelming. Scott said the memory is still available, just spread out amongst a broad section of the membership. “We have a good, active membership and people have been stepping into those roles,” he said. “We’re going to miss June for a long, long time. She did set the gold standard for volunteering here. She volunteered an incredible number of hours.”
to
What the office will miss most, he said, is the spirit June King brought to the office.
Sheriff’s deputies regularly use SCOPE offices to get out of their
“Most of our volunteers tend to be older folks and a lot of them are retired,” Scott said. “One day
Other things replace.
are
harder
SCOPE at a glance SCOPE operates with a mission “to foster community spirit, help provide a safe living environment in the communities where volunteers live and serve and increase citizen awareness and involvement in community oriented SCOPE volunteer program services in partnership with the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office.” There are 18 SCOPE branches throughout Spokane County. Offices in the greater Spokane County area include Liberty Lake, Newman Lake, East Valley, Trentwood, University, Fairfield, Central Valley, Edgecliff and West Valley. To learn more about SCOPE programs and opportunities to volunteer, visit www.scopespokanewa.org or call 509-477-3376.
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FEBRUARY 2016 • 25
Trivia
Answers to Trivia: b, d, c, a, a, c, b, a
From mid-January to mid-February, the ancient Greeks held the festival of Gamelion, a celebration to mark what? a) The birth of Eros (Cupid) b) The marriage of Zues and Hera c) The mating of the birds d) The return of Spring What is the name of the cherub that shoots arrows of love into the hearts of humans? a) Cupid b) Eros c) Amor d) All of the above In Wales, the tradition used to be for a man to carve one of these out of wood and present it to his sweetheart on Saint Valentine's Day. What was it? a) A heart-shaped box b) A letterbox c) A spoon d) A Before it became fashionable to give chocolates and flowers, what was the traditional gift given by a man to a woman on St. Valentine's Day? a) A pair of gloves b) A piece of jewelry c) A hair ribbon d) a kid goat According to one legend, St. Valentine was a Christian who was executed for performing marriages after the Roman Emperor Claudius II outlawed the institution. Why did the emperor ban marriages? a) Not enough Men were enlisting in the army b) To reduce the birth rate c) So the men’s first loyalty would be to the gods, not their families d) All of the above During the Middle Ages, when knights would participate in jousting matches, they would dedicate their performance to a lady of the court whom they admired and perhaps were in love with. To let everyone know how he felt, a knight would pin a handkerchief or a scarf (known as a favor) belonging to the woman where? a) On his hat b) On his chest c) On his sleeve d) On his back According to an old European belief, certain members of the animal kingdom celebrate Valentine's Day as well. What annual event is said to occur on February 14th? a) Gerter snakes have their annual ‘mating ball’ b) Birds choose their partners c) Garden snails shoot ‘love darts’ at each other d) Hens begin laying their eggs Today, an “X” on a card or letter represents a kiss. This practice has its origins in medieval times, when those who could not write would sign documents with an “X”. ow did this practice become associated with a kiss? a) The signer would kiss the “X” to show their sincerity b) The “X” symbolized the cross, or love of God c) The “X” symbolized two mouths touching d) None of the above
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SPORTS
26 FEBRUARY 2016
CV state football champs reaped lessons from 1995 squad By Mike Vlahovich Splash Sports Editor After Central Valley High School won the 1997 State 4A football championship, members of the class from two years earlier were only too willing to claim a share of the credit. “We say jokingly we helped pave the way,” says running back Giorgio Usai from the 1995 squad. Not so fast, counters Patrick Libey. “If that’s what makes them sleep at night,” said Libey. The proof, as far as he is concerned, came during coach Rick Giampietri’s retirement gathering last month. “They had books out about Coach G’s success and there was a great big state championship book,” Libey quips. “We said, ‘Hey guys, where’s all your stuff? We don’t see any awards or accolades or anything.’ We were having pretty good fun with that.” The joshing by members of both classes was all in good fun. “Maybe we’re giving us too much credit,” Usai concedes. “A lot of those guys were an extremely talented bunch.” Case closed? Not necessarily. As gifted as the 1997 class was – 25 then-sophomores were listed on
the roster and five were starters – the 1995 team did have some influence on what transpired in 1997’s one-loss season and 4913 blowout of South Kitsap for the title. Zac Scott, for one, was a receiver and defensive back for the state champs who had an interception for a touchdown in the title game. “They took us as ninth-graders and sophomores under their wing,” Scott says. “They were great leaders. That’s where I learned my work ethic. They showed us how to win.” The 1995 Bears had high hopes that were borne out, despite an early setback. “We thought we were pretty good,” says quarterback R.J. DelMese, who went on to play at Western Washington and today is a partner in the accounting firm Moss Adams. “We had a pretty good player at every position. The weird thing is, Ricky (Giampietri, the coach’s son) was the running back and the positions were set. Then, Ricky separates his shoulder.” Rick, Jr. missed only one game, but pretty much was limited to playing defense. Usai, who had entertained thoughts of giving up football to concentrate on weight lifting, was thrown into the breach. All he did was gain a
league-leading 1,388 yards, the second-best single season in GSL history at the time. He scored 146 points, setting a single season record. “I was going to be the starting cornerback and was perfectly happy with that,” recalls Usai, who later played football at California junior colleges before joining DelMese at Western. Today he is in the business of selling fitness equipment to schools. CV won 10 straight games to lose 42-28 in something of an upset in the first round of state to eventual finalist Kamiakin. The Braves knocked out the Bears at Albi Stadium. Usai scored on a game opening 80-plus yard run in what DelMese called “a shootout” that between the teams amassed some 1,000 yards of total offense. “Kamiakin was the fastest, most athletic team we played,” DelMese says. “We just ran out of time.” While Libey and Greater Spokane League rushing record obliterator Tyree Clowe were juniors on the title team and didn’t play with any of those ’95 athletes, the seniors benefited by example. Of those 25 sophomores listed on the 1995 roster, 19 stayed the course. Third-year starters were Nate McFarlane, whose long game-opening kickoff return set the tone for the championship game, standout Garret Graham, Wil Beck, Brandon Bouge and Preston Crossman. Scott estimates 10 of them went on to
Photo by Bob Johnson Members of the 1995 and 1997 Central Valley High School football teams gathered last month with fellow Bears from seasons past for the retirement celebration of longtime Head Coach Rick Giampietri. From left to right: Giorgio Usi, R.J. DelMese, Jeff Allen, Patrick Libey, Zac Scott and Tyree Clowe
The Splash
play in college. The Bears were a team of men against boys. The line averaged 250 pounds, including 340-pound Crossman and one-man wrecking crew and State 4A MVP Beck who weighed 296, scored CV’s final TD on a trick play and played four years at Idaho. “Those guys up front, our guys in the trenches were difference makers,” Libey says. Clowe was a 200-pounder who would set single season and career rushing records of 2,318 and 3,937 yards that stood until a few years ago. He was first and third in season scoring and his career 342 points were nearly 100 more than the runner-up and rushed for 254 yards and four TDs in the state final. Linebacker Libey played with Beck at Idaho, and until recently helped coach at Washington State and his alma mater before returning to Spokane and starting a business. Their loss lone loss, against Gonzaga Prep, came in the nextto-last game of the season. But the Bears won four playoff games, allowing just 34 points and obliterated South Kitsap in the Tacoma Dome, where I watched incredulously from the sidelines. Both Scott, a real estate broker in Coeur d’Alene who went on to play at Central Washington University, and Libey say they were confident early they could be state champions. “You may think I’m crazy, but that was our goal in seventh and eighth grade,” Scott says. “I feel it started there, personally.” Good friends to this day, Usai, R.J. DelMese and Jeff Allen off the 1995 team as well as Libey, Scott and Clowe from the state championship season got together last month to swap tales and continue the debate, all in good fun, naturally. Libey got in the final word. “I think at the end of the day we agreed they were pretty darn good and so were we,” Libey says. “We just happened to play a few more games than they did. I’m glad I was on the’97 team. I’ll just say that.”
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FEBRUARY 2016 • 27
SPORTS
The Final Point
It took a conversation with Eagles’ Coach Craig Whitney find out that Jace had been listed as a lineman and needed the new number in order to carry the ball. The sky seemed the limit for a beast-mode future college gridder and two-time 220-pound wrestling high school state runner-up. Then, a nagging hip injury his senior year turned out to be a malignant tumor, necessitating amputation of his leg. The story of his plight and how the University of Idaho honored its scholarship offer was well-documented and put sports in perspective. But the lesson then hit closer to home. I ruminate because my daughter Linse, jaundiced and feeling ill, was told to beat feet to Valley Hospital’s emergency room following a blood test ordered by her doctor in Seattle. Our family had gone to the new “Star Wars” movie the Monday after Christmas and she refused to leave until it was over. Like a bad dream, she was subsequently jetted by airship to the University of Washington’s Medical Center.
The prognosis? Life threatening and rare acute liver failure. Panicked family hastened to Seattle the next day, hoping for the best, but fearing grim news. In the room filled with bustling staff we sat in a fog hearing that Linse was put on the transplant list and of the subsequent risks. Although typically a glass-half-empty guy, I probably didn’t realize the severity as much as my wife did. Over the course of a week Linse was tested daily to determine of the extent of the liver damage. Thankfully, she was released from the hospital with encouraging news, but she’s still struggling physically and it will take six months to a year to determine if the liver regenerates or must be replaced. It got me to thinking about my time as a typical sports dad who make the game more important than it is and let the seeming injustices of my children’s high school experiences fester. I believe to this day that my son could have contributed to the football team 15 years ago. It was his favorite sport but being a late-
bloomer didn’t get the chance. Needless to say, the coach and I didn’t see eye to eye. Baseball was the same. I still believe he deserved to start as a junior, but was relegated to the bench until his senior season. Jared took it in stride. Dad obsessed. Linse wound up having a successful high school softball pitching career, but I still grated about her treatment in volleyball and my wife, Tambra, had to apologize for the run-in I had with a coach. She was a record-setting pitcher Central Washington University. I, however, paced like a caged lion along with other dads, as if her time on the mound was akin to the apocalypse. Sitting daily in the UW medical facility while your daughter is being poked and prodded, you come to the realization how silly it was to act like a petulant child. Win or lose the games must be fun, not life or death. It took staring into the maw of the real thing to hopefully learn that lesson.
Sports Notebook
Through 15 games, including victory over rival University during the “Stinky Sneaker” spirit game, CV was largely untested. Lewis and Clark was likely the only to team to stand in the way of a perfect season. The Bears’ average margin of victory was over 30 points per game. Lexie Hull took up where she left off last year, averaging some 19 points per game. The rest of CV’s 61 points-per-game average came from nine players, including Hailey Christopher and Lacie Hull, Lexi’s twin. Both are approaching double figures averages. All three are sophomores. It’s a bear of a league Central Valley’s boys escaped University 40-39 in the Sneaker, a foe that had a 6-9 record. That tells how competitive the league is. The win improved the Bears to 12-3 overall, two games behind leader Gonzaga Prep. The Bears fell just a basket short of forcing overtime against the Bullpups in their first contest. CV spent most of its time on the perimeter shooting 3-pointers (they made nine) against the taller foe in the 59-56 loss. The Bears had back-to-back games against 3A Shadle Park (tied with the Bears), then Lewis and Clark (a
game ahead) needing wins in both to be the district’s second 4A seed. Eight players have had double figure games, led by Josh Thomas who averages 12.9 points per contest. Cameron Tucker was .1 point behind in average and Ryan Rehkow added 11.0 points per game. Mat title at stake The “Battle of the Bone” is a typical spirit contest. More often than not, however, the season ending wrestling match between CV and University has been for the title. This year was no exception when the two unbeaten completed their GSL dual seasons (after Splash press deadline).
The Bears had a wealth of league unbeaten individuals including defending champion Bryson Beard, his brother state fourth placer Bridger, state veterans Braeden Orrino, Kyle Neal and Gage Connole, plus three freshmen to watch – Tyrell Sims, Zach Stratton and Wyatt Whickam. Gymnasts shine In Coach Kim Brunelle’s final season, the Bears have been at or around the top team scores in the GSL. State veteran McKinzie Carter, in her final season, has won all-around competition in several meets.
By Mike Vlahovich Splash Sports Editor We, in this sports-obsessed world, paint our faces and act like fools treating every win with euphoria and every loss in despair as if we’d lost a loved one. It’s as if the game has become our raison d’etre. But I learned over the holidays it only takes one life altering experience to change your perspective. I’ve been a sports nut ever since I could read a sports page. Gonzaga Prep’s unbeaten state football championship was a time for celebration – but everything pales when juxtaposed against the story of West Valley standout Jace Malek’s battle with terminal cancer and a recent personal trial. I witnessed Jace first-hand as a high school sophomore, cutting through Clarkston football players like an axe through so much cordwood. I didn’t know who he was because the number he wore, 99, wasn’t listed in the program.
By Mike Vlahovich Splash Sports Editor Both Central Valley varsity basketball seasons were threequarters completed as of this publication and both were in the thick of things as they hurtled towards the playoffs. The girls were 15-0 overall and boys 12-3 headed into the final five games scheduled beginning Jan. 26 through Feb. 4. That will be followed by district tournaments beginning Feb. 9 advancing Greater Spokane League teams into state qualification regional contests against Mid-Columbia Conference qualifiers. The following is a capsule of CV winter seasons prior to playoffs that begin in early February: CV girls class of GSL field Central Valley’s girls have but a one senior who plays extensively – but the team is built around six sophomores with a couple of freshmen contributing as well. Despite the youth, that didn’t stop GSL coaches from tabbing the Bears league favorites prior to the season. They’ve lived up to the billing.
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LOCAL LENS
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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.
Photos by Bob Johnson, Spokane Sports ShotS The University High School students anxiously await the announcement of the Stinky Sneaker winner. The school chose Star Wars as their theme. Some storm troopers even showed up.
The story of the game. University High School’s Spencer Matt watches from the floor after his last second shot missed. Central Valley begins to celebrate their win.
Central Valley High School all dressed for the Stinky Sneaker in the “Shoerassic Park “ gear. The theme was carried through to the dance team dressed up as characters and even a dinosaur.
The Splash
FEBRUARY 2016 • 29
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The Splash
30 FEBRUARY 2016
Relay for Life Announces Triumphant Return to Liberty Lake By Steve Christilaw Splash Correspondent Somewhere in each of our lives, we’ve been touched by cancer. Too many of us have lost a loved one to the insidiousness of the disease, battled it ourselves or stood with a loved one in a pitched battle with it. Tanner Johnson’s connection is her beloved grandmother. “She was my best friend,” Johnson said. “What drives me is this: I don’t have children yet, but I don’t want them to have to fight the same fight with it that we do today.” As a representative of the American Cancer Society, Johnson coordinates with Relay for Life efforts throughout the Inland Northwest and she is busy working with the organizers of the Liberty Lake Relay for Life event to be held June 4 at Liberty Lake Elementary School after a one-year hiatus. The local contingent held a kick-off event on Jan. 21 at LLES with around 50 people in attendance. The Relay for Life effort was born in Washington state. A Tacoma colorectal surgeon, Dr. Gordy Klatt, wanted to personally raise money for his local American Cancer Society office, blending that desire with something he enjoyed doing: running marathons. In May of 1985, Klatt spent 24 hours running around the track at Baker Stadium at the University of Puget Sound. Friends, family and patients – nearly 300 of them – paid $25 too or walk for 30 minutes with him. The next year, 19 teams took part in the first team relay event and raised $33,000. “It’s now the largest fundraising event in the world,” Johnson said. The Liberty Lake Relay for Life debuted in 2011. After taking 2015 off, it is back bigger and stronger this year, Johnson said. “This is a rebuilding year for the community,” she said. “And we’re stronger than ever before. Right now we have eight volunteers on our team and we could really use about eight more. In terms of the support for our teams that fund raise, we could use all
the support we can get.” Johnson said the fundraisers are a total grassroots effort. She coordinates with half-a-dozen Relay for Life events in Spokane County alone and another at Washington State University. Each one is community owned and volunteer driven. “I’m here to help each of them organize and to get them the supplies they need,” she explained. “I’m also there to let them know where the money goes. It’s very important that donors know and understand that. “I explain to them that 74 cents out of every dollar we raise goes back into our mission – very high for a nonprofit. We have more than 3 million volunteers and more than 6,000 staff. And that the American Cancer Society is the largest private sponsor of cancer research in the country. “Locally we have cancer resource stations in three major hospitals in the Spokane area: Sacred Heart, Valley General and Deaconess. We have a program that allows people to stay free in a hotel if they have to go away from home for treatment. We have education programs and we even have a program that gives people wigs if they lose their hair during treatment.” Volunteers come to these events for a wide range of reasons. Virtually every individual story, and reason for helping to raise money to fight cancer, is different. “They’re all passionate and they’re all different,” Johnson said. “We’ve come a long way in the fight against cancer. You can see the advances in technology, in cancer screening, in mammography. It was an American Cancer Society-sponsored cancer
See RELAY, Page 38
Liberty Lake Relay for Life held a kickoff celebration Jan. 21 at Liberty Lake Elementary School. The event will take place June 4 at LLES after a one-year hiatus. Liberty Lake residents Mike Farris (left) and Kevin Johnson are helping to organize the festivities. Photo by Craig Howard
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FEBRUARY 2016 • 31
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HISTORY
Recalling lake’s diverse winter recreation heritage By Ross Schneidmiller Liberty Lake Historical Society A Dec. 15, 1901 SpokesmanReview article discussed the formation of wagon excursions by Spokane Club members to take advantage of fine skating conditions at Liberty Lake. Spokane newspapers have informed area residents of ice conditions on Liberty Lake ever since their existence. Headlines have read: “Auto Scrapes Snow From Liberty Lake to Give Spokane Skaters Smooth Ice” (Spokesman-Review, Jan. 19, 1924); “Say Ice Perfect At Liberty Lake” (Spokane Daily Chronicle, Jan. 22, 1928) and “Skating Is Tops at Liberty Lake; Others Snowed Up.” (Spokane Daily Chronicle, Jan. 16, 1946). The Coeur d' Alene & Spokane Railway Co. was just over two years old when they advertised the good skating at Liberty Lake. "Why not get up a skating party and have a special private car or train and return any time you please?" read the ad. In later years, the railway cleared snow from the ice with teams of horses to improve the ice conditions and fill more trains going to the lake. The Arctic Skating Club of Spokane started hosting contests at Liberty Lake in 1923. Their 1924 Ice Meet attracted a crowd of 3,500 skaters and spectators. Skate races of 50 yards to a half-mile were held with divisions for men, women, boys and co-eds. The grand prize one year was believed to
be a silver pair of skates offered by the Spokane Daily Chronicle. The Spokane Lions Club hosted a novelty ice golf tournament on Liberty Lake in the winter of 1929. The tournament was filmed from the air and on the ice. Its production was assured to be shown in 3,700 movies houses by Metro-Golden- Mayer across the nation. Nearly 20 Spokane University pep squad girls were part of the feature, wearing the official Lions’ uniforms as caddies. Charlie Young, who operated a general store on Liberty Lake's west side, would pull a food cart out onto the frozen lake to service the crowds of skaters.
During the 1920's it was often Young himself who would call the ice report in to the local papers. Skating games like tag, crack the whip and hockey were often part of a skater's day at Liberty Lake. Sometimes, however, activities took on more of a "skating-sledding meets extreme sport" kind of flair. Yet others found vehicles like motorcycles, automobiles and even planes to propel them faster over the ice. Prior to the plane lifting off the ice though, the skaters or sledders would let go of the rope. Warning: Never try these activities on ice or anywhere! In today's safety-conscious society, we will most likely never these extreme ice activities again, but skating remains very popular today at Liberty Lake.
FEBRUARY 2016 • 33
The Splash
34 FEBRUARY 2016
Reflections from the Lake By Jim Frank It was the summer of 1990. Our home on Inlet Drive was under construction. We had purchased a lot that had been on the market for nine years. High interest rates and the late 80s stock market crash had put a damper on the demand for property everywhere. Liberty Lake was no exception. I was walking the framing when our first visitors greeted us. They were longtime residents Stan Schultz and Ross Schniedmiller. After a “welcome to the community” and a bit of catchup, they got to the point. July 4th was coming up in a few weeks and they were raising money for the fireworks show on the lake. It was a lake tradition, and wonderfully still is, started years earlier along with the Alpine Shores neighborhood parade. As we look back 25 years later it was a small glimpse into the grit, culture and sense of community that define Liberty Lake. It was 15 years earlier, circa 1975, when a group of Liberty Lake residents and business owners realized that action to protect the water quality of Liberty Lake could not wait any longer. Led by Denny Ashlock (and many more) the community voted to tax themselves and with the support of local business owners Chuck Williams and Bill Main Sr., they formed the Liberty Lake Sewer District (the water part came years later) and began the process of eliminating septic discharges to the lake by providing public sewer service. There was no waiting for Spokane County or someone else coming to the rescue. If we want a better community it is up to us! That was the message delivered that summer day in 1990. For the past 20 odd years it has been more of the same. The names of the leaders and projects were different, but the message was the same. In the mid-1990s, the community wanted a park and Spokane County was not cooperating. They had other priorities, most importantly a sports complex at Plantes Ferry Park in the Valley. For most communities that would have been the end. For Liberty Lake it was the beginning.
E n t e r Leslie Zilka, Margaret B a r n e s , Rand Hatch (and many more) and the start of a three-year community effort beginning with the formation of the Friends of Pavillion Park (they are still active raising funds for community events) that led to the construction of the park. This was followed by Tom Specht and the trail committee, the community taxing themselves again in a Transportation Benefit District leading to a world-class trail system and a pedestrian bridge over the freeway. The message was delivered again. You don’t have to live here long to become a believer. I have often wondered how did this happen? Could every group of 3,000 people in the world take responsibility for their neighborhood, village or town in this way? Just imagine! There was an interesting recent article about the Seattle Seahawks. A noted psychologist from the University of Pennsylvania visited the team. She was investigating what she saw as a “culture of grit” in the Seahawks organization. What does it means to have “grit” and how is it developed? She gave a two-part definition: first, having a “passion” for what you are doing and second, the “perseverance” to be the best. Whatever it is Liberty Lake has it. There has always been a passion about this place we now call home. Indigenous people settled and returned here often. There has always been something special about Liberty Lake. The lake, and its long history of community gathering, but also the mountains rising up on three sides and the Spokane River all provide definition to a closeness to nature that resonates today as strongly as it ever has. Maybe the “perseverance” we have seen is respect for the uniqueness of where we live and the commitment to get it right in a constantly changing world. When we moved here in 1990, the Liberty Lake community was about 1,000 people. There were homes around the lake and a small residential area south of Valleyway. North of the Liberty Lake Golf Course was nothing but open farmland growing turf grass seed. The Hewlett-Packard facility (now Meadowwood Technology Campus) was an isolated
island on Appleway. Today the population is around 9,000 and growing, though now mostly to the north side of I-90. The “grit” is still here. The passion for this community and the perseverance to make it the best possible still resonates. There will be future challenges. Lake water quality takes constant vigilance, the needs in the community for recreational resources are growing and there is opportunity to build on the walkable character of the community. We are the city of Liberty Lake now and that helps in many respects, but as we work
to deal with community issues I don’t want to forget the message delivered to me that summer in 1990. When I cross paths with new neighbors, I hope to pass on the message as adeptly as my neighbors who came before. “Reflections from the Lake” is a new monthly column in The Splash featuring voices from the greater Liberty Lake community. Jim Frank is the founder and CEO of Greenstone Homes who has been instrumental in establishing civic staples like the Liberty Lake Farmers Market, summer concert/movie series at Pavillion Park and other initiatives.
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The Splash
FEBRUARY 2016 • 35
The Water Front
By BiJay Adams LLSWD general manager At the Liberty Lake Sewer and Water District we often hear questions from our customers about rate changes and our billing structure. We strive to be transparent, respond to customer requests and make sure the community understands how and why we operate the way we do. We take pride in our community and continually seek to improve the service we provide to our owners/ratepayers. With that said, what follows is a list of commonly asked questions in no particular order: Question: How much water do I get per month and what is the definition of an “ERU?” Answer: Single family residential units (Equivalent Residential Unit - ERU) are allotted a base of 240 gallons (32 cubic feet) of water per day. That equates to 7,320 gallons or 976 cubic feet per month. Question: Your water rates are low but are you considering raising water rates? Answer: The district’s 2015 water rate has remained unchanged since 1994. For 2016, the district only increased the base rate from $10.59 to $11.79 per month per ERU. No overage rates were increased. Current overage rates are as follows: Usage above 976 cubic feet is $0.0041 per cubic foot/month and usage above 3131 cubic feet is $0.00651 per cubic foot/month. Question: Why is my water overage so high – particularly in 2015?
a running faucet (or shower)
a flush
gallons per minute
gallons per flush
3,280 5 to 7 1.5 to 7
gallons per year
a bath
(average size tub)
30
gallons per bath
(YOU PAY $11.79 EACH MONTH TO USE AN AVERAGE OF 240 GALLONS OF WATER PER DAY)
E
EWER & W AT S
40
RICT DIST
oops ... too much water down the drain?
ER
a dripping faucet
If all the household water is off, the indicator should not be moving. If the small wheel is turning on the meter, you should contact the district for help in determining if there is a leak. If your lawn sprinklers are in use, an overage is much more common and may not be a good indicator of a leak in your system, so checking the bill during the winter months (March billing) is a more accurate starting point. Question: Why am I subsidizing the sewer system with the super high water rates? Answer: The short answer is that customers are not subsidizing either utility. Municipal utilities in Washington state are operated as enterprise funds without taxation. LLSWD operates independent water and sewer utilities, accounting for each as a separate enterprise. Part of the district’s mission is to assure pure drinking water and effectively treated wastewater with low rates and fiscal responsibility. We maintain some of the lowest water and sewer rates in the region and in the state. In a recent survey, the district was the lowest per 1,000 cubic foot charge out of 16 water purveyors in the Spokane area. Question: Why does my sewer rate keep increasing? Answer: The Washington State Department of Ecology issues National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits to discharge to the Spokane River. The most recent permit, issued July 2011, requires stringent new levels of phosphorus removal. To meet these new standards, we are mandated to install expensive membrane filtration equipment that must be up and running by 2018. This additional treatment will further reduce phosphorous
LIBERTY LA K
News and insight from the Liberty Lake Sewer and Water District
Answer: Your water overage may be high for a couple of reasons. First, you may be applying too much water to your landscape. The district bills quarterly for water used and we bill over the past several months of use. For example, the December bill includes irrigation usage for the last half of August, September, October and the first half of November. The summer of 2015 was abnormally hot, dry and was longer in duration. Lakes, rivers, streams and the Spokane Valley-Rathdrum Prairie Aquifer all experienced near historic lows. In 2015, the district pumped 558 million gallons (52 percent) more water than it did in 2014; the average per day usage nearly doubled from 2.9 million gallons per day in 2014 to 4.5 million gallons per day in 2015. Single family residential customers in the district used an average of 31 percent more water in 2015 than in 2014. The cost to deliver this water also sharply increased for the district. In 2015, the electrical cost alone to meet customer demand increased by 15 percent. Secondly, you may have an undetected leak. Leaks in service lines, toilets, faucets, meters, and irrigation systems could result in water overages. An irrigation system that has a leak 1/32 inches in diameter (about the thickness of a dime) can waste about 6,300 gallons of water per month. A leaky faucet dripping at one drip per second can waste more than 3,000 gallons per year. To check for water leaks in your home or business, first check the toilets, sinks and showers. If your toilets and sinks don’t appear to be leaking, and you have overage and suspect a leak, you can check the water meter. Each meter has a flow indicator wheel or triangle on the face.
CELEBRATING
YEARS
For more information please call: 509-922-5443
discharge to less than a halfpound per day from our facility. This will equate to removal of more than 99 percent of phosphorous entering the facility. The estimated cost of this upgrade is $17.1 million. In early 2015, the district received loan funding through Washington State Department of Ecology’s state revolving fund. The Liberty Lake Sewer and Water District is not alone in this mandate. Anyone discharging to the Spokane River is held to these same standards. This includes Hayden Lake, city of Coeur d’Alene, city of Post Falls, Liberty Lake Sewer and Water District, Kaiser Aluminum, Inland Empire Paper Company, Spokane County and the city of Spokane. Sewer rate increases will be felt by all in this region. Question: How often does the district bill its customers and will you be going to monthly billing? Answer: Traditionally the district has billed for commercial accounts on monthly cycles and residential accounts on quarterly cycles. We are happy to announce that the district is planning to transition to monthly billing, beginning in April 2016. Base rate will be billed monthly and overage usage will continue to be billed quarterly. Both bills will reflect the previous monthly and quarterly usage, respectively. Monthly bills will go out on the 15th of the month and are due 30 days later on the 15th of the following month. Question: Can I pay electronically and can I set up a recurring payment? Answer: E-billing and online payments are available through our website at www. libertylake.org. The system is easy to use and allows you to receive and pay your sewer and water bill online. E-billing provides convenient payment options, 24/7 access to billing, 18 months of payment history and is paperless. Recurring payments can be also made through this portal. There is no charge for EFT (check) payments. Previously this was a cost of 95 cents but the district now absorbs this fee. However, there is a $4.95 fee for credit/debit card payments.
36 FEBRUARY 2016
LOCAL LENS
The Splash
Frozen fairway
Branching out
A resilient sunrise peeks through the early-morning fog on the seventh tee at Meadowwood Golf Course. Photo by Arlene Galovic
A Downy Woodpecker and American Goldfinch hanging out together in a Liberty Lake backyard last month. Photo by Michael Hassett
Valerie McCall, whose grandparents Cash and Connie McCall live in Liberty Lake, studied abroad in Europe over the fall, visiting landmarks like Buckingham Palace in London and Cinque Terre in Italy. McCall made sure to take along the latest copy of The Splash throughout her travels. Contributed photos
Lakeside trek This moose and her calf were spotted on the north side of Liberty Lake last month. The pair walked briefly on the ice but soon returned to the safety of the shore. Photo by Tom Specht
Chamber Gala At the annual awards ceremony for the Greater Spokane Chamber of Commerce the Liberty Lake Kiwanis were nominated for Non-Profit of the Year. The Liberty Lake Kiwanis is very active in the community striving to make Liberty Lake a better place. Photo by Danica Wick
The Splash
FEBRUARY 2016 • 37
Service Directory EDITOR/PUBLISHER Ben
Wick
MEDICARE INSURANCE
ben@libertylakesplash.com
EDITOR
Craig Howard
craig@libertylakesplash.com GRAPHICS EDITOR
Danica Wick
sarah@libertylakesplash.com
509-927-9200
I offer some of the lowest cost Medicare Supplements in the state. Brian Gruss Independent Agent
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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.
HANDYMAN SERVICES MAKE ME A LIST & CALL! Chamberlain Contracting Services specializes in household repairs: ceramic tile, bathroom remodels, electrical, plumbing, painting, deck, door and window repair. Small jobs welcome. Flexible hours. Free bids and no money required upfront. Licensed, bonded, insured. Call Tom at 509-432-6780.
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.
ODD JOBS THE CLEAN UP BROS! Zach (age 17) and Isaiah (age 14) Rademacher are two hard working young men looking for odd jobs to earn extra money. Our Rate: Pay us what you think the job is worth. How cool is that? To hire us please call 255-9194 or email: TheCleanUpBros@gmail.com
Clark’s Tire and Automotive • Family Medicine/Healthy Living Liberty Lake Greenstone • Liberty Lake Family Dentistry • Liberty Lake Orthodontics Liberty Lube • Post Falls Family Dental • Spokane County Library District Thrivent Financial • Weishaar, Sue Weishaar D.D.S.
Index of advertisers
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. Advertising information Display ad copy and camera-ready ads are due by 5 p.m. on the 15th of the month for the following month’s issue. Call 242-7752 for more information.
HANDYMAN SERVICES HEINZ PAINTING & HANDYMAN Hardworking, honest, and on time. Free estimates! I have the time and tools to get the job done right. Call today! Dave Heinz, 509-953-8093. WA Licensed, Bonded, and Insured, HEINZPH924BW. Countless satisfied Liberty Lake, Otis Orchards, and Newman Lake customers.
Advertising integrity Inaccurate or deceptive advertising is 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.
EVENT & MEETING FACILITY HAVE AN EVENT COMING UP? The Tri Community Grange Event Hall is an affordable and ideal location for parties, receptions, dances, reunions and meetings. Full kitchen, stage, piano, tables and chairs, handicap accessible, large parking lot and free signage. Call Gary at 509-481-0727 or email geje2@yahoo.com.
Following are the local advertisers in this issue of The Splash. Amaculate Housekeeping Anytime Fitness Ashley at Salon Capello Avista Utilities Banner Furnace & Fuel Casey Family Dental Central Valley Theatre Clark’s Tire & Automotive Coldwell Banker - Rob Brickett Cornerstone Church Evergreen Fountain Exercise Institute Family Medicine Liberty Lake GraceSon Housing Foundation Greenstone
7 23 11 4 38 38 30 3 31 38 25 11 9 10 23
John L Scott - Pam Fredrick 7 Karen Does My Hair 6 KiDDS Dental 21 Kiwanis of Liberty Lake 18 Lake City Ice Skating 18 Lakeside Vision PLLC 32 Liberty Lake Baptisit Church 11 Liberty Lake Community Theatre 32 Liberty Lake EyeCare Center 7 Liberty Lake Family Dentistry 5 Liberty Lake Municipal Library 19 Liberty Lake Orthodontics 32 Liberty Lake Pet Sitters 7 Liberty Lake Physical Therapy 38 Liberty Lake Sewer & Water District 35
Nail Palace 32 Northern Quest 40 Ott Knott Used Golf Carts 26 Ponti Veterinary Hospital 29 Riverview Little League 18 S&L Handyman 18 Simonds Dental Group 40 Spokane County Conservation District 32 Stearns Home Loans 29 Thrivent Financial 34 Tracy Jeweler 7 Umpqua Bank 23 Valley Hospital 31 Weishaar, Sue Weishaar D.D.S. 16
Of note: This thank you message was produced by The Splash’s advertising team, which works its tail off on behalf of partner businesses, helping them share their messages through advertisements. This is an independent function from The Splash’s editorial team, which has its own evaluation process to determine the community news stories and features it pursues. For more information about a win-win partnership that expertly markets your business to thousands of readers (while making this home-grown community newspaper possible), email advertise@libertylakesplash.com. With story ideas, contact editor@libertylakesplash.com.
The Splash
38 FEBRUARY 2016
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RELAY
Does my mom have options besides dentures? A patient of mine who wore dentures once told me how she chose what to order from a restaurant menu. Her question was not, “What looks delicious?” It wasn’t even, “What would be healthy for me?” Instead, she was looking to order the few limited items that she knew she could chew. Her life changed dramatically when we were able to replace her dentures with dental implants instead. While dentures give you about 25% the chewing power of normal teeth, implants provide an actual replacement for natural missing teeth and restore over 90% chewing power. Secured in the gum or jaw, this method of placement makes them the most natural tooth replacement system. In short, they look and feel like your own teeth. You even care for them as you would your natural teeth. While dentures can be initially more affordable, their removable nature not only makes them less reliable, but less functional as well. Dentures require maintenance and care that is both time-consuming and potentially costly over time. We would be happy to visit with you or your loved ones about whether dental implants are right for you.
— Dr. Timothy J. Casey
Liberty Lake resident Member, American Dental Association
Continued from page 30 prevention study in the 1960s that discovered the link between smoking and cancer.” Every relay for life looks different. Spokane looks different than Relay for Life in Liberty Lake. Liberty Lake will be a 12-hour, all-day relay at Liberty Lake Elementary School. Johnson said there are three ways to be involved. “The first way is team fundraising,” she explained. “Members of teams will be placed in the field at the school. Individual fund raisers will do their own – sending out letters to family members to support their Relay for Life cause. And then we have day-of-event fundraising – selling cookies, some fun competitions and food booths.” Return of the Relay The 2016 Liberty Lake Relay for Life will take place June 4 from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. at Liberty Lake Elementary, 23606 E. Boone Ave. Planning meetings will take place Feb. 18, March 17, April 21 and May 19 in the Tierpoint Conference Room (Suite 121) at the Liberty Lake Portal, 23403 E. Mission Ave. For more information, contact Event Lead Kevin Johnson at Libertylakerelay@gmail.com or visit www.Relayforlife.org/libertylakewa.
The Splash
ON THAT NOTE
FEBRUARY 2016 • 39
Setting sail on the latest voyage of The Splash By Craig Howard Splash Editor Since premiering in 1999, The Splash has woven itself into the fabric of the Liberty Lake community along the same stitches as the golf cart commute, savvy trail navigation and a certain network of yard sales that takes over suburbia for one Saturday each summer. While print journalism has been on the wane nationwide over the past 15 years or more, The Splash has thrived, winning awards and readers with a consistent menu of relevant local news that can’t be found anywhere else. To borrow a phrase from the heyday of the industry, this is a paper that still “flies off the racks.” Just for the record, the December issue of The Splash checked in with a 98 percent pick-up rate at distribution sites throughout Liberty Lake. Pretty impressive, especially when you consider the publication is already mailed to every household in the area. I began covering Liberty Lake City Hall as a reporter for the Spokane Valley News Herald in April of 2002, just about six months after the area celebrated its incorporation as Spokane County’s newest city. Council meetings ran long back then, as Mayor Steve Peterson – yes, the same one who still presides over city proceedings – and the governing board sorted through stacks of resolutions and ordinances, laying the foundation of the city we know today. Back then, council met at the Liberty Lake Sewer and Water District headquarters. The adhoc City Hall in the Greenstone building just to the north couldn’t accommodate a traditional dais, let alone a crowd of interested citizens. Attendees in the early days included influential residents
like former Washington Secretary of State Lud Kramer who had relocated from the Puget Sound area to Liberty Lake and served as one of the catalysts for the successful vote to incorporate his new home. Kramer, who passed away in 2004, was a fan of short, well-run council meetings. He had served on the Seattle City Council and valued efficiencies over longwinded debate. To this day, when a council gathering wraps up in tidy fashion, Mayor Peterson will sometimes acknowledge his old friend by saying, “Lud would have appreciated this one.” From Rocky Hill Park to the pedestrian bridge to the Harvard Road roundabout, capital projects in Liberty Lake have shifted the look of the community since incorporation. Other landmarks, like the Trailhead at Liberty Lake golf course, now generate their share of revenue and visitors thanks to the city’s foresight and investment. For all the good times in Liberty Lake, there have been some stormy episodes too. The attempted takeover of the Liberty Lake Sewer and Water District by the city in 2003 split the community and cost both sides a small fortune in legal fees. Ultimately, LLSWD remained autonomous, although the ripple effect was felt for years. While the city and LLSWD are on much better terms now, the confrontation served as an important reminder that certain civic entities are probably better off left alone. Officially established in 1973, LLSWD is revered as an institution that rescued Liberty Lake from the mire of sludge and phosphorous while establishing the water and sewer infrastructure that made the community possible. Both in my tenure at the Herald
and as a regular contributor with The Splash since early 2012, I’ve been fortunate to cross paths with a number of the pioneers who built Liberty Lake into what Mayor Peterson fondly refers to as “Spokane County’s premier address.” I interviewed Bill Main Jr. about the vision of an “urban village” that he and his father, Bill Main Sr., had for the area back in the early 1980s. The template of plentiful greenspace, mixed-use development and pedestrian friendly design was skillfully expanded by Jim Frank and Greenstone Homes who formed thoughtfully crafted neighborhoods that simply functioned better than anything people had seen before. I first heard about Jim when I was writing a story about Spokane Valley (now Greater Spokane County) Meals on Wheels. He went to bat for the organization in the early days and was remembered in high esteem by those who still worked and volunteered there. Of course his role as a catalyst would continue in Liberty Lake, not only as an insightful developer but as an architect of ideas like the Liberty Lake Farmers’ Market and Pavillion Park summer movie and concert series. I got to know Harley Halverson, one of the early employees of Hewlett Packard, the community’s anchor tenant that broke ground in 1979 with a high-tech campus that stuck out like a UFO in the middle of the Adirondacks. At the time, HP’s neighbors included a Zip Trip, the county golf course and an assortment of wildlife that roamed the abundant fields that would later become home to commercial and residential development.
Harley would go on to become a commissioner with LLSWD, leading with a wise and gentle manner. In addition to spinning off Agilent, Halverson’s employer would pave the way for businesses like Key Tronic, Telect and Itron that became pillars of Liberty Lake’s burgeoning commercial scene. While I covered Liberty Lake traditions like the Easter Egg Hunt and the Lud Kramer Memorial Concert as a reporter, I also brought my family to movies at Pavillion Park each summer and lugged my golf clubs across the fairways at Trailhead, Meadowwood and the county course, usually with my dad. It wasn’t long before I viewed the entirety of Liberty Lake as a sort of reassuring oasis – even when my tee shot sailed far into the pine trees. Beyond the gorgeous terrain, it is the people of Liberty Lake who make this community truly stand out. From service clubs like Kiwanis to groups like Friends of Pavillion Park and efforts like the Fallen Heroes Circuit Course, the residents here have a remarkable heritage of donating their time, talents and energy to worthwhile causes. Like bricks assembled to form a building, the substance of Liberty Lake has been built by hour upon hour of volunteer commitment. Spurred by those who have forged this unique legacy – including former Splash publisher Josh Johnson who guided the paper skillfully and thoughtfully over a dozen years – a new team now takes over the responsibility of chronicling the unfolding story of Liberty Lake. It is a formidable task, but you won’t find us complaining. We just feel fortunate to be aboard the ship.
The Splash
40 FEBRUARY 2016
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