November 2019 Splash

NOVEMBER

THE

LIBERTY LAKE

PRSRT STD ECRWSS U.S. Postage Paid Permit #010 ZIP CODE 99019

2019

FREE

COMMUNITY NEWSMAGAZINE

Adding bustle to bistro Examining the recipe for success in Liberty Lake’s complex restaurant scene, page 10

THE RESULTS ARE IN FROM OUR MOCK ELECTION PAGE 4

CV SLOW PITCH ENJOYS STELLAR SEASON PAGE 22

MUSEUM PROGRAM FOCUSING ON LIBERTY LAKE HISTORY PAGE 31

2 • NOVEMBER 2019

The Splash

DOCKSIDE Numbers Guy

Genoway proves valuable addition to LLSWD

By Craig Howard Splash Contributing Editor

As an avid golfer, Bill Genoway is accustomed to navigating around sand, water and pesky brush to reach the green.

In early 2018, Genoway vaulted to the leaderboard with the Liberty Lake Sewer and Water District (LLSWD) due in no small part to his experience working around a different kind of green.

The Spokane native was sworn in as the latest member of the LLSWD Board of Commissioners on Jan. 8, 2018, after Steve Skipworth moved outside of district boundaries. Genoway spent 28 years in public works with the city of Spokane, rising to the role of finance manager.

When the LLSWD vacancy opened, Liberty Lake City Administrator Katy Allen, who had worked with Genoway during his tenure in Spokane, encouraged him to apply. He was one of four board hopefuls to be interviewed.

“Bill has brought new perspectives and ideas to the board,” said LLSWD General Manager BiJay Adams. “His background in finance has been helpful as we navigate expensive district projects.”

The appointment process was only the beginning of Genoway’s journey as the newest commissioner, joining a triumvirate that includes Tom Agnew and Kottayam Natarajan.

By state law, he had to run in last fall’s general election to fulfill the remaining year of Skipworth’s six-year term. He is on the ballot again this November – unopposed – to secure his own six-year tenure.

Bill and his wife Gayle moved to the Liberty Lake area in 2005 after spending close to three decades on Spokane’s South Hill.

They initially settled just outside city limits, near the lake, before relocating to Meadowwood Village inside Liberty Lake proper five years ago. Genoway has the distinction of being only

Photo by Craig Howard Bill Genoway was sworn in as a commissioner with the Liberty Lake Sewer and Water District in January 2018, replacing Steve Skipworth. Genoway, who spent 28 years in public works with the city of Spokane, became only the second resident of incorporated Liberty Lake to serve as a district commissioner.

the second LLSWD commissioner – Skipworth being the first – to live within municipal boundaries.

“I think having a city resident on the board is kind of important, especially when you consider issues like growth and infrastructure,” Genoway says.

Genoway grew up in the Hillyard neighborhood of northeast Spokane at a time when Kaiser Aluminum and the railroad thrived as economic pillars. He graduated from Rogers High School in 1965 and was accepted into Eastern Washington University with the intention to study architecture.

After a year at EWU, Genoway migrated west to the Puget Sound area, latching on with Boeing.

He worked on an assembly line, making $3.08 an hour.

The Vietnam War was at the center of the nation’s attention at the time and, at 19, Genoway was drafted into the Army. He reported to Fort Lewis in Tacoma and later Fort Polk in Louisiana.

By September of that year, he was deployed to southeast Asia.

Genoway spent a year in Vietnam and completed his twoyear service requirement back in the U.S. The experience of combat – in addition to the way he was treated by many upon his return – made for a jarring homecoming.

“We were almost shunned,” Genoway said. “I didn’t talk about it for 20 years.”

That changed when Genoway joined a Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) club in Spokane Valley.

“It helped to talk about it,” he said.

Genoway would go on to spend 20 years in the Army Reserves. He provided computer support and payroll assistance to the Army Reserve School that taught at sites like Idaho State and the University of NevadaReno.

Bill and Gayle were married in

September 1968. They have two grown sons, Scott and Eric, and four grandchildren.

After earning a two-year degree at Kinman Business School in Spokane, Genoway was hired by Metropolitan Mortgage.

He spent five years there but soon saw a ceiling.

“I liked it, but it didn’t seem like I would really go anywhere,” he recalls.

Genoway’s career path took a unique turn when he decided to take up farming in the Palouse with Gayle’s father. After nearly two years raising wheat and barley, Bill and Gayle returned to Spokane after he was hired by the city. They moved into a home on the South Hill and lived there until Genoway retired in 2002.

Genoway has adapted smoothly to his role as commissioner, lending his expertise in bookkeeping and accounting. He also takes pride in shedding light on the essential work LLSWD undertakes every day. He was among a proud group of district representatives to welcome around 200 visitors to an open house at the treatment plant this summer.

“It’s a cool plant with a lot of educational value,” Genoway said. “The community should know this is their deal. They should be proud they have this kind of place.”

Q: How has your view of the Liberty Lake Sewer and Water District and utility districts in general changed since you became a LLSWD commissioner?

A: My view of the Liberty Lake Sewer and Water District was like most people’s view in the district – turn on the faucet and drink the water, flush the toilet, it’s no problem. The services that district provides are taken for granted.

Since becoming a commissioner, I see how much effort goes into

See GENOWAY, Page 5

NOVEMBER 2019 • 3

The Splash

Building a better community, together!

My goal is to bring new leadership and experience to the city council. As a business owner and veteran, I feel my qualifications are well suited for the job. I have lived in Liberty Lake for 20 years; I want to ensure our city remains vibrant for years to come. I love our city and would be honored to receive your vote!

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4 • NOVEMBER 2019

The results are in!

The Splash

NEWS from our mock election

Last month, on October 10, 2019, the students from the CHASE Youth Commission partnered with The Splash to create a candidate forum that featured Liberty Lake City Council Candidates. All those in attendance were asked to participate in a mock election at the completion of the program. Here are the results. (Right hand column includes the results from Spokane Valley forum held Oct 3 as well)

Liberty Lake Mayor Shane Brickner Steve Peterson

47 18

Spokane Valley Fire Department 72% 28%

Liberty Lake City Council POS. 1

Phil Folyer 25 Dg Garcia 41

38% 62%

Commissioner Position 1 Patrick Burch Bradley Mertens

64 34

Commissioner position 2 Mike Kester Ron Schmidt 34

52

60% 40%

Central Valley School District

Pos. 3

Dan Dunne 26 Holly Woodruff 36

42% 58%

Board of directors District 1

Cindy McMullen 71 John Myers 12

Pos. 5

Annie Kurtz 49 Bob Moore 17

74% 26%

Board of directors District 3 Susan Dolan Debra Long

Pos. 7

65% 35%

Cris Kaminskas 42 Tom Stanley 23

65% 35%

16 76

MAKE YOUR VOTE COUNT!

17% 83%

Initative 976 Yes 10 No 72

RETURN YOUR BALLOT BY NOVEMBER 5

86% 14%

12% 88%

Thank you to all of the students, teachers and our partners who helped make this event possible.

The Splash

GENOWAY

NEWS

Continued from page 2 having the quality of services we provide.

Q: You are alone on the general election ballot in your bid to remain a commissioner -- not an uncommon occurrence when it comes to this office. Why do you think there has historically been such little interest in this role?

A: Most people probably don’t even know that commissioners are a part of the district. Many people would feel they didn’t have the experience to be a part of a sewer and water district in this capacity, or they don’t want to give the time to that kind of community service.

Q: You have lived in the greater Spokane area most of your life. What do you remember about Liberty Lake from, say, 40 years ago? What are some of the biggest changes you’ve seen in this community?

A: I remember as a teenager coming into Sandy Beach for the slab dances. There wasn’t much else in Liberty Lake at the time.

I do remember a gas station and that’s about all. The biggest change since moving here is how beautiful this little city has become. You can’t help but notice the growth but it’s still a great place to live.

Q: In what ways has your past professional experience been a benefit as it relates to your responsibilities as a LLSWD commissioner?

A: I worked for the city of Spokane for almost 30 years in public works. I have a pretty good understanding of how water and sewer departments function. It’s not much different here, just on a smaller scale.

Q: You have been a volunteer instructor with the Central Valley School District for a number of years. What do you find rewarding about this work?

A: Working in special education for the Central Valley School District has been a very rewarding experience. Seeing those young people progress and succeed is amazing. I had no experience in this area so it

was on-the-job training. I feel fortunate to be a part of the program and recommend it to anyone looking for something different to do with their time.

Q: We’ve heard a few rumblings about reclaimed water and the Saltese Flats area. What can you tell us about where things stand and how it might affect LLSWD’s efforts when it comes to your approach to discharging water?

A: We are studying the possibility of using Saltese Flats as an alternative to discharging into the Spokane River. If we can use Saltese, it would be a huge benefit to the district in terms of eliminating many regulations required to discharge effluent into the river.

Q: As a an avid golfer, give us your elevator speech on why Liberty Lake is one of the region’s best golfing communities.

A: Golfing is a big part of why I moved to Liberty Lake after retiring. Liberty Lake is a golf Mecca. Two 18-hole championship qualities courses and a beautiful nine-hole course in the city limits.

For a city the size of Liberty Lake, that is remarkable.

Q: Let’s say you did have a challenger in the commissioner’s race this fall. What would be your approach to campaigning, and what would be your top three priorities for the district?

A: The Liberty Lake Sewer and Water District is made up of three divisions. The three divisions are the priority of the district. First is the maintenance of a sewer system that is the best environmentally safe one for our customers. Second is to provide safe, clean, healthy water for our customers. Third is to keep the lake in the best possible condition for its recreational and aesthetic appeal.

Q: Finally, what do you like best about living, working and serving in the Liberty Lake community?

A: Liberty Lake has everything you might want in a small city.

Close to medical care, shopping, dining, recreation and many more activities. Most of all, Liberty Lake is a beautiful place to live, to work and to play.

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6 • NOVEMBER 2019

The Splash

Police Report SVFD Report From Splash News Sources

From Splash News Sources

The following activity of the Liberty Lake Police Department was reported for the month of September: • Total incidents and calls for service 630 • Traffic collisions 4 • Citations 82 • DUI 3 • Theft 19 • Malicious mischief 2 • Argument/assault 8 • Suspicious vehicles 36

Spokane Valley Fire Department crews responded to a total of 96 emergency calls in the greater Liberty Lake area* from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, up from 87 in the previous period.

Notably, vehicle accidents rose from 1 to 5. Building alarm calls also were a little higher, moving up from 5 the month prior to 9.

• Emergency Medical Services 70 • Building Alarms 9 • Motor Vehicle Accidents 5 • Fires 3 • Dispatched and cancelled en route 7 • Fires

3 • Technical Rescue 1

Attempted Suicide – On Sept. 16, officers received a report that a subject had set themselves on fire in an attempt to commit suicide. Upon arrival at the location, officers could smell a strong odor of gasoline coming from the residence. Once inside they observed the subject to have burns to the neck, chest and stomach. Fire arrived on scene and treated the subject, who was then transported to an area hospital for care.

SPASH/CURRENT • 9.83x5.66 Malicious Mischief – On Sept. 28, a

complainant reported upon exiting an area business, close to $1,000 worth of damage had been done to his vehicle.

Fraud/Theft – On Sept. 29, officers received a report of a theft from an

area business. Upon arrival, they were notified a male had been detained at the location after leaving without paying for his meal totaling $30.49. The male refused to identify himself and would not answer any questions. Officers conducted a search incident to arrest and located court documents from another jurisdiction. However, because officers were unable to positively identify the male, he was booked into jail under the name John Doe for theft and obstructing law enforcement officers.

•

Service Calls

1

The *service area for SVFD Station No. 3 in Liberty Lake Alarm System – On Sept. 15, SVFD responded to a carbon monoxide (CO) detector activation call at First Liberty Apartments on East Hawkstone Loop in Liberty Lake.

A mother and her children had evacuated to their car prior to crews arriving on scene.

Crews entered the home for an inspection of the CO alarm. There were no gas appliances in the home, and CO levels were not detected.

The alarm was chirping due to low batteries.

SVFD Crews provided education about CO and smoke alarm chirping when batteries need to be replaced.

Alarm System – On Sept. 19, SVFD responded to an alarm around 10 a.m. on 19122 E. Indiana. A call from the alarm company said it was a general smoke detector, but no zones were given. When crews arrived, there was nothing showing that was unusual. They did not have access to the inside. Residents were outside and said they believed bug bombs had set off the alarm. Crews not finding anything unusual and returned to service.

Structural Fire – On Oct. 4, SVFD responded to a call for a possible smoke investigation. When crews arrived, they initially saw a large fire in a field in back of a house. After parking in the front, they went to investigate the fire in the back field and found

a large recreational fire. Crews informed the homeowners of the rules and regulations regarding recreational fires. The homeowner agreed to put the fire out while firefighters were still on scene. Crews then returned to service.

Single Engine Service Call – On Oct. 7, SVFD responded to a call for a homeowner locked out of the home where a 4-year-old was inside sleeping. Valley Engine 3 responded and made entry by removing a plastic cover on a dog door and reaching up for the door handle. Crews verified that the homeowner’s ID matched the person trying to gain access to the locked home. Once everyone was safe, crews returned to service.

Accident – On Oct. 8, SVFD responded to a 911 call regarding a pickup truck that had crashed near the roundabout at Mission and Harvest Parkway. Upon arrival, crews came upon a full size pickup truck resting on top of the 3- to 4-foot tall roundabout.

Both the roundabout and the pickup truck sustained extensive damage. After examining the situation, crews found only one person in the vehicle. The manner in which the truck was positioned required a full extrication response. Once on scene, the extrication crew worked quickly to remove the passenger of the vehicle, who had life-threatening injuries.

AMR transported the patient to the hospital, where he died from wounds sustained from the accident.

Let’s Connect!

Join us to learn about innovative programs happening inside our schools and CVSD! All COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS EVENTS include breakfast: w November 7, 8-9:30am – Liberty Creek Elementary, 23909 E. Country Vista Dr.

COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS

Highlighting arts in education, enjoy a patriotic Veterans Day performance & experience Liberty Creek’s Meet the Masters art program, showcasing Andy Warhol this month.

w November 14, 7:30-9am – Central Valley High School, 821 S. Sullivan Rd.

Featuring ASB, DECA, Project Lead the Way, library innovation, community service, tech theater, cheerleading, orchestra and much more.

w November 21, 8-9:30am – Ponderosa Elementary, 10105 E. Cimmaron Dr.

It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood! Come see and hear unique extra-curricular opportunities offered to Ponderosa Wildcats. Won’t you be our guest?

w December 5, 7:30-9am – University High School, 12420 E. 32nd Ave.

Learn about U-High programs, including Army JROTC, AP Capstone, Career & Technical Education, computer science, choir, girls basketball and more.

w December 12, 7:30-9am – North Pines Middle School, 11900 E. Broadway Ave.

Is teaching positive character and social skills to middle school students possible?

Experience how Character Strong curriculum creates clear academic and behavioral expectations at North Pines.

Everyone is welcome – RSVP today!

Online: CVSD.org • Call: 509-558-5532 • E-mail: cbusch@cvsd.org

NOVEMBER 2019 • 7

The Splash

The Lookout

v

Planning Commission weighs in on amendments

Sponsorship Opportunities

The city of Liberty Lake Planning Commission has helped our City Council with key decisions in planning our community. They helped develop and provide recommendations to council on the following development code amendments:

$7,500 Opening Ceremony Sponsor

• Street amendments

tree

ordinance

• Design review code amendments • Food truck code amendments • Small wireless facility code amendments The Planning Commission reviewed and provided recommendations to City Council on 10 comprehensive plan and development code amendments as part of our annual review cycle and they have begun the review of the city’s landscape code to recommend potential amendments.

As an advisory board to the City Council, these commissioners volunteer their time, ideas, and recommendations to serve our city and its citizens.

Please take time to view the budget documents and the strategic plan on the city’s website. They are just another reason why Liberty Lake continues to be Spokane County’s premier address.

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2 P R ESENT

$5,000 Lighting Sponsor

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Harvard Road Bridge Parks and Arts overlay project Includes sponsor sign in park Commission delivers complete $500 Community Sponsor impact City of Liberty Lake 22710 E Country Vista Dr. Liberty Lake, WA 99019 509-755-6714

$1,000 Park Sponsor

The city of Liberty Lake Parks and Includes large sign around the Arts Commission haspark helped liven up perimeter of the our city with very unique artwork – from utilityNight boxSponsor wraps, story walks, $100 Silent colorful trash cans, invaluable art and mention Media aIncludes sculpture.

And on all Social this with generous donations from local businesses and citizens, only using a portion of their annual budget.

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As an advisory board to the City Council, these commissioners volunteer their talents GET MORE DETAILS ABOUT WINTERtime, GLOW VIA SOCIAL MEDIA and ideas with results.

Stay up-to-date by visitingphenomenal us at our website Thanks to them you have art to (spokanewinterglow.org) on Facebook admire throughout the city. And, (Spokane Winter Glow Spectacular) or on Twitter they other plans in the works, (Spokanehave Winter Glow @ SpknWinterGlow) so keep a on look out for more in the (cityoflibertylake) Facebook future!

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The Harvard Road bridge overlay is complete, including repaving and striping. This project was completed in the allotted time frame, even with a few required scheduled changes due to weather conditions like the early snow and cold weather we incurred in October.

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Spirits 2

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OPENING EVENT:

NOVEMBER 23RD, 4-8 PM LIGHTING CEREMONY 5 PM

v

Recapping 2019, we have worked hard to maintain our facilities, trails, parks and open space while preparing for an aggressive capital facilities

Our partnership with Central Valley School District continues to grow with the inclusion of Liberty Creek K-2, Selkirk Middle School and starting construction of Ridgeline High School.

We will have K-12 education all within

Our Planning Commission has worked diligently to clean up our comprehensive plan and development code. Our Parks and Arts Commission has gone over-the-top on utility wraps, programs and now murals beginning in Pavillion Park. They have been awesome! Our library board continues to focus on the future with the needs assessment study due out in late December. Finally, the Liberty Lake Youth Commission has

While 2019 was good, the future is in 2020! Economic development will be a top priority to increase our business success, job growth, and diversification of city revenues.

Small business depends on increased wages and disposable income to be successful. We must diligently, grow, retain and recruit new employers as they are an essential factor in achieving a vibrant city.

v

The focus of my proposed 2020 city budget is building connection to our strategic plan. The four pillars of our strategic plan are: 1. Vibrant economy and business environment 2.

Safe, active and engaged community 3. Sustainable resources 4. Quality facilities and Infrastructure.

In making the connection, we look to our 2019 outcomes and prepare for our 2020 expectations.

added new members and has robust youth programing as their goal in the coming years.

DISPLAY SCHEDULE:

NOVEMBER 23, 2019-JANUARY 1, 2020

P

A lighting display for the whole family Orchard Park 20298 E, Indiana Ave. Liberty Lake, WA 99019

v

Mayor

our city boundaries. We began to provide a school resource officers from our police department, joint library experiences, athletics use of our tennis and golf facilities, additional pedestrian safety with the Safe Route to School programs and the addition of more trail connections to schools from our community.

h

from the

budget that addresses transportation needs of our growing community.

We had a strong financial year with a growing economy, almost record building permits and additional state funds being committed to the city from the state legislature and Transportation Improvement Board.

We have whittled off all of our longterm debt except for a final payment of $80,760 due June of 2020.

According to the county assessor, our real estate assets total more than $15 million dollars – unheard of for a city of this size and age.

v

MEMO

November 2019

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

8 • NOVEMBER 2019

The Splash

City Council News and Notes

By Craig Howard Splash Contributing Editor

• Mayor Steve Peterson presented his 2020 municipal budget at the Oct. 15 council meeting, noting the document features “conservative revenue projections and disciplined expenditures.” Peterson stressed that fiscal priorities for next year should include pedestrian safety, taking care of city parks and Trailhead Golf Course, making transportation improvements, maintaining the municipal facilities and fleet, improving citizen engagement and facilitating city-sponsored special events. The mayor also referred to funding for the operations and maintenance department, irrigation improvements and upgrades and implementation of the employee compensation and city benefit package. “Our government is proactive in assuring we are sustainable now and into the future as we see our costs increasing 2 to 3 percent annually,” Peterson said.

not wearing a seatbelt. City officials say the roundabout will likely not be repaired until spring.

• Council Member Cris Kaminskas received the Advanced Certificate of Municipal Leadership at the Oct. 15 council meeting.

The award, administered by the Association of Washington Cities (AWC), was presented by Micki Harnois, an AWC board member and council member in the town of Rockford.

• The latest utility box to be wrapped in public art sits at the corner of Appleway and Molter courtesy of local artist Debbie McCulley. The art was commissioned by the city’s Parks and Arts Commissioned and sponsored by STCU. • Parks and Maintenance Director Jennifer Camp said there has been a suggestion to name the new pavilion at Orchard Park “the depot,” as to not confuse it with the signature canopy at Pavillion Park.

• There have been 18 residents who have signed on to help with the city’s volunteer program to rake leaves and shovel snow. The city will be coordinating the volunteer fleet.

Residents can visit the city’s website at www.libertylakewa.gov to access help or to sign up as a volunteer.

• The mayor’s budget also includes a 1 percent increase in the property tax levy which, taking into account the overall citywide jump in property valuation, would set the rate at $1.51 per $1,000 of valuation, an actual dip from the $1.54 per $1,000 in place for 2019. Peterson said the process of creating the budget starts in April and focuses on “how to deliver services in the most effective manner that fit within the city’s cash flow.” A special workshop on the budget is scheduled for Nov. 12, with a first read before council on Dec. 3. A second read is set for Dec. 17. The complete budget can be found on the city’s website at www.libertylakewa.gov.

• Council approved $10,000 for the Winter Glow Spectacular, a holiday light display that will illuminate Orchard Park from Nov. 23 through Jan. 2. The display will be similar to past light shows at Riverfront Park and near Sacred Heart Children’s Hospital.

• The driver of a truck that crashed into the roundabout at Mission and Harvest Parkway around 3 a.m. on Oct. 8 died from his injuries later that morning at Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center. Police believe vehicle speed and alcohol played a part in the incident. The man was also

• Resident Mark Saba told council he appreciated the candidate forum that took place on Oct. 10 featuring hopefuls for mayor and City Council. The event was sponsored by The Splash and included questions from representatives of the Chase Youth Commission. “The Splash

• The city and the Liberty Lake Sewer and Water District will team up for the annual leaf cleanup on Nov. 9. The project resulted in 12,000 bags collected last year. For more information, call LLSWD at 922-5443.

and the Chase Youth Commission did a tremendous job,” Saba said.

“As for the candidates themselves, I was impressed. There was no mudslinging. They talked about the issues.”

• Council unanimously confirmed the mayor’s appointment of Emma Horton to the Parks and Arts Commission as a student commissioner.

• The Parks and Arts Commission has decided upon an artist to paint a mural at Pavillion Park. The commission put together a selection committee that interviewed five finalists. The artist will be working on the mural in the winter, with the installation occurring in the spring.

• A five-year plan will emerge from the library’s ongoing needs assessment. Results of the assessment will be presented before council in December.

• City Administrator Katy Allen gave a detailed update on the Harvard and Henry Road projects at the Oct. 1 council meeting.

The Harvard project will include Harvard overlay and widening of the existing bridge deck as well as a new westbound on-ramp.

Design is expected to be complete

by December with construction starting in summer or fall of 2020.

“We’re getting questions about artist renderings of the project, but we don’t have that yet,” Allen said.

The Henry Road easement has been completed by Spokane County with the second right-of-way appraisal expected by sometime this month. A design consultant will be selected by Dec. 2 with design drawings under way in 2020. Construction will not take place until 2021 and go into 2022. “This bridge is a county, city and state project,” Allen said. “But the city will maintain it. We’ll plow the snow and fix the potholes.” Allen added that funding of both projects could be impacted if Initiative 976 passes in the general election. The initiative would limit certain taxes and fees related to transportation funding.

• There are plans to install two Fallen Heroes workout stations

at Orchard Park – one in honor of police personnel and another honoring fire personnel. Budget for the project is $70,000.

• Sales tax was trailing last year’s number but a stellar September pulled the city to within $20,000 of the amount collected to this point in 2018.

• Director of Planning and Engineering Lisa Key oversaw a public hearing on the city’s annual code and comprehensive plan amendments on Oct. 15. The most extensive discussion dealt with a request by Greenstone Homes to adjust the maximum lot size for single family homes in R-1 zones from 40 percent to 60 percent.

The Planning Commission has already recommended denial of the request by a 5-2 margin. The proposal addresses all areas of lot or parcel covered by buildings and other structures with surfaces greater than 30 inches above the finished grade. “Our purpose in bringing this forward is that demographics have changed,” said Kevin Schneidmiller of Greenstone at the hearing. “We’re seeing more demand for ranchers.

The protection in place are the setbacks. You can’t encroach on setbacks. We don’t believe this will impact the streetscape at all.

We believe it actually improves the streetscape when you include that product variety.” A first read on Ordinance 262 was included later in the meeting. A vote on the proposed amendments will be taken this month.

• Council Member Odin Langford said the city “was still looking into the idea of a dog park.” A citizen-generated petition was presented earlier in the year to council in support of the project.

• The city is planning to conduct a corridor study/traffic count focusing on 17 intersections.

Data collected will show what traffic looks like at buildout of the city and determine the scope of future transportation projects.

“This will be used to inform and will help us a great deal,” Allen said.

NOVEMBER 2019 • 9

The Splash

City picks design group for Trailhead makeover

By Craig Howard Splash Contributing Editor

In 2002, the city of Liberty Lake announced it was purchasing a golf course, leaving many scratching their heads.

That same year, Staples Golf Resource Group opened for business in Scottsdale, Ariz., specializing in golf course architecture.

Over the course of nearly two decades, both enterprises have thrived. Trailhead at Liberty Lake has established itself as a reliable revenue generator and regional recreation landmark while Staples Golf has contributed to well over 100 projects throughout the world with an emphasis on sustainable design.

Now the two entities will team up to give Trailhead a facelift.

At the Oct. 16 City Council meeting, City Engineer Scott Bernhard announced that a citycommissioned work group had unanimously selected Staples as the design group for a makeover of the Trailhead clubhouse, banquet area and practice facility. Council approved the agreement with Staples later in the same meeting.

“Staples Golf ran away with it,” Bernhard said. “They understand community and how to keep community involved.”

Trailhead first opened in 1973 as Valley View Golf Course. Under city ownership, a slew of upgrades have taken place, including the addition of a trail around the venue’s perimeter in 2004, new tee boxes, course expansion in 2008, an overhaul of the practice area over multiple years and installation of a new irrigation system that was completed this spring.

Yet the venerable building that serves as Trailhead’s centerpiece and houses Palenque Mexican Restaurant looks like it could still host a pro/ am tournament featuring golf icons like Jack Nicklaus, Lee Trevino and Johnny Miller – in their prime.

“This is a little bit of a challenge,” said capital facilities consultant Rob Haneline in June when presenting council with a survey of municipal buildings that ranked Trailhead a distant last.

The contract total for Staples rings in at $79,000 plus contingencies, including reimbursable expenditures such as travel. The budget allows for $100,000.

The agreement outlines five tasks related to the master plan design, starting with a definition of the scope of work. A kickoff meeting would begin the process, featuring a design charrette – characterized by compiling ideas on what a new Trailhead flagship might look like.

“We want to engage council and community as to what we want,” Bernhard said. “It’s the council’s decision and the community’s decision, not ours.”

An economics assessment would be next, followed be schematic design of the clubhouse and a “golf facility vision plan.” A pair of community outreach meetings would be part of the process as would a cost analysis of the proposed implementation plan. The final blueprint will go before council for approval.

Project costs are still very much up in the air, with possible scenarios ranging from $1 million up to $10 million -- and several levels in between.

Less expensive designs could draw upon existing city funds and/ or sources like the Real Estate Excise Tax while higher-dollar builds may entail a voter bond or “councilmatic” bond in which the governing board decides on a project budget.

“No decision has been made on any project,” City Administrator Katy Allen emphasized. “What we want to do now is get the options out there and have the council make a decision.”

Deliberation over donations The debate over how the city will accept gifts of public art and other donations has been as diverse as interpretations of an abstract painting.

At the Oct. 1 council meeting, the discussion continued with Council Member Mike Kennedy stressing all contributions should be reviewed by council.

“Regardless of the dollar amount, everything has to come before the

council for approval,” said Kennedy.

Initially, a threshold of $5,000 had been mentioned as the gift value to qualify for council evaluation, matching the ceiling in place for the mayor’s spending limit that does not require council approval. That level was changed to $1,000 when Ordinance 168 went through a rewrite this summer. Now, council is leaning toward a $500 limit.

“It makes no difference to me what the value is,” said Council Member Odin Langford. “It’s simply about bringing it back to the council for approval. We’ve been quibbling over that number for months.”

Of the last 39 donations to the city, only eight were assessed at a value of $500 or above.

The revamped ordinance states that “council should be notified of all donations in a timely manner.”

“How do you set ‘in a timely manner’ in motion?” Peterson asked.

Council Member Bob Moore expressed frustration that the new policy was still in limbo.

“I think we’ve spent an inordinate amount of time on this,” Moore

said. “We started in January. This all came about based on something brought forth by Parks and Arts Commission.”

That “something” involved a significant art donation by a local resident that was brought before the commission earlier this year but later withdrawn after the city delayed its acceptance of the gift.

On Oct. 15, Allen gave the example of a recent donation of eight medallions that the city would install as decorations in sidewalks.

“The value is close to $1,000,” Allen said. “Would that go to council?”

At the same meeting, Moore expressed optimism that the process of accepting donations had taken positive steps since the art gift snafu.

“I think we’ve improved the communication between staff and council in relation to the accepting of these gifts,” Moore said. “I’m open to anything that would be positive to our city.”

Council will hear a first read of the revised ordinance at its meeting on Nov. 5.

Photo by Craig Howard This festive Ferris wheel was displayed at the Liberty Lake City Council meeting on Oct. 15 as an example of features that will be part of the Winter Glow Spectacular in Orchard Park beginning Nov. 23 and running through Jan. 2. Council approved $10,000 for the holiday exhibit at the meeting.

10 • NOVEMBER 2019

The Splash

Pentagon to offer taste of the familiar A dozen years ago or so, Raci Erdem predicted he would open his new Liberty Lake restaurant – one that opens its doors Nov. 4.

The Turkish-born chef opened his Mediterranean-inspired, garlic-infused restaurant The White House Grill in Post Falls in 1996, and by 2007 he had opened The Oval Office Bistro & Martini Bar just a few blocks away.

In an interview with The Spokesman-Review in 2007, he joked, “And if I get rich, I’m going to open The Pentagon.”

Rich or not, Erdem’s Pentagon Bistro & Martini Bar opens at 1400 N. Meadowwood Lane in Liberty Lake this month.

“We’re not going to do anything special,” he said. “We’re not doing a soft opening. We’re just going to open the doors and serve people good food at a good price.”

The Pentagon falls perfectly in line with Erdem’s whimsy.

Fans of The White House Grill or The Oval Office Bistro will find a familiar attachment to the new place. Like all of Erdem’s restaurants, this one will offer drink names that poke fun at politicians the same way his restaurants get their name from prominent Washington, D.C., locations.

“If you like what we do at The White House and The Oval Office, you will like what we’re going to do at The Pentagon,”

he said. “We won’t use as much garlic as we use at The White House, though. We’ll be a little lighter. We will still do steaks but we’ll feature more seafood. I love to cook with Sea Bass and we will feature that.”

True to his word, featured prominently on the new menu is a dish Erdem calls “Naughty Sea Bass,” a marinated Chilean fish drizzled with caramelized Frangelico walnut glaze.

The Oval Office classic Cioppino, a spicy tomato-basil broth filled with prawns, scallops, swordfish, mussels and white beans, will also be included on the new menu.

And the menu will also feature a wide array of appetizers that Erdem calls “shareables.” That’s not to confuse the concept with Tapas, however.

“With Tapas you get such small tastes of food,” Erdem explained. “We’re going to have appetizers you can share with someone.”

Those hard lessons Erdem learned from his last attempt at a Washington restaurant are paying off in a place he finds perfect for his style of food and drink.

“I love Liberty Lake,” he said.

“I work out at the club here, and I want to be part of the community.

“This is the fourth restaurant we will have opened. It gets easier every time.”

— Steve Christilaw

A recipe for success

Restaurant strategies for thriving in Liberty Lake

By Steve Christilaw Splash Contributor

Raci Erdem is opening a restaurant Nov. 4 at 1400 N. Meadowwood Lane in Liberty Lake, a location that has cycled through four iterations -- three restaurants that closed and a fourth that relocated -- since the building was constructed in 2005. The most recent, The CorkHouse, closed in August.

Not far away in the Yoke’s shopping strip, Mexico Lindo plans to open soon in the suite where Big Island BBQ enjoyed a short run earlier in 2019. That restaurant was forced to close abruptly due to health concerns of the owner.

There are several reasons that restaurants open and close in Liberty Lake, and as a 23-year veteran of the industry, Erdem can identify his fair share. He has owned restaurants that have succeeded and another that failed. He’s seen how state regulations impact operations in Idaho as compared with Washington state. He gets the importance of staffing, leadership, food, pricing, location – all the ingredients that go into a successful eatery. Probably the best teacher: experience, which is particularly good at revealing what not to do.

As he prepares to open The Pentagon in Liberty Lake this month, memories of his last Washington state venture are serving as a guide.

His White House II restaurant on Spokane’s South Hill closed a few years ago. It was named after his flagship location in Post Falls, but what happened on North Regal didn’t reflect the success he had enjoyed in Idaho.

“That was a beautiful place for us,” Erdem said of the South Hill location.

“But oh, there was so much in that place. My ego was way too big. Now I’m relying on my experience. Much more experience, much less ego.

“I could have just gone with the whole White House experience – good food, good practices. But my ego said to move the (kitchen) hood. I moved walls. By the time I was done with all of that it ended up costing me three times more than it should.

In the end I should have gone with a general in charge, but instead I went with just soldiers, and I spread myself

too thin.

“I could sit down and write a whole book on how not to open a restaurant.”

Yet there is no trepidation about taking over a spot where eateries have come and gone – Caffe Liberte, Stilos and The CorkHouse no longer exist, and Barlows moved. In fact, Erdem loves that his new location needed very few changes to make The Pentagon work.

“I have always loved this building,” Erdem said. “Because we’re taking over a location that used to be a restaurant I didn’t have to do very much to the building and there hasn’t been much involvement from the city. But if they want to come in for dinner and drinks …”

Another advantage is the city itself. Liberty Lake is a community undergoing significant growth.

Estimates by the City of Liberty Lake show a population growth of nearly 40 percent since the 2010 census.

Business growth is equally strong.

For businesses that have moved operations to the area and for restaurants that serve the community, there is much to find attractive about the community.

“You’re halfway between Spokane and Coeur d’Alene,” explained Trent Maier, who brought Trailbreaker Cider to its custom-made location at 2204 N. Madson St. in July. “It’s somewhat strategic. We’re pulling the two areas together.”

Michael Fry, his wife, Alicia, and their twin sons celebrated the 10th anniversary of their restaurant, Barlows, this past summer. He welcomes the newcomers.

“I welcome the new businesses,” Fry said. “I think we’re going to be okay. Liberty Lake isn’t as dense as people think, but it’s growing. The Technology Park has been a big asset, and we’re going to open a new high school. We’re going to keep growing.

“Anybody out here that’s with us, we all kind of get along.”

Just like Erdem’s The Pentagon, Maier is counting on drawing customers from the local community as well as from Spokane, Post Falls and Coeur d’Alene.

“There is money in Liberty Lake,” he said. “But no matter where you

NOVEMBER 2019 • 11

The Splash are, everybody likes an affordable meal.”

The biggest challenges facing businesses in Liberty Lake has nothing to do with anything particular to the community.

“Our biggest challenges are coming from Olympia,” Fry said.

“The biggest factor behind restaurant prices isn’t the cost of food. It’s the cost of labor.

“Beginning January 1, the state minimum wage goes up to $13.50 an hour. Now they also want everyone to accrue paid personal time off – up to 80 hours per year.

“I have 28 employees. If they take that time off I’m going to have to pay them and pay someone else to work while they’re gone. I’ve run the numbers, and it’s not pretty. But we’re going to keep going forward and face the challenge.”

Fry recalls the days when Barlows operated in the building where The Pentagon will open.

“We rented for those first few years,” Fry said. “The advantage of our current location is that we own our own building. That puts us in a strong position.”

Maier’s strategy to bring his growing cider production facility, along with an in-house restaurant, was well thought out. He and his partners looked at a number of potential sites before settling on the promise of a growing Liberty Lake, where they purchased the land and built a building that meets their needs now and has room for expansion.

Outside of regulations and locations, the restauranteurs emphasize there’s no replacement for strategic passion and old-fashioned hard work.

Barlows is now in its 11th year of operation, and Fry gives all the credit to his wife.

“She grew up in Liberty Lake and she raised our sons there, so she’s a part of the community,” he said.

“We’ve pretty much turned the dayto-day operations over to our sons, but she designs the menu and does the marketing. And she still does four shifts there a week so that she can oversee what’s going on and make sure everyone is doing their part.

“What works for us is the fact that we’re the only restaurant in the area that does breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Our dinner service is doing well, and our bar business is doing really well

because we’ve concentrated on it and on bringing in live music.”

An engineer by trade and a cider maker by passion, Maier and his partners started their operation about 90 miles south.

“We started this company about eight years ago down in Pullman,” he explained about its facility at Moscow-Pullman Regional Airport that closed in 2016. “It was originally called Whiskey Barrel Cider. But the airport acquired our property for a planned expansion project.”

After a little rebranding, the operation moved into the new building on Madson. It will likely be the only cider-making operation that goes from apple to finished, ready-todrink cider all in one location.

Cider in kegs is already available at local drinking establishments and, starting next year, Maier plans to begin canning Trailbreaker Cider and selling it in local markets.

“It’s exciting,” Maier said. “We intentionally shrank there for a few years because we had to. We built this building ourselves and just this week (the third week in October) we finally filled our last tank so we’re at full capacity.”

Erdem plans to rely on the reputation painstakingly built at the White House Grill and his second Post Falls business, The Oval Office Bistro and Martini Bar, to draw diners from his already devoted following to his new location.

“We have been fortunate to have people coming from North Spokane and Airway Heights to eat with us,” he said of his Post Falls restaurants.

Maier, too, wants to see just how powerful word of mouth can be when it comes to his cider.

First with Whiskey Barrel and now with Trailbreaker, Maier believes making a quality product is paramount. And if enough people love what he puts in their glass, some will inevitably make the trek to see where it’s made.

So far word of mouth has turned the restaurant into an increasingly popular spot for an after-work drink or a family meal. “l like to think that cider is new enough and exciting enough that it captures the imagination,” Maier said.

And the word of mouth on Trailbreaker Cider, currently available on tap at a growing number

Photos by Steve Christilaw The restaurant at Trailbreaker Cider includes a dining area with overlooking views, including the cider production part of the business. of restaurants and bars, is both strongly positive and growing in number.

Maier likes to drop by establishments where his cider is available, and he’s been known to eavesdrop on patrons sampling it for the first time.

“You can bring your cider to a backyard barbecue and people are going to tell you they like it – whether they do or not,” he said. “To hear people react to it without knowing I was there was special.”

In essence, he said, he’s following an already established business model.

First, he’s making a product that has a long, cultural model of success in Europe, especially in famous cidermaking regions like Andalusia in Southern Spain.

Where most commercial ciders are quite sweet, Maier is making more of a fruit-forward cider that is more dry.

“I tell people when I do the tour that I started making alcohol before I was old enough to drink alcohol,”

Maier said. “I grew up in Michigan and there was always a lot of cider around, but it was always home brewed. The thing was, none of it was particularly sweet. It was always more of a dry cider where you can appreciate the favor of the fruit.”

The product leads the company to its business model.

“I think what we’re doing is making cider the way people do craft beer,” Maier explained. “We want a cider that you might want to order a second round of.

“I really like that we are a familyfriendly place and we have a kid’s menu that’s a quarter of the price,” he said. “The kids can run around and have fun while Mom and Dad enjoy an adult beverage for a few minutes.”

Maier is excited about the future.

“We’re talking in a positive light,” he said. “Our goal is to do what we do well and then keep doing it better and keep doing it better.”

For restaurants taking the long view, that’s a strategy that suits any town.

COMMUNITY

12 • NOVEMBER 2019

The Splash

Calendar of Events COMMUNITY EVENTS Nov. 1 | Veterans Family Fall Festival – 4:30 to 8:30 p.m., National Guard Armory, 5453 E. Seltice Way, Post Falls. Fun activities, games, food, candy, bounce house, costume contest. Free for military and veteran families. For more, call 208-608-3816.

Nov. 2 | Into Africa Auction and Dinner – 5:30 p.m., Mirabeau Park Hotel, 1100 N. Sullivan Road, Spokane Valley. Authentic African art and crafts will be auctioned as well as getaways, sports packages, athletic memorabilia, lavish baskets and more to support the work of Partnering for Progress in Kenya.

African dishes and western food will be served. Tickets are $75 per person or $450 for a table of 8. For more, visit partneringforprogress.org or call 720-8408.

Nov. 4 | Financial Peace University – 7 to 8:30 p.m., Liberty Lake Portal, 23403 E. Mission Ave., Liberty Lake.

Nine-week class on Mondays. For more, call 230-0820.

Nov. 9 | 16th Annual Heritage Program – 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Spokane Valley Eagles, 16801 E. Sprague Ave., Spokane Valley. Annual event supporting the Spokane Valley Heritage Museum will include a presentation this year on the history of Liberty Lake. Luncheon and silent auction will also be a part of the festivities, which cost $20 in advance or $25 at the door. For more, call 9224570.

Nov. 9 | “Monte Carlo Night” HALO Gala – 6 to 10:30 p.m., Mirabeau Park Hotel and Convention Center, 1100 N. Sullivan Road, Spokane

Valley. First annual event supports HALO Medical Travel Services, a Spokane Valley nonprofit assisting families with resources and expenses associated with being forced to travel for medical attention. Tickets or $100 include gourmet dinner, champagne reception and funny money for gambling. For more, visit halomedicaltravel.org or call 9910744.

Nov. 9-10 | 27th Annual Leaf and Beach Cleanup – The Liberty Lake Sewer and Water District, with support from the city of Liberty Lake, will be picking up leaf, yard and beach waste from the front of residences within LLSWD and city boundaries. All materials must be bagged or contained for easy loading by crews and must be limited to leaves, yard/garden vegetation, weeds, pine needles and grass clippings. No rocks, stumps, roots, trees, limbs, sod, pumpkins, shrubs or thorny branches. For more, call 922-5443.

Nov. 12 | Bhutan 2019 – 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., Liberty Lake Municipal Library, 23123 E. Mission Ave., Liberty Lake.

Discover more about this small landlocked country whose motto is “Gross National Happiness.” Open to anyone who has a travel curiosity.

The presenter is Dr. Ellen Horiuchi Williams, author and world traveler.

Nov. 13 | Women Against Hunger – 5:30 p.m., Spokane Club, 1002 W. Riverside Ave., Spokane. Featuring gourmet fare by the American Culinary Federation Chefs de Cuisine of the Inland Northwest, event will also include silent auction with proceeds benefiting Spokane Valley Partners Food Bank and Family Services. Tickets and more info

available at womenagainsthunger. org.

RECURRING

ACT 2 Senior Classes | Affordable classes offered by Community Colleges of Spokane to those who are retired or planning to retire. A wide range of courses from geology and history to exercise and art are offered at CenterPlace, 2426 N. Discovery Place, as well as other locations throughout the area. For more, search for “Act 2” at scc.spokane.edu.

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

Toastmasters, Liberty Lakers #399 | 5:45 to 7 p.m., Wednesdays at the Liberty Lake Library, 23123 E. Mission Ave., Liberty Lake. This is a speaking and leadership development club.

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

Free Last Sunday Lunch | Spokane Valley United Methodist Church, 115 N. Raymond Road, Spokane Valley - 12:30 p.m. on the final Sunday of every month in the church’s Fellowship Hall, Room 115 Grange Meeting and Dessert | 6:30 p.m., third Wednesday of the month, Tri-Community Grange, 25025 Heather St., Newman Lake. The public is welcome for this communitybased service organization. For more, call 226-2202.

Liberty Lake Library | 23123 E. Mission Ave., Liberty Lake. Various clubs and weekly meetings including book clubs, children’s story times, LEGO club, computer drop-in class, knitting club, and more. More at www.libertylakewa.gov/library Men’s Weekly Bible Study | 7 a.m.

Tuesdays. Millwood Presbyterian

Nov. 1-3 | “A Place to Call Home: A Play about the Hutton Settlement” – Various times, Spokane Civic Theatre, 1020 N. Howard St., Spokane. In honor of its centennial celebration, this production brings to life the remarkable story of the Hutton Settlement, recalling Levi Hutton’s struggles and joys as he built and endowed the 100-yearold Hutton Settlement, beautifully situated in the Spokane Valley. For more or to purchase tickets, visit spokanecivictheatre.com.

Nov. 2 | Play in a Day – “Behind the Scenes” – Noon to 5 p.m., TAC at the Lake, 22910 E. Appleway Ave., Liberty Lake. Organized by the Teen Board of Directors, kids get a whirlwind taste of theater by spending an afternoon devising, directing and acting in a 15-minute play performed before family and friends. For more, visit tacatthelake. com.

Nov. 8 | Movie Night – “Coraline” – 7 p.m., TAC at the Lake, 22910 E. Appleway Ave., Liberty Lake. Watch

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The Splash

NOVEMBER 2019 • 13

COMMUNITY

a free family movie at the theater.

Recommend arriving 30 minutes early. For more, visit tacatthelake. com.

Nov. 8-24 | “The Cemetery Club,”

by Ivan Menchell -- Various times.

Ignite! Community Theatre, 10814 E. Broadway Ave., Spokane Valley.

Touching and funny story of three widows who meet monthly for tea and a visit to their husbands’ graves.

For tickets and more info, visit igniteonbroadway.org.

Nov. 9-10 | Spokane Fall Folk Festival – Spokane Community College Lair, 1810 N. Greene St., Spokane. 24th annual festival presented by the Spokane Folklore Society featuring 100 groups, workshops, crafts and family activities. For more, visit spokanefolkfestival.org or call 8283683.

RECURRING

The Fire Brigade| 7 p.m., first Saturday of the month, Ignite!

Community Theatre, 10814 E. Broadway Ave., Spokane Valley.

Ignite!’s improv troupe fires up family-friendly comedy. For more, visit igniteonbroadway.org.

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

Four-part, a cappella harmony, men’s barbershop chorus. More at pagesofharmony.org.

Spirit of Spokane Chorus | 6:45 p.m.

Tuesdays, Opportunity Presbyterian Church, 202 N. Pines Road. Make new friends by joining this women’s chorus, specializing in four-part, a cappella harmony in the barbershop style. More at 218-4799.

Spokane Valley Camera Club | 7:15 p.m., third and fourth Monday of the month (September through April). Liberty Lake Sewer and Water District building, 22510 E. Mission Ave., Liberty Lake. All levels of ability—students through experienced photographers—are invited to learn. Social events include field trips and workshops. More at 951-1446 or www.sv-cc.org Spokane Valley Quilt Guild | Meetings at 6:30 p.m. on the first Tuesday of February, April, June, August, October and December at Valley Assembly of God Church, 15618 E. Broadway Ave., Spokane Valley. Open to all interested in sharing ideas and skills of our quilting craft. Participants can access

a comprehensive library, engage experienced teachers and participate in community service projects. More at svqgspokane.com.

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HEALTH & RECREATION Nov. 25 | T(w)een Self Defense Class – 6 to 7:15 p.m., Liberty Lake Municipal Library, 23123 E. Mission Ave., Liberty Lake. Taught by Master Corbin, class covers variety of topics for youth 11 and up.

Register online for this free event through the library’s website, or call 255-7622 for more information.

RECURRING

Al-Anon Meetings | Mondays, 1:30 to 2:30 p.m., Liberty Lake Library, 23123 E. Mission Ave. No meetings on holiday Mondays. Is there a problem of alcoholism with a relative or a friend? Al-Anon family groups can help. For more, call 425344-9280.

Al-Anon Family Meetings | Tuesdays, noon to 1 p.m., Opportunity Christian Church, 708 N. Pines, Spokane Valley. Is there a problem of alcoholism with a relative or a friend? Al-Anon/ Alateen family groups can help. For more, call 456-2125.

Decreasing Anger Group | 3 to 4:30 p.m. Tuesdays, the Vet Center, 13109 E. Mirabeau Parkway, Spokane Valley. Eligibility: combat veteran from all eras, military sexual trauma survivors. For more, call Steve at 893-4746 to make an intake appointment.

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

Family and Friends of Addicts| 6 p.m. Wednesdays, The ONE Church, 15601 E. 24th Ave., Spokane Valley. Support group utilizing tools and principles to help navigate relationships with addicts and finding peace, strength and hope.

For more, call 590-2422.

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Experience the Difference of Pentecost

Come and Pray with Us! Services: Sunday @ 11am & Tuesday @ 7:30pm Prayer: Monday-Saturday 6am-9am www.spokanecornerstonechurch.org 21326 E Mission Ave, Liberty Lake WA

14 • NOVEMBER 2019

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Continued from page 13

HUB Sports Center | 19619 E. Cataldo Ave., Liberty Lake. Various activities and events occur throughout the week including: • Pickleball drop-in: 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 10 a.m. to noon Tuesday and Thursday; 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday and Sunday. $3/seniors, $5/non-seniors.

• Classes including Kenpo Karate, Taekwondo and Fit for YOUR Life.

See hubsportscenter.org for cost and times.

Liberty Lake Running Club | Meets at Liberty Lake Physical Therapy, 6:30 p.m. Thursdays through October.

Weekly three mile run/walk. Earn T-shirt after six runs.

Military Sobriety Support Group | 10 to 11:30 a.m., Spokane Vet Center, 13109 E. Mirabeau Parkway, Spokane Valley. For more, call Steve at 893-4746.

Mindful Music & Movement | 12:30 to 1:20 p.m. Wednesdays, Willow Song Music Therapy Center, 21101 E.

The Splash Wellesley #102-103, Otis Orchards.

All are welcome to this session specifically designed for adults living with chronic health issues.

Session addresses physical function, vocal wellness and strength, selfexpression, breath work, movement, and increase of mood through music experiences, as facilitated by boardcertified music therapist, Carla Carnegie. $10 per person. For more, email carla.carnegie@gmail.com or call 592-7875.

CIVIC & BUSINESS Nov. 13 | After 5 Networking – 4:30 to 6 p.m., Revel Spokane, 16807 E. Mission Parkway, Spokane Valley. Business connection event organized by the Greater Spokane Valley Chamber of Commerce. Free to members, $10 non-members.

For more or to register, visit spokanevalleychamber.org.

Nov. 15 | Spokane Valley Chamber Annual Meeting – 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Mirabeau Park Hotel, 1100 N. Sullivan Road, Spokane

Valley, $45 to members, $55 nonmembers. For more or to register, visit spokanevalleychamber.org.

RECURRING Central Valley School Board | 6:30 p.m. on the second and fourth Mondays of each month, CVSD administration building, 19307 E. Cataldo, Spokane Valley Liberty Lake City Council | 7 p.m. on the first and third Tuesdays of each month, City Hall, 22710 E. Country Vista Drive Liberty Lake Kiwanis | 6:45 a.m. on the first through third Wednesdays of each month, City Hall, 22710 E. Country Vista Drive. Fourth Wednesday, the club meets at noon at Barlows, 1428 N. Liberty Lake Road Friends of Liberty Lake Municipal Library | 2 p.m. the last Wednesday of each month, Liberty Lake Municipal Library, 23123 E. Mission Ave. Liberty Lake Lions Club | Noon to 1 p.m., every first and third Wednesday of each month at

Barlows, 1428 N. Liberty Lake Road.

For more, call Mary Jo at 558-5426.

Liberty Lake Centennial Rotary Club | Noon to 1 p.m. every Thursday at the Liberty Lake Sewer and Water District building, 22510 E. Mission Ave. For more, visit LibertyLakeRotary.org.

Liberty Lake Merchants Association | 11:30 a.m. Tuesdays, Liberty Lake Portal, 23403 E. Mission Ave., Suite 120. For more, call 999-4935.

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

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

Liberty Lake Sewer and Water District Board | 4 p.m. on the second Monday of each month, 22510 E. Mission Ave.

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Citizenship on display at your local library

By Dana Mannino PACE Columnist

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For me, citizenship means taking seriously our responsibility to make our country the best place it can be.

There are many ways to practice citizenship: Following the speed limit, keeping your sidewalk free of snow in winter, noticing problems in your community and working to fix them.

Perhaps the most iconic act of citizenship is voting. When we vote, we weigh in on potential laws or pick the lawmakers who will write them. It’s hard to make a law that is fair for everyone. Whether you are a lawmaker or a voting citizen, it takes a lot of information to make a good decision.

Enter the Library. In 1800, our founding fathers recognized the need for members of the legislature to access vast amounts of information as they crafted laws. They founded the Library of Congress to fill that need. When the capitol burned down during the war of 1812, Thomas Jefferson sold his personal collection of over 6,000 volumes to Congress to help the library start over.

On a smaller scale, your county libraries continue this mission to get information into the hands of the decision makers – the voters. We collect books and other materials written from a variety of viewpoints so that voters can weigh different arguments and make informed decisions.

We also pay for databases and newspaper subscriptions you can access without getting stopped by a paywall. Paywalls are those annoying pop ups that say, “You’ve read your four free articles for the month. Subscribe to read more!” I hate those. Using the library’s digital collection will get you around the paywall. Your tax dollars at work.

If you ever need reassuring that citizenship is alive and well, stop by the library in the weeks leading up to an election. You will see people with their ballots spread out in front of

them as they use library computers to research issues before they vote.

Or visit us after the government releases an important document.

When the recent Mueller Report was released, many people (from both political parties) came in to read it.

We kept a printed copy at the desk (all 448 pages!) and helped people navigate it online.

Visiting on National Voter Registration day could also warm your citizen heart. This September, 31 library volunteers gave their time to help people register to vote.

For that matter, every day is voter registration day at the library. We always have printed registration forms on hand and can answer questions about filling them out.

But my favorite way that the library fosters good citizenship is in our partnership with schools. We visit many school showing teachers, school librarians, and students how to use our digital resources. These resources are even more crucial now that many schools have been forced to cut or eliminate their library materials budgets.

Last year, I did a series of research workshops for Mica Peak High. The students were engaged in project-based learning. They each had selected a problem in their community and were trying to solve it. I came to teach them how to research solutions. Those kids tackled everything from improving the safety of the intersection near their school to strengthening animal welfare regulations at pet stores. It was a joy to show them how to find information that would build the case for the changes they wanted to see and also how to research the processes they should use to make those changes.

So citizenship is alive and well in your community, folks! If you don’t believe it, well, come and see us at the library.

Dana Mannino is a Librarian with the Spokane County Library District.

Her work takes her from pre-school to retirement centers and everywhere in between. If you are looking for a great book on living a life of character, she recommends Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics, which is readily available at your local library. She wrote this column to highlight “citizenship,” the Partners Advancing Character Education (PACE) trait of the month for November.

NOVEMBER 2019 • 19

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Student of the Month Early mornings at Central Valley High School feature senior Cole Vinson greeting students with a smile. The reigning ASB president is part of the “door greet” that kicks off each school day. The effort is part of Vinson’s magnanimous approach that includes participation in Link Crew supporting freshmen as they make the transition into high school. “I just wanted to help out and get involved,” said Vinson of his commitment to the program.

“I wanted to make the high school experience better for these students.”

The Greenacres resident takes part in community service projects through ASB including the upcoming food drive. He will also participate in Unified Sports which emphasizes opportunities in athletics for those of all abilities.

Vinson maintains a 3.5 grade point average and plays varsity football. He had a 77-yard touchdown reception in a win against Mead.

Athlete of the Month

Citizen of the Month

Just a few months removed from being a part-time outfielder on the Central Valley fastpitch softball team, Maddie McVey has become one of the top clutch hitters in slowpitch softball.

The senior hit a walk-off home run in the Bears’ final regular season game against Mead, securing a 9-7 win. For the season, she has a .589 batting average with 44 runs batted in and eight home runs. McVey helped

Whether serving as president of the Liberty Lake Elementary PTSA or volunteering with the Central Valley School District (CVSD) Superintendents’ Parents Advisory Council, Amy Mason has made a consistent contribution to local education. She was appointed to the CVSD Board of Directors in 2011 and served through 2017, a time that included passage of two capital facilities bonds. A graduate of East Valley High School, Mason has her degree in elementary education from Washington State University and taught English and Spanish at Post Falls High School from 1994 to 1999. She has served on the board of the HUB Sports Center in Liberty Lake since 2014 and is current president. She has also been a coach of youth sports. Amy and her husband Casey are proud parents of two sons, Christian and Micah, both students at Eastern Washington University.

CV to a 4A Greater Spokane League title and top seed in the district tournament. She tallied three games with five RBIs in wins over Ferris, Gonzaga Prep and Rogers. “It’s not just me,” McVey says humbly. “It’s a group effort. I can’t do my job as a power hitter unless there are runners on.” McVey also shines on defense where she has a .950 fielding percentage as a centerfielder.

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About and for Liberty Lake seniors

Event helps attendees prepare for the worst

By Nina Culver

Current Contributor

The Trutina neighborhood in Liberty Lake, which bills itself as a resort-style neighborhood for those age 55 and over, held a recent disaster preparedness resource fair to help people deal with natural disasters and emergencies.

The resource fair was organized

by Trutina residents Sharon and Michael Witton, who previously organized three similar events when they lived in California. Sharon Witton said she was inspired to do something similar here by a power outage early this year.

“The eye opener was the night the transformer went out, and it was bitterly cold,” she said. “They evacuated the apartments, but they had nowhere to go. We were not prepared at all for that. We have a lot of elderly people here and a lot of single ladies.”

The couple moved to Liberty Lake a little over two years ago. They’d lived in California for years, where Sharon Witton was a middle school

teacher in the same Sacramento school district for 32 years, and her husband worked as a truck driver.

Sharon and her husband are community minded. They’re known for patrolling the neighborhood every night in their red golf cart, looking for open garage doors and anything else amiss.

“He’s the mayor, and I’m the sheriff,” she joked.

She said she believes having a Neighborhood Watch is important.

“When we got here, there was no Neighborhood Watch, so we started one,” she said. “I don’t care where you are, you need to look out for your neighbors even if you live in a safe community.”

Sharon Witton wants her neighbors to be prepared for anything, whether it’s a fall inside their home or something more major.

“It’s not just a natural disaster,” she said. “It’s not just if an oil train falls off the tracks. We want all kinds of disaster preparedness.”

She noted that there is only one access road leading to the

Photo by Nina Culver Spokane Valley Fire paramedic R.W. Pegau shows Diane Isaacson how to put a tourniquet on his arm at a disaster preparedness fair last month in Liberty Lake.

community, which could complicate matters in an emergency.

“There’s only one way out,” she said.

The resource fair featured representatives from the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office, Greater Spokane Emergency Management, the Spokane Valley Fire Department, the Liberty Lake Police Department and Neighborhood Watch.

SVFD paramedic R.W. Pegau attracted a small crowd as he showed people how to use a t-shirt to pack a wound to stop the bleeding. He said sometimes people need immediate help and can’t wait the few minutes it will take for paramedics to arrive.

“There’s not enough time,” he said. “You can bleed to death in five minutes. You need to be the immediate responder.”

Pegau let Trutina resident Diane Isaacson practice putting a tourniquet on his arm, showing her how to strap it on and twist a small handle to pull it tight. Isaacson said she took first aid classes during her 30-year career as a school bus driver but appreciated what Pegau taught her.

“It never hurts to get the information in your head,” she said.

She said she’s never used a tourniquet before.

“He had me crank it,” she said of Pegau. “If somebody was bleeding, I probably wouldn’t mind doing that.”

Gerry Bozarth of Greater Spokane Emergency Management said his organization helps with all phases of emergency response, including preparedness, response and recovery. His goal was to help people attending the resource fair be better prepared.

“The more citizens are prepared, the better our recovery is,” he said.

People should plan to be selfreliant for two weeks in the event of an emergency and should build a disaster kit and a plan, he said. A person needs about a gallon of water per day, and there should be plenty of non-perishable food on hand.

The recommended items for a disaster kit includes everything

Photo by Nina Culver Liberty Lake residents Michael and Sharon Witton pose at the disaster preparedness resource fair they organized in October.

from a first aid kit to a flashlight to prescription medications. People should also prepare extra batteries, simple tools, a change of clothes and a manual can opener. Pet owners also need to have food and water for their animals and parents of young children should pack games and activities to keep them occupied.

Bozarth said he also recommends that people have a battery-operated radio, a fire extinguisher and a charger for their cell phone as well as sleeping bags, matches and bleach for disinfecting purposes. Paper cups and plates are also handy, along with plastic utensils. Moist towelettes can be added to help with cleaning hands.

Families should also prepare evacuation plans and select a spot outside their neighborhood where they can meet if an evacuation is ordered.

It’s all about the preparation, Bozarth said.

“Who knows what could happen?” he said.

Sharon Witton said she was pleased that quite a few of her neighbors attended the event on a busy fall Saturday.

“I didn’t think we’d have so many because it’s the first one,” she said. “I have to hand it to all these vendors coming in on a Saturday.”

NOVEMBER 2019 • 21

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CV slowpitch squad shines as 4A league champs

By Craig Howard Splash Contributing Editor

The Central Valley slowpitch season may have been summed up by a Greater Spokane League matchup against Lewis and Clark on Sept. 26.

While CV entered the game with a 5-1 record, outscoring opponents by an average of 12-3, the Tigers appeared undaunted, taking an early 5-0 lead.

“I think it felt like we might give up, but we didn’t,” said senior infielder Suheyla Tanak of Liberty Lake.

The Bears roared back, winning 10-7 and going on to take their next six games before a loss to Mt. Spokane on Oct. 14. When the regular season came to a close on

Oct. 17, CV stood tall with a 15-2 mark, the best 4A record in the GSL. Their only losses came to overall league winner and 3A slowpitch powerhouse Mt. Spokane, last year’s state champions.

The LC game was a microcosm of the Bears’ resilient season in 2018, a campaign that saw them place sixth in the league but third in state. CV returned six letter-winners from last year’s roster.

“Last year the kids didn’t realize how good they were until they took third at state,” said CV head coach Joe Stanton.

This year’s postseason takes on added significance as the state tournament will be sanctioned by the Washington Interscholastic Activities Associaton (WIAA) for the first time. The state slowpitch

playoffs are now in their third year, with Mead and Mt. Spokane taking the first two championships. This will also be the inaugural year of a stand-alone state 4A bracket.

Tanak, who hit .542 this season, said getting to the state tourney in Yakima Nov. 1-2 would be special.

“I think it will mean more this year,” she said.

The Bears are the No. 1 seed in the district bracket, while Stanton points to Moses Lake as the top 4A competition on the state level.

Senior pitcher Haley Lance of Liberty Lake says slowpitch has stepped up in popularity and skill level since she began as a freshman.

Athletes who may have played club softball or other sports like soccer or volleyball in the fall are now turning out for softball.

“I feel like there’s more meaning to it now,” said Lance, who hit .408 this year. “There are more fans, and the competition is better.”

Photo by Craig Howard The Central Valley slowpitch softball team won the 4A Greater Spokane League crown this season and is headed to the playoffs. This year marks the first time the state slowpitch tournament will be sanctioned by the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association. The Bears have been led by a trio of seniors (from front to back): Haley Lance, Suheyla Tanak (both of Liberty Lake) and Maddie McVey.

Stanton, who also coaches fastpitch in the spring, said slowpitch “is not a quasi-sport.”

“The kids take it seriously,” he said. “I think we belong to the most competitive league in the state.”

This year’s Bears have been led by senior centerfielder Maddie McVey, who hit .589 with eight home runs and 44 runs batted in. She credits a productive club fastpitch season this summer with improving her approach at the plate.

“I think I’m just more focused,” McVey said.

Last year at state, McVey had a key late-inning hit with two on and two out against Moses Lake that secured the third-place trophy for CV. “I feel like we can win state this year if we are ready to play,” McVey said.

In addition to her prowess at the plate, McVey tracks down most everything hit her direction, logging a .950 fielding percentage.

“She’s one of the better outfielders in the league,” said Stanton.

Junior rover Jaidyn Smith is another gem in the outfield while averaging .511 at the plate. Freshman Madison Saty has also emerged as a defensive standout and hit .529.

“There’s speed all over our outfield,” Stanton said. “There are really no gaps out there.”

The Bears averaged over 13 runs a game this year with a lineup that featured a slew of .400-plus hitters, including juniors Hannah Begalman (.512), Amaryce Hernandez (.459), Arihana Roos (.591) and sophomore Emily Schullhauser (.465).

Junior Gianna McCoy has been stellar at shortstop while hitting over .400. Tanak, meanwhile, has switched to third from second this season and been a defensive standout.

“In slowpitch, you can’t hide behind a pitcher that’s going Division 1 (college) like fastpitch,” Stanton said. “You’ve got to play defense every single at bat, and we do.”

NOVEMBER 2019 • 23

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CV cross country reloads

By Steve Christilaw From the Sidelines

Central Valley’s boys cross country program was hit hard by graduation following its secondplace state Class 4A finish a year ago. In all, 20 runners from the 2018 season were lost.

The Bears knew they needed to hit the ground running, so to speak, in 2019.

Judging by the results of the Tracy Walters Invitational, CV has made up a lot of ground.

Central Valley placed second in the Division II race, just three points behind first-place Rocky Mountain, and posted the best finish by a Greater Spokane League school.

Senior Tyler Hunter turned in a personal best time of 15:32.3 in a double dual meet with Mead and North Central. Juniors Caleb Kartchner and Alex Wright have run 16:31.5 and 16:32.6.

University’s Jacob Easton’s personal best time of 15:23.9 is just five seconds off the top time by

Pay to play is a mistake

By Mike Vlahovich The Final Point

“Be true to your school Just like you would to your girl or guy Be true to your school now And let your colors fly Be true to your school” By today’s standards, that Beach Boys ditty is as naïve and outdated as the 1963 song. Instead of root, root, rooting for the home team, you could be rooting for the free agent nearest you.

I understand colleges are profiting from their athletes, and the argument is that the players deserve a cut of revenue beyond scholarships and perhaps getting an education. But it’s a slippery slope.

Turning athletes into billboards in a cart-before-the-horse money grab as proposed by a California law recently passed called the Fair Pay to Play Act allows players to make endorsement money off their name, image and likeness (NIL) while retaining college eligibility.

It was bound to happen, because cash is more important than merely getting a degree. And I suppose it’s only fair because colleges already are profiting on the backs of their athletes.

As if a scholarship, education, campus experience and friendships aren’t enough. Fill the stadium, bring the money.

In two The Spokesman-Review Gonzaga University stories last month, beat writer Jim Meehan talked to both Athletic Director Mike Roth and Coach Mark Few about the proposal, and both indicated it’s

a good deal ... if. Roth has “strong reservations.”

“I do feel student-athletes deserve more than what is presently allowed, but once we go down this path of NIL (name, image and likeness), I fear we’re professionalizing it,” Roth was quoted.

It seems to me also that it opens a can of transfer worms with players seeking a better endorsement deal at another school. In a Yahoo Sports column, the author reasoned that it wouldn’t be a problem because the best recruits will still go, as they do now, to the same few powerhouse schools and conferences where money flows.

It’s bad enough that pro sports have picked fans’ pockets with ridiculous ticket and concession prices (which everyman seems willing to pay while lamenting their plight). Once it permeates college, who knows what chicanery can happen?

An athlete signs with one school, is bribed by another with the promise of more lucrative endorsements. The precious few will reach the pros, but more likely, the best will fade into obscurity after making a bit of lucre.

Will coaches sell their souls to

Lewis and Clark’s Wil Smith.

• • • CV sophomore Kylee Shakespeare ran a personal best time of 18 minutes, 48.9 seconds at the Nike “Battle for the 509” meet, a mark that sets the standard for the 4A GSL. Teammates Sarah Pecha and Jenni Bissell ran 19:55.7 and 19:56.2, respectively. In all, eight CV runners own times among the Top 20 in the GSL. Lewis and Clark has six runners in that field, but three of them rank among the Top 6.

University senior Aayiana Fuller ran a personal best 19:53 at the

Mountain West Classic.

• • • Sept. 11 stands out for the CV girls slow-pitch softball season.

It was the Bears 2019 nonleague season opener and the only time the team has been shutout, losing 2-0 to Mt. Spokane.

Since that loss, CV rolled off 12 straight wins and headed into the final week of the season undefeated in league, the first 11 of them scoring in double digits before pulling out a 7-6 win over Lewis and Clark behind a 3-for-3 day at the plate by Arianna Roos.

bring in a basketball player that can lead them to the promised land (which is already happening and that won’t change)? How will teams mesh when one guy gets endorsement money hanging out his pockets and teammates do without for doing the same job? Will it breed jealousy instead of cohesiveness?

More to the point, aren’t athletes’ scholarships ostensibly there to get an education and a degree? Aren’t they – like the majority of students -- finding friends, their personalities blossoming and reveling in the college experience?

It’s a sign of the times. Count this

aging body as one who blossomed in and relished college life. I sat in the stands and rooted on peer classmate athletes without regard to possible pro contracts. It was less about wins and losses, but about the experience.

I’m probably one of the few who thinks this latest money grab is a mistake. Count me in with the Beach Boys, whose song was back when I was just beginning college.

Be true to your school, not the almighty dollar.

Mike Vlahovich is a longtime Spokane Valley sportswriter and member of the Inland Northwest Sports Hall of Fame Scroll of Honor.

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26 • NOVEMBER 2019

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I-976 will attack transportation in our state on all fronts. If you care about transportation progress and safety in Spokane County you should Vote No on I-976.

The regional transportation coalition opposes I-976

“As our region grows we are feeling the impact and pressure on our existing infrastructure. The need for strategic growth and continued preservation and maintenance of our system isn’t just nice, it is a necessity. This is why we strongly oppose I-976,” Lance Beck, President and CEO of the Greater Spokane Valley Chamber of Commerce.

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Liberty Lake the envy of ‘outsiders’

I’m an outsider, but I love Liberty Lake, and I have insight into how it came to be the wonderful “family centric” community it is today.

I live on the west side in Gig Harbor, but were I able to move to Liberty Lake, I would head east. I visit often, and I have continuously since prior to Liberty Lake becoming a city. In my opinion, Liberty Lake is the best family-friendly city in Washington, and empirical evidence supports this opinion based on the fact families have moved there in droves since the town’s inception.

(Liberty Lake’s population has almost quadrupled between 2001 and 2019).

When I visit Liberty Lake, I am continually amazed by an overwhelming sense of community from the minute I exit the interstate and enter your town.

The parks are always bustling with people and various outdoor activities (town goats are usually happily eating weeds nearby); the Farmers Market is overflowing with vendors and residents enjoying the Town Square (how many Cities have these anymore?); the streets are clean; the roundabouts are pleasant flower gardens which also serve to route

traffic.

I’m a pilot and retired Air Force officer. I’ve been everywhere. I’ve lived in a lot of places, and very few places I’ve visited or lived around the world come close to the sense of organized, clean, comfortable “pleasantness” experienced in Liberty Lake. Additionally, every time I attend a community event in Liberty Lake, be it Farmers Market or concert in the park, I always see a uniformed Liberty Lake police officer personalizing public safety by interacting with the community and ensuring security.

You live there; you know you live in an amazing city. You see the growth your city is enjoying and appreciate that it appears to be happening in an organized, well-conceived fashion. You enjoy the parks, pass time in the Town Square at the Farmers Market. You watch your children play baseball on the fields constructed from an empty, weedinfested plot of land purchased from the school district for $10. You live in a city with millions of dollars in the bank.

Your town owns millions of dollars in real estate, including a golf course which generates income for the community.

Your city is one of three Washington cities to receive millions of dollars in funds from the state for infrastructure

improvements. You may know all this, but you may not know that none of what is amazing about Liberty Lake happened by accident and is largely the result of the vision of one man, Mayor Steve Peterson, and the team he has been building since the city was born.

Steve Peterson is a communityconscious, fiscally conservative businessman who puts family first.

I know, because he is my stepfather.

When forward-thinking people decided to pursue making Liberty Lake a city, Steve and my mother had a conversation about whether he should run for mayor, and they decided he should run for office because they wanted to ensure Liberty Lake was a safe, clean, familyfriendly city. What I appreciate most about Steve’s decision to run for political office is he chose to do so out of a desire to serve the community and not to serve some hidden personal agenda. Too often, people enter politics in pursuit of power or personal gain; Steve entered politics to help build a better community.

Residents of Liberty Lake get to enjoy the fruits of his convictions. The rest of us, living elsewhere, can only observe and appreciate what you have and wish we had the same.

Lee Hoggatt, Gig Harbor

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Northwest Kenpo Karate is now accepting new students.

Learn self discipline, self defense, get active and have fun Classes are held at the HUB Sports Center

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28 • NOVEMBER 2019

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Committee dialing in future high school boundaries

By Nina Culver

Splash Contributor

A group of 20 community members and Central Valley School District staff have been meeting weekly since the beginning of September to figure out what the new high school attendance boundaries will be once Ridgeline High School in Liberty Lake is finished

in 2021, joining the existing Central Valley and University high schools currently in the district.

The Boundary Review Committee was given growth projections and other data collected by consultants to help guide their decisions. It’s a monumental task made easier by technology, which allows the

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committee to instantly see the results as they tinker with boundary lines.

Kent Martin, CVSD’s assistant superintendent for secondary learning and teaching, heads up the committee.

He said they have a list of 10 things to consider when creating new boundaries, including future growth, transportation costs and maintaining the neighborhood feeder systems.

The district wants the sizes of the three high schools to be similar, and the committee also needs to consider the number of special education students and free and reduced lunch students at each school. It can be a difficult task to balance all the considerations, and sometimes it’s not possible to satisfy them all, Martin said.

“We always find it’s hard to do that,” he said. “We generally meet many of them, but the question is, how much?”

The committee proposed a draft map and took it to the community at an open house on Oct. 2 to get public input. Based on that input, a second draft map was put together before the second open house on Oct. 30. Another community open house is set for 6 p.m. on Dec. 4 at Spokane Valley Tech, 115 S. University Road. That event will likely feature a third draft map, again based on community input. The latest map can be viewed at cvsd.org by navigating through the “Construction, Boundaries and Planning” section.

Monty Lewis, who owns Appleway Florist, is one of the community members on the committee. He previously served on the district’s elementary and middle school boundary review committees.

“I wanted to be up to date on what’s going on,” Lewis said. “I live right near a boundary line.”

He said he’s learned a lot by serving on the various boundary review committees.

“I found out it’s a very detailed process that we put a lot more into than someone on the outside might think,” he said.

Since he’s often out delivering flowers, Lewis is very familiars with the streets and neighborhoods in the district.

“I think that was a strength,” he said.

Lewis has three children in the district, two sixth graders and a freshman at Central Valley High School. He lives four houses away from the current dividing line between

the Central Valley and University high school attendance areas.

Lewis said his goal is to do what is best for the community.

“We’ve had lots of ideas from crazy to very logical,” he said. “I think that’s my top priority is to be fair to the kids.”

The school board already approved a policy that will govern the transition from two high schools to three. When Ridgeline opens in 2022, it will not have a senior class. All seniors in the district will remain in their original high schools until they graduate.

Juniors in the class of 2023 will have the option of remaining in their original high schools, while sophomores (class of 2024) can opt to stay in their original high school only if they have competed in a varsity sport as a freshman or have an older sibling there. Even freshmen will have the ability to opt out of attending Ridgeline if they have an older sibling attending either Central Valley or University. Students will also be given the chance to choice into a school outside of their attendance boundary provided there is room.

Having those procedures laid out well in advance has alleviated the concerns of many parents and students, Martin said. He said he knows people take pride in their high school.

“There’s a lot of allegiances built up, and we know that,” he said.

Parents will be asked in the spring if they think their child will opt back into their original high school, Martin said.

“The reason we’re doing it so early is because we have to do staffing,” he said.

Community input will continue to be collected on the boundary line proposals. Those who can’t attend the final open house in December can send their comments via email to boundaries@cvsd.org. Martin said that each Boundary Review Committee member reads every comment.

“I think it’s a good process,” he said. “I’ve done these 15 years ago, and it was hard because we didn’t have good data.”

The committee is currently scheduled to present its recommended high school attendance boundaries to the school board at the Jan. 13 board meeting, held at the CVSD administration building at 19307 E. Cataldo Ave. The school board will have the final say on whether to accept the boundary recommendations made by the committee or not.

NOVEMBER 2019 • 29

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This experience helps me bring people together who have differing mind-sets, goals, and opinions.

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It is important for a council member to be available to our residents and to have additional time for training. Over the last four years, I have spent almost every Saturday from mid-May through midOctober at the Farmer’s Market talking with residents about what makes our City tick, gathering feedback from residents THE YO U D ES ERVE Fieldhouse Pizza who have praise or criticism, and bringing this feedback to the council. I’m also very Windermere • Liberty Lake Family Dentistry active on social media to help residents Banner Fuel • Liberty Lake EyeCare in Spokane, Spokane Valley, Liberty Lake, Post Falls & Coeu find the answers they areNew lookinghomes for. I am fortunate that my employer supports my council work. This has enabled me to THE LIBERTY LAKE gr ee n s t o n e h o m e s . c o m take time off for local meetings and events Index of advertisers during the workday without feeling guilty Following are the local advertisers in and to schedule uninterrupted vacation this issue of The Splash.

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The percentage of the vote Tom Stanley received in the Aug. 6 primary election was incorrectly reported in the September 2019 issue of The Splash.

The correct percentage of the vote was 34.3 percent. He advanced along with incumbent Cris Kaminskas (46.5 percent) to the general election in November in the race for Liberty Lake City Council Position No 7.

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NOVEMBER 2019 • 31

SV Museum celebrates 15 years

By Linda Ball Splash Contributor

Founder and museum director Jayne Singleton said the Spokane Valley Heritage Museum is a “small museum with a big vision.” It may have a small footprint, but it’s jam-packed with artifacts that tell the story of the Spokane Valley, Liberty Lake and beyond.

Singleton, a former teacher, was the eldest of seven children, and she believes that’s where she honed her leadership skills.

“There wasn’t a museum, no one was collecting history,” she said of the Valley and surrounding area.

She founded the nonprofit Spokane Valley Legacy Foundation, and in 2004 made a proposal to the City of Spokane Valley, which had just been incorporated the previous year, to take over the Spanish/ colonial style building the museum is housed in. The museum building, circa 1912, was originally built as the town hall for Opportunity Township, which stretched south to 32nd, north to Mission, west to Argonne and east to Evergreen.

Townships were abolished in the early 1970s.

When the Spokane Valley Legacy Foundation secured the building for $1 from the city, Singleton had already been hard at work on setting up the legal structure and

organizing a task force to restore the building.

Things really fell into place, with everything they needed just seeming to happen, Singleton said.

She calls them “lo and behold” moments. Not only did the taskforce restore the building, they made sure to get the building listed on the state and national historic registers.

The museum building was the Valley’s first library, also serving as a silent movie house, then hosting the “talkies.” Five different church congregations met at the building, and Congressman Tom Foley debated George Nethercutt within those walls in 1994. The building itself is worth a look.

Singleton said the museum’s growth has been phenomenal. In addition to its annual fundraiser -- or “fun” raiser as she calls it -the museum is also celebrating its 15th birthday in conjunction with the 16th annual Heritage Program.

This year’s program will focus on the history of Liberty Lake going back to the mid to late 1850s.

Liberty Lake used to be called Lake Grier, and at one point had seven resorts hugging its shores. It was a popular getaway, where families came to “bathe” and boat in the lake. The history also includes the Coeur d’Alene Tribe, which had to contend with an influx of settlers, miners and even the army in Liberty Lake.

Submitted Photo A century ago, Liberty Lake was advertised as the recreational destination for the Inland Northwest. The annual Heritage Program fundraiser Nov. 9 will focus on the history of Liberty Lake, beginning with the Coeur d’Alene Indians who lived there through the era of resorts and recreation.

“Liberty Lake played a vital role in recreation for Spokane Valley residents and the City of Spokane,” Singleton said. “In the early 1900s, a lot of people took the train out to the lake to enjoy dancing at the Pavilion or to cool off on the beach.”

Many of the Liberty Lake artifacts were donated by Howard and Mary Floy Dolphin, among others. They include historic photos, signs and advertisements from the former lakeside resorts.

Eventually, the lakeside resorts were sold to private investors

Submitted Photo The Heritage Program (pictured here in 2018) draws a crowd each year in support of the Spokane Valley Heritage Museum.

for various reasons and are now all private property. All told, the museum has more than 400 artifacts pertaining to Liberty Lake.

The Heritage Program, which was attended by 170 people last year, will also include a brief presentation on the museum and its many achievements, which include collecting more than 10,000 photographs, 5,700 historical records and receiving the key to the City of Spokane Valley. The museum’s 20-member board is also in the process of planning to add on to the Building, with the addition including a basement for extra storage and two floors above ground.

The Heritage Program will be held Saturday, Nov. 9, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Spokane Valley Eagles, 16801 E. Sprague Ave. It includes a luncheon catered by the Eagles, silent auction and the program. An item of historical significance in the auction is a stay in Wallace, Idaho, which has its own colorful history. There will be other hotel stays, restaurant certificates, a women’s cruiser bicycle and gift baskets. All proceeds from the silent auction will benefit the museum.

Tickets for the event are $20 and can be purchased at the museum or $25 at the door. For more information, call 922-4570.

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