March 19, 2024
The Liberty Lake Splash
PO Box 363
Liberty Lake, WA 99019
Phone: 509-242-7752
News Blog Business Community Opinion Sports

More News

March Marvel-Calvary a catalyst for historic Gonzaga run

Daughters of The American Revolution
The Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) is a volunteer women’s organization that has been dedicated to historical preservation, education, and patriotism for over a century. Across the United States, there are over 3,000 chapters supporting an estimated current membership of 200,000, with over one million total members since their founding in 1890.

HOA’s have different rules what it means for Police and streets
The city of Liberty Lake is known for its winding paths, street trees and homeowner’s associations. Recently, however, residents of some neighborhoods have been questioning the services they receive from the city, particularly police patrols and traffic enforcement.

Vietnam Veteran Pat Payne Receives his Combat Infantry Badge
Spokane Valley resident and Vietnam Veteran Pat Payne personifies bravery, resilience, and a profound commitment to supporting his fellow service members. Having served in the Vietnam War, Pat received both the Bronze Star and Purple Heart medals for his exceptional contributions and sacrifices. Unfortunately, at the time of his service discharge, a key ‘box’ was left unchecked, and he did not receive his Combat Infantry Badge or CIB until fifty-six years after leaving Vietnam.

Return Ticket Home; Fisher helped establish LL city roots
In the acclaimed 1940 novel, “You Can’t Go Home Again,” author Thomas Wolfe paints the picture of ambitious writer George Webber who leaves his rural hometown roots to seek fame and fortune in New York City.

At Home on Air – Media fixture Owsley relishes local roots
Sean Owsley’s first big break in the media world came when he was living in a modest apartment on Skipworth Road in Spokane Valley.

Spokane Valley Library employee is recognized by the Library of Congress
Spokane Valley Library was recently honored to receive a Certificate of Appreciation from the Library of Congress for its involvement in the Veterans History Project. The Library of Congress recognized the library's continuous dedication to preserving the stories and experiences of our nation's veterans. As part of this recognition, Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers presented a Certificate of Appreciation to Jeremy Mullin, a local resident actively involved in the project.

Council social media training degenerates into confrontation
Spokane Valley City Council training on policy regarding social media accounts and use of the city’s logo turned from benignly informative to heatedly combative after an exchange between two council members at the Jan. 9 meeting.

Central Valley School District Prop. 1

Eat, Shop, and Be Merry

Water Works

2023 Candidate Guide

Sporting in Liberty Lake

Closing the Chasm

Congratulations First Ridgeline High School Graduating Class of 2023

2023 Liberty Lake Kiwanis Yard Sales are Coming!
Click here to register today! Only $15 to get into the printed and online guide!

Public Safety Raised to New Level

Parks and Art Commission

Looking Ahead to 2023

Eat, Shop and Be Merry

New city administrator

Liberty Lake Kiwanis Yard Sale Interactive Map!

Liberty Lake Kiwanis Yard Sale Guide - Now Available!!

Conrats 2022 Senior Graduates

Pavillion Park

You Are Invited

Destination Liberty Lake

Liberty Lake's Lego Home

Making and Impact 2022

Search the News Archive Search the News Archive

September Council Recap: Project manager to be tapped for pool
9/28/2015 3:04:52 PM

By Craig Howard
Splash Contributor

While it may not be time to step up to the diving board or hop in the water for a few conditioning laps, the Liberty Lake City Council moved closer to the reality of an aquatic center last month.

By a unanimous vote on Sept. 15, the governing board agreed to retain a project manager for a pool and community center at the site of Town Square Park at a price tag of $50,000. The funds have already been set aside in this year's budget. 

"This discussion is about the best way to deliver a project," said City Administrator Katy Allen. "The residents want to know what it's going to cost and what they're going to get."

In addition to securing a project manager, the money will cover the city's application to the state's Project Review Committee, the group which approves "design-build" methods of construction. The city is leaning toward a "progressive design-build" strategy, which starts with what Allen described as "a team based on their experience and approach to your project," as opposed to the traditional bid and build process.  

Gary Bernardo of Bernardo Wills Architects told council on Sept. 15 that design-build projects represent "the lowest risk and most reliable, accurate method." Bernardo was involved as a consultant with a citizen-based Community Facilities Task Force that researched site options for the pool/community center.

"With this approach, you have a very strong certainty that what you're showing to the public, you can actually afford," Bernardo said. 

Allen said progressive design-build has been used effectively by entities like the University of Washington and Sea-Tac Airport. 

"You're aligning the scope and budget, saving time and putting more dollars toward construction," she said. 

The $50,000 will also pay for procurement of a design-build team, legal review and mapping out of a budget. Allen said the selection of the project manager will occur between now and the end of the year.

Council remained wary of the dollar amount affixed to the entire design-build plan, which would include retention of a contractor, program development, design concepts, a construction estimate and building schedule. That lineup rang in at a cool $100,000 not counting a $25,000 contingency. 

Adding in the agreed upon $50,000, the overall expense of $175,000 left some around the dais reticent about the city committing too much for development costs alone. Council Member Keith Kopelson described it as "sticker shock."

"I'm concerned about spending $175,000 moving ahead with a project without knowing it's going to be approved," said Council Member Bob Moore.  

The additional $125,000 would need to be approved by council in the 2016 budget. If endorsed, Allen said the funds would likely come from revenue generated through the real estate excise tax. 

Allen added that the funds would represent the "good faith" investment the task force was hoping for from the city, a gesture that would not only lower the cost of a capital facilities bond but also indicate the city's level of commitment to the project, possibly influencing voters.

Council Member Dan Dunne said he enthusiastically supported retaining a project manager. 

"I think it's critical that voters be informed of the objective of the bond," Dunne said. 

Mayor Pro Tem Cris Kaminskas said residents considering a property tax hike to build a facility "will want to know what this project is all about." 

The preliminary estimated price of the pool/community center is $11.2 million, not including operation and maintenance costs. The project would cover 16,000 square feet and be built on land owned by the city. Town Square Park already occupies 2 acres of the overall 6.4-acre site on Meadowwood Lane.  

The city's anticipated timeline, as outlined by Allen, would include hiring a project manager between now and December and bringing on a contractor sometime between January and May of next year. Public outreach meetings would follow between May and August with the initiative appearing on the ballot in August. A capital facilities bond requires a supermajority of at least 60 percent for approval. 

Regional sports complex appeal 
Another sports-related project shared the stage with the Town Square dialogue on Sept. 15.

Spokane County Commissioner Shelly O'Quinn and Doug Chase, director of Spokane County Parks and Recreation, provided an overview of an ambitious regional sports complex plan that would include, among other sites, an area around the HUB Sports Center in Liberty Lake as well as the county park on the banks of Liberty Lake.  

The idea was initiated by the discussion to build a downtown sports complex, O'Quinn said.  

"We heard these conversations and thought, ‘Why not the Valley?'" she said. 

Under the plan, the grounds near the HUB would be the new home of softball and baseball diamonds and one multi-use field as well as parking, illumination and a maintenance building. An upgrade at Plante's Ferry Park would mean more soccer fields and softball diamonds featuring synthetic turf and illumination. 

The next step is to commission an economic impact study that would estimate the ripple effect of the new and improved facilities on the communities involved, particularly on businesses like hotels and restaurants as the sites host tournaments and other events. O'Quinn said the collaboration would ideally include the cities of Spokane Valley and Liberty Lake, the Central Valley School District and the Spokane Regional Sports Commission. The cost of the study - in the neighborhood of $48,000 - would be split among the entities that sign on.

"We look at this as a greater Valley partnership," O'Quinn said.

Liberty Lake has yet to commit funds to the study, although Mayor Steve Peterson has attended meetings of the sports facilities advisory committee.

"We need to be very diligent about what we can find out for ourselves before we go out and spend anything," Peterson said. "I want to make sure we have a good understanding of what this means to us."

The county has talked about a levy lid lift to pay for the project, though nothing has been finalized. O'Quinn said it would be ideal to have the economic impact study completed this fall, utilizing the same consultant hired to address the downtown project. 

"We're still in that gathering information phase so we can move forward next year," O'Quinn said.

Dunne said the study would provide "an opportunity to understand what the impact of this project would be."

"I value the notion of a third party opinion here," he said.

Wayne Frost, chair of the HUB board, said the study "would provide the answers." The HUB now generates an estimated $6 million a year in economic impact each year. 

"You're willing to spend $50,000 (on the Town Square project design phase) but not $12,000 on this?" Frost said. "There's a lot of history behind this. These facilities bring money here from other places."

Peterson recommended a combined meeting with representatives of the county, Liberty Lake, Spokane Valley, CVSD and the sports commission before the city agreed to pay any portion of the study.

Task force presents findings at Sept. 1 meeting
Much of the legwork for discussions and decisions made at the Sept. 15 meeting happened Sept. 1, when the Council heard a summary from the Community Facilities Task Force which began convening in mid-June to discuss three potential capital projects - a pool, a library and a community center. Joe Phipps, chair of the committee, took the lead at the presentation.

"People seemed to be interested in the discussion and bringing forth their input," Phipps said of the process which utilized last year's Parks and Recreation community survey as a springboard.   

With help from Bernardo, the task force looked at five potential locations for the community center/pool but finally landed on the Town Square Park site on Meadowwood Lane as the most feasible. Phipps said the space made sense for its centrality, accessibility and standing as an established civic venue. Along with hosting the Liberty Lake Farmers Market each year, the city-owned property features amenities like the park and a Fallen Heroes station.

"It's a central location that people are already familiar with," Phipps said. "This (project) would build upon work the city has already done."

Phipps added that the available square footage at the property would accommodate not only facilities, but parking and open green space. When considering the acreage necessary for the project, the task force reviewed information compiled by Allen that included a summary of pools and community centers in cities of similar size to Liberty Lake. Representatives of the group also toured and studied other facilities in the area.

The estimated cost of $11.2 million includes sales tax and escalation for 2017 bond rates. Kaminskas noted that aquatic center participation fees would likely cover only around 30 percent of ongoing maintenance costs.

As for the project itself, the task force presented financing options for capital bonds covering both 20 and 30 years. A 20-year, $10 million bond would translate to an annual property tax increase of $175 for a home valued at $300,000. A 30-year bond would cost a homeowner $145 more each year. 

In 2008, a $9.8 million funding initiative for a new library and community center earned a paltry 38 percent of the ballot - well below the necessary 60 percent. The result prompted the city to purchase a former manufacturing warehouse that was eventually renovated into a new library and police precinct. 

Little was mentioned concerning the library's stake in the Town Square venture on Sept. 1, other than Phipps mentioning that library representatives "have expressed interest in being part of the community center."

"It's really not our job to delineate what would be there," Phipps said.

Another layer to the discussion was added on before Phipps even began his presentation.  Frost told council about the proposal to build an outdoor sports complex on the north side of Liberty Lake in the River District that is currently penciled in as part of a $25 million initiative to upgrade parks and recreation sites across Spokane County, the same project that was presented later in the month at the Sept. 15 meeting. 

With the county project looming as a possible April 2016 ballot issue, it was clear that council had concerns about the River District project and the community center/pool development competing for taxpayer dollars. 

"If the county comes back with a levy lid lift, Liberty Lake residents will get hit twice, even if they don't vote for it," said Langford. "I think it's important that we get the global view of what's going to be taking place."

Langford went on to speculate that Liberty Lake's project could be tagged onto the county project as one expansive complex. 

When considering overall value, Kaminskas said the River District layout paled in comparison to the construction of a community center/pool more centrally located within the boundaries of Liberty Lake.

"I don't see the county project benefitting our residents," she said.

Peterson took the case for a city-sponsored development further.

"A pool and community center will be a guaranteed benefit for our community," he said. "And our community is going to make the decision on it."

Phipps said there is already enthusiasm within the task force to promote the vote to build the pool and civic center. 

"You can sell the idea of a third gathering place," he said. 

Kopelson said that based on community feedback and the task force study, the city "needs to make a decision to move ahead with this project."

• • •

In the Books, On the Docket
A look back and ahead at news from City Hall

By Craig Howard
Splash Contributor

IN THE BOOKS (SEPTEMBER)
• Council voted 3-2 on Sept. 15 (Shane Brickner and Hugh Severs missed the meeting with excused absences) to require all voting members of the planning commission to reside within city boundaries. Currently, up to two of the seven standing members can be non-residents. The ordinance will be changed to take effect at the start of 2016. The change, initiated by Council Member Bob Moore, who served four years as chair of the commission before joining council, would allow two adjunct (non-voting) members to be non-residents. 

• City Administrator Katy Allen said the city "has struggled with the numbers to justify the full interchange" at Henry Road.  The future project is receiving early indications that while off-ramp construction might pass an interchange justification report required by the Federal Highway Administration and the Washington State Department of Transportation, on-ramp construction may be problematic based on growth projections and future buildout in Liberty Lake. The project received funding support in the last state legislative session.

• The city plans to install three flashing traffic beacons to improve pedestrian safety at the intersections of Molter and Boone, Molter and Country Vista and Mission and Malvern. An illuminated speed monitor will also be installed on Mission near Rocky Hill Park alerting westbound traffic to stay within the posted speed limit. Allen said the equipment should be in place within the next four weeks. 

• Library Director Pamela Mogen commended resident Andrew Ferrero for his efforts to build a picnic table on library grounds. The table, which will meet accessibility guidelines of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), was part of Ferrero's Eagle Scout project.    

• Council discussed a list of potential priorities for 2016 at its Sept. 1 meeting, including the second phase of the Town Square project, business support and recruitment, transportation projects, parks and recreation and public art. Mayor Steve Peterson said the city needs to place more emphasis on a legislative agenda that would address the competitive disadvantage Liberty Lake has with Idaho when it comes to recruiting businesses. Council passed a resolution at its Sept. 15 meeting, adopting priorities for next year. 

• Allen said the city is consulting with municipal attorney Sean Boutz about adding more clout to its code enforcement policy based on "ongoing issues and concerns with certain properties."

ON THE DOCKET (OCTOBER) 
• A workshop is scheduled for the Oct. 6 council meeting to discuss traffic data on Mission Avenue. 

• Also on the agenda for Oct. 6 is a public hearing on the city's development code and the River District specific area plan. Council will also address a second read ordinance amending the comprehensive plan, development code and RDSAP.

• Council will hear a first read ordinance on municipal code enforcement on Oct. 6.

• Council will be presented with the mayor's budget for 2016 on Oct. 20. There has been talk of raising the fees at the Liberty Lake Ballfields to parallel rates in the city of Spokane. Fees for large events (over 100 people) at Pavillion Park may also be increased.

• A second read ordinance will be considered on an update to the capital facilities plan.

• The next City Council meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. Oct. 6.    

Advertisement

Copyright © 2024 The Liberty Lake Splash | Print Page