here - The Liberty Lake Splash

12 • Sept. 13, 2012The SplashLetters to the EditorFunding source for FOPPlineup merits clarificationDoug Pullen’s Sept. 6 letter tothe editor, “City should fund infrastructure,”is ambiguous whenreferring to the free entertainmentthe city of Liberty Lake contributesto with city tax funds. Heseems to be under the impressionthat the city utility tax funds thesummer entertainment at PavillionPark. Our letter is to clarifyhow some of the free-to-the-publicentertainment is paid for.The movies are funded byBakerBirchBay.comVisit bakerbirchbay.comPlan your next visit to Mt. Bakerand Birch Bay, Washingtonnews45 mph signs may returnMile-long stretch ofCountry Vista Drivecould see speed hikeBy Josh JohnsonSplash Staff WriterDrivers may soon pick up thepace — legally — along a onemilestretch of Country VistaDrive often criticized for havingan unreasonably low speed limit.Liberty Lake Police Chief BrianAsmus said he expects theCity Council will approve an ordinanceat Tuesday’s meeting thatwould increase the speed to 45mph on Country Vista betweenHenry Road and the SpokaneValley city limits. The stretch ofroad has four lanes for travel anda center turn lane.Asmus credits the public safetycommittee — Council membersDan Dunne, Cris Kaminskasand Lori Olander — withrecommending the city changegears regarding the largely vacantstretch of road that takes driversfrom Country Vista Apartmentsto just beyond the thoroughfare’sintersection with Broadway. Thecommittee was scheduled toput the finishing touches on theproposed ordinance earlier thisweek, and Asmus said when thechange was bounced by Councilmembers earlier this summer, it“seemed like it had full support.”The speed on the popular gatewayinto Greenacres and the connectingValley was 45 mph untila previous City Council downshiftedit to 35 mph on June 17,2008, with the passage of OrdinanceNo. 169. Until the change,the speed on Country Vista was45 mph beginning at WhitmanLane, which serves as the easternmostaccess to Home Depot.Asmus recalled his recommendationwas to change the speed to 35mph between Whitman and Henry,but it was decided the 35 mphzone would extend all the way tothe city border instead. Leaders atthe time cited an anticipation offuture development and continuityof the speed limit as reasons tochange the speed along the entirestretch. Ordinance 169 passedunanimously. The only currentCouncil member who cast a voteis now-Mayor Pro Tem OdinLangford. Langford is the Council’ssenior member by more thantwo years; he was first appointedto his seat in October 2007.Should the Council approvethe change, it would likely go intoeffect within three to five days,Asmus said.Asmus called the stretch ofroad slated for change a “bigstretch of nothingness,” with nopotential distractions caused bycross traffic.“Even the freeway off-ramphas its own merge lane (ontoCountry Vista),” he said.Asmus said while there is noopinionGreenstone Homes and Neighborhoods,and the concerts andstage production are fully fundedby Friends of Pavillion Park. Mr.Pullen, none of your utility taxmoney is going to these events.The annual Friends of PavillionPark Holiday Ball is the chief fundraiserfor the concerts as well asother events at the park and forscholarships given out to worthyLiberty Lake students every year.Except for the upkeep of PavillionPark, the city does not use theutility tax to support any of theseworthwhile endeavors.The free events put on by Greenstoneand FOPP allow the KiwanisClub of Liberty Lake to raise,through food sales, thousands ofdollars each year that are funneledright back into the community.So, Mr. Pullen, you can resteasy. Your utility tax money is safeand is being used by the city in aconstructive way that benefits ourfine city. Those events that the citydoes use tax funds to provide entertainmentto city residents andvisitors help to create a sense ofcommunity, one of the major reasonswe choose to live here.Bob and Sue SchneidmillerLiberty Lakedevelopment on the horizon forthe area, the city could alwayslower the speed limit in the futureas safety concerns warrantit. For the time being, he warnsdrivers to be sure to slow downonce they reach the 35 mph signsin the city of Spokane Valley —one reason the city cited in 2008for the change to 35 mph.Liberty Lake Mayor Steve Petersonpointed out that he wasn’tin office at the time, but he doesn’tthink the change of speeds intoSpokane Valley should factorinto the decision.“If you get a ticket in SpokaneValley, you get one,” he said. “WeFOPP covers‘associated costs’I would like to take this opportunityto respond to Doug Pullen’sSept. 6 letter, “City should fundinfrastructure.” Mr. Pullen suggestscity tax revenues subsidize“associated costs” of these “diversefree entertainment” events. Mostof those events are sponsored byFriends of Pavillion Park, an organizationwhich I have had thepleasure and honor to be a part offor the last several years as treasurer.While I cannot speak for thecity budget and how tax revenuesare spent, I will gladly open thebooks for the Friends of PavillionPark income and expenses. Weraise most of our money throughour only fundraiser, the HolidayBall, and the associated auction.We have several generous financialsponsors in our community,including Greenstone Homes. Weapply for and are granted somemonies from the Tourism PromotionFund, which is a fund generatedby hotel and motel lodgingtaxes and overseen by its ownboard. We do not receive moneydirectly from the city of LibertyLake’s utility tax revenues.Splash photo by Josh JohnsonThe city willconsider changingthe speedlimit to 45mph along thisone-mile stretchof CountryVista Drive fromHenry Roadto the city ofSpokane Valleyborder.look at what is realistic for (theone-mile stretch) — what doesthe chief say is realistic.”For his part, Asmus agrees“35 feels slow.” While lettersto The Splash editor and otherpublic comments have allegedthe change was made as a speedtrap to bring revenue to the city,both Peterson (who said the citycan effectively lose money onsuch tickets because most of thefine goes to the state, and thecity must pay court costs when aticket is challenged) and Asmusbrushed away the notion.“We haven’t been enforcing itreally much at all,” he said.A dedicated group of volunteersworks to raise these moniesand book these events, such as theconcerts, the Shakespeare groupand the movies in the park. FOPPpays all the associated expensesfor these events — the performers,advertising, the sound andlights, the shuttle, the lodging forthe performers, you name it. Thecity makes sure the park is availableand ready as they do for anyorganization that uses the park.Kiwanis sells refreshments, andSCOPE volunteers help with traffic.Exactly what “associated costs”is the city covering, Mr. Pullen?Maybe the added revenues fromhotels and restaurants paid for bythose “outsiders”?These events make LibertyLake a unique and desirablecommunity. The FOPP volunteersput a lot of time and effortinto keeping these events going.Watching a little boy dancing tothe Symphony makes every hourwe volunteer worth it. PerhapsMr. Pullen would like to attendour next board meeting — we arealways looking for creative volunteers!Kathi ShirleyFOPP Treasurer