Henry Road is Now Kramer Parkway

Published on May 23, 2019May 23, 2019 in Featured/Traffic and Roads by Liberty Lake Gazette

Henry Road was renamed to Kramer Parkway. A dedication and ribbon cutting will take place on Friday, May 24, 2019 at 2 PM.

City Council Continues Discussions on I-90 Improvements through Liberty Lake (Video Gallery)

Published on May 22, 2019May 22, 2019 in Featured/Government and Politics/Traffic and Roads/Video by Liberty Lake Gazette

Here are some highlights from City Council discussions on the Harvard to Barker project.

Full audio recordings are available on the City of Liberty Lake YouTube page

Harvard to Barker Discussion - Transparency

Harvard to Barker Discussion - Project Ownership

Harvard to Barker Discussion - Financial Responsibility

Harvard to Barker Discussion - Overages

Harvard to Barker Discussion - City Obligation

Harvard to Barker Discussion - Partners

Harvard to Barker Discussion - Transparency, Process, History

Harvard to Barker Discussion - Savings

Harvard to Barker Discussion - If Declined

Harvard to Barker Discussion - Positive

Harvard to Barker Discussion - Financing

Harvard to Barker Discussion - Tough Position

Harvard to Barker Discussion - City of Liberty Lake

City of Liberty Lake – Monthly Financial Dashboard (April 2019)

Published on May 22, 2019May 22, 2019 in Featured/Government and Politics by Liberty Lake Gazette

April 2019 Financial Dashboard

Don’t Have a Big Breakfast: There Will be Burgers

Published on May 17, 2019May 23, 2019 in Local Food by Liberty Lake Gazette

Come hungry to the Liberty Lake Farmers Market on Saturday.

Jalepeno Heaven’s tasty tacos will be missed, but alongside so many other delicious food options; there are burgers.

Between Two Buns is new to the market this year and looking to make friends with Liberty Lake taste buds.

Stop by their booth, introduce yourself, and fill your belly with burger.

Liberty Lake City Council/Mayoral Race: Currently 10 Candidates for 5 Positions

Published on May 17, 2019May 17, 2019 in Government and Politics by Liberty Lake Gazette

As of 11:00 AM, Spokane County Elections’ website lists a total of 10 candidates for 5 positions.

Candidates who have filed are as follows:

Mayor
- Steve Peterson
- Shane Brickner
Council Position No. 1
- Phil Folyer
- Dg Garcia
Council Position No. 3
- Holly Woodruff
- Dan Dunne
Council Position No. 5
- Bob Moore
- Annie Kurtz
Council Position No. 7
- Cris Kaminskas
- Jeanette Nall

The filing deadline to declare candidacy for Liberty Lake City Council or Mayor is 4 PM Today (05-17-19).

If interested, here is the link to file: https://www.spokanecounty.org/315/Online-Candidate-Filing

Fun Fact: Liberty Lake was named after Etienne Edward Laliberte

Published on May 14, 2019May 14, 2019 in Featured/Other News by Liberty Lake Gazette

According to Wikipedia, “Liberty Lake was named after an Etienne Edward Laliberte, later he changed his name to Steve Liberty, a pioneer who settled near the lake.”

What if Etienne hadn’t changed his name? Would we be living in the City of Laliberte? Or, would we be fishing and boating in Etienne Edward Laliberte Lake?

source: “Liberty Lake, Washington.” Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia, Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberty_Lake,_Washington.

City Council Discusses Interstate 90 Improvements through Liberty Lake

Published on May 9, 2019May 10, 2019 in Featured/Government and Politics/Traffic and Roads by Liberty Lake Gazette

Last week, we reported that the Washington state legislature approved $20.7 million for I-90 improvements through Liberty Lake.

“Awesome! When will they get started?”

Not so fast. The road to project kick-off is still under construction.

First, the governor needs to sign the bill into law. As of today, HB 1160 is on the governor’s desk awaiting signature. If Governor Inslee fails to sign and does not veto the bill, it may still become law.

Next, the City of Liberty Lake and Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) have some work ahead of them before breaking ground.

Here is what is known and what the City of Liberty Lake is working to define.

Known:

Improvements are needed at Barker Road, Henry Road, and Harvard Road.
A year ago, City of Liberty Lake retained lobbyist to get these projects funded.
The project includes:
- Harvard Road Northbound Bridge Widening
- Harvard Road Westbound Ramp Extension
- Barker Road at Cataldo Roundabout
- Henry Road Overpass from Country Vista to Mission (no on/off ramps)
The project will be managed by WSDOT. They will control timeline, budget, and construction management.
WSDOT considers this one project and has yet to complete the project plan and contract.
According to WSDOT, I-90/Barker to Harvard – Improve Interchanges project is estimated at $26.9 million.
Per HB 1160, the City of Liberty lake is responsible to pay any amount over $20.7 million
- The connecting Washington account appropriation for the improvements that fall within the city of Liberty Lake may only be expended if the city of Liberty Lake agrees to cover any project costs above the $20,900,000 of state appropriation provided for the total project in LEAP Transportation Document 2019-1 as developed April 27, 2019, Program – Highway Improvements (I).
Current estimated cost to Liberty Lake is $6.2 million.
There is no cap on overages and Liberty Lake has no say in the final amount besides managing the scope.
Supporters included: City of Spokane Valley, Spokane Valley Fire Department, Central Valley School District, Spokane Transit, Spokane Regional Transportation Council

Unknown:

Will the Liberty Lake City Council approve the WSDOT contract without knowing the total project cost?
Will Liberty Lake be able to find savings to reduce costs?
What will the financial strategy be to pay for this expenditure?
Will Spokane Valley contribute to the project since a portion of the project is located within Spokane Valley limits?
Will any of the other supporters contribute to the cost?
Will a project of this scope require Liberty Lake to put other planned projects on hold?

This week, City Council touched on some of these questions. It will take further discussions and discovery before they can answer all the questions.

Click here to watch the council discuss the I-90/Barker to Harvard – Improve Interchanges project.

Liberty Lake City Council Workshop and Meeting May 07, 2019

Published on May 8, 2019May 12, 2019 in Government and Politics/Video by Liberty Lake Gazette

View the full video library here: https://libertylake.com/video-library/

Watch Liberty Lake City Council Meeting and Workshop Live on Facebook

Published on May 6, 2019May 6, 2019 in Featured/Government and Politics/Video by Liberty Lake Gazette

Tuesday, May 7, 2019 at 6 p.m., Liberty Lake Gazette will broadcast the Liberty Lake City Council meeting and workshop live on Facebook.

Visit https://www.facebook.com/libertylakenews/ any time after 6 p.m., Tuesday.

Here are a few of the key issues:

Salary Commission and Other City/Public Agency Reports
Land Transaction with CVSD
Food Truck Proposed Ordinance
Acceptance of Donations Ordinance

Full agenda: http://www.libertylakewa.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_05072019-514

State Legislature Approves Funding for I-90 Improvements through Liberty Lake

Published on April 29, 2019 in Featured/Government and Politics/Traffic and Roads by Liberty Lake Gazette

Lawmakers in Olympia passed capital and transportation budgets Sunday. Among the transportation projects approved was up to $20.7 million over the next two years to improve I-90 from Barker Road to Harvard Road.

The project is intended to provide the following improvements for Liberty Lake:

Improve I-90 interchanges at Barker and Harvard
Construct an overpass at Henry Road
Improve local feeder streets

Additional costs for this project will be paid by the City of Liberty Lake.

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