With ideas and encouragement from then President of the Riverview Little League, Jenny Tomlinson, and former MLB player and 1988 graduate of Central Valley High School, Kevin Stocker, ground was broken to begin the construction of the Liberty Lake fields near the Liberty Lake Elementary School.
Motivation grew within the community as the demand for more ball fields was expressed regularly by Liberty Lake residents. Prior to the construction of the new fields, there was only one ball field within Pavillion Park which could be utilized by little league players, residents, outside groups and other organizations.
The fields first broke ground in 2014, and held their first game in the spring of 2015.
The fields are utilized by Riverview Little League which is composed of approximately half Liberty Lake residents. Riverview Little League uses the diamonds all spring and much of the summer season. The Spokane Indians also use the fields and have some Liberty Lake residents on their team. In addition to these two teams, the fields can also be reserved by local residents and private parties. Differing rates apply for nonprofit organizations and for-profit organizations and are reserved on a first come first serve basis.
The Liberty Lake fields host the “Boarder Battle” each year. This is an annual tournament, typically held in June which features teams from all over the Northwest including: Washington, Idaho, Montana and Oregon and brings many spectators and visitors to the community.
The cost of building the fields and restroom exceeded $1,077,000 which was funded from Real Estate Excise Tax (REET). REET are taxes collected from the sale of property and can only be used for Capital Projects and not for the maintenance or operation of the project which cost an additional $10,000 plus per year.
The City of Liberty Lake has a ten (10) year Memorandum of Understanding with the Central Valley School District in Spokane Valley, which states:
A. The CITY agrees to provide the following at their expense
1. Manage the turf, which includes labor and equipment needed to mow, fertilize and repair the irrigation system;
2. Provide the DISTRICT access to the irrigation clock at all times;
3. Coordinate and manage reservations after school hours, weekends and during the summer recess. Reservations fees and revenues will be included under the CITY’s oversight;
4. Maintain and manage the turf, in a condition similar to other city park property; and
5. Provide the DISTRICT with first priority for all reservations at no cost.
B. The DISTRICT agrees to provide the following services at its expense:
1. Provide equipment storage for CITY equipment with the CITY having access to said storage or storage unit at all times;
2. Pay for any and all water service necessary for the ballfields area, which the CITY has agreed to maintain; and
3. Coordinate and manage reservations for any usage of the area during school hours and when the field(s) are used by the DISTRICT for all DISTRICT events
When asked if there is a return on the investment, Trevor Slocum of the Parks Department replied, “The city does not make money off the ballfields. We recoup some money off of reservations, but it is not much.”
It was later found the city received $3860 in reservation fees in 2017 and close to the same amount in 2016. The fees received are to help recover the cost of maintaining and operating the ball fields.
Ballfield Use Applications can be obtained through the Parks and Recreation Department or by contacting TSlocum@libertylakewa.gov
