New Liberty Lake park to be completed in September

The 14.6 acres at the intersection of Mission Avenue and Winrock Street in Liberty Lake were once the home of oat, wheat and alfalfa fields, and now, the area will serve residents as a park.

Rocky Hill Park, named for the large rocky knoll cutting through the land in the middle of the park, will be completed in September.

City Engineer Andrew Staples said the park will include tennis courts, a picnic shelter, a playground, a basketball court, raised beds for a community garden and a nature trail circling the perimeter of the park.

The park was funded through a grant from the state Recreation and Conservation Office and city funds. The cost of the second phase of construction is about $624,000.

Staples said that work began on the park in May.

Back in the 1940s, the land was owned by Louis Domrese, according to the city’s website. Domrese farmed more than 310 acres and built a 1,290-square-foot barn that is still on the park site. The barn once was the home of Domrese’s cattle and a horse.

The sidewalks were put in last week and the restrooms will be put in soon.

Staples said the new park will serve residents who don’t live close to Pavillion Park and don’t feel like driving to enjoy a park’s amenities.

“It’s a walkable distance from a lot of different community areas,” he said.

Development company Greenstone donated the land; Staples designed the park.

Though the park won’t be officially open until next month, Staples said residents are already using it.

A fence to keep the deer out of the garden will be put up and sod will be put in around the restrooms.

Back in the 1940s, Domrese’s son Lyle used to climb the rocky knoll during his breaks from working on the land and dream of a life away from the farm. Today, there is a deck on top of the knoll.

The city will dedicate the park in October.