Letters To The Editor

Thu., Nov. 2, 2000

Incorporation will allow control

I am strongly in favor of incorporation. It will allow Liberty Lake to have control of its land usage, police protection, open spaces and the right to control our destiny.

I do not wish to answer Greg Tichy point by point (Liberty Lake incorporation pro and con, Oct. 26 Valley Voice) but remind the citizens that over a two-year period, the citizens around the lake made the following decisions:

Not to ask the county commissioners to change the designation from rural to urban.

Since the state law does not allow rural land to be part of incorporation, Mr. Tichy’s area could not be included.

It was the Liberty Lake Property Owners Association board, all of who live around the lake, that wanted the “two-step” plan, thus giving them time to see what a new city would be like. A. Ludlow Kramer Liberty Lake

Two-step process favored

My family and I have lived at Liberty Lake for more than 10 years. We have been blessed to have had the opportunity to live on the lake and be part of this wonderful community.

While I still live in the home on the lake, and thus outside the proposed boundary, my daughter and grandchildren live within the incorporation boundary.

We favor the incorporation of Liberty Lake as a city and we support the two-step process that will bring the entire community within the new city. Incorporation allows us the opportunity for self-governace and the resources to tackle the many challenges we will face in the future. Incorporation provides the best opportunity to maintain and improve community services.

Incorporation provides the best resources to protect the lake and open spaces.

I urge my friends and neighbors to vote “yes” on Tuesday. Jim Frank Liberty Lake

Watch out for hidden agendas

I just moved from St. Louis and have been reading about the Liberty Lake incorporation. Since I live in Otis Orchards this issue will affect me.

In St. Louis we were constantly barraged with incorporation. The story here is the same.

Some residents and developers are trying to sell the idea that if you become a city your voice will be heard.

I thought that issues would be different here but they are not.

As usual, the incorporators aren’t giving you the full story. With incorporation you will have to pay for services you already have. One of the big issues with incorporation always seems to be about development.

Those for, say residents will have more control over what is planned for their area, and they always tout the services.

I have found that those who want to incorporate also have the whole new city planned.

There are usually those who have been promised the mayor position and those who have been promised commissioner positions.

The developers also play a large part in this effort.

They want to land-grab. What I have read, there is no open land to grab!

Think hard about deciding to become an incorporated city. How much will this cost you?

Will services be reduced?

What will be sacrificed?

Watch out for the hidden agendas! Pattie Pinter Hartmann Otis Orchards

Split would benefit developers

I oppose the incorporation of Liberty Lake at this time because it will divide the Liberty Lake community into two mutually distinctive areas - those north of Sprague Avenue from those who live near the lake.

The drive to incorporate Liberty Lake has been financed and promoted by developers who have a two-step agenda that eventually would redefine the watershed area in ways that are more amenable to their interests.

These developers say they wish greater autonomy and services and admit that their eventual goal is to annex the entire Liberty Lake area, including the area around the lake, which is now rural and protected by the Growth Management Act.

If incorporation passes, services will continue to be supplied by the county without change, other than possible greater police protection with higher taxes to incorporated citizens.

The protection of the lake will continue to be the role of the Liberty Lake Sewer District.

Why split our community in two to benefit developers and planners who have their own agendas, which would divide our community?

It is unlikely that long-term residents of Liberty Lake who reside near the lake would approve of any attempt to annex us.

We love the lake and will not let the agendas of developers govern what becomes of our lake and community. Eleanor Limmer Liberty Lake

Incorporation will offer improvements

I am in favor of the incorporation boundary in Liberty Lake and believe incorporation will help improve the police and public safety services in the area. Michael A. Parker Liberty Lake

Vote for incorporation strongly urged

I am for incorporation of Liberty Lake for the following reasons:

It will keep our tax money here to be spent on what we deem important, i.e. policing, road maintenance.

It will let us determine standards for growth, signage and buildings.

We will have a voice on county and state boards we don’t have now. I am irritated by the few people around the lake who say that incorporation will divide the community.

It was these people, in 1995, who asked the county to remain rural south of Sprague Avenue.

The proponents for incorporation wanted to include the lake as part of the city but, since it was rural, under law, they could not.

It was because of the many good people south of Sprague that the two-phase concept came to be and allowed the incorporation process to proceed.

We are one community, and despite political lines, I believe we always will be.

Another point that seems to be ignored is that this may be our only chance at local control.

The incorporation of the city of Spokane Valley is only six months behind our effort.

Liberty Lake would be a golden egg for them, with our rich tax base and sewer district.

If they wanted to include the land north of Sprague in their city we couldn’t stop it, with 90,000 verses 3,300 in population.

For these reasons I urge everyone to vote for the incorporation of Liberty Lake. Gary Mitchell Liberty Lake

Strolling Strings entertain Rotary

On a recent Saturday night, 350 people were treated to something extraordinary by a group of young men and women from one of our Valley high Schools.

Every year for the past 16 years the Valley Sunrise Rotary Club has held a benefit auction to support its service projects. This year’s event was a wonderful success, and by success I don’t mean because we did some serious fund-raising.

This year we were entertained by the Strolling Strings, a group of East Valley High School students who play stringed instruments.

They started the evening as a group like you might see in a normal orchestra and they played very nicely. But then this group broke up and interspersed themselves throughout the main ballroom at the Valley DoubleTree, melding with the 350 guests and continuing to play marvelous music without being able to see more that one or two other members of the group.

It was far and away the very best entertainment in our club’s 16-year history.

If these young people represent the future, our country is in good hands.

Our thanks goes out to Marla Pflanz who is the director of this group. Marla, congratulations on a job well done and we hope a job that is never over.

And let me take this opportunity to also thank the wonderful donors who supported our auction and the wonderful guests who came and enjoyed the evening. John Miller Spokane

McDonald achieving educational excellence

I have had the privilege of working both as a volunteer and a substitute teacher at McDonald Elementary in the Central Valley School District.

Many readers may know of McDonald through the media coverage of the Valiree Jackson trial. The staff, students and community of McDonald Elementary were deeply impacted by the events of this last year. However, I have to say that I have never met a more dedicated and caring school community in my 24 years of teaching.

McDonald’s principal, Jan Leinhart, has shown both strength and humanity in dealing with situations that happen in this educational setting. She truly cares about the academic, social and emotional growth of each of her students. She applies this strength and humane approach in her contacts with staff, volunteers, parents and the community.

I believe that if we could find a way to replicate what happens at McDonald for every school, we would have what the current political candidates refer to when they speak of educational excellence. Barbara Myers Otis Orchards

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