Parks and Rec hires interns
The Liberty Lake City Council on Tuesday hired three Eastern Washington University interns to help its infant Parks and Recreation program gain its legs.
Mary Wren-Wilson of Parks and Recreation said Angela Cosby, Adriano Eva and Jill Frazier were hired to contribute to program development in an effort to organize community activities for children and seniors.
Several ideas already have been tossed around, including Bike for a Cause, proposed by Frazier. Eva, a native of Spain, is interested in athletics, particularly soccer.
Because of their connections with EWU and the recreation management program, the interns will be responsible for recruiting volunteers for the near future. If all goes according to plan, Parks and Recreation will have to increase staff to keep pace with the swell in activities.
Councilman David Crump expressed concern about putting unfamiliar people in charge of community events, but all volunteers will undergo background checks before being hired.
Mayor Steve Peterson said he believes the interns will have a close connection with the kids and will revitalize the senior community by getting them more involved.
Parks and Recreation’s goal is to focus primarily on children. “We want to be able to meet their needs locally instead of having them drive to Spokane and Post Falls,” Wren-Wilson said.
Liberty Lake is a growing city, expanding at almost 7 percent every year since 2001, and the average age of residents is about 36, according to the city’s Web site. That means a lot of parents of young families are looking for ways their children can participate in constructive activities.
With this in mind, the council is considering building a skate park, as proposed by Pat Dockrey, as well as purchasing kayaks and improving access to the lake.
But the Parks and Recreation program is facing some serious roadblocks. The program already has outgrown Pavillion Park, 14 acres of public land that plays host to all local sports leagues.
“We’ve got so many activities going that our Pavillion Park is overused,” said Doug Smith, community development director. “In addition to our programs we need to start getting some additional space.”
To get more elbow room, the city sometime this spring plans to break ground on the new Liberty Lake Civic Center. The facility will be built on five acres and is what Peterson calls “just a piece of the puzzle.”
As far as funding, Smith said Parks and Recreation will seek more from the city, but was unsure how much money the program currently receives from the city.