Nancy Hill, chair of Liberty Lake’s Parks and Arts Commission, told the City Council Aug. 19 that public engagement on a parks plan and a pavilion-park playground replacement has generated robust input on amenities and public art.

Hill said engagement at the farmers market and the Barefoot festival produced design preferences and strong interest in family-friendly features — for example, participants showed enthusiasm for a safe modern merry-go-round and for public art that complements existing installations. "I'm Nancy Hill. I'm chair of the Parks and Arts Commission, and we have been busy," Hill said.

Commission priorities Hill discussed include:
- Signal-box wraps at Legacy entrance and the Cramer Parkway/Appleway intersection, with patriotic art at Legacy and a nature theme near the fused-glass sculpture installation.
- Completion of the Liberty Lake Together fused-glass installation and engineered base design; staff hope to install this year.
- The 2025 Liberty Lake Together Art project: two steel goat sculptures at Town Square, with interactive/kid-friendly design and possible sound elements; initial design work is underway and will carry into the next budget.
- Orchard Park: painting selected splash-pad boulders to increase visibility and reduce tripping hazards; the commission intends to begin this fall.
- A consultant agreement with Spokane Arts and Karen Bobley to expand outreach to a broader artist pool and to help deliver public-art elements timed to the new City Hall construction and the city's 25th anniversary in August 2026.

Hill said the commission has finished a draft 2026–2028 budget and strategic plan and approved a revised fee schedule for fields and pavilion rentals; those items will come before council as part of the budget cycle. The commission is also recruiting for a student commissioner and may propose ordinance language to widen eligibility so high-school students who live outside the city limits but attend Liberty Lake-area schools can serve.

Ending: Council members thanked the commission for active public outreach. Hill asked councilors to review the commission’s budget and strategic plan when staff forwards it for council consideration.