Commission approves mural funding move, trial sculpture lighting and student sticker contest; plans May parks ride and summer events

The City of Liberty Lake Parks and Arts Commission on March 2 approved several public‑art and programming actions, including reallocating existing funds to prepare a basketball court for a mural, trialing solar lighting at a new sculpture site, and launching a student design contest for a 25th‑anniversary sticker.

Mural funding and resurfacing: staff told commissioners that proper concrete preparation — including scoring and surfacing to ensure paint adhesion and later re‑lining — will cost about $10,000. The commission voted to defer a trail‑head bench project and reallocate $10,000 to Rocky Hill basketball court resurfacing so an artist‑selection process can proceed this year. David Heimbach moved the reallocation; Joanie Hayes seconded the motion, which passed unanimously.

Sculpture site lighting: commissioners discussed options for lighting at the Kramer Parkway sculpture corner. Public works and staff indicated there is no existing wiring at the site and that running electrical would be costly; they proposed a trial buy of four heavy‑duty solar fixtures (about $259) to evaluate adequacy, lumens and theft risk. Commissioners approved the trial purchase unanimously.

Student commemorative sticker: the commission approved a design contest with Ridgeline High School art students to produce a commemorative sticker for the city’s 25th anniversary and Fourth of July events. The commission authorized a $250 stipend for the selected student design; the motion passed (recorded vote 7–1). Staff and commissioners discussed production pricing and potential annual continuation of the program.

City hall art: art consultant Karen outlined a two‑phase approach to place artwork in the new city hall interior this year (lobby and two primary conference rooms) using a $60,000 budget and to defer exterior work to 2027 (placeholder $40,000). The commission favored starting with the interior public areas and selecting a mix of commissioned and pre‑existing portable works for conference rooms.

Events and programming: staff reported upcoming events including a Clean‑Green bulky waste day (April 25), Touch‑a‑Truck (June 5), the Fourth‑of‑July program, an autumn festival concept and Labor Day music planning. The commission approved using programming funds to pay permit fees and sponsor a Liberty Lake Parks Ride on May 31 to promote bike and trail safety and park assets.

What’s next: staff will post artist prospectuses for the Rocky Hill mural and coordinate the Ridgeline student contest materials and production estimates. Council will review some projects (for example, Rainbow Bridge tag language) before implementation.