I was born and raised in Spokane Valley and attended McDonald Elementary, Bowdish Jr. High and Central Valley High. We now live in The Vistas at Liberty Lake. When I was a kid, we watched herds of elk and deer close to where my home is now; in other words, Liberty Lake as we know it today was totally undeveloped land and beautiful. 

When the master development plan was first contemplated some 25 years ago, the people who had the vision to create what we get to call home were brilliant. Every time I drive by our parks, outdoor amphitheater, walking trails, golf courses, new baseball fields, etc., I can hardly believe the beauty and integration of quality of life of the master plan and vision of many years ago. When you blend that with the many high-tech, high-quality employers with beautiful landscaped acreage in Liberty Lake, we really have one of the most desirable quality of lives anywhere on the planet!  

To today's City Council, mayor's office and city department heads including police, parks and others-my hat is off to you! Thanks for being great stewards of our forefathers' vision.

I was running on the Liberty Lake trails last week and came upon Mayor Steve and his wife Char. They were walking for exercise and simultaneously picking up litter on either side of the trail. 

In case people don't know, there are litter bags and dog waste bags strategically located along the trail. Have one or the other (or both) with you. Then simply toss them into the available receptacles. 

If 50 people reading this letter would take it upon themselves to keep our area litter free, we would indeed have an all-American city. If the other 99 percent would just respect this request, mission accomplished.

Thank you Mayor Peterson and Char for setting a great example.