Mike suffered from knee pain off and on for several years, a condition that slowly worsened over time. He liked to remain active, but with every step he felt pain, which limited his activity. Slowly, the weight started coming on, which only compounded the pain.
Seeking help from his orthopedic doctor, Mike was told he would need a knee replacement, one of the hardest and most painful surgeries to recover from. He could not afford six weeks off work to recover, and he knew too many friends who did not find relief from this surgery.
Instead, Mike decided to try something new, a stem cell injection in the knee. At Healthy Living Liberty Lake, umbilical cord stem cells were injected in the knee, a 15-minute procedure. After just one month, he noticed an improvement in pain, and at three months he was walking 3 miles a day and able to play tennis. The knee continued to improve over the next year, and he is now completely pain free with cartilage restored in the joint.
Dr. Susan Ashley of Healthy Living Liberty Lake said patients like Mike are seen every day at the clinic, and their lives are restored through the use of stem cells.
Customers of the Liberty Lake Sewer and Water District will be required to annually hire a Washington State-certifed Backflow Assembly Tester to verify all residential, multifamily and commercial connections are protecting the customer and community’s water supply.
The importance of backflow plays a vital role in events such as the November 2019 boil order. The District determined that one possible cause was from fall sprinkler blowouts. However, prior to the boil order, LLSWD was in the process of strengthening the existing backflow program to roll out in 2020. The official language was adopted via resolution by the Board of Commissioners in January 2020.
“We have always prided ourselves on being one of the very few non-chlorinated water systems in the area, and we want to remain one,” LLSWD General Manager BiJay Adams said. “In order to do that, we need adequate protections of our system. The main component of that is stringent backflow protection.”
The test itself can only be performed by a Washington State-certified Backflow Assembly Tester, and a list is available on the District website. Many irrigation companies are certified and may include this service as part of a spring system startup. Prices vary, but the average cost is around $45.
Upon receiving a passing test, the certified tester will submit results to the LLSWD. Adams said notices of the testing requirement will be included with monthly bills in April, May and June. If the District doesn’t receive a backflow test report by June 30, the District will shut off water service, which includes a shut-off fee, until a test report is received. The requirements for backflow testing will go into full effect in 2021. This allows one year for customers to install or repair backflow devices.
The hope is not just to avoid another boil order, but protect residents from bacteria, pesticides or any other contaminants entering the customer’s water service or public water system.
“These tests ensure the water system is properly protected and that you and your neighbors continue to receive safe drinking water,” Adams said.
To administer the program and provide education to customers, LLSWD hired Cody Riggs as Cross Connection Control Specialist. With questions, contact the District at backflow@libertylake.org or 922-5443. More information is also available here.
Improvements 2020
ESLLIC PHASE 2 LLSWD consolidated with the East Side Liberty Lake Improvement Club in 2016, and a first phase to bring that water system to standard was completed in 2018. An 83 percent forgivable award of $2.2 million was granted by the Washington State Department of Health in 2019, funding work this year to construct 3,538 feet of water main and improve 37 service connections, mostly along Neyland Avenue. Outside funding sources mean LLSWD customers are not paying for any portion of this project or the Greenridge project below.
GREENRIDGE SYSTEM After LLSWD formalized a water system consolidation with the Greenridge Homeowners Association in 2019, it immediately sought funding to help make improvements to the water system. Phase 1 improvements include a new 141,000-gallon reservoir (constructed in 2019) as well as modifications to the existing booster station and construction of new water main, with work continuing in 2020. The project is being paid for by a $2.7 million grant from the Washington State Department of Health.
While Spokane Roofing Company’s large commercial and government roofing jobs receive most of the outside attention, it’s work of a different kind that catches the eye of Craig Howard. As the Community Relations/Development Manager at SNAP, he sees just how reliant the Spokane nonprofit is on business partners when it comes to helping providing opportunities and support for people in need.
“Jeff, Nicole and the team at Spokane Roofing are first class in so many ways,” Howard said. “The company has done terrific work on several of our properties and has always been professional and responsive. They have also gone out of their way to help a number of our clients in need by donating their services to repair faulty roofs. I can’t say enough about Spokane Roofing as a business and as a community supporter. We are fortunate to have them in our corner.”
Spokane Roofing owner Jeff Sitton said the company’s Christian values intersect with every facet of business, starting with a competent, honest staff.
“As a business, we live and die based on our values,” Sitton said. “I am proud that we have a strong sense of right from wrong and that we will always strive to do the right thing.”
Sitton said the business is built on five core values: honesty, professionalism, dynamic, invested and consistent.
“We think about these core values a lot,” he said. “It is important to me for everyone in our company, from the office to the rooftop, to know them. Nothing matters to me as much as our core values, and our work must line up with them. I believe that is the best way to build our business.”
As for living the values out day in and day out, Sitton resonates with a quote from football player J.J. Watt: “Success isn’t owned. It’s leased, and rent is due every day.”
“At Spokane Roofing, we pride ourselves on our integrity,” Sitton said. “Our pricing is consistent, rain or shine. I think that what our customers value most about us, besides our product, is our integrity and our trustworthiness. From the time we make a bid to the time we’ve finished a job, they’ll know that we’ve treated them fairly.”