City Takes Different Approach Northpointe Sports Complex Plans Await City’s Requirements For The Project
Plans for the Northpointe Sports Complex inched forward Monday when the City Council approved a different approach to building the North Side softball facility.
In the rarely used design-build process, the city comes up with project requirements, like the number of softball fields, parking spaces or volleyball courts. In this case, there are 65 pages detailing what should be included in the facility.
Contractors submit the best plan they can for the best price. Private businesses will submit proposals to design, build, manage and possibly finance the complex.
City Council approval is required before the design-build procedure is used. The city is allowed to use the procedure once through 1999.
The process is different from traditional projects where the city hires a project architect and engineer, then goes out for bids and awards a contract based on the low bid.
“(This approach provides) the ability to give us more,” said Paul Crutchfield of the Spokane Parks Department.
The public will have a chance to comment on the designs at the land committee or park board. The cost of the sports complex is estimated at $3.4 million.
“Hopefully there will be construction in 1998,” said Crutchfield.
The project is proposed on 34 acres near Holland Road and Colton, in the Nevada-Lidgerwood neighborhood.
“We’ll see if we get something we can live with,” said Parks Director Ange Taylor.
The sports complex proposal calls for five lighted softball fields, two volleyball courts, two basketball courts, an inline-skate hockey rink, skateboard area, concession stand and parking for 375 cars. Plans also include a neighborhood park.
Neighbors are concerned that the sports complex will bring more traffic and drunk drivers to the neighborhood.
According to projections, the sports complex will bring a net profit of $80,000 a year. However, the profit is dependent on beer and wine sales averaging $100,000 per year.
, DataTimes