Board Oks Preliminary Pavilion Study

Without a Pacific Science Center on its horizon, Riverfront Park’s dilapidated Pavilion’s future is in question.

But Spokane Park Board members hope a study of the tent-shaped building’s condition will offer at least a few answers.

Board members voted unanimously Thursday to spend up to $2,500 on a consultant who would determine the scope of such a study.

The board feels “something should be done in terms of catching up with the costs of maintenance on the Pavilion,” said Steve Clark, a board member.

The Pavilion’s fate has been uncertain since voters narrowly defeated the Seattle-based science center’s proposed lease of the building last fall.

Science center backers had hoped for a second vote in March, but center officials pulled out of the plan in December.

Several board members considered the science center the Pavilion’s savior because it would have paid for at least some of the building’s repair costs.

At least one board member has suggested tearing the Pavilion down, saying taxpayers can’t afford the repairs.

Without the science center, there’s no consensus among board members about what to do with the Pavilion, Clark said. “There’s a lack of understanding as to what our objectives are with regard to the building.”

The amusement rides under the tent are old and in need of repair or replacement. Much of the building’s space is empty.

After the scoping is complete, the board will consider whether to go ahead with an in-depth study.

, DataTimes