Wide-open fields interrupted by only an occasional house or barn sprawl across Five Mile Prairie.

Despite the space, there’s no place to organize a game of baseball, or to kick a soccer ball with a team, or to hold a neighborhood picnic.

“Most of the land is fenced, it’s all private,” said Mary Davis, who chairs the neighborhood parks and recreation committee.

“We have people jogging on these narrow streets, it’s a horrendous danger. The roads are too narrow.

“Our kids can’t reach a park safely. There is no place to play,” she said.

One of Davis’ own kids, craving a game of baseball, organized a team in their cul-de-sac. The game ended when he slugged the ball through a neighbor’s window.

It underscored the need for a park.

The city has set aside 24 acres of park land off Strong Road, between Austin and North Five Mile Road. But, as in other parts of the city, there’s no money or plans to develop the park.

So the neighborhood is going to do it themselves.

On Halloween, Five Mile Prairie trick-or-treaters handed out flyers as they made their rounds through the neighborhood.

The message, “The best treat you can give me is a park,” raised about $2,000 for the project. Other fund-raisers are being planned.

Summerhill developer Barry Margolese has volunteered to contribute $200 per lot toward the park fund when building permits are submitted.

Five Mile residents hope the voluntary fee will set a precedent for developers of the other 1,800 homes planned on the prairie.

According to estimates from the city parks staff, it costs $85,000 an acre to develop a park.

Nate Krohn, a landscape architecture student at Washington State University, has accepted the community park project for his senior thesis.

“It’s an exciting project because so many people will benefit,” he said. “It’s needed. It’s a growing part of Spokane. Right now it’s unsafe for children up there to go to a park,” said Krohn.

He will meet with the community over the next few months to learn more about priorities for the park, including jogging paths, baseball and soccer fields or open space for tossing a Frisbee. Maybe even a swimming pool or tennis courts.

“We’ll take that information, and working with the City of Spokane Parks Department, see what activities should be a priority,” said Krohn.

Krohn said he’s always had a passion for outdoor spaces.

“They can bring a community together,” said Krohn.

Last semester Krohn worked on the Mirabeau Point Development that incorporates the old Walk In the Wild site.

“I learned to deal with the public,” said Krohn. “I feel lucky. You don’t always have an opportunity to work on real-life projects.

“The fact that it’s a real-life project is really important,” said Krohn. “It’s even more important because it is community development.”

Because of the cost, the park will be developed in phases.

Krohn said since the park is large and could include amenities that aren’t available in the area, people will come from other neighborhoods to use the park.

“This park will benefit the greater Spokane area, not just Five Mile,” said Krohn.

, DataTimes MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: MEET THE ARCHITECT Five Mile Prairie neighbors will have a chance to meet WSU landscape architecture student Nate Krohn at 6:30 p.m. Dec. 4 at the Five Mile Grange during the quarterly meeting of the Five Mile Prairie Neighborhood Council. The neighborhood council is also meeting at 6:30 p.m. Nov. 25 at the grange with city and county planning commissioners to discuss growth and development issues.