Post Falls Needs Valuable Park

In a perfect world, Post Falls would be busy building ballfields and parks now that it has approved a new high school and opened a beautiful new library.

But this isn’t a perfect world.

Post Falls is a blue-collar community that’s pedaling as fast as it can to keep up with exploding growth - and doing so without a strong tax base. So, it has to set priorities. At this point, it’s doing a good job of just that, having approved bond elections for a $2 million library and an $18 million high school in the last two years.

Now, the community must decide which other needs have to be addressed. Certainly, Post Falls needs to build a new police station and at least one more fire station to address growth. Beyond that, residents must decide how important are ballfields and recreation facilities. Are they a need? Or a luxury?

The Idaho Spokesman-Review believes parks and recreation facilities are a need, not a want. A community’s green space is just as important as streets, roads, fire and police protection, and sewer. However, this newspaper is split on two quality-of-life measures that will go before Post Falls voters Tuesday. We support a $1.8 million bond election to buy Quad Park. But we oppose a $420,000 bond election to buy the Swim Gym Aquatic Center.

Both bond elections require a two-thirds vote for passage.

Unquestionably, the Quad Park softball complex is a tremendous asset to Post Falls - and a money maker. In 12 years of existence, Quad Park has gone from hosting 14 softball teams to 150 today that play from May until the snow flies. It provides softball and soccer fields for local schools. And it routinely hosts major softball tournaments, including the high school girls’ A-1 and A-2 state championships this spring. Those activities bring out-of-town dollars into River City.

Importantly, Quad Park is a going concern that nets $40,000 annually and has five undeveloped acres that could be used for more fields or a community center.

Unfortunately, Quad Park supporters created a credibility problem by not getting an independent appraisal. Is the 19-acre complex worth $1.8 million ($1.5 million for the property and $250,000 for improvements)? We think so. Similar facilities in Liberty Lake and Coeur d’Alene are worth at least $2 million. If prospective park land isn’t bought when available it can be sold for development and the opportunity vanishes.

We’re not as enthusiastic about the purchase of the indoor pool. First, we question if the current facility is adequate to handle the needs of a growing community. Secondly, we believe the annual cost to the city of operating the facility, conservatively estimated at $80,000, will be a drain on the general fund.

Quad Park will fill a quality-of-life need for Post Falls well into the next century. An indoor pool can wait.