Moran Prairie to get park

Moran Prairie residents will finally have a county park.

Spokane County commissioners agreed Tuesday to a $210,000 deal to purchase eight acres at 61st and Freya for a new neighborhood park.

The deal has been in the works for two years.

Taxpayers get a break because the county will partner with a church buying the adjoining eight acres. Spokane County and Summit Ridge Church will share the cost of parking, storm water drainage and bringing sewer and water to the site.

“This is one of those really golden opportunities where you have a win-win for everybody,” said Spokane County Parks Advisory Committee member Mark Patrick. “The county is going to save a considerable amount of money.”

The savings could top $75,000 for both the church and county, said Summit Ridge Pastor Brent Harris.

Harris said his congregation is anxious to start building its new church. Right now, they celebrate services in a nearby Seventh-day Adventist building.

Having the park next door will be a bonus, he added.

In addition to the cost savings, a park also offers opportunities for programs for the 500-member congregation’s children, like vacation Bible school in the summer.

And neighborhood residents are eager for a park to call their own, said Patrick. The closest one to the densely populated area – Spokane’s Ben Burr Park – is 1.7 miles away, at 43rd and Havana.

“If we don’t get this park put in in that area, then you’re looking substantially farther out than the dense population,” Patrick said, adding that open land in the Moran Prairie area is becoming increasingly scarce.

Park plans are only preliminary, but amenities being considered include a playground, restrooms, softball fields and a walking path.

One possible glitch is getting sewer and water to the site.

County Parks Director Doug Chase said that the city of Spokane has indicated it won’t extend services to the property unless it is included in the county’s urban growth area (UGA), something county commissioners have indicated they are unwilling to do.

Both the UGA line and sewer line are located on the property’s boundary.

But Chase said he is hopeful that sewer and water agreements can be reached.