Workshop will focus on Valley pools, parks

Tue., Nov. 2, 2004

From staff reports

With temperatures dipping into the 20s this week, pools and parks are probably the furthest thing from Spokane Valley residents’ minds. But city staffers want citizens to look into the future Thursday and envision what they want from the parks and recreation department.

Consultants to the city are writing a parks and recreation master plan that will outline whether the city needs more parks, different pools and new recreation programs. It also will prioritize what to do first when money becomes available: buy land for future parks, focus on maintaining the existing parks or make other decisions.

But before the plan can be written, citizens need to share their ideas. The public is invited to a brainstorming workshop Thursday at Spokane Valley Church of the Nazarene, 15515 E. 20th Ave.

The meeting is one step toward writing the plan, Parks and Recreation Director Mike Jackson said. The city also is holding meetings with representatives of different interests, including youth sports advocates, the Spokane Valley Chamber of Commerce and cultural-arts backers. Randomly selected residents will be surveyed this fall, and the public will have other chances to comment in coming months.

The information will be folded into the master plan, which is expected to be completed in June. It will be part of the comprehensive land-use plan, a document required under the Washington state Growth Management Act, which describes how the city will accommodate growth during the next 20 years. The comprehensive plan is expected to be adopted next summer.

Jackson conceded that the city’s tight budget leaves little or no money for major park projects, but the plan will help guide decisions when funds are available.

“You never know what kind of opportunity will become available,” Jackson said. “Since resources are so scarce, it will help us to prioritize.”

On Thursday, the doors will open at 6:30 p.m., and the meeting will start at 7. For more information, call 688-0182.

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