Parks and pools

While Spokane Valley’s planning officials hash out the future of city land-use in the new comprehensive plan, the Parks Department is in the process of developing plans of its own for renovating and adding to area pools and parks.

“The facilities are well-maintained, but they are aging,” said parks director Mike Jackson.

Many park restrooms and amenities were built 30 or more years ago. Renovating Spokane Valley parks by adding more parking, making them more accessible to the disabled, and overhauling playground equipment and restrooms are a few of the more immediate goals of a 20-year parks plan now forming.

“Playground equipment definitely is aging and in need of replacement in several of the parks,” Jackson said.

Those upgrades are slated to take place in the next few years. More immediately, the three city swimming pools will all get new diving boards, probably before the end of the season.

The state’s regulations for the depth and layout of diving areas changed, Jackson said. So the city ordered new boards and is looking at bids for installation.

The walkway at Mirabeau Point Park may also be renovated this summer. Some of the wooden railings haven’t held up well to weather and vandals, and Jackson said the city plans to replace them this summer or early next spring.

“We’re looking for something a little sturdier,” Jackson said.

The city’s six-year capital improvement plan calls for $1.3 million to be spent on parks in 2006 and the rest of this year.

The 20-year parks plan will outline the city’s options for spending future funds and buying more parkland. A draft will be available for public comment on the city’s Web site or at City Hall Aug. 29.

“At this stage in the planning process, we’re just trying to document all of the potential ideas and recreation needs,” he said.

A survey completed by more than 400 residents last year should provide some of that information, although Jackson said he is still waiting for more detailed data from the results.

“In general, it’s in the area of neighborhood parks we’re underserved,” he said.

Consultants have identified neighborhoods like north Greenacres and other areas with few parks and school playgrounds as places the city should consider for new parks.

Whether Spokane Valley will increase the level of park space per person or add only enough parks to keep up with population increases will be up to the City Council.

The draft of the Spokane Valley Comprehensive Plan now before the Planning Commission calls for continuing the city’s existing level of park space. According to the plan, there are 163.45 acres of parks in Spokane Valley, with 1.95 acres of parkland for every thousand residents.

“In a lot of ways that’s really the key issue … whether or not we have adequate park space to meet the current demand,” Jackson said. The final parks plan will be based on the level of park space set by the council in the Comprehensive Plan.

Coeur d’Alene has about four acres of parks per thousand people and the city of Spokane has about eight acres per thousand.

City officials point out, though, that areas like the 518-acre Dishman Hills Natural Area and nearly six miles of the Centennial Trail in Spokane Valley also serve residents but fall outside the city’s parks count.

Still, some residents would like to see more

“I’d like to see these developments giving back,” said Suzette McGoldrick-Edelblute. She said the city needs to preserve open areas and should find room for more bike paths and parks, forcing developers to build them in new neighborhoods.

At the Planning Commission’s final public hearing on the Comprehensive Plan last week, she said Spokane Valley needs public spaces to help create a city identity, the way parks distinguish many neighborhoods in Spokane.

While some residents commenting on the plan have asked for more parkland, others believe the existing parks are adequate, said David Crosby, chairman of the Planning Commission.

“We’ve gotten comments that go both ways,” Crosby said.

The Planning Commission will deliberate on the comprehensive plan and send its suggestions to the council, which will hold another round of public comments.

The council also will hear suggestions from an architect and public meetings held by the Parks Department on improvements to Spokane Valley pools. The city had access to $1.6 million the county raised for a new pool before Valley incorporation.

The first option would spend about that much money on expanded deck space for all three pools and new water features that attract more users. The second option would add a beachlike shallow pool at Valley Mission Park and would cost $2.7 million. If the city opted to spend more money down the road it could build the third option, which would be a new indoor lap pool with water park-type attractions that would cost $9 million to $11 million.

The pool study, parks survey and other costs associated with the parks plan cost about $83,000, Jackson said.