Council OKs plan to split funds among pools

Spokane Valley’s outdoor pools will share $1.6 million in upgrades in the next couple of years following a decision by the City Council Tuesday night.

At its regular study session, Spokane Valley elected leaders decided to move forward with a plan that will add more leisure-oriented elements – like deck space, lazy rivers and large water toys – to Valley Mission, Park Road and Terrace View pools.

“I want to see our parks and facilities utilized much more than they are,” said Councilman Steve Taylor. He and others on the council also said they liked the idea of pool upgrades in multiple city locations.

For more than two years, Spokane Valley has mulled ways to improve its aging aquatics facilities. Most modern pools steer away from the traditional rectangle designed for lap swimming. Channels for inner tubes, shallow pools sloped like beaches and places for parents to comfortably watch their kids are more popular and improve revenues, which usually fall well behind the costs of operating municipal pools.

“The kids just live in them, they love them,” said Councilman Dick Denenny.

The next step will be designing the specific improvements for each pool, which Parks Director Mike Jackson said could be installed in 2008.

Before Spokane Valley incorporated, Spokane County set aside $1.6 million to replace Valley Mission pool, initially fearing it was unstable because it was built on a landfill.

After the city formed, the county offered to pass the money on to the new municipality, and a later inspection showed that Valley pools – including Valley Mission – were structurally sound.

“The pools are about 30 years old, but they are in very good condition,” Jackson said.

Since then, the city hired consultants to tally the city’s aquatics options and craft a parks plan, which was adopted in April. With those completed, and with Spokane Valley’s first comprehensive land use plan out of the way, the council finally decided Tuesday how it will spend the $1.6 million.

The other options on the table included adding $1 million in city funds to the $1.6 million and using it all to upgrade Valley Mission, possibly by adding a beachlike pool and water toys to the site.

Splash Down Waterpark is right next door, though, and Jackson advised against creating competition between the two.

“It just doesn’t make sense to put two major facilities side by side,” Jackson said.

Still another option was to build an indoor complex with a leisure pool, a competitive pool and water toys.

A small but vocal group of residents lobbied for a competitive indoor pool last year, but ultimately the council opted against the $9.3 million-to-$11.8 million outlay.

“It would take a long time to show results with the funding that we have available,” said Jackson.