Albi’s turf called a risk to athletes

A private consultant found that the turf at Joe Albi Stadium presents an “unacceptable risk of injury” to athletes, raising further questions about the future of the city’s beleaguered facility.

Brett Sports, which commissioned the study by BioMechanica of Portland, said Wednesday its minor league soccer team will not play at the stadium this season.

Gonzaga University and Whitworth College told the company it would not encourage its players to try out for the soccer team because of the field’s condition, said Bobby Brett of Brett Sports.

“We’re not going to put student athletes at risk,” said Brett, president of the Spokane Shadow. “The facility is unsafe.”

The stadium, which opened in 1950, has also played host to high school football teams for more than 30 years. But pressure has been building to sell the stadium, which costs the city an estimated $100,000 a year.

Mark Anderson, associate superintendent for Spokane Public Schools, said the district will hire its own consultant to assess the turf’s condition this spring. Anderson said a consultant viewed the field last November and did not recommend turf replacement but did suggest the field be re-evaluated this spring.

“We do want to do that test just to confirm whether it’s playable or not,” Anderson said.

BioMechanica was one of the firms recommended by DA Hogan and Associates, the turf consultant retained by the Spokane Public Schools. The district has five high school football teams that use the field. Two Mead School District high schools also use the field.

If Albi is not an option for next fall’s football season, Anderson said, some games may be moved to the afternoon on practice fields, which do not have stadium lights for night games.

Cal Johnson, executive director of student services and activities for Mead School District, said the field may be suitable for football games even if soccer games aren’t allowed. However, Johnson said he had not yet reviewed the consultant’s report.

“There are still a lot of questions,” Johnson said, “but obviously we want our kids to be safe.”

Schools in the Greater Spokane League have stated their willingness to pay for the installation of new turf at the stadium but want the city to guarantee it will maintain the facility for at least 10 years.

“If it’s just for high school football, is it worth it for us to keep that open?” Mayor Dennis Hession asked. “I don’t believe we’ve evaluated that yet.”

Bobby Brett said the city’s current leadership has been slow to make a decision on what to do with the aging stadium.

“There’s been no leadership from the city on this,” Brett said. “The city is real good at not making decisions.”

Hession countered, saying, “We didn’t have a report from Mr. Brett or his company until yesterday – in spite of the length of time that has passed and his claims about the condition of the turf.”

Former Mayor Jim West pushed for the sale of Albi, but the City Council has not approved a settlement to end its lease with Red Card LLC, which operates the soccer team under Brett. The city would have to buy out a lease of the stadium held by the company. That buyout was negotiated at $450,000 last year but was not approved by the council.

The lease is contingent on the city “providing us with a safe place to play, and this is not safe,” said Dave Pier of Brett Sports.

Pier declined to say whether Brett Sports would sue to end the lease, but he said the company will “pursue all of its options.”