Raceway criticism unbalanced

It seems Spokane County Raceway is being unfairly singled out. Commissioner Mager and several Spokesman-Review readers have come out publicly against the money being spent on the raceway.

They complain the $4.3 million spent to purchase the raceway and $1 million to improve it is too expensive. They cite the need to spend that money on other needs, such as improving the juvenile detention center or to shore up the Department of Building and Planning.

At the same time, the county has spent similar amounts to build and improve other forms of recreation around the area. Over just the past few years, $5.5 million was spent to build the Southside Aquatics center, $4.5 million was spent to renovate Liberty Lake golf course, and $2.8 million was spent to renovate the Spokane Indians baseball stadium, just to name a few.

Where were all the letters to the editor when the commissioners approved funding to improve the golf course? Is a swimming pool really more important than the juvenile detention center? Granted, budgets are tight and there are many difficult decisions to be made, but it seems hypocritical to single out just the raceway as a waste of taxpayers’ dollars.

Randy Winn

Spokane