Reclaimed dump site to become Pride Prep sports field

The site of an old, forgotten landfill will soon be a school’s sports field, but only after the city of Spokane finishes burying and covering a 260,000-gallon stormwater tank .

The grassy playground will sit across East Sprague Avenue from Pride Prep, one of Spokane’s two new charter schools.

Marlene Feist, the city’s utilities spokeswoman, said the agreement between the city and the school arose because the school was looking for outdoor green space, and the city hadn’t decided what to do on the surface of the site.

Feist said it was “absolutely” safe for kids, despite the site’s past. She also noted the city made clear in the agreement that the school was responsible for kids crossing Sprague safely.

“When they cross, they’ll always be accompanied by an adult,” she said. “They’ll use their crossing guards to get across.”

Pride Prep Director Brenda McDonald is looking forward to the park’s completion. Two grassy areas on the lot will total about nine-tenths of an acre when completed sometime this fall.

The deal is moving ahead despite a ruling last week from the state Supreme Court that state funding for charter schools is unconstitutional. McDonald said private funding will allow the school to remain open at least through the end of the school year.

During the day, the space will be reserved for school use. However, she anticipates the general public will use the space as well. The space won’t have any play structures, McDonald said.

“I think it will be a nice addition to this area to have some greenspace where there isn’t any,” she said.

The school hopes to use it for physical education classes, cross country, track and possibly soccer, McDonald said. Currently, Pride Prep cross country runners practice at Riverfront Park.

“It’ll be great so our kids can go outside and do PE and extracurricular activities,” she said. “We’re thinking and talking about some gardens. I’m sure we will do some science stuff out there as well.”

Sixth-grade students Marshall Wheatcroft, 11, and Tyler Fiorino, 11, look forward to the field.

“It’s going to be lots of fun,” Fiorino said.

For the past year, the site on Sprague just east of Scott Street has undergone extensive cleanup after workers discovered a cache of old waste while preparing to build a stormwater tank to help prevent polluted water from entering the Spokane River during the rainy season. The discovery forced the city to redesign its plans, adding $300,000 to the project, which was funded primarily through state grants aimed at pollution cleanup.

It’s unclear when the landfill was used, but at some point in Spokane’s past, people dumped waste on the lot. It was burned when it filled, to make room for more garbage.

Though the city has isolated and disposed of much of the waste, it still must “cap” the lot. Before the school and city decided on the playground, the city considered covering the lot with pavement. Now, the site will have a clay cap, which will be topped by grass.

According to the agreement, the school can’t hold the city liable for any claims arising from the “handling, treatment, storage, disposal, or the release” of any hazardous materials or asbestos.

McDonald isn’t concerned about the liability.

“They’ve more than done their research,” she said.

Feist said there still will be some asphalt areas on the surface lot for workers to reach a warehouse on the lot, but generally the lawn will be for the kids.

“There will be a nice turf, grass field, where they’ll be able to hold PE, and other types of games,” Feist said. “There’s the option of raised beds, for vegetable and flower gardens.”

Feist called the agreement a “win” for the city because the school has agreed to maintain the site in exchange for its use.

“It warms up a space down here that has traditionally been very uninviting,” McDonald said.