Spokane Public Schools board likes Albi Stadium plans

The vision for a new Joe Albi Stadium won a glowing endorsement Wednesday night from the Spokane Public Schools board – and not only because of the custom lighting that will greet sports fans on game days.

During a presentation Wednesday night by ALSC Architects of Spokane, school board members appreciated the small things as well as the big.

Nikki Lockwood liked the greater accessibility compared to the current 70-year-old structure. Jenny Slagle liked the dropoff areas and the ease of vehicle access. Mike Wiser liked the landscaping, playgrounds and the overall “Albi feel” of the project.

And for board member Kevin Morrison, who grew up in northwest Spokane and “like thousands of other kids” learned how to drive in the Albi parking lot, the new plans represent a place “to bring our community together.”

That isn’t scheduled to happen until the fall of 2022 – perhaps even a year later – but the preliminary design seemed to appeal to everyone.

The $31 million facility, approved as part of a capital bond approved by Spokane voters in 2018, is currently planned for 5,000 seats.

That could be bumped up to 6,000, said associate superintendent Mark Anderson, the district’s point person for capital projects. However, the lower seating capacity will offer more flexibility for future changes, he told the board.

The other variable is the schedule. Two board members expressed interest in a “delay option,” as it was termed Wednesday night, that could push completion back to 2023.

In the meantime, Anderson said Thursday, the district will plan to continue into design development this summer and fall. Then, he said, planners will seek more guidance from the school board on whether to move forward or delay as public health guidelines might require.

The stadium will be located north of a new middle school that was approved as part of the same capital bond. The school is scheduled for completion in 2022.

The two projects don’t necessarily need to be completed simultaneously, Anderson said.

“We are studying this option and what cost escalation impacts it might have if delayed,” Anderson said. “So, the delayed construction of the stadium option is still under study this summer.”