A second chance!

Sometimes, an idea pops up that is so good as to be a virtual “no-brainer”. Such was the case with Expo 74, and years later River Park Square. Both provided huge economic benefits and entertainment to our local citizens. Both ideas were also hugely unpopular with local citizens and had to almost be crammed down our throats!

Now for the second time we have the chance to place the new sports stadium close to downtown rather than in a dusty field so far from most of us that it might as well be in Timbuktu. Downtown continues to struggle with vitality. Many offices now sit empty with slight prospects for returning workers. It is not a question of whether Nordstrom will leave, but when.

A new sports stadium will not provide everything needed to keep downtown vital, but it’s a very big step in the right direction. It takes the chance of a pro soccer team coming to Spokane from absolute zero to a good possibility. It will provide a venue for many other activities besides high school sports too. Most importantly it will be an inducement for more people to live downtown, which will reduce the urban sprawl all you environmentalists continue to condemn. Plus, it will generate over $11 million for the local economy and save about $350,000 in operating costs every year! It’s another “no-brainer”, which is probably why so many people are against it. We have a second chance. Let’s not waste it!

Hal Dixon

Spokane