Officials christen new county park in a rural but fast-growing corner of Spokane County
There’s a new diamond on the West Plains sure to put a twinkle in the eye of many a local little leaguer.
Spokane County leadership held a ribbon cutting Thursday for the region’s newest park, Camas Meadow. Tucked in a fast-growing pocket of the West Plains, the 10-acre parcel offers recreational opportunities for all ages that can be enjoyed on two legs or four.
The county built the park, which is located off West Melville Road across the street from the Plains Golf Course, from the ground up. The project cost around $7.4 million, which was covered almost entirely by federal COVID relief funding. The county contributed $1 million in real estate excise tax proceeds.
“I hope you will agree the investment was worth it,” said County Commissioner Al French. “This is an outstanding facility.”
A large wooden sign greets visitors as they enter Camas Meadow’s midsized parking lot. Park visitors can make use of four pickleball courts, a basketball court, an off-leash dog run and a baseball diamond complete with a 30-foot-tall backstop, bleachers and covered dugouts. The picnic shelter abuts a large grassy field housing soccer goals. The park is also equipped with towering play structures, swings and four all-gender restrooms.
Spokane County spokeswoman Martha Lou Wheatley-Billeter said crews worked with local elementary students to design the playground, which is stylized with wildflower motifs, clouds, kites and a hot air balloon play structure.
“I don’t want to make any of the parks jealous, but this hands down is the nicest one in the system,” said Doug Chase, Spokane County Parks, Recreation and Golf director. “Every time I’m out here, there are 10 to 20 folks constantly coming and using it, which I just love.”
French, who represents the West Plains, had pushed for the park for more than a decade. It took time to find the land, funding and appropriate team to bring it to fruition, but he’s pleased to see a campaign promise realized, 16 years after he first joined the county board.
“We’re finally here, but it’s been a journey to get here,” he said.
Camas Meadow is situated between Airway Heights and Cheney, which French said was a strategic placement to ensure a wide swath of county residents can benefit from the public space. He expects residents across the West Plains, and even beyond, to travel for the park’s amenities.
“It’s hard to believe that just a year ago this was just an open field and farmhouse that had not been lived in,” French said. “And it’s so dramatically different now.”
Expecting mother Emily Harmon, as she pushed her daughter Leah Harmon on the swings Thursday, said she lives just down the street from the park. It’s been a great addition to the area that she and her kids have already been making use of for months, she said.
“It was great when it was February and the weather was mild and we could get out of the house,” Harmon said.
Her children love the park, Harmon said. The only thing she’d like to see added one day is a splash pad to cool off during the hotter months.
Chase said it brought him a smile to see the park bustling with activity as the ceremony started. The sunshine, mostly clear skies and children at play made for a fitting setting; French quipped that the county paid to populate the playground to much laughter from the crowd.
“That keeps me going, it’s why we do what we do,” Chase said.