Our community’s need for outdoor recreational activity space has exceeded what’s currently available. Our area’s seasonal weather conditions mean, school fields and most park fields cannot be used for organized sports and activities between late fall and early spring. Practice and gameplay can only be scheduled during daylight hours, which is also limited most months.

In consultation with neighborhood stakeholders, SPS and Parks would identify locations throughout the city for at least one all-weather rectangular multi-sport field and one turf baseball/softball infield with practice lighting to serve students within each of SPS’s five neighborhood high school boundaries.

Rectangular fields would support SPS student sport opportunities for soccer, football, lacrosse and other activities, while turf infields would be installed for baseball and softball.

The addition of practice lighting allow both SPS and Parks to program evening activities, especially in early spring and late fall when there are fewer daylight hours. Creating more lit areas and improving visibility in these spaces also enhances safety.

Parks would also be able to program these sites for weekend use as available, expanding opportunities for community members to engage in organized recreational activities, like adult soccer and softball leagues.

Not only do all-weather fields and turf infields expand opportunities for off-season use, but these assets require less maintenance and reduce watering needs and costs. By working together, Parks and SPS could collaboratively coordinate citywide field maintenance to improve efficiencies for both agencies.

SPS and Parks have currently identified several field locations to potentially serve the five SPS high school feeder pattern communities. Final locations would be determined with neighborhood input. Potential locations include:

• North Central’s athletic field

• Rogers’ athletic field

• Harmon Park (could serve Rogers High School)

• Dwight Merkel Sports Complex (will serve Shadle Park High School)

• Shadle Park athletic field

• Lewis & Clark’s Hart Field

• Ferris High School athletic field

• Southeast Sports Complex (could serve Ferris or Lewis and Clark High School)

This proposal will be considered by the SPS Board of Directors, the Spokane Park Board, and the Spokane City Council, who will determine which projects may be included in future ballot measures presented for voters' consideration.