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The Spokane Valley City Council doesn't appear ready just yet to
dive into plans to build a new pool or aquatics center at Mission
Park.
Instead, during last Tuesday's study session, the council opted
to give the matter some more thought.
As the three Valley pools prepare for a June 23 opening, Bill Hutsinpiller,
interim parks director, told the council that another three years
of use might be possible at the Mission Pool site, which had been
targeted for closure by Spokane County prior to incorporation.
County officials halted plans to build a new pool west of Mission
and Bowdish, across from the current pool, after Spokane Valley
voters opted to form their own city last year and bids came in overbudget.
Since then, the county authorized a new heater for the aging pool
at Mission. But Hutsinpiller warned that the Park Road and Terrace
View Park pools are getting older, too.
"A lot of work that needs to be done," he said. "We've
got three pools, all aging."
 Spokane
County commissioners had been prepared to spend $1.6 million for
a 25-yard lap pool and a zero-depth entry toddler pool at the Mission
site, along with a concession area, slides, locker rooms and "family
areas" next to the pool, similar to what's available at the
Valley YMCA facility.
Those plans were scrubbed after construction bids came in $250,000
overbudget. By that time, the Spokane Valley had incorporated and
the commissioners decided to hold the money to give to the new city
to build a pool to its own specifications.
County officials for a time had considered constructing a 50-meter,
year-round indoor competition pool. But they determined such a facility
would be a money-losing gambit due to the lack of competitive swimmers
in the area.
That idea - along with the possibility of building a pool in a
more centralized location - will be among those under consideration
by the council.
"My recommendation is that you develop a comprehensive park
and rec comprehensive plan," Hutsinpiller told the council.
"Then you have some time to consider this."
He added that the area school districts had been contacted to see
if they would be interested in helping construct a year-round aquatics
center for competition purposes, but administrators told him they
were not in a position to participate at this time.
In other news, the council:
 agreed
to put on its next Tuesday agenda a proposal to spend $70,000 for
a permanent stage at the Mirabeau Meadows community park. The stage
- basically a 40-by-40-foot, 32-inch thick concrete slab - would
be the focal point of a natural amphitheater that will be included
in the park design. The stage's specifications were developed to
accommodate acts the size of the Spokane Symphony and smaller. Lighting
and a sound system will be included. Parking will be available at
the park, nearby trailheads on the Centennial Trail and eventually
at the CenterPlace community center.
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