Fianna Dickson, City of Spokane Parks & Recreation, Communications Manager, No Phone Number Available
Monday, April 21, 2025 at 11:17 a.m.
Demand for field space is high - from youth to adults and seniors.
“We have only two all-weather, lit fields in our system. And on a typical day, we see up to eight teams practicing on one field,” said Garrett Jones, Director of City of Spokane Parks & Recreation.
To support healthy recreation for all ages, Spokane Parks & Recreation (Parks) and Spokane Public Schools (SPS) are proposing to nearly double the size of the Dwight Merkel Sports Complex.
If voters approve both the Parks levy and the SPS bond (proposed for November 2025), Together Spokane would build 6 additional rectangular fields (at least 3 all-weather) on the former site of Joe Albi Stadium, bringing the total to 14 multi-use fields.
As the biggest landholders in the city, Jones said Parks and SPS are uniquely positioned to respond to a known community need.
“When we look at the mission alignment between Parks & Recreation and Spokane Public Schools, it is a natural fit,” he told KREM in an interview this week. “We’re about giving access to our youth and adults, getting them off screens and engaged in real life activities in community with one another. We don’t want to turn kids or adults away, and right now, we’re having to do that.”
The fields would be used for soccer, baseball/softball, football, lacrosse, and more. Lights would be included to extend play later into the evening, especially in spring/fall/winter, and the all-weather surface opens up play more months of the year.
Mike Tirabassi, a parent and coach for Spokane Heaters Baseball, told KXLY that the current dirt fields remain soggy and unplayable until at least early April.
"If we expand the season by two months either way and people start coming to us because we have facilities now, we're basically building pride in the community for our kids instead of going to someone else's community to play," he said.
Concentrating field volume at Merkel supports larger regional tournaments, saving local families travel expenses and reducing barriers to participation.
“We have families that are spending significant dollars to go to Yakima or Wenatchee or Tri-Cities to play tournaments,” said SPS Superintendent Adam Swinyard. “We've got families that can't travel because it's cost prohibitive. Let's keep those tournaments here. Let's save money for the families that are traveling. Let's provide access for the kids that can't, and let's create an economic driver in our community. Let's create as many win-wins as possible. That's what this partnership provides.”
Maintenance costs would be covered by Spokane Parks & Recreation, including replacement of field turf every 10-12 years as needed. By providing the land for the expansion and paying to build the fields, Spokane Public Schools would receive priority use of the expanded section, but the fields would serve all ages.
“There's that level of demand, and if we're going to get to that vision of every kid every day, we've got to create these spaces,” Dr. Swinyard said. “What a great opportunity to continue the legacy of the Albi site and this part of the city for kids. Joe Albi was about providing a space for kids, and to continue to dedicate it to kids being active and having great memories and great experiences is a really fitting usage moving forward.”
As SPS underlines the Engage IRL initiative to get kids off of screens and active in real life, Tirabassi says demand has only increased.
“More and more kids are coming. And that's part of the problem now is we don't have capacity for them,” he said. “Everyone out there is doing all they can to make it happen, but there's only so much you can do with the fields you've got, and a lot of people want them.”
If both the SPS and Parks measures pass, field construction is slated to begin in 2026. If only one measure passes, the Merkel expansion would not take place, as this is one of the 30 additional projects that’s made possible by Together Spokane, because neither entity could afford to build and maintain the expansion on their own.
For more information about the 200+ projects included in Together Spokane, and to calculate what it would cost property owners, please visit www.TogetherSpokane.org.
