SPOKANE – Spokane Public Schools and Spokane Parks & Recreation closed out their Together Spokane town hall series Tuesday night at Ferris High School, outlining a joint proposal — a school bond and a park levy — that leaders say would invest across neighborhoods citywide if approved by voters in November.
District and city officials framed the plan as a long-term, collaborative approach to upgrading aging school facilities, expanding playfields and courts, and improving access to community spaces.
“Every school is touched, every park is touched, every neighborhood in Spokane will get some type of investment — in addition to some major featured projects that address some of the things that the city heard in their survey for their park levy, and things that we heard as we did listening,” said Superintendent Adam Swinyard.
The proposal includes more than 200 projects, ranging from playground and athletic-field improvements to upgrades at older school buildings and neighborhood parks.
“These are public facilities. These are public assets, and we want them activated 365 days out of the year. We want kids off of screens, we want adults and seniors off of screens, we want them engaging with one another,” said Garrett Jones, director of Spokane Parks & Recreation.
The Spokane Youth Sports Association (SYSA) also announced new support for the initiative — and a major shift in its future plans. SYSA leaders said they plan to abandon the proposed Glenrose Sports Complex and instead partner with Spokane Public Schools on constructing a new sports facility at Ferris High School.
“We have been providing youth sports for nearly 60 years in this community, changing lives through the transformative power of sport, so any opportunity to create better access, equity, and more affordable opportunities for young people is what we are about,” said Ben Walker of SYSA.
Walker added that the benefits go beyond recreation.
“Active kids are healthier physically, mentally, and emotionally. Active kids become active adults to build a better community. So again, simply put, we’re talking about a plan here, I think, that changes lives — and without sounding hyperbolic, I think we might save some with an initiative.”
Officials said feedback gathered across all four town halls will help refine priorities ahead of the November ballot.
