A no-brainer

The new stadium should go downtown. The northwest part of town would file lawsuits today if a new stadium was proposed for their neighborhood. I know from trying to develop other projects.

1. The vote three years ago was for the city, not the school district. It did not include areas outside city limits, which includes areas of Ferris, Mead, Mount Spokane and ALL of the valley.

2. People didn’t know the levy was going to pass for sure and they thought Albi would be “remodeled” when in fact a junior high school is being built on the site and Albi will be torn down, and a new one built, costing just as much money as putting a new one downtown.

3. The new proposal for Albi includes only 500 parking spots and a new small stadium next to a new junior high school.

The old stadium and parking field IS GONE EITHER WAY. The site should be sold to Parks (Department) for more Merkel fields. There is more parking downtown.

4. The Value Village site will add 421 spots downtown and parking next to the stadium will be free to District 81 patrons. Congestion would not be as great as the one way in and out on Assembly for Albi.

5. District 81 gets all their events and has no ownership or maintenance obligations, saving $350k per year!

6. I will NEVER vote for another school levy again … if the district doesn’t vote to save the money and put the stadium where it belongs … downtown.

This last item (6) is important because some people on the survey cite the public vote and some say they will never pass another levy again if the stadium doesn’t happen at the Albi site.

I think there are just as many people who feel the opposite including me. Property tax goes to schools. Real estate ownership funds District 81.

Dave Black

Spokane