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Spokane County, city of Spokane to contribute additional $750,000 toward projects at Beacon Hill recreation areas

Mike Hansen, 55, rolls his Yeti mountain bike through the parking lot at Camp Sekani Park trailhead on April 19 in Spokane. The eastern chapter of the Evergreen Mountain Biking Alliance is campaigning to have the parking lot paved. (DAN PELLE/THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW)
By Nick Gibson nickg@spokesman.com(509) 459-5039

The city of Spokane and Spokane County will need to pony up an additional $750,000 to complete the planned improvements to two popular Beacon Hill recreation areas.

The joint effort to improve John H. Shields and Camp Sekani parks will cost roughly $750,000 more than originally estimated in 2022. The work set to begin this fall is the second phase of a multi-year effort to expand and pave parking lots and pathways, add additional lighting and signage and crosswalks across Upriver Drive at both locales.

The “Make Beacon Hill Public” project also will bring a new restroom to Camp Sekani, popular for its disc golf course and access to an extensive network of trails. An adaptive trail and play equipment are planned for John Shields.

“It’s great to see this type of investment happen for an outdoor regional hub,” Spokane Parks planning and development manager Nick Hamad said in an interview earlier this year. “I mean, you go less than 10 minutes out of town, and you’re at one of the premier mountain biking facilities in the state.”

The two governments planned for a more than $2.1 million budget for the project, but an updated cost estimate shared with the Spokane County commissioners last month took into account increases in the cost of materials, more fine-tuned designs and the current climate for bid requests. That bumped the project to more than $2.8 million.

The project has received a $1.06 million federal grant, on top of the $300,000 and $589,000 in matching funds the county and the city contributed, respectively. An additional $185,000 has been raised by local nonprofits and community organizations, including the Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance, the Jess Roskelley Foundation, Inland NW Adaptive and the Friends of the Centennial Trail.

The county commissioners unanimously agreed Tuesday to contribute another $500,000 toward the project, as part of their 2025 budget. The city will contribute another $250,000, according to an amendment to the agreement for the joint effort signed by the commissioners Tuesday.