Pacific Northwest Qualifier pledges to pay for Madison Elementary volleyball courts if voters pass $200m SPS bond

A national volleyball organization that serves up millions of dollars to Spokane’s economy each year is poised to help rejuvenate Madison Elementary School.

But local voters will first have to pass an ambitious $200 million bond for Spokane Public Schools that will buoy projects across the city.

This weekend, Spokane will host the Pacific National Qualifier, which brings around 800 teams to the area to compete in a large-scale volleyball tournament. The tournament fills nearly every hotel in the county, according to previous reporting from The Spokesman-Review, and typically infuses an estimated $44 million into the local economy.

PNQ pledged to pay for eight volleyball courts in a “field house” at the Madison school site in exchange for free use during the tournament season. If the project advances, Madison would be razed, and a larger building would stand in its place to house not only a school, but other community-based events.

The PNQ effort mostly relies on the passage of the bond, which requires 60% of the vote. If passed, taxpayers can expect to pay roughly six to 31 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value in the next 20 years depending on the year, with an average payment of 23 cents per $1,000, according to Spokane Public Schools.

Other contributors to the project include Hoopfest and Boys & Girls Clubs of Spokane County.

“What I think is a greater thing, and what we are about, is for kids to be in there, doing things, being active, being productive and doing positive things,” PNQ’s director, April Stark, said. “Something like that, whether it’s volleyball, basketball, pickleball, tennis, whatever they can do inside this facility.”

March sports attract more than 16,000 athletes, 525 coaches and officials, 37,000 spectators and more than 27,000 hotel room night bookings, according to previous Spokesman-Review reporting. Spokane schools spokesperson Ryan Lancaster added that there’s an increasing demand within Spokane for indoor courts, and more space is needed to meet those needs, he said.

Stark is a staunch advocate for the bond – she’s married to a middle school principal and believes the updates could serve everyone.

“Because March is not just a ‘volleyball’ time … Finding ways for everybody to fit has been kind of a challenge. So we would love to grow, and this space would be wonderful for us for our event. Other things would have to hopefully evolve from that as well,” Stark said. “We’re always kind of moving and shifting depending on availability of facilities.”

There isn’t a plan set in place for PNQ if the bond doesn’t pass, Stark said, but they’re “committed to partnering one way or another.”

The bond would be placed on the ballot in conjunction with a parks levy. If that levy is passed, it would give Spokane parks another $240 million over the next 20 years and be the first systemwide investment in neighborhood parks since 1999 and include investments at all 90 parks.

But if only one measure passes, not both, projects would have to be modified, postponed, adjusted, delayed or scrapped, according to Lancaster. Independent projects would still move forward.

Bambi Howe, a 35-year Madison kindergarten teacher, believes the bond passage is essential for the well-being of her students to learn in a proper environment. Since the start of her tenure, she’s watched the building slowly deteriorate, she said Wednesday.

“I came in one day last spring and (the ceiling) was literally pouring water. I had things damaged and ruined,” Howe said. “I had to teach kindergarten on a cart for a while.”

There is no air conditioning system at Madison, so classrooms can reach up to 90 degrees. The heat makes it difficult for kids and teachers to focus, Howe said. When touring other schools, it’s frustrating to see what Madison has the potential to be, she added.

“Rebuilding the school would change the quality of life,” Howe said. “I’m blessed I get to do what I love every day … We can share our dream, but the rest is up to the community.”

If voters don’t approve the measure, “We will make the best of it,” she said.

Stacey Masterson, a third-generation Madison attendee, lives near Franklin Park, which is part of the improvement plan tied to the parks levy. She often takes her children to play there and enjoys listening to local baseball games from her backyard.

She wants her kids to be able to enjoy more of the area, Masterson said. Right now, she has to make multiple trips home so her children can use the restroom and isn’t comfortable with the level of lighting surrounding the park. And she wants the new school, its field house and the adjacent park to reflect what she used to enjoy as a child – a safe, fun place to play.