(STORY IMAGE:KHQ.COM)
SPOKANE, Wash. -An Olympic dream usually starts well before the Olympic reality. And right now there is a serious push that has traction to transform the north bank of the Spokane River with a multi-use Sportsplex, which city leaders call a "game changer" for the way our kids play any sports. The hours, days, weeks and years of practice, now realized at a state of the art facility.
But beyond the local impact, city leaders say the sportsplex could be a game changer for the city's economic picture. Research shows that right now about 200 national sporting events bypass Spokane each year because a major, multi-use venue to handle them doesn't exist. This $40 million Sportsplex could change that. A recent Gonzaga University Study and Sports Facilities Advisory report estimated the new facility would generate an additional $33 million annually in direct tourism spending in our community.
What's now a parking lot of dust and mud, would crystallize with construction into a state of the art building, a place to host major events, a place where even the youngest athlete can tap that initial seed of self-esteem and plant the first steps to a foundation of discipline. The facility will be approximately 180,000 square feet. The Sports Commission says it will be designed with maximum flexibility in mind to accommodate a large variety of sports and events. The facility, they say, will have two primary purposes: The first to host large tournaments that generate tourism. Second, be a practice and competition venue for local sports groups and community programming.
The Spokane Sports Commission, Public Works Department, and Spokane Mayor David Condon are all pushing hard to create what they are calling a legacy project.
To see more about the proposed facility CLICK HERE: http://www.spokanesportsplex.org/