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*** Spokane Joe Albi BMX Complex: What Do You Think? ***

Spokane, Washington -- 06/12/2007
Joe Albi Recreation Complex: What Do You Think?
City Council seeks input from citizens on this proposal.

The Spokane City Council is asking citizens what they think
about a proposal for the Joe Albi Recreation Complex, which
would be developed on property surrounding Joe Albi Stadium
in northwest Spokane. Comments are requested by Monday,
June 25, via email to: albicomplex@spokanecity.org

Citizens also can call the City Council office at 625-6255
or write to Council Member Rob Crow, City Hall, 808 W.
Spokane Falls Blvd., Spokane, WA, 99201.

The complex proposal includes softball and soccer fields,
a BMX trails, skate park, nature preserve with hiking trails,
and other amenities. It has been in the making since last fall,
when a committee led by Council Member Rob Crow, was
convened by Mayor Dennis Hession to develop a long-range
plan for use of this site.

More information on the proposed complex is available here,
including a site map and a powerpoint presentation on the proposal.

Citizens also can order a DVD of Council Member Rob Crow's
recent "Council Connection" program on CityCable 5 that discusses
this project. Copy requests can be made by calling the Council Office
at 625-6255 to show at your school or local sports outlet.

Citizen input is critical on this project. The City Council plans to
vote on this issue at their 6 p.m. meeting on Monday, June 25.

Albi Powerpoint (PDF 1.38 MB)
Albi Complex Site Map (GIF 3.64 MB)
CC - http://www.spokanecity.org/services/articles/?ArticleID=1557

As City Council considers a plan to build a softball complex,
skateboard park and BMX track partly on land that's used for
Albi parking, a new debate is emerging about the long-term
sustainability of the city's largest sports and entertainment venue.

The proposal also has sparked concerns that the loss of parking
could permanently shrink the capacity for Joe Albi events.

City Councilman Rob Crow, who is running for council president
and has led the most recent effort to build the park amenities promised
to voters in 1999, says it's time to consider shrinking the stadium to a
more intimate setting – perhaps 6,000 to 10,000 seats. That would lower
maintenance costs and, with adequate upgrades, attract events that prefer
smaller venues, he said.

Joe Albi currently has more than twice the seating capacity of
any sports venue in Spokane County. But it's been years since
the facility has featured a sold-out event.

Eric Sawyer, executive director of the Spokane Regional
Sports Commission agrees with Crow's assessment.

"The day has come and gone for the need in Spokane
for a 26,000-seat stadium," Sawyer said.

College teams have abandoned the stadium for their own fields,
and professional or semi-professional teams either need bigger
settings or smaller ones, he said. He added that Albi needs new
locker rooms, lighting and press boxes to even be considered for
holding significant sporting events.

Sports teams just aren't interested in using Joe Albi, he said.

"We've looked. We just can't find anything out there,
at least in the sports world," Sawyer said.

But others, including a nonprofit group that promotes the
stadium, say Joe Albi could once again attract important
athletic and community events and be profitable with decent
marketing and care. They argue that shrinking Joe Albi would
forever take Spokane off the list to host events that need higher
capacity.

"If we want a 6,000 seat stadium, we can either use one that
some think is too big or we can build another one," said Paul
Hyndman, vice president of Friends of Joe Albi. "It gives us
flexibility for the future."

ACC - http://www.genesbmx.com/spokane-bmx.html