By DAVID TELLER
Staff Reporter
The city of Cheney is contemplating what should be done about Betz Park.
The city has budgeted for retaining a consultant in 2008, although no decisions have been made yet as to which consultant will be hired to design the 50-acre park site purchased by the city back in the early 1990s.
“One of the big issues to look at is whether this site would be conducive for the location of an aquatic facility which would in theory serve as the anchor for the park site, which was originally envisioned as a regional park complex,” Cheney public works director, Don MacDonald, said in an email.
He also hopes to have discussions with Spokane County about their plans for future aquatic facilities in the county, similar to the one they are building on the South Hill.
Location is one factor that could affect the outcome of the project.
MacDonald said while there is an abundance of land to develop a major park complex at the Betz Park site, it is not centrally located which could potentially be seen as a negative.
Safety is another concern. According to the Spokane County Medical Examiner's report, the county averages seven pedestrian deaths a year.
The safety of pedestrians and bicyclists crossing Betz Road to access the park is a large issue with respect to the location of the site.
MacDonald said there is a lot of traffic on this roadway and Cheney would certainly want to look at reduced speed limits.
MacDonald said one of the potential major features of the site could be an aquatics facility.
“What we would like to do is work with Spokane County to see if they want to locate an aquatics facility on the West Plains, and if so, whether they think the 50-acre site would be suitably located to accommodate residents throughout the West Plains,” he said.
The type of aquatic facility like the one proposed for the South Hill in Spokane seems to be the popular trend for this type of facility. MacDonald urges caution about the price. He said the cost for facilities like this run in the millions of dollars.
“Having the county on board as a partner to help fund the facility will be critical,” he said.
He added that when the city originally purchased the property the city's application described the site as one that could be developed into a regional sports complex and there seemingly is enough land to support an aquatics facility, a sports complex, walking trails, picnic areas, playgrounds, etc.
One of the popular water park attractions, in addition to water slides, are what is called a “Lazy River.”
The length of a Lazy River can be a quarter of a mile long. The water depth is only two-and-a-half feet deep.
Guests can float on a gentle current in the man-made river under controlled conditions, complete with water safety staff.
David Teller can be reached at [email protected]
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