SPOKANE, Wash. — Spokane Public Schools, the Parks and Recreation department, and the Pacific Northwest Qualifier are teaming up to make volleyball more accessible for kids.
It’s part of the $440 million Together Spokane project and would make it so PNQ would cover some of the cost.
“Whether it’s volleyball, basketball, pickleball, tennis, whatever they can do inside this facility, that’s a win-win for everyone,” said April Stark, the director of PNQ.
PNQ said it needed a space to store its courts outside of the two-week volleyball tournament held in Spokane each year. The proposed facility would have space for court storage in a recreation center.
The project would also include a partnership to build a brand new Madison Elementary School, which parents and staff say is much needed.
“We’ve watched the building age dramatically over time,” said Bambi Howe, a kindergarten teacher at Madison Elementary.
The school opened its doors in 1949, making it one of the oldest buildings in the district. The 76-year-old facility has seen generations of the same families walk through its doors.
According Stacey Masterson, who has two children that are the third generation to attend Madison, the building hasn’t changed at all.
“Walking through the halls is still the same, the smells are still the same. The office has changed a little bit to adapt, nothing is updated though,” Masterson said.
The nostalgia, however, doesn’t outweigh the significant issues with the aging building.
“The hallways, the skylights, we have lined with garbage cans because there’s water on the floors,” Howe said. “We have multiple classrooms where it has rained and the ceiling tiles have fallen. It’s just time.”
Together Spokane would also bring improvements to the area surrounding Madison if it is approved by voters.
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