SPOKANE, Wash. — You may be able to soar over downtown Spokane if a proposed project comes to fruition over the next several years.
In a meeting of the Spokane Park Board's Riverfront Park Committee, an "urban zipline" was included as an informational item on the agenda. It would stretch from the Combined Sewer Overflow Tank that lies beneath public plaza along Spokane Falls Boulevard and Redband Park, according to the agenda.
The proposal says two parallel ziplines would be approximately one-quarter-of-a-mile long. An engineering feasibility assessment has already been completed by Garco Construction.
A zipline could offer a handful of benefits for Spokane, including the strengthening of downtown as a destination, an anchor for tourism, and a tool used in recovery of the region's economy and hospitality industry.
The zipline could also offer free tickets to charitable organizations in Spokane, and low-income and underserved youth, according to the proposal.
The City of Spokane would look to pay for the project through partnerships and receive a portion of its gross revenue share estimated between $40,000 to $65,000 annually.
It's unclear when and if the zipline could become a reality, but the proposal does provide a timeline with some key dates.
Fianna Dickson, a spokesperson for Spokane Parks and Recreation, said the zipline discussion is in its preliminary stage of exploring feasibility. If it appears feasible, there will be a community outreach process and much more discussion.
Initial stakeholder outreach could begin in January of 2020, with Park Board approval estimated by May 2021 if that happens. Construction could begin by August 2022, according to the proposal.
