Sales tax plan eyed for Memorial Field fix

SANDPOINT — It was the means to the end, and not the end itself that was cause for concern Wednesday when the City Council considered the possibility of a taxing resolution intended to generate money to replace the aging grandstands at Memorial Field.

Mayor Carrie Logan, reading from a prepared statement under the dim lights of the council rostrum, admitted that the ad hoc volunteer group Friends of Memorial Field had been unable to meet its fundraising goals for that purpose.

The solution? Ask voters to approve a temporary five-year, 1 percent sales tax to fund reconstruction of the 69-year-old structure.

But it wasn’t a tax for reconstruction that gave counselors pause so much as the mayor’s reluctance to be forthcoming about exactly how much money Friends of Memorial Field had raised.

Logan balked when asked specifically by Councilwoman Shannon Williamson how much money Friends of Memorial Field had collected.

Logan refused to answer.

“I’m hesitant to identify the specific dollar amounts, but let’s just say it’s way short of 1.5 million,” Logan said.

According to the Friends of Memorial Field website, the group’s goal has been to raise $1.3 million.

It was that lack of transparency, and its potential effect on tax-averse voters that the council debate focused upon.

“I think it would be beneficial … to perhaps publicize in some fashion the amount and the effort that has been put into the fundraising and the dollars raised through private donations,” suggested Williamson.

Both Williamson and Councilman Aitken expressed concerns about tax-overload, citing the bed tax, and that constituents are “tax sensitive.” They feared some voters might have a “gut reaction” to the prospect of additional taxes.

“I think we would be a little bit more successful in passing a ballot measure if this information was a little bit more transparent,” Williamson said. “I think it’s important information to share.”

She suggested that fundraising information be made public immediately, even before the council voted on the resolution to add the measure to the ballot at a future meeting.

“I think the initial reaction is really important,” Williamson told the council.

The cost of the project is currently estimated at $2.73 million, according to Parks and Recreation Director Kim Woodruff.

In addition to rebuilding the grandstands, work would include improvements to the field, park infrastructure, and maintenance and operations fund for the field.

The tax would also fund an additional part or full-time staff position in the Finance Department to assist with tax collections, according to Treasurer Shannon Syth.

No additional staff would be needed in the Parks and Recreation Department, Woodruff told the council.

The original targeted construction date was 2016, according to Logan.

The original time frame for replacing the grandstands was a five- to 10-year window.

“We’re well into five-plus,” Woodruff said of that window. “The clock has been ticking for some time.”

He reminded the council that the city has been repeatedly “cobbling” the aging structure together.

“At some point the best investment for our town long-term is to truly go in and rebuild that structure,” Woodruff said.

The city recently spent $250,000 to refurbish the field lights — what Woodruff called “Phase 1” of the field renovation effort — and $70,000 to patch an unsafe portion of the crumbling stands.

“We truly were at critical mass,” Woodruff reminded the council of those past patch efforts. “We bought ourselves five to 10 years about six years ago.”

The cheap solution, he said, would be to remove the crumbling grandstands and replace them with prefabricated aluminum bleachers.

“It would be less expensive,” he pointed out.

However, the field is more than just a place to sit and watch events, Woodruff said.

“It’s a place, more than a concert venue or football venue,” he pointed out. ‘It’s really and truly a part of Sandpoint. It’s more than just a thing, it’s a place.”

The city has already entered into a contract with a consultant to study field renovation options, according to Woodruff.

In the end, the council voted unanimously, absent Councilman Bob Camp, to direct city staff to format a resolution to add the tax measure on the November ballot.

The Wednesday vote was non-binding — the council will need to further discuss details of the ballot measure and vote at some future meeting to add it to the November ballot.