City to unveil sports center plans

SANDPOINT — Curious about what the new James E. Russell Sports Center at Travers Park will look like on the inside?

A "question and answer" public meeting is being held Wednesday to give the public a sneak peek at the revised court layout of the sports complex.

The hybrid meeting, which will be held online and via Zoom, will be held from 5:45 p.m. to 7 p.m. The in-person meeting will be held at Sandpoint Community Hall, 204 S. First Ave. For those wishing to attend virtually, a Zoom link will be provided by registering at bit.ly/SandpointMeetings.

Sandpoint officials said the Q&A meeting will give the public a chance to meet with the project team from ALSC Architects and see the revised court layout for the center's interior.

"This will be an opportunity to ask questions and see the layout of the mixed-use courts," Sandpoint Mayor Jeremy Grimm said in a press release shared on the city's social media.

The mixed-use court facility will include 14 pickleball and four tennis courts. The interior design also allows for other recreational uses beyond court sports, among them indoor walking, yoga, and more.

City officials said the facility will allow for a variety of recreational uses and includes a community-use room with a capacity for 50 people. The room will open to a covered plaza on the south side of the building.

Construction of the project is underway and is slated to be completed in late 2024.

The project, however, is not without controversy with many in the community sharply criticizing the location of the facility — and its potential impact on the park.

Many community members were angered by the removal of 20 trees, as well as the location of the building, saying there were better locations and sites within the park. In addition to location, parking, preservation, and lack of shade are just a few of the other concerns that have been presented during the public hearing portion of recent council meetings.

Multiple protests were organized at the park and Sandpoint City Council meetings, with many pleading with city officials to find another site for the construction. Several residents even chained themselves to some of the trees scheduled for removal to emphasize how important the foliage was to residents who didn’t want to see the park change.

However, those efforts fell short as the trees came down as scheduled and a groundbreaking ceremony was held as the complex’s construction got underway.

Born and raised in Sandpoint, James E. Russell graduated from Sandpoint High School, where he played multiple sports and long advocated their benefits.

After graduating from the University of Idaho in electrical engineering in 1956, Russell served in the Army working with guided missiles. After leaving the military, he worked on projects for Johns Hopkins’ operations research office and then was a senior vice president with Science Applications International Corporation for over 30 years.

Russell was inducted into the University of Idaho, Academy of Engineers in 2012.

The sports center comes after the city’s acceptance of a $7.5 million donation from Jim Russell and his mother, Virginia (Ginny) Russell, in March. As wife and son of James E. Russell, Jim Russell said the donation was inspired by his father's lifelong dream of giving back to the community he loved.