County to recommend Spokane Indians for aquatics concessions; seeks contractors to re-plaster two pools

Spokane County Parks presented two related aquatics items to commissioners: a recommendation to award the county’s aquatics-concession services contract to the Spokane Indians baseball team and a request to award a construction contract to replaster portions of two outdoor pools at Northside and Southside parks.

Concessions operator: staff said they received a single responsive proposal from the Spokane Indians, who had operated concessions at both facilities since 2021. Parks staff presented four years of revenue/expense trend data showing improved net revenue after the private operator took over concessions; the review team recommended awarding contract P14215 to the Spokane Indians.

Pool repairs and replastering: staff described cracking and delamination in plaster at Southside’s lazy river and deep tank and similar cracking in the Northside deep tank. Engineers’ estimates placed the work near $500,000. Parks received one favorable bid (approx. $404,700) from Crisco Aquatec and said the county’s REIT II allocation for 2025 (about $740,000) would cover the base bid plus contingencies and staff project costs.

Why it matters: replastering and tile/coping replacement are regular capital maintenance items for outdoor pools; awarding a concession operator affects season staffing and customer service at two high-use county facilities.

Board response: commissioners asked whether the bidder is local (Crisco Aquatec is located in Woodinville) and about the tile requirement; staff said pools require a visible waterline tile and would confirm technical details. The board did not record a formal award vote in the transcript; staff requested authorization to authorize contracts through the county legislative agenda.

Ending: staff will return with contract documents and a draft legislative agenda item for formal board authorization.