Sandpoint commission: community split over possible multisport conversion at JER sports center

Sandpoint — A majority of commissioners said they will convey mixed public feedback to the City Council after a June 2025 public meeting left residents nearly evenly divided on the future use of the James E. Russell (JER) sports center.

At the Parks and Recreation Commission meeting on June 11, staff summarized a meeting-attendance survey taken at a special JER meeting two weeks earlier. Jason Walker, Parks staff, told commissioners that 76 people who attended the special meeting answered the short survey: 37 supported keeping the facility focused on its current tennis/pickleball model (or exploring a public–private operating partnership with the USTA Pacific Northwest), and 36 favored converting at least one court to a multisport surface such as turf for indoor soccer, basketball, football training and other uses.

The split reflects larger questions about the center’s purpose and financial expectations. Walker said the facility’s current cost-recovery ratio is about 54 percent and that municipal recreation facilities nationwide typically recover 40–80 percent of operating costs. “Not very few businesses are profitable in their year in municipal recreation,” Walker said, adding that the city will ask council for direction based on the survey, updated financials and staff recommendations.

Why it matters: the JER building was funded with donor and city support and is intended as a public recreation asset. How the facility is used affects what community groups can access it, how the city budgets for operations, and whether additional capital changes — such as installing turf, new hoops, nets or spectator infrastructure — are pursued.

Discussion points and competing options

- Stay the course: Continue the current tennis/pickleball emphasis, let the new recreation facilities supervisor and staff improve programming and marketing, and re-evaluate after another six months. Jason Walker and new supervisor Ryan Wells both said initial months of new management have not yet allowed the facility to operate at full potential. Walker said May’s operations nearly broke even because of one-time contract revenue from a school district booking.

- Public–private partnership: Walker said USTA Pacific Northwest has shown interest in operating the facility under a public–private model; that option drew some support at the special meeting.

- Multisport adaptation: Convert one court to turf and add basketball/volley hoops, batting cages, and other multiuse infrastructure. Walker presented cost estimates for several conversion options; he said some conversion scenarios could cost in the low hundreds of thousands of dollars. A donor had been discussed at the public meeting as potentially offering to cover up to 50 percent of a conversion cost.

Several commissioners urged incremental steps before a major capital conversion. Commissioner Eric Donenfeld recommended opening the existing court schedule to other user groups and testing demand (for training, indoor drilling and youth practices) before committing to an expensive surface change. “You could start small — paint a court or hold multisport trial sessions — and see whether the demand sustains a conversion,” Donenfeld said.

Staff direction and next steps

Walker said staff will present a written report and recommendations to the City Council at its next meeting. The council is expected to review the survey results, financials and staff options and may give staff direction; the matter was not on council’s agenda as an action item at the time of the commission meeting. Commissioners were advised not to lobby council in their capacity as commissioners but to share views during the commission’s next meeting so staff can summarize the commission’s preferences for council.

Other operational notes from staff

- Staffing: Ryan Wells, the new recreation facilities supervisor (on day 8 at the time of the meeting), said two part-time counter positions were open (minimum age 16), capped at about 20 hours per week and paying up to $14 per hour; a youth tennis instructor position was also open. Wells and staff are exploring a volunteer staffing model to extend hours without adding labor costs.

- Hours and community play: Current hours vary (some days 8 a.m.–8 p.m., others 10 a.m.–8 p.m.), and staff recently restored free community play slots Wednesday night, Friday night and weekends.

- Usage and finances: Walker reported May nearly broke even after collecting several school district bookings; he cautioned that full-year data are needed to assess trends.

What remains unresolved

No formal decision was made by the commission. The public and commissioners remain divided; the issue will move to City Council for direction. Staff will provide the council with survey data, narrative comments from the meeting, and financial figures to inform the council’s short-term direction and any capital or operational choices.

Provenance: commissioners discussed the JER survey results and next steps during the commission meeting and asked staff to summarize and deliver the materials to council for a decision.

Ending: The commission agreed to ask staff to include the public meeting’s survey summary and the facility financials in a staff report to City Council; the council will consider giving staff direction at its next meeting.