Spokane Valley ice rink facility lease finalized after three hour discussion at city council

After nearly a year of discussions, Spokane Valley City Council confirmed that the city will have an ice arena - hopefully by next year.

The council voted 6-1, passing a lease agreement that will bring two ice sheets to the city. Discussion on the lease agreement lasted more than three hours.

More than 100 people, both for and against the potential facility, came to speak on the issue. Most people who spoke were enthusiastically for the ice arena.

Councilman Al Merkel was opposed to the lease agreement, stating that he had several questions about the logistics of the project that remained unanswered. A copy of an email with 30 questions Merkel sent to city manager John Hohman earlier this week were printed out and available for the public to view during the meeting. Merkel stated that he was not satisfied with the answers Hohman gave him.

Councilman Mike Kelly voted against the lease agreement last week but said he voted yes for the lease this week because he appreciates the opportunities the facility will bring to the Valley.

Hohman and city attorney Kelly Konkright both mentioned Merkel's questions and addressed several of them at the start of the meeting on Tuesday night.

Questions revolved around what risk the city would take on if the project moves forward. Hohman insisted that all the risk in the project lie with Innovia and the donor, Bill Lawson.

"If something really bad happened on the property or this project, the property would likely be improved," Hohman said.

The meeting included several children wearing bright red Spokane Jr. Chiefs hockey jerseys.

Sara Bascetta has two sons who play hockey. The three of them sat in the front row during the meeting. During her comments to the council, Bascetta said that her 14-year-old son practices on Monday nights from 8:45 p.m. to 9:45 p.m. and doesn't get home until 10:30 p.m.

"Adding two ice sheets in Spokane Valley would create opportunities we've never had before," Bascetta said. "It would add potential for more team practices, expanding programs and the ability to host tournaments - something we have never ever been able to do here."

Bascetta was a board president for the Coeur d'Alene Hockey Association.

"During my time on the board, the number one concern over and over was we need more ice time. The answer has always been, we simply don't have enough," Bascetta said.

The lease duration is 75 years, with an option to extend the lease by 24 years if the city and lessee decide to, and was requested by the Innovia Foundation, Konkright said. Revenue made by the arena will be spent on operations, maintenance, capital improvements and programing at the arena, Konkright said.

The approval of the lease comes seven months after the facility was announced during a city council meeting when Hohman told the council about a $25 million gift from Lawson. Lawson was originally an anonymous donor and collaborated with Innovia, which will make a nonprofit organization with a board of directors to operate and maintain the facility once it is built. Lawson and Innovia CEO Shelly O'Quinn will both be board members.

Several conspiracy theories have swirled about the facility, but Hohman says all the theories he has seen are false. This project is happening because of Lawson's donation, Hohman said.

Concern about the project is understandable, O'Quinn said during the meeting, referencing a performing arts center project in the Valley that was abandoned due to a lack of funding.

"I do understand your concern. It's top of mind right now because you're sitting in the Valley, where you have a big cement wall as a reminder of a project gone bad. And I know we're all disappointed with how the performing arts center went," O'Quinn said.

After several years of stalled construction and a lack of funds, the center's executive creative director Yvonne Johnson requested a loan from Spokane Valley city leaders, asking for $28 million raised from the sale of bonds. In March, the Spokane Valley City Council voted to not have a meeting with Johnson or the team for the center.

Konkright confirmed that the performing arts center project is completely different from the ice arena project - one of them relied on donations for funding, and the other is entirely funded by Lawson.

This project is about investing in young people and supporting active lifestyles, Bascetta said.

That was seconded by several other locals, including Rachelle Miller.

"A rink is not just a building: it's where kids learn how to fall down, where they get back up and where they learn what it feels like to be a part of a team," Miller said. "I'm a social worker in this community, and I can tell you that belonging is hard to come by for kids right now, especially in this area, we lack community centers. We lack recreation centers, places where kids can come to hang out and be safe."

The city will have the right to buy the facility for $9.4 million. The property is currently worth $2.4 million, according to Hohman. The goal is to have the 80,000-square-foot facility built and open by June 2027, Hohman said.

Plans for projects like this to come to the Valley go back a decade, according to Hohman.

In 2016, the city did a tourism strategy to try and enhance tourism in the Valley and generate revenue through lodging and sales tax. That strategy was updated in 2023, Hohman said.

Three projects came out of the strategic plan: the cross-country course, an ice sheet facility and an upgrade and reposition on Plante's Ferry Sports Complex. The goal is to make Spokane Valley a hub for youth sports, Hohman said.

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This story was originally published April 28, 2026 at 11:35 PM.