The City of Spokane Valley asked the Lodging Tax Advisory Committee on Oct. 29 for one year of maintenance and operations funding for its newly completed municipal cross‑country course, citing confirmed championship events and an expected large visitor impact in 2026.

John Bothelli, Spokane Valley parks and recreation director, described the facility as a purpose-built national‑class cross‑country venue and said its construction was financed in large part by earlier LTAC capital awards. He told the committee the site includes roughly 14 irrigated acres of specialized turf, nearly 2 miles of irrigation mainline and about 2,000 sprinkler heads, with ancillary hardscape, parking and restroom facilities that require year‑round upkeep.

Bothelli said the maintenance model the city submitted was developed with turf specialists, event operators and an outside sports‑facilities consultant; the city estimated first‑year maintenance and event‑support costs at approximately $260,000, with roughly two‑thirds of that dedicated to turf running‑surface care and the remainder for hardscape, janitorial and event support. He described a preliminary events calendar that already includes the Nike Cross Regionals and the Bob Furman Invitational and said those two events alone would bring multiple thousands of athletes, coaches and family members.

Committee questions focused on the forecasted visitor impacts, the relationship between the course budget and the parks general‑fund maintenance budget, and whether rental fees and sponsorships would make ongoing operations self‑sustaining. Bothelli said he expects future LTAC requests are likely but that the city will pursue sponsorships and user revenues to reduce reliance on annual awards.

Why it matters: A municipal, championship‑grade cross‑country course can draw multi‑day events with significant hotel demand; the committee identified the maintenance request as a high priority during the ranking process.

Provenance: Bothelli presented the application beginning at about 00:41:18 in the meeting transcript and answered committee questions through the subsequent exchange; the $260,000 maintenance estimate and facility details appeared in his presentation slides and oral remarks.

Taper: Staff will include the committee’s ranking and recommendation for this request in the LTAC administrative report to City Council.