Tensions rise among Spokane Valley council members while discussing ice rink lease
The Spokane Valley City Council is considering a lease for an ice rink facility after a sometimes-contentious meeting that lasted nearly four hours.
On Tuesday night, the Spokane Valley City Council voted 5-2 to consider a lease agreement. Councilmen Al Merkel and Mike Kelly were opposed.
Tuesday's vote didn't approve the lease but brought the facility one step closer to reality.
A final vote on the lease is now scheduled for next Tuesday at 6 p.m.
This vote comes seven months after the facility was announced during a city council meeting when city manager John Hohman told the council about a $25 million gift from Bill Lawson.
This is the first time the council has voted on the land lease, but the council voted to set aside capital reserve funds at the end of 2025 for the project.
"This individual has many, many successes throughout their career, and we feel confident that this facility will be another one," Hohman said.
Lawson was originally an anonymous donor and collaborated with The Innovia Foundation, 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.
"It's an amazing project for us," Councilwoman Pam Haley said before the meeting.
Hohman took time to dispute several conspiracy theories during the meeting and reminded the audience that he is one of the original employees of the city.
"There seem to be some conspiracy theories about how this all came to be, what time frame it came from and my relationship to the donor," Hohman said. "This (project) was not in anybody's frame of mind in 1983. I'd like to remind everybody that I was a junior in high school at that time, and I did not grow up here, so I could not have been part of any conspiracy that started in 1983."
Another conspiracy theory revolves around the water line that the city built in 2025 while there were discussions going on about the ice rink. According to Hohman, the ice rink discussions did not impact the size or the need for the water line because the Sullivan property was intended to be made into a park, which would need the water line.
"(Lawson's) not able to actually start work on the property until the lease is approved. So for him, it's a very big deal because he wants to get started so he can open fairly quickly," Haley said.
Councilman Kelly said he voted against the agreement because he has questions about the initiative that haven't been adequately answered.
However, he said his earlier opposition to the ice rink facility has softened after learning more from project backers and Innovia, which is helping to arrange the financing.
He said he still wants to know a few things before he commits the city of Spokane Valley to a long-term arrangement. Among those questions are more clarity surrounding the community betterment the ice rink will provide to residents, along with more vetting of financial risk the city might be undertaking.
Tension rose during the meeting between Kelly and Haley as the two adamantly disagreed on the issue.
"We're not here tonight to debate on whether or not a successful businessman will continue to be a successful businessman. We are here tonight to talk about whether or not we're going to have a consensus to go on," Haley said.
According to city services administrator Gloria Mantz, the city is anticipating to make $100,000 in revenue from sales and lodging tax because of the facility. By year five, that tax revenue is expected to jump to $150,000.
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.
"What this all means is that the council, through the tourism strategy, really wanted to solidify Spokane Valley as a hub for youth sports," Hohman said.
At the time, the ice sheet facility did not move forward because the city did not have enough funds for it, Hohman said.
But Hohman was invited to meet with Lawson in the fall of 2024 to discuss the potential for an ice facility in the city. A year after, the Innovia Foundation and Garco Construction presented a proposal to use a city-owned property on Sullivan to build the facility.
When Lawson came in the picture, the funding problem Spokane Valley was facing disappeared, deputy city manager Erik Lamb said.
"The desire of the donor and Innovia with this proposal is to invest in community vitality, regional tourism and sustainable economic growth. It's really to enhance Spokane Valley in recreation, in hospitality and in our economic landscape," Lamb said.
Editor's note: This story was updated on April 22, 2026, to reflect Councilman Mike Kelly's vote against the ice rink lease proposal.
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This story was originally published April 21, 2026 at 11:52 PM.