Sacred Heart Medical Center, of Spokane, is in negotiations with Spokane Public Schools to buy the former Lewis & Clark High School play field two blocks north of the hospitals sprawling campus.


Spokane Public Schools solicited offers to buy the 1.16-acre site, which is located on a block bounded by Division Street to the east, Fourth Avenue to the north, Browne Street to the west, and Fifth Avenue to the south. The property is just south of and visible from the Interstate 90-Division Street interchange.


Mark Anderson, the districts associate superintendent of school support services, says Sacred Heart was the only party to submit an offer on the property by the districts deadline, which was late last month.


He says the offer was close to the $1.1 million asking price, and the school district hopes to come to an agreement on the transaction with Sacred Heart within the next month.


Sacred Heart spokeswoman Maureen Goins says that in the event the hospital completes the transaction, it doesnt have immediate plans for developing the property. She says, however, Its prime property for us.


The former play field became surplus property for the school district two years ago when it built new fields just south of Lewis & Clark High.


The old field, which was called Lincoln Field and was used mostly for physical-education classes, is four blocks east of the high school, and students previously had to walk back and forth between the field and the school for class.