A dozen protesters greeted Beaverton and Oregon Sports Authority officials as they stumped for support of a new Portland Beavers ballpark.
A dozen protesters greeted Beaverton and Oregon Sports Authority officials as they stumped for support of a new Portland Beavers ballpark.
The issue: the Bevos need a new ballpark if PGE Park is to be renovated as a soccer-only facility. OK, need may be a strong term: want is the better word to use here. After striking out with several Portland sites, the Beavers are now focusing on Beaverton as a potential home base.
Indeed, the mayor of Beaverton has big plans for a new ballpark: community gathering spot, potential theater home, site of charity runs, and more.
Which is all fine and good: a ballpark should be a community gathering spot. But a ballpark should also be affordable, and Beaverton may not be big enough to support a Triple-A facility. The city's population is only 86,000, and while it has a nice set of businesses in the city (Linux founder Linux Torvalds works at a Beaverton business), it's not exactly swimming in money. Building a $50 million ballpark will be a stretch for the city, particular if this figure is inflated when a land purchase is figured in: the city currently controls a four-acre site envisioned for a ballpark, but a new facility will need at least four more acres — and more depending on parking needs.
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