Top Menu

Picketers greet pro-Beavers rally in Beaverton

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.

RELATED STORIES: Landowners not thrilled with Beaverton Bevos ballpark plan ; Bevos eye Beaverton for new ballpark site; Paulson withdraws request for Bevos ballpark in Lents; Portland to move ahead with soccer renovation, put off plans for Bevos ballpark; Thursday vote could determine Bevos ballpark fate; New Beavers ballpark lacks support on City Council; Bevos, city close to final funding proposal for new ballpark; Rose Quarter location officially off the table for new Bevos ballparkBevos ballpark plans back up in the air — and maybe doomed; Portland ballpark vote delayed as mayor adjusts site, financial plans; New Beavers ballpark wouldn't happen until 2012 — at the earliest; Cost of Portland redevelopment mushrooms to almost $300 million; Crunching the numbers on a new Bevos ballpark; Portland proposes tearing down Memorial Coliseum for new Bevos ballpark; Portland City Council votes to move ahead with new Bevos ballpark — but takes $15 million from the equation; Paulson agrees to Portland's financial demands; still may not be enough; Bevos ballpark plan runs into serious financial obstacles; Portland task force gives preliminary approval to new Bevos ballpark — with plenty of conditions; Portland ballpark discussion shifts to Rose Quarter; Decision on new Bevos ballpark location delayed; Will new ballpark fly in Lents?

Subscribers to the weekly Ballpark Digest newsletter see articles, such as this one, before they're posted to the site. You can sign up for a free subscription at the Newsletter Signup Page.

Join Ballpark Digest on Facebook and on Twitter!