The Eugene School Board received four bids for Civic Stadium, the former home to Pacific Coast League and Northwest League baseball, with the highest offer calling for the historic facility to be razed.
Civic Stadium has sat empty since the Eugene Emeralds (short season A; Northwest League) moved to PK Park. The local school board owns the facility and solicited proposals for the property.
Two of the bids would tear down the historic wooden grandstand and replace it with development: one proposal calls for a Fred Meyer grocery store and another would replace it with a new YMCA. A bid from the city would maintain the ballpark as a recreation venue, and another would upgrade it for soccer and football. The Fred Meyer bid was for $5 million; the bid from Friends of Civic Stadium came in at $16.56. However, the city bid at $4.5 million has the support of the Friends of Civic Stadium, but it is contingent on donations for facility upgrades. So the choice is really clear: whether or not to tear down the ballpark. From the Eugene Register-Guard:
More than two years ago, the Y, Fred Meyer and Civic Stadium supporters submitted proposals to the school district. The seven-member school board eventually rejected all the offers, essentially deciding to start over at a later date.
The new proposals from the city and Friends of Civic Stadium would preserve the 75-year-old wooden grandstand in hope of renovating the structure for soccer and other uses.
The redevelopment concepts from the Y and Fred Meyer would raze the grandstand and remove the ballfield.
Image from Save Civic Stadium Flicker page.
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