
BREAKING NEWS:ย ย
On April 14th, 2023, Reporter Troy Shinn of the Business Tribune featured a story about the Hillsboro Parks and Recreation Commission being circumvented by the Hillsboro City Council, and not consulted about the decision to build the Hillsboro Hops a new stadium.ย This was an unprecedented move that the City Attorney and Council would back up, and it was unprecedented.ย The PRC has always been in the driver’s seat on significant expenditures or projects, and this one was a doozy- hundreds of Millions of dollars are at stake.ย More importantly, that decision was made unilaterally without the input or consultation of the PRC. Despite efforts to correct course, the City leaders pushed ahead with their decision. The decision has the dire consequences of destroying Fields 4,5, and 6 of the sports complex, effectively crippling the world-class baseball/softball and sports complex from being counted among the elite places in the Pacific NW for large sports tournaments and events.
As time has passed, the PRC has been asked to review some limited choices for replacing those fields.ย The one they were recently asked to approve includes adding two areas in the far reaches of the facility.ย While this bandaid approach seemed to calm some critics, it has not won over the members of the Commission. In the coming days, the City Council will receive the following official recommendations that have been officially made by the tenured and experienced group overseeing the massive Hillsboro parks and recreational facilities system.

Here is a revised version of that map, which we have marked for clarity.

After several meetings with the City and some very heavy lobbying that this new plan will work, the Parks and Recreation Commission has made the following written statement, which an Anonymous source has provided the Herald.ย We have confirmed that this is authentic.
Here is the statement.
Here are the most critical aspects of this recommendation.
Educated on budgets, processes, costs, and impact on our community and those that flood to Hillsboro for events, the Commission could not agree with City Hall in good conscience.ย At the same time that the Hillsboro Hops have been flooding the airwaves and press circles begging for $20, 000,000 million dollars in additional public funding (on top of the $18,000,000 our citizens are already giving the A League baseball team), our citizen lead PRC is making it clear that they want the Hops to pay their way.ย The team is one of the lowest-attended teams in Minor League Baseball.ย They currently sit in position 90 out of 120 teams (120 is the cellar).ย ย They rarely sell out and typically are less than 1/2 full at the beautiful Ron Tonkin Field.ย These PRC folks are Parks and Recs insiders and experts on this.ย These are not my words, nor those of the almost 500 people who signed petitions of opposition to the new ball field as it is planned.ย So this is input that Mayor Callaway and Councilor Beach Pace may wish to consider.ย Both have recently taken to social media asking anyone who likes the team to pressure politicians in Salem, Washington County, and anyone else they know to find the Hops $20 Million in additional gift money, lest they leave Hillsboro.
The Hops will need $40 Million if this recommendation holds up, maybe even $50,000,000.ย Currently, the team is not required to spend one dime to replace Fields 4,5 and 6.ย Many feel this is wrong and feel that if they destroy the fields for their benefit, they must replace them.
Key Takeaways –
The PRC is not accepting two fields to replace the lost fields- they want all three replaced.
All three fields need to be replaced at the Gordon Faber Recreation Complex.
They want the new Stadium to provide hours of use for the public.ย The Hops have asked for exclusive use of the new stadium, which will host the Hillsboro Hops and up to 36 Major Rock Concerts and events a year.ย It appears baseball is not profitable here in Hillsboro, so adding major music and other events is the road to riches.
The Hillsboro Hops must pay for 100% of the field replacement cost.ย That is an amazing stance, given the pressure the PRC is under from up the food chain, but it is correct!
The New fields must be completed at the same time the new stadium is- current statements from the City have indicated it may be 2-3 years, or longer.ย On top of that, the City has no money to replace them.ย The loss of use to our Parks and Recreation systems would be devastating – so this statement is perhaps the strongest of all.
This is a big deal, folks.ย So often, the City Council and every committee and commission, act like a hive mind with no dissent.ย This dissent is palpable; it is real, and it makes sense.ย This is healthy for Hillsboro.ย Debate, honesty, and transparency have been pretty scarce commodities around this town for some time now- and that applies to society at large.ย We support the PRC committee in this bold statement.ย We hope you will, too.
NEXT UP-ย The approval of the new Stadium was made on September 6th by the Hillsboro Planning and Zoning Hearings Board.ย Having said that it is not signed yet, and it is subject to an appeal by anyone who gave testimony.ย The new Baseball stadium, from a land use and legal position, is far from done.ย And the clock is ticking.
We now know that the new stadium is NOT cheaper than remodeling the Ron Tonkin, and we encourage the Hops and the City Council to regroup and abandon this failed effort before it is too late,ย There is still time.ย They do not need a huge new stadium, nor to be in the music business,ย We do not need to lose our world-class facility, which is really what is happening here.
What a world, oh what a world.
The Hillsboro Parks Commission should have been included from the beginning of the process. The secret process employed by the mayor, city council and Hillsboro Hops is a stain on all of them. If you are doing the right thing, no need to hide it. Doing right in this case would have been to include the Parks Commission from the start, determine what is really needed and who is going to pay for it. If a new stadium is still the answer, then come up with a plan that makes sense and also a plan to replace what is being displaced by the new stadium. Do that and you do not need to hide from anyone.
I completely agree with Jeff – this whole process has not gone the “Old Hillsboro Way” at all and it should have been brought to the people of Hillsboro for a vote since we’re helping pay – whether we want to or not. I applaud the Hillsboro Parks Commission for stepping in and making these recommendations – let’s hope the City leaders and council members do the Right Thing!
Glad to read the final PRC recommendation. I listened in to the PRC meeting last week and was concerned with how it might paly out. Agreed. Three fields for three fields. Equity for our youth.
You wonder what this process would’ve looked like if both the parks department and the general public were included from the outset. Hillsboro Parks is presenting the one realistic option on the table. Clearly, Washington County isn’t in the mood to shell out more money to turn the fairgrounds fields into a top-tier complex. Given the amount already sunk into Wingspan, it’s hard to blame them.
Hillsboro didn’t seem keen on basically rebuilding Gordon Faber in South Hillsboro, and I can’t blame them, either: You already have that great facility to the north. So what are the options? Tear up the soccer/lax fields at 53rd for baseball and softball? You’d be trading one war for another. Even this solutionโrebuilding three fields at Gordon Faberโis going to run the city into issues with building on wetlands. Hillsboro Airport and Port of Portland are already seeing what happens when you build on property that’s a “bird attractant,” and that’s before you get into the ecological issues associated with that construction.
This is a city that already wants to run a road over its one creek and plant a police station on other northern wetlands, but let’s address this stadium proposal one bad idea at a time. If the city’s going to tie up $18 million in tourist money that its downtown, wineries, trails, u-pick farms and other attractions will never see again, it shouldn’t be asked to foot the bill on replacement fields for those being destroyed by the stadium it’s investing in.
While it’s amusing to watch stadium supporters take the “but Major League Baseball’s gonna laugh at us” stance on stadium fundingโdisplaying their true insecurities for all to seeโit’s heartening to see Hillsboro Parks taking this seriously and reminding people there’s a city to run.
I could not agree more – in the end, this is the good old boys and girls who have tickets and love KL and the Hops making things happen. Blind ambition, and no one was thinking about anything but bragging rights. This is probably the most aggressive and saddest case of abuse of power I have seen- Executive privilege should not be used so cavalierly. This is why we need an initiative petition that shackles large spending packages without the people’s vote- let’s say anything over 10 Million dollars in spending or Economic Development incentives has to be voted on by the people. That would reign in some of this hubris!
As always, Thank you!
Dirk
Follow the money. Whoโs pockets are getting lined with this boondoggle?
How do they even consider this without PRC support? The dealings between the Hops and City Council seem shady if not outright corrupt.
Thanks Dirk for shining a light on this. I couldn’t agree more with your suggestions on limiting large expenses without a vote of the people.
The negative people out there against building a new stadium are not thinking about the big picture. The building of the new stadium will create new jobs for many. With the way the economy is now and to keep pushing against the building of the new stadium is a very ignorant way of thinking.
Barry, those โnew jobsโ are in construction and will last a year. The city and countyโs money would be better spent creating multi-year positions that Omega Morgan canโt provide.Think long term.
Barry, according to the State of Oregon Employment Department, as of August, the stateโs unemployment rate is 3.4%, which is lower than itโs been in over 20 years. We also have a housing shortage. Why would we want to bring more jobs to our community at this time? I think inflation is plenty high enough already. I believe you are the one not considering the big picture.
Hey Barry!
Was this post a part of your assigned duties working for the Hillsboro Hops or are you writing this on your own free time?