A D V E R T I S E M E N T


The Portland Tribune Section tabs
Loading

Printer-friendly version     Email story link

Sports Column

Beavers in Lents? I don't buy it

On Sports

ADVERTISEMENTS

Randy Leonard and Merritt Paulson are convincing folks, and they contend passionately that if a new park for the Triple-A Beavers is to be built, the best place is at Lents Park.

They’ve done their homework and have facts and figures that back up their point of view.

And I’m still not sold.

I think a new ballpark in the downtown area — contingent upon Portland landing a Major League Soccer franchise for PGE Park — best serves the Beavers’ constituency.

Paulson, owner of the Beavers and Timbers, has studied other sites, including one in an industrial area on the west side of the Willamette River, across from the Rose Quarter. He says Lents is the best potential location for a new 8,000- to 10,000-seat baseball stadium.

Not to impugn their integrity, but Leonard and Paulson both have vested interests in Lents.

Leonard, the go-get-’em city commissioner, lives in the Mount Scott area, not far from Lents, and regularly drives or rides his bike through the area. He’d like to see a ballpark there to help revitalize and spur development.

Paulson is seeking substantial city financial support for a project that would upgrade PGE Park, construct the new ballpark and cost upward of $100 million, including a $40 million MLS expansion fee he intends to cover himself. Paulson figures the easiest way to get the package approved is to ride the coattails of Leonard’s support, and he’s right.

Leonard points to light rail within a block or two of the Lents site as a major transportation benefit, with plans for a parking garage that would beat anything a downtown site could offer. He says the opportunity for family entertainment in the Lents area would make it a more desirable destination than downtown.



1 | 2 Next Page >>


Digg Del.icio.us
StumbleUpon Toolbar Stumbleupon Reddit

Link to online gaming area Link to online gaming area Link to online gaming area Click to read Local Area Public Notices
Find Us on Facebook Find Us on Twitter

Browse archive


Kerry Eggers
RSS feed for Kerry Eggers


Link to The Portland Tribune

Find a paper

Enter a street name
or a 5 digit zip code


Link to online subscription form

Link to online subscription form

Link to KPAM



Weather Forecasts
Weather Maps
Weather Radar Video forecast


ADVERTISEMENTS






SPECIAL SECTIONS
AND PROMOTIONS

Entree special section


Web hosting


Link to Special Publication


Link to Special Publication

Our Portland website design and marketing company created custom websites for these top providers of Portland pest control services, Portland cleaning services and Portland florists.

Search engine marketing, website templates, portland web design and website promotion by Webfu // 503.381.5553

New down and fleece north face jackets. The largest selection of North Face Jackets available online. Free shipping on orders over $40.00

See the latest styles of ski jackets and backpacks from The North Face.

Become a Naturopathic Doctor. Developing future leaders in health care. Named by The Princeton Review as one of the best med schools in the country. Bastyr University.

Features Contact Us Classifieds Sustainable Life Sports Opinion Metro News News US & World News