Sports Column

Beavers in Lents? I don't buy it

On Sports

By kerry eggers

The Portland Tribune, Aug 31, 2008, Updated Oct 30, 2009 (14 Reader comments)

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.

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