Hillsboro’s plans to replace community fields strike out due to power line conflicts

Published 12:30 pm Wednesday, December 18, 2024

Despite initial plans to replace community fields at the Gordon Faber Recreation Complex to make room for Hillsboro’s Minor League Baseball team, it looks like the city is going back to the dugout.

A proposal to build two multi-use sports fields in the northwest corner of the complex has been scrapped, the city of Hillsboro announced Monday, Dec. 16. The decision follows notice from the Bonneville Power Administration that the proposed field location would sit in close proximity to future power lines — creating “too much of a potential risk and safety concern.”

When Major League Baseball restructured its minor leagues three years ago, the Hillsboro Hops were elevated from the Short Season-A classification to High-A. The promotion came with a caveat: The team had to meet new stadium standards.

Plans to renovate the existing stadium became complicated by escalating costs tied to utility infrastructure issues, and retrofitting the old stadium was ultimately deemed more expensive than building a brand-new facility.

The team then turned its attention to the Gordon Faber Recreation Complex, but that shift had its own trade off: displacing three of the six community fields used for youth recreation to make space for the new stadium.

A city project team submitted a “loss of use” report to assess the impact of displacing fields 4, 5 and 6, which analyzed usage hours, program needs and costs to find a suitable replacement.

The recommendation? Construct three new fields — one in East Gordon Faber and two in the northwest corner of the complex.

At the time of the lease agreement in June, the proposed site appeared viable, with potential solutions identified for environmental, regulatory and entitlement challenges, Hillsboro officials reported.

Over the past year, the city collaborated with Bonneville Power to design the fields and mitigate risks from future transmission lines. But that path hit a roadblock in November when the utility company gave notice that the project’s size would conflict with future high-voltage lines.

With the stadium deal finalized and construction underway, it’s now up to the city to devise a new play.

“The city is disappointed in this outcome,” Monday’s announcement read. “While development of new fields at the previously proposed site will not take place, the city of Hillsboro remains committed to replacing use lost as a result of the new ballpark through a variety of options.”

City officials are now exploring other avenues, including a smaller development at the current site, new fields at alternative locations or enhancements to existing facilities throughout the city.

Other proposals include increasing community access to Hillsboro Ballpark, expanding hours for Field 3 at Gordon Faber, offering community time at the new ballpark and repurposing underutilized sites.

As negotiated in the Hops’ lease agreement, any projects to replace lost use will be paid for by $20 million generated from a portion of the team’s ticket sales.

Next steps will involve a review of the “loss of use” report’s earlier recommendations, with input from Hillsboro Parks & Recreation Commission, Hillsboro City Council and the community used to establish a new plan.