The Salem Reporter is doing a great job keeping our community informed about plans for improving the Willamette University baseball field at Bush Park, which would host summer games for a new Salem for-profit team that would join the West Coast League.
Yesterday a story was published about a Thursday meeting of the Parks Advisory Board where the baseball project moved forward. Here's an excerpt from "City parks board advances plans for Spec Keene Stadium."
Members of Salem’s Parks and Recreation Advisory Board on Thursday voted in support of an updated agreement with Willamette University advancing plans to use a stadium adjacent to Bush’s Pasture Park for a for-profit summer baseball league.
The agreement would allow Willamette University to encroach slightly on the city park for improvements at the university-owned Spec Keene and McCulloch Stadium.
Following concerns raised by neighbors, the board recommended a final agreement including a requirement Willamette offer shuttle service and other measures intended to address concerns about parking and impact.
Willamette and Salem Baseball plan to use the stadium as the home field for a new team in the West Coast League that includes the Portland Pickles. The team would host about 27 games each summer. The university would also update the softball stadium at 501 14th St. S.E.
The plans include added accessibility, new fencing and a new field light pole. The project received $3 million in taxpayer money from state legislators earlier this year, primarily because the development will allow local high schools to use the field for free. Lara Tiffin, who directs athletics for the school district, said high schools will use their own fields when the weather’s nice, but the turf fields will be a benefit when it’s rainy.
Neighborhood opposition is having an impact on the project, though I suspect that this won't be enough to derail the stadium improvements.
After all, there's been quite a bit of buy-in from the City of Salem, Willamette University, the Salem Baseball Club, and the Salem-Keizer School District.
In December 2023 a Memorandum of Understanding was entered into by the City of Salem, Willamette University, and the Salem Baseball Club. In January 2024 the West Coast League announced that a Salem team would be added, name to be determined later, since Salem Baseball Club is just a placeholder. (Hopefully the name will be more appealing than Portland Pickles, a current league team.)
Friday, the West Coast League happily announced the addition of its 17th member in Salem, Oregon, opening play in 2025. The Salem Baseball Club will join the Springfield Drifters, Bend Elks, Corvallis Knights, and Portland Pickles as the league’s fifth Oregon-based team.
“When you look at a map,” said WCL Commissioner Rob Neyer, “adding another team in the Willamette Valley is an easy call for us. We were simply waiting for the perfect situation, and with the Salem Baseball Club, that’s now exactly what we’ve got.”
The Salem Baseball Club name is a placeholder until a new team name, logo, and mascot are determined and unveiled to the public. SBC will play its home games at Willamette University’s ballpark in downtown Salem.
A March 2024 Salem Reporter story, "Fans abound for stadium upgrade but critics worry about impact on Bush Park," noted that the for-profit team will use unpaid college players for the summer league.
State legislators recently earmarked $3 million from taxpayers to pay for upgrading the stadium.
University officials propose to replace grass with artificial turf, install new and taller field lights, open more entryways and add field netting.
The university then would turn over the stadium for the summer to Salem Baseball LLC. The company is led by Luke Emanuel, a Salem native who worked eight years as director of baseball operations at the University of Oregon.
Emanuel’s company bought the Salem franchise for the West Coast League and wants Keene Stadium to be its home field. The league features college players who are between school seasons.
As Emanuel envisions the scene, up to 1,500 fans would settle into stadium seats for 27 home games a season. They’d have access to concessions, including beer, and likely pay no more than $10 for a ticket to a game, Emanuel said.
...The request came with a host of endorsing letters. The Salem-Keizer School District’s coordinator of athletics said high schools expect to rent the fields “on a regular basis.”
The Boys & Girls Club of Salem Marion and Polk Counties said it anticipated using the ball field for summer camp, flag football and fundraising tournaments. The Family YMCA of Marion & Polk Counties said the project would “provide space for youth and adults to participate in multi-sport camp programs.”
Upgrading the fields would help Salem’s economy, Travel Salem said in its letter.
“The positive ripple effects of this investment will be felt through increased tourism, local business engagement, and the overall enhancement of Salem’s reputation as a sports destination,” the organization wrote.
As I said in my first blog post about this project, this is one of those issues where proponents and opponents each have valid arguments for why the stadium expansion and summer use by Salem Baseball LLC should either move forward or be stopped in its tracks.
The stadium expansion does seem like a done deal, since most of the money for it has been raised. However, it requires approval by the Salem Council, given that part of the expansion would be on Bush Park land.
If that happens, seemingly use of the stadium by Salem Baseball LLC would be a matter decided between the LLC and Willamette University, which owns the stadium. But I could be wrong about this.
You are right about that! I can't wait. 27 games in 2025. I'm going to get season tickets and walk to all the games. BTW, it is a gross exaggeration to say "part of the expansion would be on Bush Park." Willamette has had a small easement on park land for years that is going to be extended just slightly. Everyone should look at the photo of this in the Salem Reporter article. The Parks Board is recommending that Willamette be required to use its parking lots for games and provide shuttle service and parking attendants. That will go a long way to solving concerns about parking. And here is the best choice for the team name: SALEM ANGRY OWLS!
Posted by: Jim Scheppke | June 15, 2024 at 08:00 AM
I feel it is very curious that American Legion baseball has been kept out of this discussion. The program has been in the Salem community for nearly 50 years formally known as Cook stationary and now the Withnell Dodgers. This organization is a tenant of the Willamette Stadium and has had a partnership With the university for years. I am available to discuss. Legion needs for the future. I support the program of expansion. I understand fully the difficulties that and the impact on the community.
Posted by: Art Cummins | June 17, 2024 at 09:19 AM