Trying to fit a Triple-A baseball park into the west end of Lane County Fairgrounds is a bad idea for many reasons. Giving up limited public land in the densely populated center of Eugene for the benefit of wealthy major league baseball owners raises many issues. About 1 percent of Lane County residents attend an Ems home game. They might try to ignore the obvious problems that would be created by squeezing a ballpark into the center of the city. People living within a few blocks of the fairgrounds are keenly aware of the problems because they experience traffic, parking and noise issues each year during the county fair.

The backers of the proposed ballpark talk as if it would have multiple uses benefiting everyone — but this is not true. Most of the time this formerly public space would be closed by a big fence locking out the public. Home games would bring a nightmare to local residents who must utilize street parking. I’m pretty sure no county commissioner living near the fairgrounds would vote to build a Triple-A baseball park there. It is a no-brainer that sites on the outskirts of the city where the land is cheaper would be preferable for professional baseball.

Wayne Ferrell

Eugene

Comments are closed.