Item 2A: Approval of City Council Minutes

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people wanted to see some kind of baseball venue there. He envisioned many other sports organizations utilizing the stadium, such as the Babe Ruth League and Pop Warner Football. He thought it could be used for concerts as well. He said one opportunity that could present itself if the Ems moved into the University stadium lay in the Golden Baseball League, which was not associated with major league baseball. He explained that the league had eight teams on the west coast and wished to expand to 24 teams. He hoped the City would participate in the effort to preserve the stadium. He added that the group that had formed on behalf of the stadium was a non-profit and was currently raising money for a new roof. Scott Landfield , 2585 Willamette Street, provided the councilors with a packet that included minutes from the Save Civic Stadium group, portions of the report written by Ms. Perrin, and the sign-up sheet for the group. He averred that Save Civic Stadium was a community-wide movement. He could not imagine a person opposing its preservation. He noted that he had support from councilors Clark and Taylor and both Mayor Piercy and former Mayor Jim Torrey. He said the community needed examples of issues that everyone could “get behind.” He likened the situation with the Ems as being in the “bottom of the ninth.” He requested that Mayor Piercy and City Manager Ruiz discuss this with the Elmore Group. He also suggested that representatives of Save Civic Stadium be introduced to Kevin Costner, who was scheduled to provide two benefit concerts for the University baseball stadium at the Hult Center. th Jim Crabbe , 2080 East 27 Avenue, said he had been working to save Civic Stadium for a while. He stated that the land had been deeded to School District 4J and had been a civic project built by a number of local people, but now the school district wanted $4 million for it. He expressed disappointment in how the court case between the school district and the City had been handled. He did not agree that the City should have given up its right to appeal as part of the settlement. He had attended the hearing and did not feel the city attorney had been adequately prepared. He said it was clear that the stadium was built for the people and had been deeded to the school district for athletic purposes. th Sara Brandt , 57 West 20 Avenue, declared that she was a “YIMBY,” a “yes, in my backyard” person. She averred that Civic Stadium should be saved for the following reasons: historic preservation and the economic development that would occur because of historic tourism, sustainability – continued use of an existing facility, and because it is centrally located and accessible by all modes of transportation. She related that she had worked in fundraising for 20 years and during that time there had never been a major fundraising campaign for the stadium. She believed it was possible to raise the money needed. She urged the council to “be bold” and take concrete steps to explore the acquisition of Civic Stadium from School District 4J. Isha Lerner , 1975 Harris Street, felt it was her civic duty to stand up on behalf of Civic Stadium. She considered it to be a community treasure. She noted that it employed teens over the summer and provided the community with the opportunity to share a ball game. She believed that the Ems should remain in the stadium. She urged the councilors to listen “with all your hearts” to the call to save Civic Stadium, a “treasure” of the City of Eugene. Fred Fawbush , 2000 Scott Road, Springfield, stated that he and his wife were season ticket holders for Ems games. He said they had attended games in other stadiums in the league. He considered all of the others to be sterile and hot. He pointed out that Civic Stadium had shelter from the heat. He related that they had met parents of some of the players and had met the players as well, all of whom expressed a preference for Civic Stadium over any other stadium in the league. He also noted that Lois Youngen, who had played for the team that had been the subject of the movie A League of Their Own, had been to Civic Stadium and liked it. He related that Tim Katzman, the director of corporate communications for the San Diego Padres, MINUTES—Eugene City Council May 27, 2008 Page 4 Regular Meeting