Yamhill residents push council to revive unused baseball fields; staff urges coordination with parks master plan

At the April 9 Yamhill City Council meeting, public comment highlighted an unused group of baseball fields near the city’s Sage Water Treatment Plant and asked the council for help reopening them for youth sports. A speaker identified himself as representing YCTC and said the fields have existed for years but need drainage and other improvements before teams can use them.

Why it matters: Councilors and staff said additional playing fields could create more space for youth sports and bring informal economic activity to the community, but they urged any work to be coordinated with the parks master plan to ensure long‑term maintenance and alignment with other park projects.

During public comment, a member of the youth baseball program suggested the city might have the space and volunteer expertise to bring fields into basic working condition. Council members encouraged the speaker to participate in the upcoming parks citizen advisory committee (CAC) and noted that a basic drainage issue is the primary barrier; staff said two backstops already exist at the Jane Heinrich site and that volunteers have completed some work.

Staff reported that the parks master plan consultant AKS completed an inventory of city parks and that the parks CAC will hold its first meeting on April 14 at 6 p.m. Staff encouraged residents with interest in baseball field rehabilitation to participate in the CAC and in a proposed joint work session with the planning commission and economic development committee to coordinate parks and recreation outcomes.

No formal motion or funding decision was made at the April 9 meeting; councilors asked staff to fold the request into the parks master plan process and invited the youth organizers to participate in advisory meetings.