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Parents, coaches press PPS for Pal Park upgrades as district outlines athletics project timeline
Summary
Public commenters told the committee Pal Park's muddy, vandalized fields hamper practices and caused injuries; the district said Pal Park, Grant Bowl and multiple athletic hubs are in planning and that Powell/Pal Park improvements are subject to ongoing negotiations with Portland Parks and Recreation.
Parents and community sports volunteers told Portland Public Schools' Facilities Improvement and Oversight Committee on March 17 that existing off-site athletic fields are unsafe or inaccessible and urged the district to prioritize planned upgrades. District staff presented a multi-site athletics program update showing phased work at Grant Bowl, Jackson and Marshall hubs, Powell Park and West Silvin.
"We can't stand at home plate to even do batting practice when it's been raining because it's so muddy and unusable," said Elizabeth Super, a Cleveland High School baseball and softball board member and pediatrician, describing a recent practice injury and vandalism at Pal Park. Super said the May 2025 bond has designs for Pal Park but that parents and teams still lack clarity about land-use agreements among PPS, Portland Parks and Recreation and the city and asked that softball improvements be reflected in the district's presentation slide set.
District staff confirmed that Pal Park and Powell Park are intended as multi-use upgrades but said the Powell/Pal improvements depend on reaching a use-and-improvement agreement with Portland Parks and Recreation. Joanna Evansson, senior director for RISE, said the district is "meeting regularly" with parks and that negotiations remain active; she cautioned that some elements (for example, new Grant Bowl electrical service) require utility scheduling and may entail additional site work such as a new service pole.
Community requests and sequencing: Brian Kenyon, representing Lincoln baseball interests, asked the committee to clarify whether a 2017'2020 land-use and design package for West Silvin could be reused. Staff said design documents may be usable but that land-use approvals have expired and the land-use process must be restarted, which affects sequencing and timing. Evansson noted that construction sequencing also depends on contractor capacity and site-unique permitting, so districts cannot expedite all fields simultaneously.
Costs and on-the-ground repairs: Super said parents and volunteers already spent modest sums to keep fields usable ("We've spent $367 already to buy 10 outfield posts that were stolen" and $270 on infield turface) and asked the board to ensure planned bond improvements cover both baseball and softball needs. Board members asked staff to provide slide 14 (the planned Pal Park improvements) updated to include softball in the description.
Next steps: The RISE team said tracks and fields at Jackson and Marshall hubs and South Fields work will proceed in staged phases, with some projects in pre-planning and others moving to construction in summer 2026. The committee recorded no formal votes; staff will continue negotiations with Portland Parks and Recreation and provide clarifying updates to the board and community.
