West Linn council agrees to continue talks with ICON about partial park at Oppenlander Field

The West Linn City Council on Sept. 8 agreed to continue exploring a public–private partnership with developer ICON to secure some park space at the school-district-owned Oppenlander Field, after hearing presentations from ICON and community advocates.

Mayor Balestaszewski opened the discussion as a nonbinding "temperature check," noting the city has no formal proposal yet and that staff wanted direction on whether to invest further time. ICON representative Harlan said the company expects a purchase contract "either this week or sometime next week" and will begin feasibility work, and added it is "open to working with the city to find ... a solution that would work for both parties." Friends of Oppenlander chair Dean Sir urged continued efforts, noting the project has drawn community support over several years and that an earlier 2022 bond (identified in the discussion as bond measure 3582 for about $3,500,000) was calibrated to a larger 10-acre park and is not adequate for a smaller parcel.

Parks and recreation director Megan summarized design and use constraints for a reduced site, saying a standard senior baseball field averages about "2.5 to 3 acres" and warning that fitting a senior field into the proposed 3–4 acre parcel would be "really hard" without creative configuration and parking solutions. She offered a preliminary maintenance estimate "about $50,000 a year" under typical conditions, noting additional costs for utilities and long-term turf replacement if synthetic surfaces were used. Councilors broadly agreed the city should continue a short public-engagement process, involve baseball stakeholders directly, and work with ICON to refine options and cost estimates before any formal acquisition decision.

The council did not take a binding vote on acquisition but directed staff to pursue a brief feasibility and outreach process and to report back to council with options and refined numbers.