This week on Oregon On The Record, we talked about the efforts to secure a new stadium for the Eugene Emeralds Minor League Baseball at the Lane Events Center.
We heard from listeners during this past week on the issue, with some worrying about traffic and noise, yet others who are enthusiastic about a stadium in the heart of Eugene.
Our guests included Allan Benavides, the general manager for the team who told about the team’s labor to build a modern facility that will also provide a mix-used facility for the community.
We heard from neighbors Christine Beneda and Don Latarski, who fear a new stadium might create issues that could ruin the neighborhood. On the other side, we talked with Ted Coopman and Ed Willson, who can’t wait to see baseball played at a new park.
Finally, we were provided expertise from Lauren Anderson, the director of the U of O’s Warsaw Sports Marketing center who explained the how’s and why’s publicly financed stadiums get built.
With a looming deadline to get a stadium approved, there still are a major number of hurdles for the community’s minor league team to overcome.