Hillsboro Ballpark, formerly Ron Tonkin Field until March 2024,[8][9] is a baseballpark in the northwestUnited States, located in Hillsboro, Oregon, a suburb west of Portland. The stadium has a capacity of 4,500 spectators (3,534 seats) and is the home for the Hillsboro Hops of the Northwest League and the Post 6 Barbers of the American Legion Oregon Zone 2 Division. Groundbreaking for the $15.55 million venue was on September 21, 2012, with the first game played nine months later on June 17, 2013.
Following the Portland Beavers exit after the 2010 season when a new ballpark was not built, minor league baseball’s Northwest League approached the city of Hillsboro about relocating a team to the city.[10] Once the Beavers left, the Portland market was the most populous in the country without a professional baseball team.[11] The league and city then started discussions around September 2011 about Hillsboro building a stadium in the city’s Gordon Faber Recreation Complex near Sunset Highway.[10][12] The city announced in March 2012 that it was in discussions with the Northwest League to bring a Single A team to the city.[13]Milwaukie on the eastern side of the Portland metropolitan area also had plans to build a stadium for a minor league team.[10]
Hillsboro proposed to build a four to six-thousand-seat ballpark adjacent to Hillsboro Stadium at the Faber Complex, with plans to open for the 2013 season.[13] Total construction budget for the new stadium was originally expected to be $15.2 million.[14] To pay for the construction, the city would sell bonds and repay the money using revenue from the facility, including leasing the field to the minor league team.[13] Early projections hoped to have attendance between 100,000 and 180,000 total for the 38 home games.[13]
While the league had two teams in-mind for relocation,[15] the Yakima Bears became the leading candidate, as the team previously failed to land a new stadium at Clark College in the Vancouver, Washington, area.[10] The other team interested in relocation was the Boise Hawks.[16] By April 2012, the Hillsboro City Council approved issuing a request for proposals to design and build a stadium, and hired a sports attorney to assist in the process.[11] The new 4,500-seat stadium, to be built on field four at the complex, is planned to have covered seating, a new orientation to face east, a beer garden, an entry plaza with artwork, and more concession stands.[12]
Signage after sponsorship deal
On April 16, the City Council considered authorizing up to $30 million in full faith and credit bonds to pay for several projects, including a baseball stadium.[17] Repayment of the bonds would come from revenue generated by the stadium, and if necessary, discretionary funds from the general budget.[12] City officials expected a $7.1 million economic impact annually from the stadium, and said the overall cost of the project would be half of what would normally be expected due to the existing infrastructure at the complex.[12]
The council announced they might vote at their May 15 meeting to authorize the $15 million project, start negotiating a lease agreement with the team, and hire SRG Partnership to design the stadium with Hoffman Construction building the $13.4 million stadium.[18][19] However, the city council did not consider the matter at that meeting as planned,[20] as negotiations were still continuing with the Yakima Bears and the league.[21][22]
Two weeks later, the Council announced they would again look at approving a term sheet with the owners of the Yakima franchise, and that the league had two teams interested in possibly relocating to Hillsboro.[23] The deal with the Bears called for a 20-year lease on a $13.4 million stadium, with the team paying rent of $150,000 per year.[24] The rent would increase 3% each year, with the team retaining concession revenues and the city keeping parking revenues, among other provisions.[24] The city was also to consider contracting with Hoffman Construction to build the stadium, and hire SRG Partnership for the design.[24] The city expects to sell naming rights to the stadium, with the city keeping 70% of the proceeds.[25]
On June 5, the city council approved the offer sheet with Short Season, LLC in a unanimous vote, and agreed to hire Hoffman and SRG to design and build the facility.[3][26] The deal was contingent upon Short Season signing-off on the deal, plus approval of the league, as well as both Minor and Major League Baseball.[27] The city also acknowledged that revenues may not be enough to cover the debt payment, and that the city may need to use funds paid by Intel Corporation to the city as part of that company’s tax breaks or other city funds to cover any shortfall. Both the Bears and the Northwest League approved the offer sheet on June 8,[28] and the city signed an agreement with the team on June 26.[29][30] Final approval of the move was needed by September 4, 2012, from the league, Minor League Baseball, and Major League Baseball (MLB), with construction scheduled to start in October 2012.[29] Milwaukie still hoped to land a team from the league as well, and their plan had the support of Portland Mayor Sam Adams.[31][32]
MLB gave the final approval in August 2012 for the relocation, clearing the way for construction to begin.[33] A ground-breaking ceremony with local leaders and team ownership was held on September 21, 2012.[5] In February 2013, the main piece of public art was revealed to be a sculpture entitled Barometer to be created by Devin Laurence Field.[34] Construction ended in mid-June 2013 with a public opening on June 13.[35] The final construction costs totaled $15.55 million.[36] The Hops' first home game was on June 17, 2013, with a sellout crowd of 4,710 in attendance.[37] The stadium was named project of the year for 2013 by the American Public Works Association for public projects in Oregon between $5 and $25 million.[38]
On May 13, 2014, the Ron Tonkin Family of Dealerships signed a ten-year naming rights deal with the city at $150,000 per year, giving the ballpark its new name of Ron Tonkin Field.[39][40]
Tonkin Field hosted the Northwest League's all-star game in 2017.[41]
It was announced in March 2023 that the Hillsboro Hops will build a new ballpark for the 2025 season instead of renovating Ron Tonkin Field.[42]
Ron Tonkin Field has a capacity of approximately 4,500 spectators.[43] Of that total, there are 3,534 permanent seats, with the remaining capacity in the form of a standing-room-only area and a berm in the outfield sponsored by Frontier Communications.[44][45] The berm seating is located along the entire outfield as well as at the end of the baselines. Most of the grandstand is covered, with the seating 14 rows deep.[35] Additionally, there is a standing room only area and a beer garden.[21][35] The beer garden, the Bridgeport Brew Pen, is located at the end of the first baseline, while the standing-room area is at the end of the third-base line.[46]
The dimensions of the field are 325 feet (99m) down both the left and right field lines, and 400 feet (122m) to centerfield.[4] The diamond has an unorthodox south-southwest alignment (home to center field); the recommended orientation is east-northeast.[47] The home dugout is on the first base side;[4] the home bullpen is in center field and the visitors' is in left field.[46] The baseball field is all-weather artificial turf,[21][35] while the only dirt is on the mound and the batters box.[4] The elevation is approximately 220 feet (65m) above sea level.
Team offices and the team store are both located on the lower level of the stadium.[4] The upper levels contain an enclosed lounge and two open-air party decks.[4] The Daktronics video scoreboard measures 25 by 14 feet (7.6 by 4.3m).[4] The interactive Barometer sculpture is located outside the entrance in the plaza area.[4] When not in use by the Hops, the stadium is available for other baseball games as well as for other sports, such as soccer and lacrosse.[25] Ron Tonkin Field shares its main entrance with the adjacent Hillsboro Stadium, and the two share common architectural elements such as cement blocks, corrugated steel, and the look of the roofs.[4] The complex has 2,000 parking spaces.[4]
The Northwest League is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Northwestern United States and Western Canada. A Class A Short Season league for most of its history, the league was promoted to High-A as part of Major League Baseball's 2021 reorganization of the minor leagues. The league operated as the High-A West in 2021, then resumed its original moniker in 2022.
Hillsboro is a city in the U.S. state of Oregon and is the county seat of Washington County. Situated in the Tualatin Valley on the west side of the Portland metropolitan area, the city hosts many high-technology companies, such as Intel, locally known as the Silicon Forest. The population was 106,447 at the 2020 census, making Hillsboro the fifth-most populous city in Oregon.
The Vancouver Canadians are a Minor League Baseball (MiLB) team located in Vancouver, British Columbia. They are members of the Northwest League and the High-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. The Canadians play their home games at Nat Bailey Stadium. They are currently the only MiLB team based in Canada.
Yakima County Stadium is a baseball park in the northwest United States, located in Yakima, Washington. Opened 31 years ago in 1993, it succeeded Parker Field and was the home field of the Yakima Bears minor league team for twenty seasons. It is the current home of the Yakima Valley Pippins collegiate wood-bat team of the West Coast League and has a seating capacity of 2,800.
Everett Memorial Stadium is an outdoor sports complex in Everett, Washington, which includes a stadium for football and a ballpark for baseball. Opened in 1947, it has been the home field of the Everett AquaSox, a Minor League Baseball team in the Northwest League, and its predecessor, the Everett Giants, since 1984. In 2019, the ballpark became known as Funko Field. The football stadium has been home to the Everett Reign, a women's football team, since 2013. The complex is owned by the Everett School District, whose schools use both stadiums for their athletic programs. It is also home to the Puget Sound Festival of Bands, an annual marching band competition. The facility was remodeled in 1998 to have a seating capacity of 3,682 people for baseball and 12,000 for football.
Hillsboro Stadium is a multi-sport stadium in the northwest United States, located in Hillsboro, Oregon, a suburb west of Portland. Opened 25 years ago in 1999 and owned by the city of Hillsboro, the award-winning stadium is part of the Gordon Faber Recreation Complex located in the northeast part of the city, adjacent to the Sunset Highway.
Portland, Oregon, United States, is home to three major league sports teams — the Portland Trail Blazers of the National Basketball Association, the Portland Timbers of Major League Soccer, and the Portland Thorns FC of the National Women's Soccer League. The city also hosts a wide variety of other sports and sporting events.
Hare Field is a multi-sport facility located in Hillsboro, Oregon, United States. The facility opened in 1965 and is owned by the Hillsboro School District. Hare Field includes a baseball stadium, a football stadium, practice fields, and track and field equipment. The venue hosts high school sports, open track meets, youth sports, and occasionally college sports. The football stadium seats over 5,000 fans, was the first high school field in Oregon with an all-weather field, and was named one of the best venues to watch high school football in the state.
Cornelius Pass Road is an arterial road in the Portland metropolitan area of Oregon, United States. The north-south road serves as an arterial connection between Burlington and Hillsboro. It intersects with several main roads throughout its route.
Portland, Oregon, has been home to many baseball teams, dating back to the 19th century. Despite this, Portland has never fielded a Major League Baseball team.
Portland Beavers Ballpark was a description of a new stadium in Portland, Oregon, or in an outlying city that was being planned for the Portland Beavers of the Pacific Coast League of Minor League Baseball. The ballpark idea was abandoned in October 2010, with no location ever determined for it; several locations were rejected due to public criticism.
The Portland Beavers was the name of separate minor league baseball teams, which represented Portland, Oregon, in the Pacific Coast League (PCL). The team was established in 1903, the first year of the PCL.
The Yakima Bears were a minor league baseball team in the northwest United States, located in Yakima, Washington. The Bears competed at the Class A Short Season level as members of the Northwest League from 1990 to 2012. Following the 2012 season, the franchise relocated to Hillsboro, Oregon, and became Hillsboro Hops.
The Hillsboro Hops are a Minor League Baseball team in the northwest United States, located in Hillsboro, Oregon, a city in the Portland metropolitan area. The Hops are members of the Northwest League and are the High-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks. They play their home games at Hillsboro Ballpark, which opened in 2013.
The Salem Senators are the longest lasting name used by several minor league baseball teams based in Salem in the U.S. state of Oregon. The team name derived from Salem being the capital of Oregon. The team was founded in 1940. The current incarnation competes in the Mavericks Independent Baseball League.
Barometer is a 2013 sculpture by Devin Laurence Field, to be installed at the newly constructed Hillsboro Ballpark in Oregon, United States. The stainless steel sculpture, commissioned by the City of Hillsboro, stands fifteen feet tall at the stadium's entry plaza. Installation of the work began on June 10, 2013.
Charles B. Walker Stadium at Lents Park is a baseball stadium located in Lents Park in the Lents neighborhood of Portland, Oregon. It has been home to the West Coast League Portland Pickles baseball team since 2016. The Pickles play thirty home games per sixty game season. The team pays rent to the City, cleans the stadium, and provides security during games. Outside of the dates set aside for the team, the stadium is open for permitted play by anyone who reserves it. The Northwest Independent Baseball League plays many of its games at Walker Stadium.
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