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Hillsboro Ballpark

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Hillsboro Ballpark, formerly Ron Tonkin Field until March 2024,[8][9] is a baseball park in the northwest United 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.

Hillsboro Ballpark
June 2013
Map
Hillsboro is located in the United States
Hillsboro
Hillsboro
Location in the United States
Hillsboro is located in Oregon
Hillsboro
Hillsboro
Location in Oregon
Former names
  • Ron Tonkin Field (2014–2024)
  • Hillsboro Ballpark (2013)
Location4450 NE Century Blvd.[1] (same location was formerly 4450 NW 229th Avenue)[2]
Hillsboro, Oregon
Coordinates45°33′14″N 122°54′31″W / 45.554°N 122.9085°W / 45.554; -122.9085
OwnerCity of Hillsboro
OperatorHillsboro Parks & Recreation[3]
Capacity4,500 (3,534 seats)
Field sizeLF: 325 ft (99 m)
CF: 400 ft (122 m)
RF: 325 ft (99 m)
SurfaceMatrix Turf[4]
Construction
Broke groundSeptember 21, 2012 (2012-09-21)[5]
Built2013
OpenedJune 13, 2013
June 17, 2013 (first game)
Construction cost$15.55 million
($20.3 million in 2023 [6])
ArchitectSRG Partnership, Inc.
Structural engineerKPFF Consulting Engineers[7]
General contractorHoffman Construction
Tenants
Hillsboro Hops (NWL/High-A West) (2013–present)
Vancouver Canadians (High-A West) (2021)
Website
hillsboro-oregon.gov

The ballpark is adjacent to Hillsboro Stadium, a multi-sport stadium owned by the city of Hillsboro, with both stadiums located inside the city's Gordon Faber Recreation Complex. Ron Tonkin Field hosts the only professional baseball team in the Portland metropolitan area.

History

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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]

Features

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Ron Tonkin Field's scoreboard
 
The bullpen in the outfield of Ron Tonkin Field

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 (99 m) down both the left and right field lines, and 400 feet (122 m) 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 (65 m) 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 4.3 m).[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]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Gordon Faber Recreation Complex". City of Hillsboro. Retrieved April 26, 2018.
  2. ^ "Gordon Faber Recreation Complex [2016]". City of Hillsboro. 2016. Archived from the original on December 25, 2016. Retrieved April 26, 2018.
  3. ^ a b "Hillsboro approves offer sheet with Yakima Bears". Ballpark Digest. June 6, 2012. Retrieved July 4, 2012.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Mock, Joe. "Hillsboro Ballpark". Baseball Parks. Grand Slam Enterprises, Inc. Archived from the original on March 26, 2014. Retrieved March 26, 2014.
  5. ^ a b Giegerich, Andy (September 21, 2012). "Hillsboro breaks stadium ground, name comes next". Portland Business Journal. Retrieved September 21, 2012.
  6. ^ 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved February 29, 2024.
  7. ^ "Hillsboro Baseball Stadium". RF Stearns. Archived from the original on November 10, 2013. Retrieved March 18, 2013.
  8. ^ Hoiland, Seth (March 29, 2024). "Decade-Long Naming Rights Deal Comes to an End; Ron Tonkin Field is now Hillsboro Ballpark". MiLB.com. Archived from the original on April 22, 2024. Retrieved July 22, 2024.
  9. ^ "The home of the Hillsboro Hops has been renamed". kgw.com. March 29, 2024.
  10. ^ a b c d Harbarger, Molly (March 28, 2012). "Northwest League unclear whether both Milwaukie and Hillsboro could host minor league baseball". The Oregonian. Portland. Retrieved March 28, 2012.
  11. ^ a b Fehrenbacher, Lee (April 4, 2012). "Hillsboro considering construction of $11M baseball stadium". Daily Journal of Commerce. Portland. Retrieved April 4, 2012.
  12. ^ a b c d Bloom, Deborah (May 7, 2012). "Hillsboro leaders take a swing at bringing baseball to city's rec complex". The Oregonian. Portland. Retrieved May 7, 2012.
  13. ^ a b c d Parks, Casey (March 21, 2012). "Hillsboro considering building a baseball stadium, leasing to minor league team". The Oregonian. Portland. Retrieved March 21, 2012.
  14. ^ Underwood, Roger (June 21, 2012). "Bears' opening act a winner". Yakima Herald-Republic. Retrieved June 21, 2012.
  15. ^ Parks, Casey (May 30, 2012). "Northwest League of Professional Baseball says two franchises interested in hillsboro if lease Resolved". The Oregonian. Portland. Retrieved May 30, 2012.
  16. ^ Ho, Sally (June 21, 2012). "Boise Hawks baseball team also eyed Hillsboro". The Oregonian. Portland. Retrieved July 4, 2012.
  17. ^ Parks, Casey (April 16, 2012). "Hillsboro City Council will consider ordinance to authorize issuing $30 million in full faith and credit bonds". The Oregonian. Portland. Retrieved April 16, 2012.
  18. ^ Parks, Casey (May 14, 2012). "Hillsboro will vote on design and construction contracts for baseball stadium". The Oregonian. Portland. Retrieved May 14, 2012.
  19. ^ Parks, Casey (May 14, 2012). "Hillsboro, Milwaukie both will consider future of minor league baseball in Metro area". The Oregonian. Portland. Retrieved May 14, 2012.
  20. ^ Parks, Casey (May 15, 2012). "Hillsboro will not consider baseball proposals tonight". The Oregonian. Portland. Retrieved May 15, 2012.
  21. ^ a b c Parks, Casey (May 16, 2012). "Hillsboro delays vote on baseball proposal, needs more negotiation time with Northwest Baseball League". The Oregonian. Portland. Archived from the original on August 8, 2019. Retrieved August 8, 2019.
  22. ^ Jackson, Reed (May 17, 2012). "Hillsboro delays decision on baseball stadium". Daily Journal of Commerce. Portland. Retrieved May 17, 2012.
  23. ^ Parks, Casey (May 31, 2012). "Hillsboro will consider baseball proposal again". The Oregonian. Portland. Retrieved May 31, 2012.
  24. ^ a b c Theen, Andrew (June 1, 2012). "Hillsboro council to vote Tuesday on 20-year deal with Yakima baseball club". The Oregonian. Portland. Retrieved June 1, 2012.
  25. ^ a b "Hillsboro Baseball Stadium Frequently Asked Questions". City of Hillsboro. Archived from the original on March 15, 2013. Retrieved October 17, 2012.
  26. ^ Stevens, Suzanne (June 6, 2012). "Hillsboro OKs baseball deal with Yakima Bears". Portland Business Journal. Retrieved June 6, 2012.
  27. ^ Theen, Andrew (June 5, 2012). "Hillsboro sprints closer to baseball deal as city approves offer sheet". The Oregonian. Portland. Retrieved June 5, 2012.
  28. ^ Ho, Sally (June 19, 2012). "Yakima Bears agree to Hillsboro's terms for baseball deal". The Oregonian. Portland. Retrieved June 19, 2012.
  29. ^ a b Ho, Sally (June 27, 2012). "Hillsboro's baseball deal is approved". The Oregonian. Retrieved June 27, 2012.
  30. ^ Manning, Rob (June 27, 2012). "Hillsboro Approves Deal To Bring Baseball To City". Oregon Public Broadcasting. Retrieved July 4, 2012.
  31. ^ Theen, Andrew (June 7, 2012). "Hillsboro versus Milwaukie: Are two pro baseball teams better than one for Portland area?". The Oregonian. Portland. Retrieved June 7, 2012.
  32. ^ "Debate continues: can Portland support two short-season teams?". Ballpark Digest. June 8, 2012. Retrieved July 4, 2012.
  33. ^ Theen, Andrew (August 21, 2012). "Hillsboro and Yakima Bears clear final hurdle for baseball relocation". The Oregonian. Portland. Retrieved August 21, 2012.
  34. ^ Redden, Jim (February 28, 2013). "New Hillsboro baseball stadium adds artistic 'Barometer'". Hillsboro Tribune. Retrieved March 7, 2013.
  35. ^ a b c d Smith, Jeff (June 12, 2013). "Hillsboro Hops: New ballpark has traditional feel, modern amenities". The Oregonian. Retrieved 13 June 2013.
  36. ^ Smith, Jeff (June 14, 2013). "Hillsboro Hops: Even in defeat, history made as Portland area's new team opens season". The Oregonian. Portland. Retrieved June 16, 2013.
  37. ^ Smith, Jeff (June 18, 2013). "Hillsboro Hops: After home-opening party, Hops ready for 'Tony Gwynn Opening Day'". The Oregonian. Portland. Retrieved June 19, 2013.
  38. ^ Redden, Jim (November 1, 2013). "Hillsboro Ballpark wins 'project of year' award for 2013". Hillsboro Tribune. Archived from the original on April 27, 2018. Retrieved March 26, 2014.
  39. ^ "Hillsboro Ballpark Named Ron Tonkin Field". Hillsboro Hops. May 13, 2014. Retrieved May 13, 2014.
  40. ^ Hammill, Luke (May 13, 2014). "Hillsboro Ballpark renamed Ron Tonkin Field in honor of deceased car dealer". The Oregonian. Portland. Archived from the original on May 30, 2014. Retrieved August 8, 2019.
  41. ^ Gates, Billy (September 7, 2016). "Hillsboro Hops want to 'show off,' awarded 2017 Northwest/Pioneer League all-star game". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on August 8, 2019. Retrieved August 8, 2019.
  42. ^ Reichard, Kevin (March 8, 2023). "We'll see a new Hillsboro Hops ballpark instead of Ron Tonkin Field upgrades". Ballpark Digest. August Publications. Retrieved March 9, 2023.
  43. ^ Jackson, Reed (July 3, 2012). "Stadiums would bring more than baseball to Hillsboro, Milwaukie". Daily Journal of Commerce. Portland. Retrieved July 3, 2012.
  44. ^ Theen, Andrew (March 18, 2013). "Hillsboro's $15.2 million ballpark will cost more, have fewer permanent seats than originally planned". The Oregonian. Portland. Retrieved May 16, 2013.
  45. ^ Theen, Andrew (April 23, 2013). "Hillsboro Hops' grassy berm gets a sponsor: other baseball news". The Oregonian. Portland. Retrieved May 16, 2013.
  46. ^ a b "Seating Chart". Hillsboro Hops. April 18, 2013. Retrieved June 16, 2013.
  47. ^ "Official Baseball Rules: 2.01 Layout of the Field" (PDF). Major League Baseball. 2018. p. 2.
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ron Tonkin Field.
Preceded by Home of the
Hillsboro Hops
2013 – present 		Succeeded by
Current
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