Ems deal with UO hinges on $3 million from public

Summary

The Eugene Emeralds and the University of Oregon deal in which the minor league baseball team will play its next 20 seasons at the university's PK Park hinges on whether the city or county can spend up to $3 million to improve the stadium to league standards.

Story Published: Aug 26, 2009 at 9:02 AM PST

Ems deal with UO hinges on $3 million from public

Not a bad job if you can get it, check out the vantage point where these guys at Civic Stadium get to call "work."

EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — The Eugene Emeralds and the University of Oregon have announced a deal in which the minor league baseball team will play its next 20 seasons at the university's PK Park.

The agreement, however, hinges on whether the city or county can spend up to $3 million to make the stadium suitable for the San Diego Padres affiliate.

PK Park is being built for college baseball. To meet Northwest League requirements, the stadium needs a locker room and manager's office for the visiting team as well as an umpires' locker room. The improvements would also include a walkway from the locker room to the field, two additional concession stands and a training room for the Emeralds.

If the deal goes through, the Ems will rent PK Park at a price of almost $200,000 per year.

The Ems have six more home games -- three this week and three the first week of September. The final home game at Eugene Civic Stadium is Sept. 3 -- the same night as the Ducks football season opener at Boise State.

The Ems have played their home games at Civic Stadium for the past 40 years. Built in 1938, the stadium is the only known example of a Depression-era ballpark remaining in Oregon.

The Oregon State Historic Preservation Office announced last October that the stadium has been added to the National Register of Historic Places.

(Copyright 2009 The Associated Press)

KVAL.com staff contributed to this report

 

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