Fields targeted for more upgrades

Baseball and softball isn’t on the minds of most in January, but it was the focus of the agenda at Portland Park Board’s meeting Tuesday.

The board heard from representatives of the Portland Rockets and Portland Junior League on projects they are pursuing to improve their facilities.

Nick Miller, president of the Rockets’ boosters club, told the board the next project the team would like to see completed is a new concessions building and bathroom at Runkle-Miller Field, a project estimated to cost $38,000.

Because of electrical and plumbing issues, a new facility will have to be built, Miller said, though the concrete foundation may be able to be used, which would lower the cost. He said the outdated building was a “black mark” for the team when it hosted the National Amateur Baseball Federation World Series regional tournament in 2018.

“We don’t actually have any running hot water, so it’s kind of hard of hard to have a concession facility,” Miller said.

The team doesn’t have any funding it could provide for the new facility, though Miller said the team is applying to become 501(c)(3) non-profit, which would allow it to apply for grants to help fund the project. The board said it will vote on funding the project once there is a solidified plan.

New concessions and bathrooms were listed in a five-year plan by the board and the team to upgrade the field. Most upgrades on the list have been completed, including the Rockets’ new scoreboard.

Junior league president Brian Ison, who was also recently named to the park board by Mayor John Boggs, gave an update on new scoreboards the league is looking to install in April without any funding from the city.

Ison said the league has secured sponsorship from two businesses, which will be contributing $10,000.

He said the league is seeking a third sponsor to provide the rest of the funds needed to replace the “really outdated” scoreboards.

In other business board members Chris Compton, Giles Laux and Ison, absent Shauna Runkle:

•Elected Runkle as president of the board, Laux as vice president and Compton as secretary. Rod Ashman, who previously served as president of the board, resigned in November.

•Heard an update from Boggs on a potential appointment of a fifth member to the board. He said he hopes to appoint someone within the next few months.

•Heard an update from Matt Shauver, a representative of Portland’s Parks Department, on general upkeep, including the painting of bathrooms and storage of pool chemicals for the summer. Shauver said he hopes to have a list of objectives needed to be completed this year at the board’s next meeting on Feb. 4.