March 2018
NEWS
The Southwest Portland Post • 5
Lincoln High School considers Hamilton Park for home softball field
By Jack Rubinger
The Southwest Portland Post
Neighbors of Hamilton Park have
raised concerns about Lincoln High
School’s plans to make the park their
“home field” for youth, junior varsity
and varsity girls’ softball teams.
Familiar themes including the fear
of lowered property values, increased
traffic, safety concerns, and litter, are
swirling around a series of ideas vari-
ous neighbors have put forth regard-
ing Hamilton Park.
The park is located at Southwest
45th Avenue and Hamilton Street.
A lengthy dialogue on nextdoor.
com unfolded after recent meetings
of the Bridlemile Neighborhood As-
sociation.
Striking a reasonable balance be-
tween the needs of neighborhood res-
idents and organized sports groups
will be an ongoing dialogue.
There was a suggestion by the
Lincoln softball community to add (at
their cost) a portable bathroom to the
north side of the park for the entire
community to use.
Additional suggestions included
adding risers at the top of the hill next
to the playground for spectators, and
installing a 4x8-sized scoreboard.
Portland Parks and Recreation is
aware of at least some of the various
ideas neighbors have suggested, but
park bureau staff said Lincoln has not
entered a formal stage of application,
such as the Parks Proposal Process
(https://www.portlandoregon.gov/
parks/46373).
Park bureau officials have said that
process is used for most community-
generated ideas for changing and
improving parks, but that they will be
taking part in discussions via a pair
of community meetings.
Mark Ross, park bureau spokes-
man, said that installing a portable
scoreboard and outfield fence are
N O R T H A M ER I CA’S
“not out of the question,” but notes
that if approved, both elements
would be accompanied by strict
guidelines for their use.
According to Ross, the fence and
the scoreboard would have to be
placed on site and removed daily
within their anticipated 3–6 p.m.
permitted use period and be stored
off-site.
The park bureau said that it
wouldn’t move a portable restroom
closer to the park’s playground but
agreed that such facilities are impor-
tant to support sports leagues.
Therefore the park bureau will keep
portable restrooms on the south side
of the park for the foreseeable future.
Jason Maycumber, vice president
of Lincoln Little League Softball,
said, “I think it appears or seems
controversial for some neighbors
that live nearby the park. However,
varsity-level girls have played softball
at Hamilton for decades. This is not
anything new.”
The Little League proposes several
methods to nullify any potential add-
ed traffic or congestion, starting with
the requirement that participants
are to park in the Bridlemile School
parking lot.
This would alleviate traffic conges-
tion near the park and allow for non-
softball or baseball park users to park
directly in front of Hamilton Park.
The Little League is asking that sup-
porters and players/parents utilize
the traffic circle at the east end of the
park on Southwest 47th Avenue for
turning around, and to not U-turn
on 47th Avenue in front of the park.
The Little League plans to have a
litter patrol for each day that youth
and high school softball players and
supporters use the park and leave the
park each day in a condition that was
better than when they arrived.
“This is ultimately an issue that
is impacting our whole city,” said
Maycumber. “There is a general lack
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Softball players at Hamilton Park. (Photo courtesy of Lincoln Little League Softball)
of playing fields available for youth
sports throughout Portland.
“With an increasing population and
an effort to get our youth involved
in sports and outdoor activities, this
problem is only going to increase
for Portland residents,” said Mayc-
umber.
“This topic is controversial and
received such a strong response as
it is at the confluence of existing
neighborhood issues combined with
some misinformation and the topic
itself was a very late addition to the
meeting agenda,” said David Stein,
Bridlemile Neighborhood Associa-
tion chair.
Neighbors aren’t happy about add-
ing amenities such as bleachers which
would occupy the only level and
sunny side of the playground where
many people and leashed dogs stand
and sit while their children play.
“The softball people are not dif-
ferentiating between high school
fast pitch ball and the youth leagues,
and the neighborhood is,” said Sarah
Batten, a neighbor who lives near the
field.
“We know from this past summer
and fall from high school play that
the biggest impact to neighborhood
safety and livability are the high
school level games.
“We welcome youth [softball]
through 8th grade, and varsity and
[junior varsity] practices. We would
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