Board ignores latest Civic plea

The Eugene School Board says the game is over for now, even though two developers hoped to play extra innings.

In their first public comments since the board voted 4-3 on June 1 to reject all three proposals for the Civic Stadium property, developers Steve Master and Peter Powell urged the board Wednesday to reconsider their proposal to build a Fred Meyer-anchored shopping center on the south Eugene property.

Neither Master nor Powell appeared at Wednesday night’s board meeting. But in a letter dated Wednesday and addressed to the board, Superintendent George Russell and district staff, the developers expressed bitterness that their proposal, which Russell recommended and was initially favored by a majority of board members, was not chosen.

“A curve ball was thrown last month by Mr. Wright’s too-little-too-late outburst at a budget committee meeting,” the developers wrote, referring to Market of Choice owner Rick Wright’s pitch to the board on May 23 to rent the 10.2-acre Civic property for $250,000 for three years to give the other two groups that made proposals on the property — the Eugene YMCA and the grass-roots Save Civic Stadium — time to develop a joint proposal.

Master and Powell said Wright’s venture came months after all “final offers” were to be submitted to the district for consideration. “I have just one question for Mr. Wright: ‘You have not involved yourself in this process until a direct competitor has become the front-runner, so what is it that you are really trying to save?’ ” the letter asked.

“The school board must set aside its fear of change, let a sad old building go, and do the right thing for the future of our community and the students of the 4J School District,” Master and Powell added.

The developers pleaded with the board not to let the “request for proposals” timeline expire. But that’s exactly what the board did, declining to exercise a procedural process whereby any member who previously voted against choosing one of the development proposals could make a motion for reconsideration. Wednesday was the last and only chance to do so, and no board member did.

Instead, board members said they have no intention of reconsidering any of the three proposals for the time being. And Russell suggested that any actions requiring more district staff time be tabled until the fall. Board Chairman Craig Smith suggested scheduling a work session for August or September to take up the Civic Stadium issue again.

Russell reviewed five possible options for the district-owned property: initiate another process to sell or lease it; hold onto it and begin the process for demolishing the 73-year-old grandstand so as to market the property for higher value; separately market the property’s north lots and combine that with one of the first two options; initiate a short-term lease of the property; or transfer ownership of the property to the city in the form of a sale or long-term lease.

In their letter, Master and Powell said the greatest benefit of their proposal was the financial benefit to children of the school district. Their proposal offered the most money to the strapped school district — $330,000 a year in rent.

“The 4J school district is currently struggling financially, so why would you reject a proposal that can put 4J on firm economic footing?” the developers asked in their letter. “We are the only proposers capable of making this kind of impact.”

The letter also asserts that the developers’ proposal was the only one to incorporate elements of the city’s “Envision Eugene” growth plan, such as providing new jobs. The developers note that their proposal would include traffic improvements to three major intersections, and calls for a mixed-use village concept with environmentally “green” features.

Master and Powell also attached an “Economic Benefit” document to their letter that outlined its 20-year lease plan, and included a new offer — $10,000 to start a sustainable future education program at nearby South Eugene High School to teach students how water and energy consumption affect the environment.

Russell said he spoke recently with Wright, who confirmed that he’s still interested in the pitch he presented to the school board last month. Board members did not comment Wednesday on Wright’s offer.

Board member Jim Torrey invited community members to come forward with any new ideas for Civic Stadium, and said there is no better time than now for the Y and Save Civic Stadium groups to take advantage of the situation.

Torrey also suggested that the city could be helpful in proposing what to do with the property, particularly if it decided to refer a May 2012 money measure asking voters to pass a bond that would provide for the stadium’s remodeling. If the community is not willing to pay for refurbishment, then the district should proceed with demolishing the stadium, Torrey said.

Russell acknowledged that the city has shown little interest in taking over the property.