PORTLAND, Ore. — Members of the board of education for Portland Public Schools voted Tuesday night to take over the artificial turf field at Grant High School from Portland Parks & Recreation and immediately work on a replacement. Officials had previously suggested waiting until sometime before the next school year.
The Grant Bowl has been closed to students after it repeatedly failed safety inspections, leaving Grant High School's football and soccer teams with no home field to play or practice on.
The current turf field was installed back in September 2013, with an anticipated lifespan of eight to 10 years. Portland Parks had the field tested for safety twice last year and it failed both tests. Though PP&R tried twice this year to repair the field enough to pass an inspection, it failed two more times.
On Aug. 12, PPS and PP&R sent a joint statement notifying the community that the Grant Bowl field was not safe for permitted sports activities — including interscholastic athletics and any permitted sports games or practices by community groups, teams and leagues.
Portland Public Schools Board Chair Gary Hollands and City Commissioner Dan Ryan announced they would replace the Grant Bowl's artificial turf field in time for fall sports in 2024, but the news brought an immediate outcry from student athletes and parents who weren't satisfied with the PPS plan to bus athletes seven miles to Delta Park for the school year — arguing that it not only denies students a home field but will result in more missed classroom time.
A resolution fast-tracked by the PPS board for a Tuesday night meeting proposes immediately replacing the Grant Bowl field instead of waiting until 2024, while also replacing the Buckman track in 2024. To that end, it proposes a long-term lease of both facilities from PP&R.
In addition to approving both leases, PP&R would need to agree to let PPS help fund the improvements. While that does not seem like a particularly hard sell, the city of Portland would also need to expedite all permitting for PPS to get a jump on the Grant Bowl replacement this year.
"Parks has repeatedly communicated that they have no maintenance funding and a $600 million maintenance backlog with no end in sight," the resolution says.
The long-term lease, the resolution suggests, would allow PPS to make other improvements as well — noting that Grant High School is the only 6A high school in Oregon without lights on the field.
"Parks currently issues a long-term lease for Buckman Field to a private soccer club," the resolution adds. "The club maintains and replaces the turf at the end of its useful life, thus the precedent for a long-term lease exists and should be extended to PPS."
During its Tuesday night meeting, the PPS board voted unanimously (7-0) to approve the resolution and attempt to replace the Grant Bowl turf immediately.
This is a developing story and may be updated with more details as they emerge.
