Bend councilors hear from many on Troy Field’s fate

The debate over the fate of Bend’s Troy Field came before a special city council meeting Wednesday night. Councilors heard from proponents and foes of a request to lift a public facilities designation so Bend-La Pine Schools can sell the parcel to a hotel developer.

Last fall, after no public entity stepped forward to buy the land, the school district filed a request for the change in zoning to clear the way for sale of the land to a Portland developer for nearly $2 million as the site for a hotel.

Many residents who opposed to the change testified at the meeting about a place they consider not only special, but historic.

“Troy Field is a very special place in many of our hearts,” a Bend woman said. “As my brother said, we did ice skating there, we did recess, the boys played ball.”

The proceeds from the land sale would go to the schools, who say they are in great need of the money.

A school board member told the council that “$2 million can be used in 2 million different ways to better serve our students.”

To make that happen, the school district must show that the community will benefit from the sale. The district argues that Troy Field is not an official city park or protected historic site. It also notes there are 122 acres of public parks within a mile of Troy Field.

Councilors listened to more than three hours of staff reports and public testimony.

Residents argued the field a landmark filled with decades of memories and there are other ways to raise money for schools.

The council closed the oral testimony part of the hearing Wednesday evening, though the written record will remain open until 4 p.m. Feb. 29 for more testimony, limited to the comments made at the hearing. The applicants then have until March 4 at 4 p.m. to file any responses.

The city council plans to deliberate and reach a decision in another special meeting on Monday, March 7 at 6 p.m. at City Hall. If they come to a decision, the first reading of an ordinance is expected on April 6, with a second reading and final vote planned on April 20.

Only six councilors listened to testimony at the hearing. Councilor Barb Campbell, recused herself from participating at the meeting started after the Bend-La Pine School Board raised objections to her role as an impartial decider, since she has in the past made very public pleas to save Troy Field, including 2014 remarks to the school board.

In her remarks, Campbell acknowledged she and her husband, activist Foster Fell, have wanted to preserve the field, but she denied that as a result she’d have been unable to render a fair decision.

“I may not ever again have the chance to save the taxpayers some money by doing anything all by myself. In this case I can,” she said. “If I recuse myself the school board, a public agency, will no longer spend tax dollars on lawyers to chase after me, causing another public agency, the city, to spend more tax dollars on more lawyers.”