PORTLAND, Oregon — Since the beginning of the school year, Grant High sports teams have not been able to play at the Grant Bowl. Instead, they’ve traveled to other fields across Portland for games.
The Grant Bowl is owned by the Portland Parks & Recreation Department, which said it was not safe to play on the field.
The Grant Bowl turf field was installed in 2013 and had a life span of 8-10 years. Portland Parks and Recreation contracted an outside firm to test the safety of the field last year. The field was tested twice last year, failing both tests. Portland Parks then added more crumb rubber to improve cushioning, but in May of this year, the field failed a third test.
"They can't practice,” Josh Tavill, a Portland resident said. “And they can't do the things they like to do on the field until this whole thing gets situated."
Now, Portland Parks and Portland Public Schools are in negotiations to turn the Grant Bowl over to the school district.
"I'm really optimistic that they're going to get a lease signed for the next two weeks,” Kim McGair, a Grant Bowl Community Coalition member said.
Grant high schoolers on fall sports teams have had to leave school early to travel for home games.
"The way the school works, they're often missing the exact same class," McGair said.
McGair’s daughter is on the soccer teams, and frequently misses a core subject.
"She has an F in English,” McGair said. “She's a 4.0 student and she has an F in English, because she misses English every single time, because they're on a block schedule."
Portland Public Schools sent KGW its proposal to the parks department, which would give the district a 20-year lease on the Grant Bowl.
PPS would also be allowed to refurbish the track and field and make other improvements, like adding lighting. The school district would pay for the upgrades.
In the proposal, PPS would continue to allow community members to use Grant Bowl, unless Grant High teams needed the field or track.
The Portland Parks & Recreation Department declined to comment on their proposal, since there is not yet an agreement.
McGair has been in contact with both sides and said there is just one snag holding up negotiations.
"I believe there is only one sticking point between the two of them,” McGair said. “And that is who is going to be responsible for permitting the bowl, and who gets the revenue from permitting the bowl."
Since 2014, the parks department has received over $300,000 from reservation fees at Grant Bowl.
"Parks wants to permit it and keep some of the revenue, PPS wants to permit it and keep all the revenue," McGair said.
McGair hopes the field is repaired by late February.