Council approves land donation

By Terry Murry on Thursday, April 20th, 2023 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories

PENDLETON – The Pendleton City Council has approved giving 40 acres of land west of the Eastern Oregon Regional Airport to the Round-Up City Development Corporation for its plans to build the Pendleton Regional Youth Sports Complex. The land gift hinges on the RCDC being able to obtain funding for the construction of the facility.

RCDC has the support of Sen. Bill Hansell (R-Athena) and Rep. Bobby Levy (R-Cove). They are working to include the project in the biennium budget now being crafted by the Oregon Legislature.

The first phase of the project would be to put in at least five baseball fields and four to six soccer fields according to RCDC President Joseph Hull. The fields are planned to be championship level and would be used to attract youth sports tournaments to the area.

There is also a plan to build an RV park that families visiting for tournaments can use. The income from that park could help sustain maintenance on the PRYS Complex. Meanwhile, in an earlier interview, Hull said the city is a great spot for hosting larger tournaments.

“We have an incredible infrastructure of hotel rooms and restaurants,” he said. “This project could be busy from early spring through late fall and we are planning that it will be.”

The Round-Up City Development Corporation is a group of private citizens formed to promote economic development in Pendleton.