‘Save Hawthorne Park’ group asks seeks public input on proposed stadium

MEDFORD, Ore. – A local citizens’ group is urging Medford residents to make their voices heard on the proposed baseball stadium at Hawthorne Park.

Citizens for Hawthorne Park is an advocacy group opposing the development of a baseball stadium at Hawthorne Park. On Thursday morning, volunteers with the group collected signatures and spoke with Medford residents about the proposed stadium at the Medford Thursday Market in Hawthorne Park.

According to lead volunteer Ellen Eichamer, the group has collected over 1,000 signatures so far. Eichamer says she wants to protect Hawthorne Park as a historic location and a rare green space in Medford’s downtown area. She also says a stadium is not necessarily a safe bet for local economic development.

“Green spaces are a buffer for the pollution from the freeway that runs through downtown, and it’s a haven of shade and rest from the cemented-over downtown area,” she said.

“The people who visit, and use this park, and live in these neighborhoods- they want the park to be a park for the community who lives here to use, and not a pay-for-play development for somebody else to make money.”

Hawthorne Park is one of two locations the city is considering for the stadium. A project team is also reviewing Harry and David Field to study the cost of modifying the existing site to meet professional baseball requirements.

Pre-application plans for a stadium at Hawthorne Park. Medford City Council Ward 3 candidate Abigail Mace, who joined the group to collect signatures on Thursday, says she’d like for local residents to have more of a voice on whether the development goes through. “I walked through most of the streets in Ward 3, and everyone was telling me that paving over Hawthorne Park is absolutely crazy… It needs to be put to a vote,” she said.

Councilors will review a the 10% conceptual design and construction cost estimate for a stadium at Hawthorne Park, as well as a conceptual exploration of the Harry and David Field location, during a city council study session on November 12. Materials for the study session will be available to the public on Friday, and the meeting will be available for public viewing over Zoom.

The study session will be followed by a public hearing at the Medford City Council meeting on November 18. Citizens for Hawthorne Park is encouraging Medford residents to attend and express their thoughts on the proposed development.

If you would like to learn more about Citizens for Hawthorne Park, you can visit their website .

‘Save Hawthorne Park’ group asks seeks public input on proposed stadium

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