Discussions on the fate of Renne Field between Newberg-Dundee Public Schools and the Chehalem Park and Recreation District, begun in 2022, have borne fruit.
The entities announced in mid-April that the haggard 13.81-acre field on South Blaine and Sixth streets will receive an artificial turf field, an eight-lane synthetic track, a concession stand, restrooms, two pickleball courts, lighting and a walkway complaint with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The field, situated adjacent to Edwards Elementary School and several youth baseball fields, has for years hosted a variety of events, including staging for the Old Fashioned Festival and its antique fire apparatus and fireworks shows, as well as Newberg High School rugby matches and youth football games and track events.
The land, which has been maintained for many years by CPRD and will continue to do so after construction is completed, is also the staging area for the Old Fashioned Festival’s grand parade.
The project’s organizers recognize that construction at the site will likely hamper some of the events typically held there, for the time being.
“CPRD, NDPS and the city of Newberg will work together to arrange the staging of NOFF (Newberg Old Fashioned Festival),” the release said. “Due to the construction of the Edwards cafeteria and new school buildings near Renne Park, the festival has looked different the past few years. We will collaboratively work with Newberg entities to make sure the community is still able to enjoy the NOFF festival.”
After more than two years of planning, the project is moving forward at a good pace, officials remarked.
“Together, NDPS and CPRD have made great progress on the plan to transform this community hub,” a joint release from the districts said. “NDPS has already secured a $750,000 grant from Oregon Administrative Services and CPRD has agreed to provide another $750,000 to fund the project, creating an anticipated $1.5 million budget for the upgrades.”
The $1.5 million figure doesn’t include engineering and the required improvements to Blaine Street and the adjacent sidewalks. The details of the renovation must be completed before the city and park district go out for bids and get a final cost estimate.
The project is tentatively anticipated to begin in late spring or early summer 2025 and be completed by the end of the summer. While a security fence will be put in place during construction, no additional fencing or other security measures will be added to the site, officials said. Maintenance for the turf field will be handled by an outside contractor, they added, and the area will remain off limits for dogs.
The effort will not include upgrades to the nearby youth baseball fields, which are run and maintained by Newberg baseball.
“Renne is a large park and there is not enough funding in this project phase to turf the baseball fields,” the release said. “This might happen in a future, separate phase of the Renne Park Project, but as of right now the fields will not be turfed due to limited funds.”
CPRD and NDPS will hold a public forum at 5 p.m. April 18 for those folks interested in hearing more about the project and giving their input. The forum will be held at NDPS headquarters on Sixth Street and land use notices have been distributed to the field’s neighbors about the project.
History of the land
Renne Field is situated just west of the site of the former Renne Middle School, razed in the mid-1990s after it had fallen into disrepair and was replaced by Chehalem Valley Middle School. Adjacent to and preceding in age to the middle school was Newberg Union High School, made obsolete in the 1960s when the much larger and modern Newberg High School was built at its current site on Elliott Road. The old building was then transformed into the school district’s headquarters.
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