If you’ve been to the Gordon Faber Recreational Complex of late, you’ve seen the demolition for what will be the Hillsboro Hops’ new baseball stadium on the west end of the property. But representatives from the team, City of Hillsboro, Oregon state legislature and even Major League Baseball made the project official with a groundbreaking celebration on Thursday afternoon, Aug. 8, at the future site of Hillsboro Ballpark.
The ceremony was the culmination of two years of hard work from all concerned parties, and the beginning of what Hops President and General Manager K.L. Wombacher promised to the significant crowd in attendance, would be a facility and operation that would be nothing shy of first-rate.
“This is a community asset and community gem,” Wombacher said. “This is going to be the best facility in the country, I promise you, because of the way we operate it. Fan-first attitude, fan-first approach, affordable entertainment and first-class memories.”
Despite the team’s current stadium being just more than a decade old, the Hops’ hand was forced in 2020 by MLB's heightened standards for minor league facilities. Hillsboro Ballpark, formerly Ron Tonkin Field, lacked both a visitor’s clubhouse and women’s locker room, and the subsequent renovation was complicated by skyrocketing costs tied to city utility infrastructure issues that made retrofitting the old stadium costlier than a completely new one.
The team put up $80 million of the roughly $125 million price tag, received $18 million from the city, $8 million from Washington County, $2 million from Explore Tualatin Valley and the final $15 million from the state this past March.
Hillsboro Mayor Steve Callaway spoke to the countless contributions the team has made to the city and surrounding communities over the years, including but not limited to donations to college scholarship programs, funding for upgraded athletic facilities, money to local festivals like the Latino Cultural Festival, along with time and resources for clinics and youth initiatives.
Now, more than a decade after the team committed to the city of Hillsboro, the mayor called the new venue a gift to the area and the people who it does and will comprise of.
“Twelve years ago, we gathered to bring minor league baseball to Hillsboro, but today, we are gathering to break ground on a new ballpark that will keep minor league baseball in Hillsboro,” Callaway said. “And I can't thank enough everyone who helped with this effort, you have given a gift to the future of Hillsboro, which is bigger than baseball.”
And the stadium will be for more than just baseball, for its design has not just America’s Pastime in mind, but also concerts, festivals and community events.
Callaway reiterated that point to the packed crowd of season ticket holders who braved the 90-degree heat Thursday afternoon, and thanked those same people for their role in making the stadium happen.
“All of you have played a really important part in getting us to this point now,” Callaway said. “With this new stadium, come new and higher expectations for community celebrations of cultured sports, world class entertainment, concerts, events, and, of course, baseball. And I can hardly wait to see how you exceed my new expectations.”
Besides Callaway and Wombacher, others who addressed the crowd to show their appreciation were Hillsboro City Manager Robby Hammond; Oregon State Senator Janeen Sollman; Oregon State Representative Ben Bowman; Washington County Commissioner Jerry Willey; Arizona Diamondbacks President and CEO Derrick Hall; MLB Sr. VP of Minor League Operations & Development Peter Woodfork; Mortenson Construction Vice President and GM Mike Clifford; and Hillsboro Hops owner Mike McMurray.
McMurray thanked everyone from team staff, local governments, the fans, and even financiers — and all through tears.
“We’ve heard the phrase, ‘it takes a village’ used a lot, but it takes more than a village to do something like this,” McMurray said. “We’ve got the city, we’ve got the county, we’ve got the state and we’ve got a lot of partners in the borough of Manhattan. I want to tell you how much we appreciate all of you and your support in this multi-year effort getting to this point today. It’s an amazing feeling.”
The stadium is expected to be completed by opening day 2026.
-Nick LaMora contributed to this report.
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