The city of West Linn and the West Linn-Wilsonville School District (WLWV) have been debating the purchase of Oppenlander Park since 2021. Oppenlander is currently a 10-acre park that features a number of baseball fields and a soccer field and is owned by WLWV. For the past two years, the city of West Linn has been trying to buy the land, while there has been speculation that it might get sold to developers or get turned into a new park without baseball fields.

In May 2022, West Linn residents voted on whether or not the city should purchase Oppenlander. WLWV appraised the land at 6.5 million, but the bond that West Linn asked for only accounted for the city’s $120,000 appraisal. After the ballot vote, WLWV took the city to court for breaching the contract for the purchase of Oppenlander. Throughout the course of the lawsuit, the city of West Linn and WLWV have spent a combined total of over $200,000 through legal actions, which adds up to more than the city’s appraisal of $120,000. 

If the city were to have bought the land off of the district, taxpayers would have paid for a $3.5 million bond. This bond would have covered all the costs of buying and renovating the land. What will happen to the land if it is purchased by the city is not currently public information.

With the park having been a fixture of the community for over 40 years, it holds sentimental value to West Linn’s residents. A number of people who grew up in the community and played baseball or softball as a child have either practiced or had games at Oppenlander at some point. It is well known within the community for being one of the better youth fields.

Charlotte Brooke, junior, is a catcher on the varsity softball team. She has been playing softball competitively since seventh grade, and played at Oppenlander as a kid.

“It’s nostalgic. When I drive by, I’m like, ‘Oh, I used to play there, My friends used to play there,’” Brooke said. “It was a place where we would all [just] play, you know, and now we’re so much older.” 

With West Linn’s population growing every year, the city’s green spaces are slowly being taken away and becoming developed housing. Baseball and softball players aren’t the only people opposed to Oppenlander being sold. Founded by Dean Suhr, Friends of Oppenlander is a group of community members who are fighting to keep the park out of developers’ hands. The organization has been working since 2021 to keep the park a green space. 

“Oppenlander is owned by the citizens regardless of whose sign is on the front gate,” Suhr said at a City Council meeting.

West Linn doesn’t currently have enough baseball fields for youth teams to practice and play on. Oppenlander carries three of those limited fields, and turning it into housing or taking them away would reduce the availability of baseball fields for youth players across West Linn.

“For younger generations it’s another field [to use], because I feel like in West Linn we don’t have that many fields for youth,” Brooke said. “I feel like we should keep it around.”

Ryan VandenBrink, senior, is a catcher for the varsity baseball team. He has been playing baseball since he was four and is currently committed to Oregon State University, hoping to go professional after that. Although the park is mostly meant for youth players he still finds uses for it.

“I do visit [Oppenlander] and especially in the summertime I do [play there] a decent amount,” VandenBrink said. “[Removing Oppenlander’s fields] would definitely impact youth baseball just as a whole just because it gives the teams the best places to play.”

The park isn’t just utilized for baseball— it has also been used by members of the community for soccer, dog walking, and passing time for decades. 

With West Linn’s population growing every year, the city’s green spaces are slowly being taken away and becoming developed housing. Baseball and softball players aren’t the only people opposed to Oppenlander being sold. Founded by Dean Suhr, Friends of Oppenlander is a group of community members who are fighting to keep the park out of developers’ hands. The organization has been working since 2021 to keep the park a green space. 

West Linn doesn’t currently have enough baseball fields for youth teams to practice and play on. Oppenlander carries three of those limited fields, and turning it into housing or taking them away would reduce the availability of baseball fields for youth players across West Linn.

“For younger generations it’s another field [to use], because I feel like in West Linn we don’t have that many fields for youth,” Brooke said. “I feel like we should keep it around.”