The University administration’s announcement on Saturday to build a new basketball arena on Howe Field has upset many people who live around that area.
Although the University administration, the athletic department and much of the student population is in favor of having the “new McArthur Court” so close to campus, many residents of the South University neighborhood said they wished one of the other proposed arena sites had been chosen.
Elizabeth Briscoe said she and her husband John are long-time residents of the South University neighborhood and were disappointed with the decision. The Briscoes live at 1825 University St. and from their window the view of Howe Field is one of the favorite parts of their home, she said. For Briscoe, the Howe Field area has sentimental value for her family. She and her husband have lived on the corner of 18th Avenue and University Street for 25 years.
“We can see clear over to the Coburg hills,” Briscoe said. “And now all we’re going to see are walls.”
Some residents, like senior Ryan Watt, said the administration’s decision to put the new arena on Howe Field is a slam dunk.
“It’s a good decision to put it here for the students,” Watt said.
He added that he isn’t concerned that the basketball arena will cause parking problems or construction noise. Students are used to putting up with construction because of the Lillis Business Complex on 13th Avenue, Watt said. He added that a new basketball arena located near the neighborhood isn’t going to ruin or disturb the campus. And the residential areas around Howe Field should be tolerable of the changes that will occur.
“I think the people in Eugene are pretty accepting,” Watt said. “If you live here, you got to know there’s going to be campus life going on around you.”
South University neighborhood residents aren’t the only ones concerned about the decision, however. Many of the facilities that call Howe Field home — including the softball field, the Outdoor Program, the intramural fields and the new tennis courts — will be forced to give up their spots to make space for the new arena.
“There’s a lot of important questions about the process,” Outdoor Program Director Dan Geiger said. “But we’re going to feel good about the opportunity after all the dust settles.”
Although the University administration has promised to get the Outdoor Program a replacement location and facility, Geiger said he still wishes the final decision had been different, but he’s resigned to how things turned out.
“We’re just an ant in the way of a big elephant,” Geiger said.
Junior Leif Anderson, a regular participant in the Outdoor Program’s student activities and trips, said he thinks the decision was wrong because the administration went about it the wrong way.
“I think they came to the decision too quickly,” Anderson said.
Administrators should have taken the time to consider their other options, Anderson said, but instead they chose what was “the most convenient for Oregon athletics.”
But like Geiger and the Briscoes, Anderson said he’s also resigned to the decision.
“Wherever they decide to build it, it’s going to affect somebody,” Anderson said.
Contact the news editor
at [email protected].
For
additional information on the new sports arena at the University of Oregon visit
our StoryLinks.