Travel Lane County’s most recent pitch for an indoor sports and events facility is nothing new. The only thing different this time is the site. The facility was already pitched to Lane County commissioners back when the Eugene Emeralds were needing a new stadium. “Sports for all seasons” was how it was presented.

County commissioners were able to raise the hotel tax in 2022 to support a stadium for the Emeralds. But Travel Lane County wanted an indoor sports facility instead. They said a baseball stadium would take up land that was needed for the Lane Events Center, and wouldn’t draw as many visitors as an indoor facility.

Now the idea of repurposing the former Royal Caribbean call center building in Springfield is being presented as something new. It is not. It’s just another place to have their facility since the Lane Events Center is not working out. In the process, they are getting the Emeralds to leave and apparently would like the Lane County History Museum gone from the events center, too.

I have shared my concerns with county commissioners, but gotten no response. Travel Lane County is only concerned about filling hotel rooms during the winter months, and getting the Emeralds to leave gets them closer to this indoor sports facility, using hotel tax revenue the Emeralds got the county to raise.

If the need to fill hotel rooms in the winter months is so important, why didn’t Travel Lane County bring it up prior to the Emeralds stadium discussions?

Steven E. Hunnicutt
Eugene