Civic Park fundraising hits $48 million, Eugene project moves forward

Eugene’s long-promised Civic Park moved a major step closer to reality as Eugene Civic Alliance and Kidsports finished a $48 million capital campaign for the project on the former Civic Stadium site. The final push came from the Sierra Pacific Foundation, whose $700,000 donation carried the fundraising over the finish line and gave organizers the money they needed to keep the project moving.

For local families, the milestone matters because Civic Park has been framed from the start as more than a sports complex. It is intended to become a recreation and gathering space where Eugene children, parents and neighborhood groups can spend time, watch games and use common space that has been absent from the old stadium property. The completion of the campaign means the project can move forward with less uncertainty and a clearer path toward opening.

The fundraising effort was not built on one large gift alone. Hundreds of donors backed the campaign over time, showing that the park has attracted support from families, athletes, local supporters and people who wanted to see the site turned into something new. That broad base of giving helped turn Civic Park into a shared civic effort rather than a private development or a single institutional project.

The location gives the project much of its emotional weight. The park is being built where Civic Stadium once stood, tying the new development directly to Eugene’s past. For many residents, that makes the project about more than fields and amenities. It is also about what replaces a familiar landmark and how a city decides to reuse a highly visible piece of land.

The fundraising finish also underscores how much Eugene’s big community projects now depend on philanthropy alongside public investment. With the $48 million target met, Civic Park is positioned to enter another phase of physical and programmatic development, one that could expand access to youth sports and create a place residents can claim together. After years of planning and fundraising, the old Civic Stadium site is no longer just a memory of what was there before. It is becoming a civic asset with money behind it and a future that Eugene can now picture more clearly.