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A $3 million funding gap could force the Eugene Emeralds to leave the city they have called home for nearly 40 years. The minor-league baseball team last week announced a tentative 20-year lease at the University of Oregon’s new $20 million ball field, which is expected to be completed in February 2010.

The problem, UO associate athletic director Joe Giansante said, is that PK Park has been designed for college baseball, and does not have all of the amenities needed to accommodate minor league baseball. Those upgrades would require an additional $2.5 million to $3 million investment by the Emeralds.

鈥淭here are things that minor league baseball requires in a stadium that we don’t need for a college stadium, like visitor locker rooms and a manager’s office,鈥� Giansante said. 鈥淲e have built a full ballpark and feel like we have done our part. Hopefully somebody else can come up with the money.鈥�

Now the team wants the city, county and local businesses to pitch in, Emeralds assistant general manager Bryan Beban said. If the club doesn’t secure the money within two years, it will start looking for a venue outside Eugene, he said.

鈥淚t sounds harsh,鈥� Beban said, 鈥渂ut if this situation with the University of Oregon did not come up, there was strong likelihood we would have had to leave anyway.鈥�

The Emeralds have played at Eugene’s Civic Stadium, owned by Eugene School District 4J, since 1969. But the structure has fallen into disrepair, despite the Emeralds paying about $5 million for improvements over the years. Right field is five feet higher than left field, forcing players to run uphill as they round third base. The stadium’s roof is failing, and half of its seats are either falling apart or are already broken.

鈥淚t’s a tired facility,鈥� Beban said. 鈥淎nd we have the opportunity to move into a modern ballpark that is comparable in rental costs to Civic.鈥�

The Emeralds will pay $2 million up-front toward its lease, which will cost $200,000 per year.

鈥淔or a city to keep a minor league baseball team in town, $3 million is cheap,鈥� Giansante said. 鈥淧eople are talking about over $30 million for the Beavers in Portland. We feel that ($3 million) is a small number that can be paid over 20 years.鈥�

The city, however, is not in a position to contribute any money, Eugene City Manager Jon Ruiz said.

鈥淟ike other cities, we have financial challenges with our budget,鈥� Ruiz said. 鈥淲hat we will do is work with interested parties to see what we can all do to keep the Ems in Eugene. They are a valuable asset.鈥�

Beban says that Emeralds games at Civic draw 3,500 people on average, and between 120,000 and 130,000 per year. Lisa Lawton, director of community relations for Travel Lane County, which markets Lane County as a destination for conventions, events and leisure travel, says that though the Emeralds are important to the community, they are not a huge revenue draw for the county.

鈥淗undreds of conventions and events come here each year, and we can attach significant financial impacts to those,鈥� Lawton said. 鈥淏ut unfortunately the Emeralds games are not something that generates a huge economic return. The Ems mean a lot to the community, and we are hopeful that a funding source can be identified.鈥�

The Eugene Chamber of Commerce has already held two meetings with representatives from Lane County, the cities of Eugene and Springfield and other stakeholders to brain-storm funding options.

鈥淧rincipally, we have been exploring existing pools of funds that may be available to address the gap,鈥� chamber president Dave Hauser said. 鈥淎nd like everyone, we’re trying to determine if there’s any use for stimulus money here.鈥�

Hauser said talks are preliminary, and that no specific sources of revenue have been chosen. The chamber’s next step is to meet with Elmore Sports Group, which owns the Emeralds. Besides being a financial loss to the city, Hauser says the departure of the Emeralds would be a blow to the community psyche.

鈥淭here’s an economic dimension and there’s a psychological importance,鈥� Hauser said. 鈥淚’ve been here for a long time, and the Emeralds are a part of the fabric of our community. There’s certainly an economic motivation to keep them here, but every bit as much, there is a sentimental and community livability motivation.鈥�