Willamette University baseball field upgrades nearly complete

The original story: In June 2024, Salem city councilors unanimously approved a controversial agreement between the city and Willamette University allowing the university, in partnership with a for-profit summer baseball league, to retrofit baseball fields next to Bush’s Pasture Park.

The summer baseball team, called the Marion Berries, debuted last summer, but had to abruptly change venues and play at Chemeketa Baseball Field at 4000 Lancaster Dr. N.E. because the Willamette field was not ready to be used. 

State legislators earmarked $3 million from taxpayers to pay for upgrading the stadium, based on the fact that the new fields could benefit local high school teams. 

The latest: The Marion Berries announced they would make the Chemeketa field their home for the foreseeable future. Meanwhile, Willamette has continued renovating the stadium and expects the baseball field to be ready for the university’s first home game on March 25, spokeswoman Lauren Mulligan said. Underground work is complete, and a new turf surface will be installed from late February through mid-March.

“When a project partner unexpectedly withdrew, Willamette was left in a difficult situation absorbing substantial unplanned costs. Despite the setback, we are moving forward with the upgrades. Our commitment is to the Salem community and to expand access to quality athletic infrastructure for local youth organizations and contribute to the city’s broader recreational and economic development goals,” Mulligan said in an email.

The university and Salem-Keizer School District are negotiating an agreement for school teams to use the field, according to Mulligan and Lara Tiffin, the district’s athletics director.

Renovations on the Willamette softball field will begin in May and should be completed in the fall of 2026, Mulligan said. She did not respond to a question about the university’s total cost for the project.

She said Willamette is working with the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes to host some summer games at the stadium.

Marion Polk Food Share move

The original story: Salem’s largest food bank, Marion Polk Food Share, has been fundraising to move into a larger warehouse facility to meet growing demand. Delivering nearly 10 million pounds of food each year, the food bank’s output is about twice what it was when it moved into its current warehouse over 20 years ago. It secured $6 million from the Oregon Legislature last summer to put toward the move. 

The latest: After recently receiving $2 million in federal dollars, the Food Share has raised about 65% of its $26.8 million fundraising goal. Food Share leaders are planning to move to the old Don Pancho building in the Northgate neighborhood and hope to close on it the first week of April, according to spokeswoman Sam West. It is about three times the size of the current warehouse. The building will cost about $12.4 million, with $11.1 put towards renovations. Another $3.3 million will go toward the relocation and maintenance of the larger building.

City of Salem suit against ambulance provider set for trial

The original story: In 2025, the city of Salem sued Falck Northwest, the private ambulance company that had provided service to Salem for a decade. The city claimed Falck Northwest owed nearly $7 million for failing to staff enough medics to respond to calls. Falck in a later filing said the city had breached the contract and was trying to “double dip” by collecting more money for calls it had already billed insurers for.

The city filed the lawsuit on July 1, the day the Salem Fire Department took over the city’s ambulance system. 

The latest: The city filed an updated complaint on Nov. 24, 2025, asking for between $7 and $8.3 million to address unpaid fines for failure to adequately staff ambulances, and other costs associated with providing fire department personnel to backfill for Falck. Falck has continued to deny the city’s allegations in subsequent filings. Court records show a jury trial is set for early August in Marion County Circuit Court.

Dollar General warehouse construction resumes

The original story: Discount retailer Dollar General announced plans for a distribution center in southeast Salem in 2022. The project was estimated to cost $168 million and was part of the larger Mill Creek Corporate Center, a transportation and warehouse hub where the city of Salem has courted economic investment projects.

The latest: Construction on the center recently resumed after about a year-long pause, according to Al Rossi, the city’s building official. Work on the building shell and landscaping had been completed, while the interior remained unfinished when work paused in February 2025. Rossi estimated the improvements would be completed in about seven months, with the building having some small changes to original plans. Those include more office space.

Dollar General did not respond to questions from Salem Reporter about the project.

Each month, Salem Reporter circles back to events we’ve covered to give readers brief updates. Whether it’s a city council policy, a construction project or a community concern, our aim is to keep you informed.

Have a previous story you want us to check on? Email Managing Editor Rachel Alexander at [email protected].

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Joe Siess

Joe Siess is a reporter for Salem Reporter. Joe joined Salem Reporter in 2024 and primarily covers city and county government but loves surprises. Joe previously reported for the Redmond Spokesman, the Bulletin in Bend, Klamath Falls Herald and News and the Malheur Enterprise. He was born in Independence, MO, where the Oregon Trail officially starts, and grew up in the Kansas City area.

Rachel Alexander

Rachel Alexander is Salem Reporter’s managing editor. She joined Salem Reporter when it was founded in 2018 and covers education, economic development and a little bit of everything else. She’s been a journalist in Oregon and Washington for over a decade and is a past president of Oregon's Society of Professional Journalists chapter. Outside of work, you can often find her gardening or with her nose buried in a book.

Hailey Cook

Hailey Cook joined Salem Reporter in 2025, following the completion of an internship through the University of Oregon’s Charles Snowden Program for Excellence in Journalism. She works as a reporter and photojournalist, with a focus on business and entertainment, among other topics.