Renne Park Project

Renne Park upgrades coming soon!
- a joint project together with Newberg Dundee School District

Plans are now in motion to improve Renne Park at South Blaine and East Sixth Streets in the summer of 2025 with artificial turf, an eight-lane synthetic track, a concession stand, restrooms, two pickleball courts, an ADA-compliant pathway, and lighting.

The Renne Park Project is a joint effort of Newberg-Dundee Public Schools (NDPS), which owns the land, and Chehalem Park and Recreation District (CPRD), which maintains the land. The park is a longtime community hub where both NDPS and CPRD host events and activities, including the Newberg Classic Fire Apparatus Show, Newberg High School rugby, and CPRD youth sports such as soccer and track. The 13.81-acre park also is the staging area for the Newberg Old-Fashioned Festival Grand Parade, one of the biggest events of the year.

Together, NDPS and CPRD have made great progress on the plan to transform this community hub. NDPS has already secured a $750,000 grant from Oregon Administrative Services, and CPRD has agreed to provide another $750,000 to fund the project, creating an anticipated $1.5 million budget for the upgrades.

CPRD and NDPS held a public forum on April 18, 2024 at the School District Office. Notices about the proposed land-use changes have been mailed to area residents as part of the land-use process.

Renne Park Project: Frequently Asked Questions

Will dogs be allowed in the park?
This will remain a public park and ‘no dogs’ signage will continue to be posted. 

Will the project include upgrades to the baseball field?
No, the baseball fields are not part of the renovation. Renne Park is a large park, and there is not enough funding in this project phase to turf the baseball fields. This might happen in a future, separate phase of the Renne Park Project, but as of right now, the fields will not be turfed due to limited funds.
(Note: The baseball fields at Renne Park are maintained by Newberg Baseball. They are a separate organization from NDPS and CPRD and use the fields at the School District’s discretion.) 

How will the Renne Parke Project construction affect The Newberg Old-Fashioned Festival?
CPRD, NDPS, and the City of Newberg will work together to arrange the staging of NOFF.  Due to the construction of the Edwards cafeteria and new school buildings near Renne Park, the festival has looked different the past few years. We will collaboratively work with Newberg entities to make sure the community is still able to enjoy the NOFF festival.

How will the construction affect the 2025 Edwards Jogathon?
The Jogathon will be able to take place.

Will any trees be removed?
No. The trees will stay. They were evaluated and are healthy, and they offer great shade.

When will work on the project begin and end? 
The project is anticipated to tentatively begin at the end of spring/beginning of summer 2025, and is anticipated to be completed by the end of that summer.

Is the overall budget for the project $1.5 million?
The grand total will exceed $1.5 million, pending road engineering and cost estimates for required public improvements for the roads (Blaine Street, ADA compliance, sidewalks). Therefore, the grand total is yet to be determined. The $1.5 million figure cited so far is for the development itself.

Will security measures be installed at the site?
There will be a construction fence erected in order to restrict access to the construction area while the work is underway. There are no plans for a new permanent fence to replace the existing fence. Once the work has been completed, the property will remain open and accessible to the public.

What was the impetus for this project?
The CPRD sports programming staff and Board have long been discussing the community’s pointed need for more youth sports fields. In 2022, joint discussions began taking place between CPRD and NDPS on how to address this need while improving the property.