A grassy field on the south side of downtown Bend is on the market.

Tuesday, the Bend-La Pine Schools board voted to declare Troy Field, located on NW Bond Street just south of McMenamins Old St. Francis School, a “surplus property,” the first step toward putting the property up for sale.

Although owned by the school district, Troy Field has functioned as a public park for decades. In public testimony Tuesday, local residents largely urged that it remain so.

Paul Dewey, executive director of Central Oregon Landwatch, sent the board a letter urging the district to contact Bend Park & Recreation before declaring the property surplus.

Speaking to the board, Nunzie Gould recalled seeing 10 adults and 13 children playing on the field just hours earlier and encouraged members to consider their responsibility to “future generations of schoolchildren.”

Deschutes County Circuit Court Judge Wells Ashby, a former member of the board, thanked the district for making the field available for lacrosse programs he’s involved with, while acknowledging the peculiarities of his duties as a judge.

“I know you can’t just preserve a field because it’s good for lacrosse, I’m not advocating that — I can’t advocate for anything since I became a judge,” he said.

Board member Peggy Kinkade said though the field has provided a valuable recreational space, that’s not the school district’s mission.

“While I would love to see Troy Field remain Troy Field, we are not parks and rec, we are the school district,” she said.

Board chairman Nori Juba said it’s likely the district will need to build another elementary school before a new bond measure can be approved by voters, and the estimated $2 million or more the sale of Troy Field could yield would be helpful toward that end.

District Chief Operations & Financial Officer Brad Henry told board members they have the option of approaching the park district and other entities that might be interested in operating Troy Field as a park space rather than simply selling the property.

A second property declared surplus Tuesday night, 1.64 acres located east of Ensworth Elementary School, did not attract similar attention during public testimony.

— Reporter: 541-383-0387, shammers@bendbulletin.com