Where were all of these people for the past 15 years arguing in front of city council for them to do upkeep on the MC so it doesn't fall into the shamble that it is now?

Show trials. The city can say 'we listened' before Sam does whatever he wants contrary to the people of the city.
Knock it down and build a memorial to Cesar Chavez.

Are you sure it's a shamble Garrett? It's old, and poorly programmed (i.e. vacant a lot, kind of like a baseball field) but I haven't heard that it's falling down around our ears.

Sarcasm inspired by previous thread:

Someone please explain to me why Vic Atiyeh is an authority on civic matters.

Blabby,

When is the last time you've been in there? I assure you it is a DUMP. The Winterhawks were even remprimanded by the WHL for it's condition I believe. It is an embarrassment, yet myopic sentamentalists who probably haven't been in the building for years are suddenly swooning over the place without one solitary idea of how to pay for even making it safe. It has always been a terrible memorial and now the city has a real opportunity to put something better in it's place.

Let me get this straight - the republican ex-governor has to remind the liberal democrat mayor about proper citizen involvement? Sam, whose team are you on?

Words like "jewel" and Lauderdale's defense of its beauty make me question if I don't actually know what Memorial Coliseum is. It's this box, right? basketball.ballparks.com/NBA/PortlandTrail… Can someone explain how they get enchanted by that?

Capital upgrades to keep the Coliseum operating in its current form are estimated at $10 million for repairs to the roof, lighting, plumbing, etc.

@bradley -

so, I shouldn't replace my roof in a few years and instead contact a demolition contractor?

The exterior looks great, but the inside is showing its age, with the roof showing water stains, the concourses are small, and some of the ammenities are outdated (small bathrooms, plumbing needs replaced). I wish the city would have invested more in the facility, but instead, it's starting to show its age inside, and deserves to either be refurbished for use by baseball, or raised for a baseball stadium. I've heard of all sorts of ideas about the MC, but the problem is that nothing has been done to the MC since the RG was built in 1995, almost 14 years ago.

For clarification: The estimated cost of the replacement development is between $50m and $200m, although nobody has actually fixed the amount yet, as Governor Atiyeh mentioned.

If only they'd demolish it to build an arena four times as expensive as current projected costs and use it to house a college basketball team, maybe more people would support the plan. Just like Matt supports that plan.

What if they were to put a giant neon rose on top of it? Would that make it more beautiful?

That's a good looking building. A lot of people don't like mid-century architecture, but a lot of people do. Tearing down 20th century architecture because the supposed masses don't get it is like tearing out the 20th century wings of art museums because it make people feel funny, it would leave a glaring gap in the continuity.

There was testimony today that detailed how Paul Allen's group, that runs both the Memorial Coliseum and the Rose Garden, splits the proceeds from MC events about even (60/40 but I can't recall which way) with the City, but they get 100% from the Rose Garden, so they push events to the Rose Garden. It sounds to me like it's neglected because the Paul Allen and his friends are greedy.

This has nothing to do with a building. This is about Sam Adams putting yet another project on the table in an attempt to keep from being recalled. This guy will do anything to save his own ass.

Click my name to see my other posts.

Boxxy - the MC is a fabulous building from the outside, but the inside needs a lot of help. And it sounds like there is some back manuevering to keep the RG full, and ignore the MC. Looks like Paul Allen strikes again...

Admittedly, I've never been inside the coliseum. I have an other-coast tendency towards thinking that a cities architectural heritage is rather important. Portland is a lovely town, but our tendency to build this asynchronous wonderland of craftsman bungalows and blandly contemporary green condos just strike me as kind of juvenile.

Will the new Ducks arena be able to accommodate hockey? Maybe the Winter Hawks can play there?

$10 million to fix the thing up at least? I'd say more like $20-$30 million judging by other remodels in similar venues. Plus the city would be on the hook for the whole deal.

or you could take out a loan, build a new baseball park and have a millionaire legally promise to lease the thing and pay the loans off. Hmmm

I don't get it zaggy, only "users" of a piece of architecture can have an opinion about it? There are dozens of buildings I've never set foot in that I would prefer restored over razed because of their architectural value.

The argument of operating costs is a joke, like it was with the columbia crossing and pge and some much other spurious crap as of late. When the city isn't willing to actually explore options (plural), throwing out a big scary number is meaningless.

Wait, what about this? TMI Mr. Fish!!

"I happen to be 50 years old. My plumbing does not work. My heating and ventilating system needs to be replaced. And anybody who sees me bend over knows that my roof needs a little work," said Fish. "There are people in my life who have told me that I am in a sad state of disrepair, but I think we can debate this at a higher plane, and I actually think I'm in the prime of my life."

Nobody wants to hear about your plumbing!

Thanks to Matt Davis, Sarah Mirk and the Portland Mercury for covering this. And great job on the Little Dubai story as well. Save Memorial Coliseum!!!!!

Bradley: "myopic sentamentalists who probably haven't been in the building for years are suddenly swooning over the place"

No member of the Timbers Army should be throwing the word "myopic" at others right now.


Garrett: "have a millionaire legally promise to lease the thing and pay the loans off."

Could you guys please stop spreading this fiction? What he is promising won't come close to paying off the public debt on this thing. Not close.

I find the history of the city important as well, and I've been in the MC, and I'm not happy the site has been ignored for years while the RG fills up dates. The choice here is to either refurbish the inside to give it more life and use, or renovate the area to bring something in with purpose. The fate of this building has been talked about since 1994, and we're still talking about it all these years later. So suddenly when an idea gets thrown out to do something, the cries to slow down come. I'd love to see the MC get a facelift and be here for years to come, but the alternative of having baseball there and renovating the entire area is a choice I like better at this point.

@Blabby
I realize you didn't give a shit enough to show up at the task force hearings or the city council session and testify and all. Anyway, I'll remind you that the city's lawyer said in the council meeting the Paulson group would be signing a legally binding agreement that in the event of the teams failure the family would pay off all of the bonds. He will pay off all the bonds for this...it will be in writing. The task force said this, the council said this, Merritt Paulson said this, independent evaluators for the city said this.

The only people who are saying MP won't pay off anything are the detractors like you.

Besides you still don't even begin to address a major issue. Fixing up Memorial Coliseum will cost tens of millions of dollars. I imagine over the next 10 years it will cost easily $40 million or so...either that or the city lets it fall into an even worse state of repair.

So you would rather spend $40 millionish on an old stadium rented out by a hockey team made up of 16 year olds who average 3,000 fans a game and can barely make rent on a stadium with a leaky roof and an ice rink held together (literally) by duct tape. You would rather do that then knock the damned thing down build a nice AAA baseball park with a team full of legitimate MLB players who regularly are called up to the MLB for LESS MONEY.

My mind, it is the boggled.

Let's have a look at this contract Merritt Paulson has signed Garrett. Where is it. Where is the escrow account that Merritt Paulson has put the funds that he would pay the bonds with, as that is the only way there would be any hope of payment in the event the penalty is triggered?

Right, it doesn't exist.

I just glad matt found it notable that one of the people who testified was a "former track athlete."

For clarification: Google his name.

Why?

(that was to Matt...)

I thought Brian Libby was going to be cuter, I may stop reading his blog now.

So purty...

http://blog.oregonlive.com/behindducksbeat…

I'm looking forward to Portland becoming the nation's premier sports-driven strip-mall.

Garrett, I've read every available document that I've been able to find. What they say is that if the franchise(s) tank Paulson promises to keep paying what he would be paying in ticket taxes into the Spectator Fund.

The documents that are available absolutely do NOT say what you're saying. If you find anywhere in the available documents from the task force or whoever any instance of Paulson promising to pay off all the bonds you let me know.

You are blinded by your excitement for this project and you are just flat out wrong.

js, the space is too small to be a MLB park. If Portland ever wants MLB, we will have to build yet another stadium somewhere else.

like at omsi:

http://www.liquidosity.com/baseballatomsi/

copy paste it. i don't understand computers.

oh shit it worked!

i DO understand computers!