News Nov 18, 2010 at 4:00 am

A DIY Skatepark Pops up in Southeast

Comments

1
hella
2
Portland has a longstanding tradition of DIY-everything. In NE Portland at 16th and Tillamook, there is a traffic diverter. What most people don't know is that the neighbors put one there illegally decades ago, and kept putting in DIY diverters until the city built an official one. There are dozens of examples of citizen-initiated projects, many of which became "official" later.
4
"Not everyone was happy with the new skatepark popping up. Mike Nahorney, who has owned Advance Electric Motors just up the block for 23 years, was so worried about liability issues if he bought the lot bordering the park that he contacted Portland Police Officer Robert Pickett."

This is bad prose written awkwardly. None of the putative controversy is sourced with quotes or put into context. Particularly relevant questions include 1) whether Nahorney was already planning on buying the lot 2) how other illegal skate parks have affected their neighbors 3) how many other neighbors have approached city officials with positive or negative responses. The deliberately vague phrasing strongly imply a reporter trying to stretch a conversation into a conflict.

Here is the same paragraph without unverified statements:
"One local business owner was unhappy with the construction. Mike Nahorney, owner of the nearby Advance Electric Motors, contacted Portland Police Officer Robert Pickett about liability issues. Nahorney and Sharp met with Officer Pickett for mediation; Nahorney now says he's not against the park but was upset that Sharp didn't go through 'proper channels' before building in the public right of way."

Oh my goodness it's boring there's very little information in there!
5
Sort of sad really: I wonder if anyone pointed out that this spot will probably get demolished as part of the MAX orange line, or if the people who did this know about the youth who got hit by a train a few years back just the other side of Powell. I'm all for DIY, but I could point to about 10 better empty lots in the area (though the owners may be more inclined to litigiousness than Union Pacific).

On the other hand, Union Pacific is about as far from a good neighbor as you can get so there's not much they could do to make the area uglier. I have thought, on several occasions, about trying to start a fund to buy up some local abandoned lots and turn them into parks, but it's ultimately hard to justify the time, cost and risk. Good for them for stepping up... but next time look at the city's 10 year plan first.
6
@phizzi: put up or shut up.

Please wait...

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