- Zack Soto
Hundreds of people squeezed into the small, chilly seats surrounding Memorial Coliseum’s ice rink tonight to get a quick snapshot of dozens of public ideas about how to reuse the historic building.
BUT FIRST THINGS FIRST! Most importantly, I finally met the mysterious guys who want the city to build a massive roller coaster at Memorial Coliseum. They are motivated. They have a website, videos and some friends on Yelp. They were the very first group to pitch an idea for how to reuse the building, getting their plan together weeks before even corporate entities.
Finally I was able to ask: “Why does Portland need a roller coaster?”
“Who doesn’t like a roller coaster?” replied coaster-backer Sean-Michael Riley.
“There could be people living in this part of the country who are coaster enthusiasts but don’t even know it yet because there are no local coasters,” seconded friend Eric Sheldon. The pair has tentatively dubbed the roller coaster Hero (to honor the veterans) and estimates its price tag at $12 million.
Okay, seriously now.
Most of the numerous presenters tonight agreed on a couple core beliefs: the Coliseum should connect to the surrounding community, but also be a regionally destination. The building should have diverse, year-round uses serving numerous different groups. But asking how to achieve those basic goals churned up dozens of very different answers.
An idea VisionPDX drew up turns Memorial Coliseum into a world marketplace and multicultural center. Two separate, unrealted corporate entities pitched conversion into an “indoor surf tank” and underground virtual reality simulator. A self-described mother-of-six imagined a Fun Forest-style kiddie theme park on the grounds. The Memorial Coliseum Mobility Hub and Car Museum would be “the opening salvo in the car’s retreat from downtown.” OMSI backs an idea to turn the building into a world-class museum and a group of veterans’ parents wants to keep the building the same, with only minor refurbishments.
Doug Obletz’s rousing pitch for MARC declared this as a crucial time for public input over the future of public space, “Memorial Coliseum is this generation’s Pioneer Square moment!”
Which of these many bold ideas moves forward for real consideration is up to the Stakeholder Advisory Committee. It’s a tough call who the top contenders will be.
The presentations continue for another hour, but I have to cut out to catch the 8 pm election returns. Check out the ideas yourself—the meeting is streaming online.
Update:
Ha! I second this thought Dave posted in the comments:
Do any of these presentations have price tags attached? They all sound like the imaginary dream home you plan on building when you’re a kid with swimming pool of liquid gold or a pit that falls forever.
I was there tonight and I have to admit, I was sold on the roller coaster idea. It would actually be pretty cool and as they said, it would fit with almost anything that goes there. Portland doesn’t have this sort of thing – and why? So many of the proposals tonight were for amusements or attractions, I guess a lot of Portlanders feel we’re lacking this. And I liked that the roller coaster guy had done some research, it looks like the city could make some cash on the deal. As for some of the other ideas…well….not so much? If we’re going to spend a ton of money on some project here, shouldn’t we make that money back somehow?
None of the links work.
Come on, Brocks, a roller coaster? What’s next, installing the world’s biggest monkey bars on top of City Hall?
The roller coaster looks “cool,” but, like so many other presentations, it was not responsive to the call for concepts. I kept thinking, jeez, there’s a sheet of ice right there behind the dais; I could be skating.
Do any of these presentations have price tags attached? They all sound like the imaginary dream home you plan on building when you’re a kid with swimming pool of liquid gold or a pit that falls forever.
Caroll,
The bug with the links is fixed. They should be fine now. Thanks for pointing it out.
You say the two seperate development companies are “unrealted,” not unrelated.
Worse – what the does the mother of six imagine? It cuts off mid-sentence…
I live near the area and I say NO to the roller coaster. I do not want that kind of crowd in my neighborhood. AND, how is a roller coaster going to benefit the city or the neighborhood? It will only create more out of town car traffic and crime. $12m can be spent in many other better ways. How about making MLK blvd bike friend? Or redevelop the neighborhoods to attract business and reduction of crime?
What idea ISN’T going to create more out of town car traffic? What makes you think there would be more crime? Since when is Disneyland overrun with thugs?
I’m a veteran and I think it’s a great idea, but it’s not the only great idea. I spoke with those boys at length and they are very respectful and have done their homework. The benefit to the city is more money for more city programs. Including law enforcement or bike lanes. It’s a pretty creative idea, but maybe too progressive for this city.