There’s just so much wonking happening this week, I can’t contain myself until next Monday…
BIAS-BASED POLICING!!! The Independent Police Review’s Citizens’ Review Committee has released a report on biased-based policing complaints this morning. “The report found that IPR investigators are generally recording allegations accurately and treating complainants courteously,” says the hard-hitting press release from the IPR. It also identifies possible next steps, like training cops better in customer service. On this note, there’s a meeting of the police/community relations committee this afternoon at 4pm, 5315 N.Vancouver.
SCHOOL STUDENT PROTECTED FROM UNREASONABLE SEARCH BY PRINCIPAL!!! The court of appeals has today ruled that a principal acted unconstitutionally in asking a student to “turn out his pockets,” finding drugs: “In summary, we hold that youth did not voluntarily consent to the search of his jacket and that the search occurred without probable cause to believe that drugs would be found in it,” says the finding.
FREEDOM OF SPEECH IN LAKE OSWEGO!!! With a hat tip to SPJ: “Lakeridge High School senior Tyler Smith wrote an opinion article in January that included interviews with student psychedelic drug users in the Newspacer, the student newspaper. The piece was met with fury from Waluga Junior High School parents on a committee for drug and alcohol awareness and prevention and they’re arguing in favor of censorship.”
ADAMS AND THE ARTS!!! Stephen Beaudoin deconstructs an Oregonian interview with the mayor’s director of arts, with three blunt policy suggestions for the mayor’s office for its next six months. “OK, so Yocom admits up front that she doesn’t have a well-defined function or even a budget to back up her work,” Beaudoin writes. “(aside from her $65,000 annual salary, of course).”
URBAN RENEWAL!!! Anna Griffin thinks it’s “audacious” and “arrogant” for Merritt Paulson and City Commissioner Randy Leonard to ask for $15m in urban renewal funds to regenerate PGE park, with a view to bringing major league soccer to Portland. We’ll have more on this issue over the coming week—a “public input” session is slated for 6pm next Tuesday, February 24, at the Portland Building, room C. Council, meanwhile, has to vote on the proposal in early March—my early forays into commissioners’ offices on the issue reveal that most of them are unlikely to vote for it unless there’s a substantial injection of private cash, and total protections against risk for the city.
Wonk away.
“ask for $15m in urban renewal funds to regenerate PGE park”
FYI for newbies, we’re still paying off bonds for redoing PGE park in 2001. In that case, the private partner went belly up, so the public was stuck with the total cost. So I’m not sure why it needs to be “regenerated” every 8 years before we’ve paid off the last “regeneration.”
Blabby –
I wasn’t even going to comment in this thread, but you’ve said something so astonishing I must reply… here’s the astonishing part — we actually agree on this one issue.
Now back to our regular disagreeable dueling monologues.
Did The Mercury higher a Youtube commenter? The recent change to yell the news headlines just seems childish and lame. Are you going start writing everything in geek speak too? Here’s some help for your next one “W00tw00t!Hollaz to mah Gigga h0mi3z on da Techflizzo”.
I know, it’s disturbing that we agree Bob. Has there been a rip in the space/time continuum?
I dunno… I broken clock is right twice a day, unless it’s digital. 🙂
I don’t read Anna Griffin frequently, but hard to not conclude that she’s a moron after reading that article.
“FYI for newbies, we’re still paying off bonds for redoing PGE park in 2001. In that case, the private partner went belly up, so the public was stuck with the total cost.”
You’re exactly right Blabby. However, Merritt Paulson was not the owner that negotiated that terrible deal. He has been paying off the original loans since taking over the team and honestly he probably didn’t have to do that. He could have just not purchased the teams in which we would have an empty PGE park with not only an owner not paying off loans but we would have no renter paying rent. Double whammy.
Don’t tie Merritt Paulson to his father or someone else that he isn’t…like Portland Family Entertainment.
Garrett, my real point was: are we really going to refurbish this place once a decade on our dime?
Blabby, I can appreciate your point. The city commissioners seem pretty adamant that this isn’t going forward without Paulson guaranteeing the bonds that will pay for the remodel.
So to answer your question no. We aren’t going to be doing this once a decade.
It also should be mentioned that this also improves the field for PSU and Portland Public Schools who also use the facility. As PGE exists now it’s not good for AAA baseball, it’s not good for soccer and it’s not good for PSU football. This is a huge bargain at $35 million as opposed to building a new stadium. The going rate for a new MLS stadium is $195 million for the one they’re about to build in Maryland.
I don’t think it’s worth it. But maybe I’m in the minority.
Blabby is not in the minority.
Not in the minority by a long shot.
And there is no way that Little Richie Paulson will in any way guarantee or accept indemnification for the city’s debt on the construction or renovations. If he were willing to do that the public would not have to assume the liability of funding these minor league fringy sports stadia(ums) — he would pony up himself.
“This is a huge bargain at $35 million”
Not such a huge bargain at the proposed $85 million price tag though, or the near $200 million dollar pay off amount on borrowing the $85 million, or the doubling or trippling of the proposed price tag that projects in Portland have a habit of costing.
Come on you cheap bastards, how much is it really going to cost on an individual level, lets act like a real city and let’s see some freaking soccer! 🙂
Toilet Joe said: “Little Richie Paulson”
It’s so nice you can see that sometimes a son is different than his father. It’s sort of like you saying a racist wife beating asshole couldn’t have a son that doesn’t do those things. Or you know, have a son that isn’t actually out there trying to rip everyone off.
Coughy said: “Not such a huge bargain at the proposed $85 million price tag though”
I was referring to the price of renovating PGE park. Not building a separate baseball facility. So I was accurate in saying $35 million.
FYI the task force that was in charge of evaluating this just went 17-1 FOR going ahead with this project because after all their evaluating they concluded it was a good idea. They had access to all the numbers and plans and still think it’s a good idea for the city. Please continue with your inane ramblings about keeping everyone’s hands off your precious money that can’t be spent on anything but urban renewal projects like this. Frakin uninformed NIMBYs.