Good for Dan Ryan. He's experienced enough to know that if you don't put on the brakes early in the process, the momentum and financial interests will carry everyone forward, even against their better judgement.
While PSU touts the fact that this project will help "revitalize downtown Portland", in reality it isn't "downtown". It on the edges of downtown and will do little to bring people into the core of the downtown area which is where we really need revitalization. The Keller is much closer to the core of downtown. Parking is already available and traffic patterns are already established, unlike the PSU proposal, which has not yet done a traffic study to see if the area infrastructure can support the traffic generated when the PSU project is completed. With a private development group wanting to build a hotel and conference center, why not let them fund the PSU project? City Councilors should be supporting the Keller. The Keller and the Ira Kell Fountain are indeed an iconic piece of pubic art and should not be abandoned which is what is likely to happen if the city decides to approve supporting the PSU project with any public funds.
One aspect of this decision deserves more attention. The proposed City-owned auditorium at PSU is not really a stand-alone project. It is the centerpiece of a much larger PSU development concept that also includes a second, smaller PSU performance venue and academic facilities, parking, and a privately developed hotel and conference facility.
That makes Councilor Zimmerman’s reference to “leveraging state dollars” especially important. The state has already committed substantial capital funding to PSU’s portions of the larger project. But that raises a question rather than answering one: is Portland selecting the PSU site because it is demonstrably the best and least risky solution to the Keller problem, or is the growing financial and political momentum behind PSU’s broader development beginning to drive the City’s auditorium decision?
Before the City commits itself, Council should establish whether the large auditorium can proceed financially and operationally independent of the other PSU components, what shared costs and liabilities the City would assume, and what happens if the hotel, PSU facilities, parking or other elements are delayed, scaled back or fail to materialize.
Bob Naito’s warning about the “field of dreams” seems particularly apt here. The question is not whether a large mixed-use arts development would be exciting. It is whether Portland needs it in order to solve the much narrower problem now before the Council.
Great observation, Ollie. This is why I introduced amendments to the PSU resolution on behalf of the Keller & Halperin advocates, something Allan doesn’t mention. Bottom line: there is no City money for these projects. In addition, the City is faced with the transfer of management of the P5 theatres from Metro to the City of which only the Keller is profitable.
The basic question is: why are we pouring public money into facilities that will make money, mostly for the private businesses trucking "Broadway" shows from venue to venue with mediocre casts? Why does rational dollars-and-cents thinking go out the window whenever some promoter attaches the magic word, "art" to yet another government subsidy for well-connected insiders?
NW Examiner, if anyone cares to remember, ran a multi-part series that said--short version--Portland has too many venues and not enough butts in the seats. I would have to guess that Councilor Ryan (who should be solving problems in his own constituency) never bothered reading it; nor does he have any real-world experience in stuff like spreadsheets and P&L.
As for the Ira Keller Fountain: If we're nervous about putting a statue of Ol' Abe back on a plinth, why in god's name do we celebrate the wrecker who destroyed an "affordable" area of housing, along with a "thriving" Jewish community in order to build soulless high-rises and his namesake auditorium-barn?
When individuals do not live within their means, we know the consequences. How can a city escape the same reality?
Answer: tax its citizens until they shout " Uncle!"
Good for Dan Ryan. He's experienced enough to know that if you don't put on the brakes early in the process, the momentum and financial interests will carry everyone forward, even against their better judgement.
While PSU touts the fact that this project will help "revitalize downtown Portland", in reality it isn't "downtown". It on the edges of downtown and will do little to bring people into the core of the downtown area which is where we really need revitalization. The Keller is much closer to the core of downtown. Parking is already available and traffic patterns are already established, unlike the PSU proposal, which has not yet done a traffic study to see if the area infrastructure can support the traffic generated when the PSU project is completed. With a private development group wanting to build a hotel and conference center, why not let them fund the PSU project? City Councilors should be supporting the Keller. The Keller and the Ira Kell Fountain are indeed an iconic piece of pubic art and should not be abandoned which is what is likely to happen if the city decides to approve supporting the PSU project with any public funds.
One aspect of this decision deserves more attention. The proposed City-owned auditorium at PSU is not really a stand-alone project. It is the centerpiece of a much larger PSU development concept that also includes a second, smaller PSU performance venue and academic facilities, parking, and a privately developed hotel and conference facility.
That makes Councilor Zimmerman’s reference to “leveraging state dollars” especially important. The state has already committed substantial capital funding to PSU’s portions of the larger project. But that raises a question rather than answering one: is Portland selecting the PSU site because it is demonstrably the best and least risky solution to the Keller problem, or is the growing financial and political momentum behind PSU’s broader development beginning to drive the City’s auditorium decision?
Before the City commits itself, Council should establish whether the large auditorium can proceed financially and operationally independent of the other PSU components, what shared costs and liabilities the City would assume, and what happens if the hotel, PSU facilities, parking or other elements are delayed, scaled back or fail to materialize.
Bob Naito’s warning about the “field of dreams” seems particularly apt here. The question is not whether a large mixed-use arts development would be exciting. It is whether Portland needs it in order to solve the much narrower problem now before the Council.
Great observation, Ollie. This is why I introduced amendments to the PSU resolution on behalf of the Keller & Halperin advocates, something Allan doesn’t mention. Bottom line: there is no City money for these projects. In addition, the City is faced with the transfer of management of the P5 theatres from Metro to the City of which only the Keller is profitable.
The basic question is: why are we pouring public money into facilities that will make money, mostly for the private businesses trucking "Broadway" shows from venue to venue with mediocre casts? Why does rational dollars-and-cents thinking go out the window whenever some promoter attaches the magic word, "art" to yet another government subsidy for well-connected insiders?
NW Examiner, if anyone cares to remember, ran a multi-part series that said--short version--Portland has too many venues and not enough butts in the seats. I would have to guess that Councilor Ryan (who should be solving problems in his own constituency) never bothered reading it; nor does he have any real-world experience in stuff like spreadsheets and P&L.
As for the Ira Keller Fountain: If we're nervous about putting a statue of Ol' Abe back on a plinth, why in god's name do we celebrate the wrecker who destroyed an "affordable" area of housing, along with a "thriving" Jewish community in order to build soulless high-rises and his namesake auditorium-barn?