Edlen now getting big no-bid work from Portland school district (Jack Bog's Blog)

These guys will search out every vein of public money and suck it dry:

We reported earlier this week that Adams has been working privately with Edlen to bring Costco to the site of the school's North Portland offices. It's unclear what role Edlen is playing on the deal, which is still very preliminary. Edlen won't talk about it and neither will Adams. C.J. Sylvester, the district's chief operating officer, said Edlen is not representing the district.
Gerding Edlen Development had had two unrelated contracts with the school district, neither of which went out to public bid.

In May 2009, the district picked the firm to manage an $11.4 million project to repair the roofs on nine schools and top them with a membrane that produces solar power. Since October, a Gerding Edlen employee has helped the district prepare for the wave of construction projects coming if the bond passes. That contract is worth $90,000.

Sylvester said the district's conflict-of-interest policies would forbid Gerding Edlen from bidding on any construction work that it consults on.

Comments (6)

"Sylvester said the district's conflict-of-interest policies would forbid Gerding Edlen from bidding on any construction work that it consults on."

Puh-leeze, G-E either setups Edlen-Gerding LLC or gets kickback for "arranging" for contractors.

These liars really do think we are that stupid.

Posted by Steve | January 7, 2011 1:39 PM

Costco denies it.

In a phone message, Costco Chairman Jeff Brotman said, "Costco is not building a warehouse in the urban core of Portland at the Public Schools site."

Posted by Max | January 7, 2011 3:12 PM

"Costco denies it."

Is this another hose dream by Sam? The Mover and Shaker.

Posted by lw | January 7, 2011 6:31 PM

I have worked with Costco before in other states and their location choice is driven by easy car/truck access, but cheap land -- often industrial or warehouse land. They have a membership base that will seek them out (destination shoppers), so it is hard to see why they would choose the school building site. Minimizing the land and building costs are key elements of their strategy.

Posted by Bob | January 7, 2011 9:34 PM

Bob is right. Costco warehouses (to use Costco's terminology) are destinations that are sought out by their customers; rather than flashing, prominent stores. They never have large signs along the major street.

Look at the existing Costco warehouses in Portland: One is located in Tigard, southeast of 99W and not visible from the highway (the highway passes above the back of the store). Another in Beaverton at 153rd and Jenkins - close to Nike and Tektronix but on streets that until recently were not major thoroughfares. Hillsboro's is set back from Cornell east of the airport in what used to be an undeveloped area (now it's surrounded by other retail, but the retail is along Cornell). You have to know where Costco is.

Locating a warehouse in a prominent location next to Broadway and I-5 is simply not the Costco approach...and I couldn't be happier if The Oregonian printed as a headline, "Costco to Adams: NO!" on the front page. It would be a huge embarrassment to the city, and a large, well respected company showing up the city.

Posted by Erik H. | January 8, 2011 8:11 AM

If the district's bond measure passes, I'm guessing they'll select Hoffman to do most or all of the work as a CM/GC. It's not quite a no-bid process but almost. Hoffman's already donated $ in support of the measure. They'll get a lot more in return.

Posted by dg | January 8, 2011 10:27 PM

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Friday, January 7, 2011

Edlen now getting big no-bid work from Portland school district

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