Lost opportunity
I see that the City of Portland and the Pamplins still can't come to terms on a transfer of ownership of Ross Island. It's a darn shame. That place has got such great potential to benefit all of Portland. Respect the land, people!
| Posted at 5:06 AM | Permalink |
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Comments (9)
If you look a gift horse in the mouth too many times, the donor may with draw the offer.
Posted by David E Gilmore | May 29, 2007 7:24 AM
it's all about money and responsibility.
The Pamplin's don't want to put the island back to it's original state after all they did to it and the city sure shouldn't have to fix it.
Too bad they cannot come to some sort of compromise so that the island will get clean dirt put back in place and the birds left in peace. No condos please.
Posted by kathe w. | May 29, 2007 7:24 AM
Pamplin estimated that the cost for him to return the island to the condition he agreed to in 1973 would be $2.1 billion.
He "negotiated" a lesser reclaimation that will cost him $3 million.
Portland's "greens keeper" Mike Houck was on the negotiating commitee and agreed to the new "deal".
Pamplin, and Ross Island S&G, being big contributors to Houck's Portland Audubon
Society, found the City, State and Houck, easy.
Pamplin owns the Portland Tribune and all the other other community newspapers so he'll have help finishing his work. In the end there will be a park on Ross Island.
Pamplin owns the island, the press and can buy all the friends he needs.
Posted by Don Ameche | May 29, 2007 8:35 AM
It was funny reading Steve Duin in the Tuesday Oregonian pretending to be a crack investigative journalist.
Oregonian writers seem only to pretend to be journalists when its a story about an Oreonian competitor -- Pamplin and the Tribune, Meeker / Zusman and Willie Week.
Posted by Nonny Mouse | May 29, 2007 10:14 AM
Imho, in these parts, we don't really negotiate and expect to build respectful consensus. Rather, we deify compromise so that EVERYTHING becomes subject to it: integrity, the Rule of Law...
Anyone who suggests this isn't real consensus building, but rather straw man dealing and intimidation gets labelled "uncompromising".
I was none too pleased when Pamplin bought up all the community newspapers, but so far the Tribune seems to be doing a better job on the land use issues-certainly editorially-than the Big O.
Posted by Cynthia | May 29, 2007 10:14 AM
.... so far the Tribune seems to be doing a better job on the land use issues-certainly editorially-than the Big O
And that's not a very high bar to meet, either.
But if you want both good coverage and editorial content on land use issues in NW Portland, try the NW Examiner. I don't think it's owned by Pamplin, but if it is, it certainly doesn't show it. I'm sure there are other good community papers available as well.
Posted by John Rettig | May 29, 2007 12:38 PM
Nice work, Jack. I'll bet your photo of the island ends up as part of Pamplin's Measure 37 claim.
Posted by Roger | May 29, 2007 12:40 PM
Why does 'environmental reclamation work' need to be done? If the area is supposed to be a wildlife sanctuary, just leave the area the way it is and let nature take its course.
Once again, bureaucracy can't help but make things complicated.
Posted by Chris McMullen | May 29, 2007 1:12 PM
Thank you, John ; I am sure you are right. Pamplin doesn't own the SE Examiner either. And even some that he does own, like SW Community Connection, are pretty good about allowing a broad range of opinion to be printed.
Posted by Cynthia | May 29, 2007 1:46 PM