Immigration jail takes art school as human shield
The rejection (subject to appeal) of the immigration jail planned for Portland's ill-fated SoWhat District means that the sweethearts at federal immigration might not be able to move out of their current detention tank in the Pearl District. And if they can't move out, the Pacific Northwest College of Art can't move in as planned.
That would be bad news for the art school, but it would also be bad news for city taxpayers. The Portland Development Commission has handed PNCA $740,000 as a matching grant for "pre-development costs" for the move.
Let's hope the feds do the smart thing and find a new location. Out by the airport, or in Multnomah County's never-used Wapato Jail, sounds great.
| Posted at 7:46 AM | Permalink |
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Comments (2)
The Feds have been looking for somewhere to temporarily house illegals for so many years, I doubt they will come up with an alternative any time soon.
They may have considered Wapato at one time, but I have never really heard why that facility would not work for them. It could be the county wants too much money to lease it. Someone may want to mention that any revenue offered would be more than they are collecting right now.
Posted by Gibby | August 10, 2011 9:37 AM
What's the harm in keeping it in the Pearl? Close to urban services, already off the tax rolls, close to public transit, cost to taxpayers is nil.
Posted by | August 10, 2011 9:24 PM