While Commissioner Randy Leonard has committed to voting against the Major League Soccer deal going forward now that Beavers/Timbers owner Merritt Paulson announced he’s done with the baseball stadium proposal in Lents, Mayor Sam Adams announced this afternoon that “the City’s mission is clear: focus our energies on guaranteeing that Portland is the new home of a Major League Soccer team.”
While we wait for Adams spokesman Roy Kaufmann to return calls, here’s Adams’ statement:
First, I want to acknowledge all the hard work that community members, City staff, the citizens serving on the Lents Urban Renewal Advisory Committee, and our partner, Merritt Paulson, have invested into evaluating and discussing the proposal to locate AAA baseball in the Lents community. These discussions are always difficult, complicated and time-consuming. I appreciate the focus and patience people have exhibited in working through the issues.
As I’ve made clear throughout the AAA baseball conversations, this proposal could only move forward with the explicit support of the Lents community. It has become clear in conversations with neighborhood residents that community support for the proposal isn’t there.
To reinforce that fact, this morning, Merritt Paulson informed City Council and the leadership of the Lents URAC that he is withdrawing his proposal to locate a baseball stadium in Lents.
Merritt and the Beavers organization are looking at their options moving forward on siting baseball. In the meantime, the City’s mission is clear: focus our energies on guaranteeing that Portland is the new home of a Major League Soccer team.
In the coming weeks, I will lead the effort on working with Merritt to reach agreement on a financial package for renovations to PGE Park that meets the city’s financial and community needs while meeting the requirements of major league soccer.
We have a great opportunity ahead of us now. Major League Soccer is a family-friendly amenity for all Portlanders and soccer fans across the region. PGE Park is the right venue for the sport. And, renovation to PGE Park will create construction jobs at a time when unemployment in the building industry in our region is at an all-time high.
Moving forward, I will continue to adhere to the Citizen’s Task Force principles of protecting the city’s general fund from risk, leveraging maximum private investment, and not impacting in any way funding for City basic services. I look forward to working closely with my colleagues on City Council, at the County, and with other key stakeholders to bring professional Soccer to Portland.
- Dan Saltzman Also Ready To Move Forward On Soccer Deal
Commissio
- Breaking: Randy Leonard Now To Vote Against Soccer Deal
Commissio
- Breaking: Paulson Withdraws Lents Stadium Proposal
Merritt P
- Saltzman’s Conditions on the Lents Deal
Commissio
- What Amanda Fritz and Nick Fish Say About Major League Soccer Now
Well, the
Tags: Major League Soccer, Merritt Paulson, portland beavers, portland timbers, Randy Leonard, Sam Adams
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on Friday, June 19th, 2009 at 1:36 pm and is filed under City Hall, News, Politics, Sports.
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So Sam will proceed with his vote, and…whose? Not Randy’s, apparently. Dan’s, I guess. Fish and Fritz? Not likely.
How does this work out any other way except Portland losing BOTH the Beavers and Timbers, and no tenants at PGE except PSU? Irony of ironies, doing nothing will cost the city millions–and if I’m not mistaken (I might be) those millions to pay back the PGE renovations in 2001 will now have to come from the general fund.
[...] Mayor Sam Adams’ response. [...]
Absolutely extraordinary.
Not since Bush and Cheney have I seen any elected official behave with greater hostility to the public will than Adams.
Oh brother! Bring the focus back to the sports being played on the field and less on the big fancy showcase stadiums for awhile. When and how did this MLS thing grow into the spoiled brat insatiable monster that is trying to eat Portland?
I think somebody’s outrageous fan base needs to go on a detox diet!
Losing millions but saving hundreds of millions.
As you well know TorridJoe, Merritt Paulson was never going to pay for the previous upgrades to PGE Park. Paying for the renovations in 2001 will still come from the stadium fund and hotel and car rental taxes that are paying for it now.
Saltzman is the Cowardly Lion. he’ll put his finger in the wind, and vote accordingly, after expressing “concern”.
Adams, can you actually be this arrogant and stupid?
rhetorical question. lukcily, Vera Katz got PGE to sponsor Civic Stadium, and now we’re reaping a bunch of living wage jobs and economic stimulus, just as she said would happen.
gawd.
The Beavers should stay at PGE Park. The renovations can still take place, giving Adams his construction jobs and MLS their upgraded stadium. But they should use a portable grand stand for the east side. Here is an example of such a grand stand used in the Women’s World Cup at PGE Park in 2003: http://img12.imageshack.us/img12/9594/pgeeastend.jpg
Keeping the Beavers at PGE Park will help retain the 72 game dates they provide. The city’s Spectator Facilities Fund gains revenue from these game dates, and the Fund is then used to pay for the upgrades. This Fund was also used to pay for the last round or upgrades in 2001, which we are still paying for.
It is the smart and right thing to do to keep the sharing arrangement going. It has worked for nine seasons, and it can continue to work. It saves money by not having to invest in a new baseball stadium, and it makes the financing for the new upgrades and the debt for the previous upgrades easier to swallow. If we lose the Beavers to another city, we lose a lot of money. This hurts the soccer deal. Sam Adams should fight to keep the Beavers at PGE Park. Sharing can work.
Yeah, well just try and convince some of the heavy hitters in the TA of this solution. It appears, they’re the ones running the show for making piggie into a silk stadium. As our good buddie blackedout blogged recently, “it’s all about ATMOSPHERE”.
Anybody else wonder how this PDX MLS thing has grown beyond the sport itself, and the endeavors of the athletes on the field somehow forgotten?
oooooh gracious! I just don’t know how I can possibly begin to know how to cheer for soccah if I’m not in the propah at most pheer. Quick somebudah bring me my smellin salts….I feel the idea of portable bleechas may cause me to faint straight away….
Funniest post of the day…
Ah do declare! These wooden portables are giving me the vapors! Yet ah could recover my spirits by propelling Paulson and his goons out of town by delivering footblows to their grotesquely inflated posteriors!
I don’t know why this solution keeps getting brought up. Is it possible of course it is, but is it feasible.. the answer is no. The team is contingent on have what the league calls a Soccer Specific Stadium. It is what it is! We can’t negotiate on that point and we surely can’t force MLS’s hand. I think we need to move along, this solution wastes our time by re-hashing something that would never happen.
In my personal opinion I say Paulson should get rid of the Beavers to the highest bidder. Its clear there is not enough support for this team, nor baseball in general, for it to remain sustainable. Bye bye Beavs!
You finally admitted to and said it in public, Henry. Portable bleachers are possible…”of course it is”, your words. We’ve known it all along, and now you’ve just shouted it from the roof top here.
BTW, what’s your problem with the Beavers? I think it’s jealousy. Pure and simple. The green eyed monster. Beavers can do to a tree with their very own teeth, while you Hen dear, are impotent without your ax or a screaming chain saw. Jealous Jealous Jealous.
I should say that your father was praying for impotence the day you were conceived. A lot of stuff is possible, could we divert all the funds to build an MLB park in the Pearl sure! Could we take all the homeless and move them into SW luxury apartments, sure! Just cause something is possible doesn’t make it plausible! This will be the last post, because this blog is filled with the loudest minority, opposed to everything, just picking and choosing facts as they please. And no I don’t care too much about the Beavers. They have poor attendance, low quality play, no local control (the Padres make all player decisions), and in general bring entertainment to kids and little league teams.
Annie you should look up the definition of jealousy, because I think you misunderstand its use. Let me take a wild swing here and say your a dropout of PCC, I bet I am right!
Hen dear, you might find articles more up to your temperament, over on Blogtown, ie. a story one of their bloggers submitted last Friday the 19th, perhaps? “Swoops Followed Him Around the Corner and Hit Him Again, Lesson Learned”.
Absolutely a dead on connection for you there, Hen dear.
I saw baseball playing on a TV at the restaurant today, and was reminded, how much better and funner is the experience of watching soccer players face off against eachother.
I work in a clinic that serves students coming in for their sports physicals. Every time I walk in a room, I can tell who is playing soccer. Slender, gracious, bright-eyed, happy-looking people…in contrast to football and baseball students, who are muscle-bound, slumped-over, and withdrawn-looking.
Just an observation.
I hope MLS comes to Portland.
I like sports, but will spend 0.0% of my money and time supporting MLI in pdx…
I with ya buddy, I like sports too, but I will spend $0 on the Blazers. Basketball isn’t my cup of tea, but soccer is! So we will probably cancel each other out. Next time your at the RG buy a $10 beer for me.
[...] today to pull out of a Lents deal means he will vote against his own resolution while Mayor Sam Adams will support it as will Commissioner Dan Saltzman — who the hell [...]