Curran’s
Corner
Sports
Dome to be built on Clackamas campus
“We aren’t out to take any
teams away from Portland, we’re
just giving them a higher quality
place to play,” said McGriff.
The dome should be complete
by the end of 1988 and ticket
prices will be about $20 a piece so
there will be a lot of demand for
good seats for the college’s 1989
spring sports.
by Christopher Curran
Sports Editor
Plans are underway and con-
truction began on the
“Clackadome” on the
Clackamas Community College
campus Monday afternoon.
The Clackadome will be built
on the site where the track field
currently resides. The site was
picked by a three member com­
mittee composed of college
Athletic Director Dale McGaff,
president John Keyser, and
Paul Kyllo.
Funds for the dome came
from a recent plea to the tax­
payers
of
Clackamas,
Washington, and Multnomah
counties from the college’s
basketball teams.
“Please send|us $70 million or
the lord will call our basketball
team
home.”
pleaded
represenatives of both Cougar
teams during halftime at the
Feb. 25 Portland Trailblazer
game in the Memorial Col­
iseum.
The plea worked perfectly for
the first three weeks. In that
time, $48.7 million was col­
lected, then spring break came
and donations were few; only
$38 was collected during that
week. The cause was saved last
Monday when Las Vegas casinc
owner Michael Johnson per­
sonally delivered his check fo:
$21,199,962. It took even longei
to confirm the donation,
because Johnson originally i
didn’t include two current
pieces of identification with his
check. But, the check was even­
tually cleared and the project
was underway.
“It got close there for
iwhile,” stated women’s
basketball coach Phil Garver,
“at one point I thought I saw
our ball defated.”
The 62,00 seat dome will be
home to the college’s athletic
teams, including two new col­
lege sports; soccer and football.
“I’m really excited about ob­
taining this facility,” expressed
McGriff^ “the dome will help
expand the sports program at
Clackamas and increase enroll­
ment.”
Within three to five years the
dome could host professional
football games for a Portland
based team. In addition to foot­
ball, the Clackadome could
became home to the Portland
Beavers and could even host
concerts.
However, the biggest factor
Problem follows dome
In a little over a year Clackamas Community College sports
:ould skyrocket in attendance at games. The new Clackadome is
scheduled for completion at the end of 1988, but how well will the
college be able to accept the importance of such a project.
Not only will the new dome bring more sports to the college pro­
gram (football and soccer to name two), but the dome will soon
become home to the pro basketball team, the Portland
Trailblazers. Possibly more pro teams will want to move to play in
the dome and this poses a big problem.
The dome will have enough seating to house 62,000 people, but
where on campus is there enough parking to accommodate the
vehicles of this many people? It has been suggested that the trailers
be sold and moved and the tennis courts and Randall Hall
demolished in order to make room for the black asphalt that will
create some of the estimated 40,000 parking spaces needed.
A committee has been chosen to study the problem in depth, in­
cluding Athletic Director Dale McGriff and Sports Editor of The
Print, Christopher Curran. The committee feels that without the
parking the dome will not be the success it is hoped to become and
has therefore claimed that the sacrifice of the trailers, tennis courts,
and Randall Hall is “not that big a deal.”
The elimination of these buildings is going to be a burden on the
rest of the college because the programs will have to be transferred
to other buildings, but if it will bring pro sports and a football team
to Clackamas it’s worth it.
of the dome would be in 1991
when the Trailblazers would
begin playing their games in the
dome after 20 years in the
Memorial Coliseum.
“Whoop whoop. I think it’s a
bad idea to build a dome out in
the boonies,” said Portland
Mayor Bud Clark, “it will take
all of the business away from the
city.” In the dome the
Trailblazers would be able to
charge higher ticket prices and
more people would be able to at­
tend games.
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