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About The Southwest Portland Post. (Portland, Oregon) 2007-current | View Entire Issue (June 1, 2011)
2 • The Southwest Portland Post EDITORIAL June 2011 City Council authorizes use of Sears Armory for emergency operations FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK By Don Snedecor The Southwest Portland Post Portland City Council voted 4-1 on May 24 to authorize the use of the Ser- geant First Class Jerome Sears Army Reserve Center in the Multnomah neighborhood as an operations center. This operations center will ensure the City is able to effectively respond to emergencies on the west side of the Willamette River. “Council’s approval of the Sears Center for emergency operations is a positive step towards addressing a compelling safety need for Portland- ers,” said Mayor Sam Adams. “Cur- rently, no public works emergency vehicles, equipment or supplies are located on the west side of the Willa- mette, leaving Portland at risk during a significant event. Creating an emer- gency operations center at this location will change that.” The Sears Center, located in South- west Portland at 2730 SW Multnomah Blvd, was previously identified by the U.S. Department of Defense Base Realignment and Closure process as surplus property. The City subsequently received a public benefit conveyance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency authorizing the no-cost trans- fer of the property for use as an emer- gency operations facility. “We know Portland is vulnerable to earthquakes, winter weather and other natural disasters. The use of the Sears facility as an emergency center will enhance the City’s overall capabilities and enable a more timely and effective response to emergencies,” said Carmen Merlo, Director of the Portland Office of Emergency Management. After an extensive public engage- ment process in 2007 and 2008, Council originally recommended the redevel- opment of the site for a mixed income, rental and ownership housing devel- opment. However, after performing due diligence, the City determined the Port- land Housing Bureau did not have the necessary capital to adequately fund the project. Additional outreach was performed by the City in January and February 2011 to the Multnomah Neighborhood Association to affirm the community’s support for the site as an emergency operations center. But according to Moses Ross, chair of the Multnomah Neighborhood As- sociation, this option is not without its critics. “Concerns and potential site usage issues were raised that identified un- acceptable use of the site that are not in the neighborhood’s best interest,” said Ross. “These issues surround the potential for daily maintenance operations to be scheduled from the site that would generate excessive noise to a predomi- nantly residential area.” “General maintenance or staging operations on the site are considered by the neighborhood as unacceptable and do not fit in with the neighborhood.” “Usages beyond emergency support do not meet the criteria or the benefits intended by the Army for relinquishing the property and are not supported by Deeper Sedation Dentistry... Dr. Little at West Hills Family Dental Center now offers DEEP SEDATION DENTISTRY. It’s MORE EFFECTIVE than just a pill. the neighborhood.” This was re-en- forced by a motion that the neighbor- hood only supports this property use type if it is limited to emergency use. This motion passed with unanimous vote. With Council’s approval May 24 of the reuse of the site, the City will sub- (Post file photo by Don Snedecor) mit a revised reuse master plan to the U.S. Department of ing the designated use of the facility Defense and U.S. Department of Hous- from affordable housing to emergency ing and Urban Development, amend- operations. 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Please call for current deadline information. Advertising rates are available upon request. The Post has a circulation of 7,000 in Multnomah Village and the surrounding neighborhood business districts including Burlingame, Capitol Hill, Garden Home, Glen Cullen, Hillsdale, South Portland, Raleigh Hills, West Portland and Vermont Hills. The Post is published on or about the 1st of every month. Subscriptions are $14 per year. Back issues are $2.50 each when available. All major credit cards accepted. The Post is printed on recycled newsprint using soy-based inks. (503) 292-7874 6630 SW Beaverton-Hillsdale Hwy. Portland, Oregon 97225 www.marquiscompanies.com www.mygnp.com