LIVEBLOG:Troutdale Library-Troutdale City Council Work Session

. . .at the troutdale city council emergency work session about Multnomah County library siting decision.

at 7:08pm March 31

Mayor Kight is complaining about the strip mall site.

at 7:13pm March 31

mayor kight is now promoting the downtown troutdale sites, implying the owners of the cherry park site are not troutdale residents and not worthy of selection.

at 7:17pm March 31 via

no multnomah county officials are present.

at 7:20pm March 31

Mayor kight reading a statement from the county that essentially said no site is perfect.

at 7:27pm March 31

councilor wand asking questions about city zoning and tenant improvement codes. City admin nelson replied conditional use would apply. Wand is now suggesting the city council could change land use code to restrict library siting in the strip mall.

at 7:32pm March 31

councilor daoust wants the city council to agree to some sort of counter proposal tn present to the county by the end of this meeting.

at 7:36pm March 31

councilor wand is claiming multnomah county officials showed much animosity toward strip mall sites in the past.

at 7:42pm March 31

developer dean herford saying its hard to keep the county focus on developer point of view.

at 7:46pm March 31

herford says county wont return his phone calls and has been leaving messages for 3 weeks.

at 7:47pm March 31

hereford wants to hold county to its own selection standards.

at 7:54pm March 31

one of site selection members said cherry park owner indicated that el tapatio restaurant could be moved so library could get endcap space.

at 8:04pm March 31

developer neil handy said county added wish list items on top of criteria. He also said county came to him to come up with a proposal. He said if he had known of cost criteria mentioned in diane mckeels press release, he would not have given a proposal. Handy said he felt deceived. He said the county gave us a jail, a dog pound, and now a library in a strip mall.

at 8:06pm March 31

some in this meeting say the cherry park mall is owned by a florida corp. .

at 8:34pm March 31

councilor wand is proposing the city play hardball and change land use code to prevent siting of library in strip mall. Says county is punishing us for not giving up 242 right of way.

at 8:37pm March 31

meeting attendees now advocating secession from multnomah county. Emotions running high.

at 8:54pm March 31

councilor daoust suggesting that city council ask the county to give city council opportunity to take over site selection process.

at 8:59pm March 31

mayor kight proposed a financial sweetener to help make other sites more attractive.

at 9:03pm March 31

a meeting attendee accused city council of buying a downtown library site. Mayor kight denies accusation.

at 9:08pm March 31

consensus on council seems to be ask county for 30 day hold on site selection vote

at 9:11pm March 31

councilor wand encouraging everyone to attend county comm. meeting on thur.

at 9:16pm March 31

county accused of *procedural mumbo jumbo* by a site selection committee member.

at 9:23pm March 31

meeting is basically over. City council is now working out talking points for presentation to county commission.

at 9:28pm March 31

i agree, joe! These meetings should be on streaming video!

at 9:37pm March 31

council now talking about an emphasis on approaching county commission with *spirit of cooperation*. Wow what happened to the pitchforks and secession bravado!?

at 9:40pm March 31

councilor wand says council should extend olive branch to county commission.