Multnomah County Commission Approves Cherry Park Library Site

The vote was unanimous. Read the agenda item here.

Troutdale City Council Shouldn't Second Guess County's Library Decision

The Troutdale City Council apparently got its feathers ruffled by Multnomah County Commissioner Diane McKeel's recommendation to site a new Troutdale branch of the Multnomah County library in the Cherry Park shopping center. I've heard all the arguments. It was the worst of all options. The County was only supposed to use the Cherry Park site as a bargaining chip when negotiating with other sites and/or developers. The proposed new library is too close to the existing Fairview library. The County didn't listen to the siting committee or other stakeholders. '

For the sake of discussion, let's say all of those arguments are true. Do any of those arguments change the fact that the library is a COUNTY library and not a CITY library? Does it change the fact that the library will be funded by Multnomah County and not the City of Troutdale? Does it change the fact that Troutdale is not the decision maker for anything having to do with Multnomah County libraries?

Our city council should keep its nose out of library siting decisions and put their grindstone to Troutdale's more pressing issues, such as the area's gang problems, Troutdale's impending budget crisis, how to find money to keep Troutdale's roads in good condition, and finding a developer for Troutdale's urban renewal area.

Another Public Meeting re: Troutdale Library Sites

Here we go again! Multnomah County will hold a public meeting at 7 p.m. Monday, November 24 at the Troutdale City Conference Center, located at 233 S. Buxton Ave. The purpose of the meeting will be to solicit input on potential sites for a proposed Troutdale branch of Multnomah County Library.

Troutdale Mayor's $800K Library Welfare Deal: No Support

After extensive discussions at last night's City Council executive session, the proposed $800,000 city incentive to rescue a proposed Multnomah County Library branch in downtown Troutdale is dead. I can't disclose details of the proposal or the executive session discussion. However, I can say that there was insufficient support on the City Council to pursue the matter any further.

Troutdale Mayor's Proposed $800K Library Welfare Check: A Bad Idea

Troutdale Mayor Paul Thalhofer's proposal to provide an "incentive" of $800,000 to rescue a proposed Multnomah County Library location in downtown Troutdale would not be an appropriate use of city funds. In today's Oregonian article(Mayor floats incentive for library - OregonLive.com) Thalhofer admitted he's offering the money, "because they( the developers) don't have the funding for the rest of the project."

I have nothing against developers. I have nothing against a new Multnomah County Library in Troutdale, even though 59% of Troutdale voters rejected the 2006 Multnomah County library levy that authorized funding for a library in Troutdale. But it's not Christmas time in Troutdale. We're not Santa Claus. We're not the tooth fairy.

If there's one thing I've learned on the Troutdale City Council, it's that there are those who believe it's always easier to spend other people's money, especially when it's the city's taxpayers doing the spending. With all due respect to Mayor Thalhofer, if he wants to help fund the rest of the proposed library development, he should take his hands out of the pockets of Troutdale's taxpayers, get out his own personal check book, and write a personal check for $800,000.

Troutdale Library: Secret Deal To Close The Deal?

I learned today from non-city sources that behind the scenes discussions have taken place between City of Troutdale officials, developers, and Multnomah County that propose the use of City of Troutdale taxpayer funds as a "sweetener" in order to keep alive the proposed new Multnomah County Library site at the "Marino Block" in downtown Troutdale. The amount of the requested taxpayer-provided "sweetener" was estimated at $800k-$1 million.by several non-city sources I talked to. I was able to confirm that private discussions did take place earlier this week after talking on the phone with Troutdale City Administrator John Anderson late this afternoon. There is a city council executive session scheduled for next week. The details of the secret discussions will then be discussed. .

This is disturbing on many levels. Any secret discussions regarding the use of Troutdale tax dollars without the knowledge or consent of the city council are unacceptable and inappropriate. The city isn't the one responsible for libraries. Multnomah County is. We have no business providing tax dollars toward the siting of a Multnomah County library. And the city should not be involved in influencing or determining library site selection winners and losers via tax dollar "sweeteners" to one developer. It goes without saying that the city CANNOT afford to saddle itself with additional debt of $800k-$1 million dollars at this time.

I have two goals for the executive session next week- one, to kill the deal. Two- to get everyone to agree to make the actual details of the discussions public knowledge. There's no room in Troutdale for this kind of back door dealing.

Troutdale Update: No Library, and some FedEx News

Troutdale residents will have to wait a little longer for their library. As you may have read in the newspapers, the proposed Multnomah County Library for Troutdale hit a snag this week. Troutdale Partners LLC notified Multnomah County they were withdrawing as candidates for a library to be located in downtown Troutdale. Sources tell me that in spite of the advantage of a long-term library lease, banks were still gun-shy about financing this project.

Here's what the Gresham Outlook reported: "Citing problems with financing and market conditions, officials with Bremik Construction, owner of the Discovery Block property at Second Avenue and Historic Columbia River Highway, informed county officials they could not move forward with a mixed-use development plan that included a new 6,000-square-foot library.“Discussions with Multnomah County have been productive and cordial, and had market and financing conditions not significantly deteriorated, we would have been proud to be the landlord for Multnomah County’s new Troutdale Library,” said Mike Wells, a Bremik spokesman."

On the FedEx front, Troutdale city staff continue to help the Port of Portland slog through the hundreds of details necessary to begin construction on subdivision improvements at the former Reynolds/Alcoa site. The Port's First Phase Subdivision, called "Troutdale Reynolds Industrial Park(TRIP) plat, was approved by the Troutdale Planning Commission and is ready to be signed off by the City's Community Development Director and Public Works Director.

Next on the to-do list: the Port's sale of one of the new subdivisions to FedEx so they can begin construction of their 425,000-square foot regional distribution center on Sundial Road along the Columbia River to replace its Swan Island facility in North Portland. This sale could be completed within the next few weeks.

FedEx Ground has submitted cash and paperwork to the City in order to take advantage of Troutdale's Enterprise Zone. On July 29, 2008, FedEx Ground paid the City $84,375, which represents 75% of their Enterprise Zone(EZ) initially computed application fee, and submitted two remaining elements of their EZ application. When the FedEx Ground buildings are completed, the final value of their tax abatement will be calculated. Then FedEx will need to pay the remaining 25% of the fee.

Troutdale Library Location Finally Approved!

From Multnomah County Commissioner Lonnie Roberts:

Commissioner Lonnie Roberts is pleased to announce that he will be recommending the Discovery Block site, a keystone development in the center of historic downtown Troutdale, as the location for the new Troutdale Library. At approximately 5700 sq. ft., the library will be the anchor tenant of a mixed use facility that may be built in phases, the first of which will include the library.

The latest planning effort for the new Troutdale library began in early 2007 with a series of meetings with Troutdale community leaders. This led to the formation of the Troutdale Siting Committee, a group of area residents recommended by community leaders. The committee met with County staff throughout 2007 to develop and to evaluate potential sites. On October 29, 2007, a community-wide public meeting was held to get community input on three potential sites for the new library. In December 2007 the Board directed exclusive negotiations with the Discovery Block and the Gateway Corner. Developers of both sites were responsive to the County’s Lease Terms Solicitation and their competitive efforts are appreciated. As a result of extensive negotiations, District 4, the Library, and Facilities and Property Management agree that the Discovery Block is ideal as the site for the new branch. An accessible downtown location, a solid civic presence, adaptive logistics and design, and a competitive financial structure all contribute to this recommendation.

Commissioner Roberts' office will be submitting Agenda materials, including a letter of intent, for consideration by the Board of County Commissioners at their July 17 Board meeting.

Update: Multco. Commission Rejects Troutdale Marketplace Library Site

Update to my previous post: I just finished watching the video from the Dec. 13 Multnomah County Commission meeting. The County Commission voted to eliminate the Troutdale Marketplace (old Thriftway site) from consideration for Troutdale's new library. No one came forward for public comment prior to their vote.

The County Commission determined the Troutdale Marketplace site wasn't viable for a number of reasons, the prime problem being the existing lease structure. The proposed library at that location would have occupied 12k square feet of the 40k square feet of the closed Thriftway store.

Problem one: the library only needed 5k-7k square feet. They had no need - and didn't want to pay for- the extra square feet.

Problem two: Lamb's Thriftway subleases their space from United Grocers, which in turn leases the space from Kimco Realty. The lease expires in 2021, with two 5 year options available. However, Kimco said that the options would be for the entire 40k square feet. The County had no reason to lease that amount of space.

Problem three: a library at the Thriftway location, being in a strip mall, would have no control over its fellow mall tenants, the mall's appearance, or the maintenance of infrastructure such as HVAC etc. County Commission Chair Ted Wheeler pointed out that Kimco, as a REIT, only has a desire for increased profit by flipping properties, and would have little motivation for maintaining the mall's appearance. Also, Wheeler said, if the HVAC breaks down, he doesn't want to have to call a stranger in San Diego to get it fixed. He'd rather deal with someone local. He's right on this point. How motivated do you think Kimco would be to fix problems fast?

Library staff indicated they attempted to negotiate for a 8000 SF stand-alone pad for the library elsewhere on the Troutdale Marketplace property, but Kimco rejected this proposal. Library staff also told the County Commissioners that Kimco was a no-show for multiple scheduled meetings with Library negotiators.

So there you have it. Troutdale's library will be located somewhere downtown, either at the "Discovery Block" or the "Gateway Corner".

Want to see the County Commission's discussion of the Troutdale library? Watch the video here. The Troutdale library discussion starts at approx. the 25:30 minute point.

Troutdale Library: Thriftway Site Thumbs Down?

Sources tell me that the Multnomah County Commission has eliminated the Troutdale Marketplace (old Thriftway location) from contention as a potential site for the new Troutdale Library. The limited 10-12 year time period available for leasing the space was apparently a factor. That's the remaining time left on the Lambs's Thriftway lease, which was the location being considered. I think the high cost of relocating the library after only 12 years probably weighed heavily on the County's decision. I also heard from other sources that the property owner, Kimco Realty, wasn't returning the County's phone calls. (By the way, Kimco Realty's web site says the entire Troutdale Marketplace property is for sale. You can download their "Investment Offering Memorandum " here.)

Troutdale's Sandee Palisades and Sweetbriar neighborhoods which are adjacent to the Troutdale Marketplace location will surely be disappointed in this decision. Many of them expressed support for the Thriftway site at the October 29 public meeting hosted by County Commissioner Lonnie Roberts and Library Director Molly Raphael.

This leaves the downtown Troutdale "Discovery Block" and the 257th & Columbia River Highway "Gateway Corner" as remaining candidates.

As I've mentioned before, and contrary to what some people believe, I have no preference regarding the location of Troutdale's new library.

New Location Considered For Troutdale Library?

Sources tell me that a decision regarding the location for Troutdale's new library may have been put on hold while a new, undisclosed site is being considered. This undisclosed site was not on the siting committee's short list.

If true, I think the new site being considered may be Troutdale's urban renewal district (located behind the Columbia Gorge outlet mall). I've had conversations with several folks who believe this would be a better site than downtown Troutdale or the Thriftway Marketplace.

A developer submitting an RFP for the urban renewal site might find a library a great addition to their project's selling points. The proposed new parking structure scheduled to be added to the urban renewal site would provide easy access for library patrons.

I've heard discussions from all sides of the compass regarding the new location for Troutdale's new library. I still don't have a preference. But if a different site other than the ones presented by the siting committee are being considered, it should be made public as soon as possible.

The Multnomah County Library and the County Commission have been open and transparent with the entire siting process so far. If a different site is being considered, the public deserves a chance for input.

Troutdale Library Public Meeting Summary

Tonight's meeting, hosted by Multnomah County Commissioner Lonnie Roberts and Director of Libraries Molly Raphael, was remarkably informative and civil. I arrived about 45 minutes late and missed the summaries of the three remaining sites: the old Troutdale Thriftway at Stark Street & Troutdale Road; The "Discovery Block" in downtown Troutdale, and the "Gateway" site, located at the NW Corner of 257th & Halsey. The latter two would be new construction to be leased by the library.

Troutdale's new library size would be about 6,000 SF of leased space, and would hold about 26,000 volumes.

I would estimate attendance for the meeting was about 40-50 folks, a very good turnout. A large contingent of neighbors from Troutdale's Sandee Palisades and Sweetbriar neghborhoods attended. They were unanimous in favor of the Thriftway site, due to its close proximity to their neighborhoods. Most mentioned the existing parking and ability to walk to the library as main selling points of this site.

Surprisingly, many of these neighbors didn't have much of an opinion of downtown Troutdale. Some said downtown wasn't safe for kids. Others said there wasn't enough parking downtown. A few said downtown had too much traffic. More than a few said they didn't think downtown Troutdale had much to offer while their kids were at the library, while the Thriftway site had a dry cleaners, a Dairy Queen, and Dottie's. (Personally, I think downtown Troutdale has many restaurants and shops that are friendly places to hang out while your kids are at the library, wherever it ends up being located.)

Several folks from Corbett gave their opinions, which seemed to be evenly divided between support for the Thriftway and the downtown Discovery block location.

Business folks from downtown Troutdale spoke mostly in favor of the Discovery block site. Some said they believed Troutdale's downtown area was where public services such as libraries should be located. Some said a library was special, and didn't deserve to be stuck into an old grocery store. Some said the addition of a new library downtown would give new vitality and interest to Troutdale's downtown area.

I didn't detect much support for the Gateway location, but remember, I missed the first part of the meeting.

Every one who wanted to speak was given an opportunity to voice their opinion. Everyone was polite and respectful of opposing viewpoints. (This was refreshing to me, which means I've accumulated enough time as a city councilor to be surprised when folks with opposing viewpoints actually respect and listen each other and don't engage in mindless rhetoric, interruptions, eye rolling, or head shaking.)

The next step: the library board will make a recommendation to the Multnomah County Commission, probably sometime in November. At that time, the library will be given authorization to negotiate a lease with the chosen site.

As for yours truly, I think any of the proposed sites would be fine. Have books, will travel! I have no preference.

Thanks to all of my fellow neighbors in Sandee Palisades and Sweetbriar for showing up and expressing your opinions. And many thanks to Commissioner Lonnie Roberts and Library Director Mollie Raphael for coming out to Troutdale and listening to us.

Anxious Multnomah County

Out here in Troutdale city council land, we've been getting lots of friendly e-mail from Multnomah County lately. Concerning the sale of their land across the street from Edgefield McMenamins. The fine folks at Multnomah County are just making sure every thing goes smoothly with respect to the lot line/zoning applications meandering through our planning commission and city council. Why, one of the letters included happy Troutdale 100th birthday greetings.

It's one of those domino things. They need to build that new justice center in Rockwood, like, yesterday. And they can't do that without the land sale proceeds from that property they're selling to McMenamins and the Reynolds School District. They need the money from the sale of that land, if I'm reading between the lines correctly, in a hurry!

As long as the i's are dotted and the t's are crossed, Multnomah County's efforts to quickly move its land use applications through Troutdale shouldn't present any problems at all. Maybe faster than you can say pig farm!

Troutdale This And That

Tomorrow night's Troutdale city council work session will include discussion of a proposal to DOUBLE, that's right, I said DOUBLE Troutdale's parks System Development Charges(SDC's).
Guess what my opinion is. Can you say Parks SDC increase OUTRAGE? Of course you can. Read my side of it here.

Gresham Fire Marshall Gus Liam has proposed an outdoor burn ban in Troutdale. The Troutdale city council referred the issue to a joint Citizen Advisory Committee(CAC)/Public Safety Advisory Committee (PSAC) meeting. Results of that meeting: apparently the CAC didn't like the direction the joint meeting was going, and decided to conduct their own meeting and give their own recommendation to the Troutdale city council. It's nice to see everyone getting along in a such a cooperative manner.

Paths are being repaved and buildings are being repainted in Troutdale's Glen Otto Park. Things look great there!

Everyone can't wait for the upcoming public meeting hosted by Multnomah County Commissioner Lonnie Roberts and Director of Libraries Molly Raphael to discuss potential sites for a new library in Troutdale. The meeting is scheduled on Monday, October 29, from 6 – 8 p.m. at the Troutdale City Conference Building, 223 Buxton Ave., in Troutdale. The meeting will include reports on potential sites and will provide an opportunity for members of the community to offer input.

Finally, "It Could Have Been Carpdale, Centennial History of Troutdale 1907-2007",by Sharon Nesbit is finally available. This is THE book on Troutdale history. I couldn't put my copy down! Order your copy NOW from the Troutdale Historical Society.

Oh yeah, one more thing. The Republican Presidential candidates held a debate last night. WHATEVER.

Where Should New Troutdale Library Go?

"A citizens committee that has been working with county officials to study sites this year has narrowed the options to three. Two are downtown, and one is in the Troutdale Marketplace, home of the old Lamb’s Thriftway."

Mark Garber of the Gresham Outlook would prefer a downtown location for the new library. I've talked to several people on the site selection committee. They've all held their site selection cards close to the vest. I've talked to several downtown Troutdale merchants about siting the library downtown. I found no consensus among them. Some think a library downtown would be bad for business- would people who borrow books and DVD's for free at a library spend any money downtown? Some think it's the best place for the new library- foot traffic is, after all, foot traffic.

Some folks who live near the old Troutdale Thriftway store think the library would be a good fit there. Plenty of parking. Close to neighborhoods with kids and families- a prime target market of any public library. However, word on the street says that the current owners of the Thriftway store property aren't too hot on this kind of use. (Lamb's Thriftway has a long term lease on that portion of the site. They don't own the property.)

I have no preference. Frankly, I don't use the library as much as I used to. But as a kid, I practically lived at the old Midland Library on SE 122nd. Now? I use the internet for most research these days. I subscribe to a few magazines. Sports Illustrated. Harpers. Atlantic. Flying. Toastmasters, League of Oregon Cities. We get home delivery of the Oregonian (but maybe not for long- it's shrinking by the month.) We buy the Gresham Outlook from the racks (we had it mailed to us for a year, but I didn't like waiting until the afternoon to read it.)

Both the Oregonian and the Outlook have significant content online. However, I've been reading the Oregonian daily since I first learned to read at five years old. I LOVE that morning cup of coffee, the tactile feel of the paper, the SNAP of a great page fold. Oh yeah I was a newspaper boy, too. Eugene Register Guard, from seventh grade until I graduated from high school. I love newspapers!

If I were to go to the library for anything, it would be to read out of area, out or state, or international newspapers. At least, as long as newspapers are still printed. . .

Public Meeting Scheduled re: Troutdale Library Sites

Multnomah County Commissioner Lonnie Roberts and Director of Libraries Molly Raphael will host a public meeting to discuss potential sites for a new library in Troutdale.

The meeting is scheduled on Monday, October 29, from 6 – 8 p.m. at the Troutdale City Conference Building, 223 Buxton Ave., in Troutdale. The meeting will include reports on potential sites and will provide an opportunity for members of the community to offer input.