Expo Center may no longer be around

[Local Loader]

it seems that the powers that be in Portland have decided that of having a place to hold events and shows, that they want a single use sports stadium and have the public pay for most of it.

What's next for the Expo Center? Metro reveals potential future

As Portland leaders look for ways to revitalize the city, the Metro Council is considering a new path for the Portland Expo Center: Transforming the space into a sports-centric venue.

www.koin.com

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[arakboss]

it seems that the powers that be in Portland have decided that of having a place to hold events and shows, that they want a single use sports stadium and have the public pay for most of it.

What's next for the Expo Center? Metro reveals potential future

As Portland leaders look for ways to revitalize the city, the Metro Council is considering a new path for the Portland Expo Center: Transforming the space into a sports-centric venue.

www.koin.com

They'll make a lot more money with sports arena but taxpayers should not be funding it.

 

[Local Loader]

They'll make a lot more money with sports arena but taxpayers should not be funding it.

Except we don't have the fan base in the area to support a single use mega stadium.

 

[nammac]

So does this mean Providence Park would no longer be used for soccer? And what about the Hillsboro Hops, they're about to embark on building a new, state of the art stadium.

While I get wanting to repurpose the location into something that can draw people into Portland, generating income, tax dollars and sparking the economy. I think Portland should focus on the crime, drug, homeless and mental health crisis that city leadership has created over the past decade or so. Get a handle on the trash and graffiti…. Then look at spending between a quarter and a half billion on a sports/entertainment complex.

 

[Sxsnuf]

From the article:

(leveraging Oregon's status as an "international powerhouse" in the sports and outdoor industries)

International powerhouse?? Gimme a break! No MLB, no NFL, no NBA title in almost 50 yrs (I think)?
Soccer? It's a foreign sport! At least the vast majority of pro players are furiners. (Yes, I have been called a bigot)
I have no love for professional sports or professional athletes, but no one really believes the weird city is an international powerhouse in ANYTHING. That said, I frequently pass by the expo center, but haven't attended an event there in probably 25 yrs, when they used to have a decent gun show. It has become an eyesore, in a crappy part of town, and I rarely see events held there any more. Why would organizers of those kinds of events not book a very nice venue 10 miles north, without homeless vagrants and trash?

 

[toast]

Why should Portland have a facility that can attract and host trade shows?

Makes perfect sense.

Clearly vending cups of beer to pickleball fans is the obvious strategy to generate commerce.

Or maybe it will be all those away fans filling up local hotels in order to root for the other teams that will turn the economy around.

Will the new facility have a needle exchange?

 

[Heyjoe]

Reminds me of the signs I see outside high schools in my area boasting "your tax dollars at work" with a picture of new astroturf on the football field. Meanwhile the same school district is closing three elementary schools due to maintenance concerns.

I make a point of voting "no" on every bond measure or levy that's brought until they learn to manage our money like they would their own. As it is now I'd be surprised if government didn't lose a third of every dollar spent greasing hands and hooking up pals with fat government contracts.

The voters recently shut down a measure for numerous road projects that might have been beneficial to our community. The fliers sent out for that one said "will not increase current property tax rates". Voters took that as: "tax rates may decrease if this measure fails".

 

[Ura-Ki]

Portland is so freakin STUPID, How bout the Coliseum, what the hell are they doing with that? They just HAD to build the convention center to fill a need to replace the old Coliseum, which never happened, and THEN, they built the MODA center,, and what did that gain us????
Portland is it's own worst enemy, this is the city that drove Evergreen SHipping out of PDX because it's it's ultra high taxes, and yet now, they are pushing to spend 30 million to "Upgrade" Terminal 6 and bring back container shipping, while pushing the port of Potland to expanding the rest of the terminals AND they signed a deal with Shaver Transportation to build between 12 and 15 new Tugs to support a growing port which hasn't shown any growth in 30 years!

WHAT THE ACTUAL PHUCK, OVER!

 

[Stomper]

From the article:

(leveraging Oregon's status as an "international powerhouse" in the sports and outdoor industries)

International powerhouse?? Gimme a break! No MLB, no NFL, no NBA title in almost 50 yrs (I think)?
Soccer? It's a foreign sport! At least the vast majority of pro players are furiners. (Yes, I have been called a bigot)
I have no love for professional sports or professional athletes, but no one really believes the weird city is an international powerhouse in ANYTHING. That said, I frequently pass by the expo center, but haven't attended an event there in probably 25 yrs, when they used to have a decent gun show. It has become an eyesore, in a crappy part of town, and I rarely see events held there any more. Why would organizers of those kinds of events not book a very nice venue 10 miles north, without homeless vagrants and trash?

Fun fact:

Soccer was invented by European women so they'd have something to do while their men were in the kitchen making dinner.

 

[TTSX]

They wanted to do the same thing in Eugene. The voters told them no in a 2/3 majority. The last thing we need in this economy is a sports arena