91视频

In trying to decide what to do about the aging Veterans Memorial Coliseum, the city of Portland has conducted study after study for the past 20 years. The most recent study, presented in a report this week to the Portland City Council, shows there are no easy solutions.

One thing is clear, though. None of the options in the report show that the 55-year-old arena will be profitable, when weighing cost estimates 鈥� ranging from basic repairs to major renovations 鈥� against operating revenue potential.

鈥淎 whole lot of people have an opinion, ranging from tearing it down and (building) a new stadium to renovating this historic structure,鈥� said Jen Clodius, spokeswoman for the city鈥檚 Office of Management and Finance, which produced the report. 鈥淭he hard part is how do you pay for it if you prefer one of these options?鈥�

The cheapest solution, according to the report, would be to tear down the building. Demolishing the structure would cost about $14 million and developers have recently shown keen interest in developing the site, according to the report.

The next option covered in the report would be to make necessary upgrades to keep the arena functional, at a cost of about $35 million. Without repairs to the 1960 building鈥檚 electrical, plumbing, HVAC and envelope systems, the building is at risk of a major failure in the future.

A third solution would involve major renovations, listed as five different scenarios ranging in cost from $61 million for enhancements that include large seats and an outdoor side terrace to $145 million to create a movable floor system and add an indoor track.

Clodius said the report does not favor one option over another, but instead presents the material in a neutral format with greater detail than has been available before.

That said, the options for keeping the coliseum operating as it is now 鈥� without making repairs聽 鈥撀� is not sustainable. But demolishing the structure, which was designed by the firm of Skidmore, Owens and Merrill, would be a travesty, some say.

Stuart Emmons, co-founder of Friends of Memorial Coliseum, said the only viable option is to make necessary restorative repairs without compromising the building鈥檚 architectural integrity.

鈥淚f you tear it down, it鈥檚 a non-Portland thing to do and is stupid beyond belief,鈥� Emmons said. 鈥淚t would be bad for our name as a sustainability-and-design capital and would give Portland a black eye. That building is a masterpiece.鈥�

Architect Bill Hawkins, who has written books about Portland鈥檚 historic buildings, agrees with Emmons that the arena is one of the best-designed buildings in Portland and should retain its original look.

鈥淎t that time, it was a top-of-the-line product and was state-of-the-art architecture,鈥� Hawkins said. 鈥淧ortland ought to save the best historically and architecturally sound buildings, and (Memorial Coliseum) is up among the major structures. Its simplicity is what strikes me, how handsome it is.鈥�

There is 鈥渘o apparent easy solution鈥� as to what to do with Memorial Coliseum, Fred Miller, CAO of the Office of Management and Finance, wrote in a letter accompanying the report. But he noted that uncertainty about the development of the Memorial Coliseum building 鈥渉as been seen as an impediment鈥� to future development in the Rose Quarter and the Broadway corridor between the Broadway bridgehead and Interstate 5.

The Portland City Council will use the information in the report, along with input from the public, to decide the future of Memorial Coliseum.

In order to gather public comment, the city has created an online survey that includes 10 different options, from corporate sponsorship to issuing bonds, for funding possible improvements to the building.

To provide invput, go to the city’s 聽 and click on 鈥渧iew six more links鈥� to access 鈥淰MC Comments鈥� at the bottom of the page.