Ouch… Paulson’s stadium plan called a “scam”
Merritt Paulson’s plan for a new Triple-A ballpark at Lents park is the topic of a story in The Nation. My pal Bojack is all over it. The column in the magazine was headlined “Merrittocracy” and Paulson takes a pretty good beating.
I’ve grown weary of all the stadium arguments and understand that we must agree to disagree. My belief is that stadiums — like mass transit, streetcars, trams, convention centers, public squares, zoos, opera houses and so many other things — are part of what makes a city special. Most people in most cities agree with me, by the way. It’s why there are so many nice arenas and stadiums sprinkled throughout the world. They are just one more thing that adds to the quality of life where you choose to make your home.
If you don’t think you should pay a share of the cost to build arenas and stadiums, I’m fine with that. Just do me this corresponding favor — leave my money out of the funds for mass transit systems that don’t go anywhere I need to go, convention centers I seldom visit, streetcars I never ride and bike bridges I’ll never cross.
Baseball, small-town Portland | Dwight Jaynes | October 28, 2008
Dwight Jaynes, Lents Park Stadium, Merritt Paulson, Portland Beavers, The Nation
Fair enough. But I’m not sure a Triple A stadium in Lents really makes Portland all that much better of a city.
I’m down with Big Leagues stadiums, but little stadiums in the burbs, not so much.
If we could pay off the $28 million we still owe on PGE Park — luxury boxes for AAA baseball — I’d be a lot more willing to look at another $100 million for Class C soccer. But we can’t, so I’m not.
I’m always amused by the Portland political scene and by liberals that buy into The Nation. It is just amazing that the liberals will scream bloody murder about a sports stadium….but will not spend one minute thinking about the money that is poured into a public school system that is broken and beyond repair….and the more money that is spent on it as a remedy, the worse it gets.
But that Merritt Paulson….he’s the devil!
I think one problem with the public paying for sports stadiums is that the profit goes to the owners and the supposed economic benefits to the public are wildly overstated.
Mass transit, streetcars (though I’m not in favor of those either), zoos and opera houses might not be used by everyone, but neither are they designed to put money in an owner’s already bulging wallet.
I’m still waiting to hear why Paulson needs, in effect, TWO new stadiums … yet another refurbishing of PGE Park as well as a new baseball stadium (with, I assume, luxury boxes with more profit potential).