February 07, 2003
Rink in Trouble as Backers' Smarm Continues
Today's Portland Tribune has a look at the progress (or lack thereof) on the proposed ice rink for Pioneer Courthouse Square:
After staging six public workshops on a proposal to build a $10 million seasonal ice rink in Pioneer Courthouse Square, it's up to the square's board of directors to decide what happens next.
"The reality of the rink project is, it's going to go if the community wants it. It's not going to go if the community doesn't want it to go," said Greg Goodman, the board's president and one of the rink's key advocates.
Of course, every public story on these workshops thus far has managed to paint a picture of a public whose opinion is pretty solidly against the proposal. But as architect David Soderstrom (who worked on the Square) says:
"We've hit them between the eyes with a relatively clean shot several times, and they sort of shake it off," he said of attempts to derail the proposal.
Unsurprising, given how smarmy rink supporters have been when it comes to their propaganda game. And the board for that game has once again been surreptitiously moved by supporters, as evidenced by the following:
[Former planning commission leader John Bentley] estimates that the rink and its six umbrellas would cover 85 percent of the square's plaza; rink supporters say the ice rink would occupy less than 20 percent of the entire square, which occupies a city block.
It's this number which always more clearly demonstrates the dirty pool being played out by rink supporters. And the above shows how it's getting worse.
Originally, rink backers claimed that it would take up "only 25%" of the Square. Of course, as reported here before it ever showed up in the local print newspapers, what really counts is how much of the Square's 'floor' would be taken up. As you can see, rink opponents are finally being allowed to offer this more crucial figure -- 85% of that portion of the Square commonly used for public activities. But, as you can also see, backers now (in addition to continuing to ignore the more important 'floor' figure) have dropped their estimation from 25% to 20% -- hoping, I suppose, to further confuse the public.
For additional insight, see the letter to the editor from one Gail Martin Rutherford -- the widow of the Square's original architect, Will Martin.