July 26, 2003
Citing Costs, Business Coalition Joins Opposition To Mt. Tabor Reservoir Project
Despite the determination of City officials to press ahead with the reservoir replacement project on Mt. Tabor, a new opponent surfaced this week, responding to the City's allocation of about $76 million for the project:
The project's real costs are closer to $200 million, according to the Portland Water Users Coalition, a group of 15 businesses that use large amounts of water. And the project comes as the Water Bureau ponders other expensive projects, including a new computer billing system and water filtration plant.
The coalition wants the city to reconsider the reservoir decision. It wants a closer look at lower-cost alternatives to detect or remove contamination, such as treatment at Mount Tabor or electronic monitoring devices that could be distributed throughout the water system.
The public debate about the reservoir project was too short, said Charlie Porcelli, a coalition member and chief financial officer of Koldkist Beverage Ice. The business community "wasn't part of that debate."
The coalition's other members include two dairy food companies, several manufacturers, laundry firms, a pickle processor and two hotel companies.
As has been the case all along, City officials see no reason to rethink any of their plans for the reservoirs:
Commissioner Dan Saltzman, who oversees the Water Bureau, delayed a decision last year on an expensive filtration plant after the business coalition and others exerted pressure.
Saltzman said Wednesday that the coalition's statements about the reservoir project are "based on erroneous numbers and facts" and would not prompt him to reconsider.
"It's full steam ahead," he said.
Yesterday's Portland Tribune also addresses the questions of true costs:
The groups base their estimates on city documents that list costs for different portions of the project. One source is the most recent Capital Improvement Program published by the Portland Water Bureau. Another is a financial document prepared by Walker Macy, a longtime bureau consulting firm.
"The city has not published a single budget that lists all the costs. They've just let the figures out piecemeal and never put them all together," said Jeff Boly, an attorney working for Friends of the Reservoirs, which is made up of citizens living near both parks.
Be sure to catch the bit where Commissioner Saltzman bumps up his own figure from $77 million to $121 million in the course of a single day.