August 02, 2003
'Winter Programming Feasibility Report' Presented To Pioneer Courthouse Square Board Of Trustees
Taking time off from the bookstore to attend Tuesday's meeting of the Board of Trustees of Pioneer Courthouse Square, Inc., I had to sit through the entire agenda until they got to the item for which I was there. As near as I could tell, the only other media person present seemed to be there for the same part of the agenda.
That item was a report to the Board on the feasibility of Pioneer Courthouse Square event programming for the Winter months, in the aftermath of the surge of community opposition to the original plan to install a semi-permanent ice rink in the Square.
Before delving a bit into what the Board is looking at now, I should say that one of the most striking parts of the discussion was how hard some Trustees tried to spin their earlier push for the ice rink. Out-going Board head Greg Goodman, possibly the most visible and vocal proponent of the rink, appeared to be rewriting history, making it sound as if the rink discussion was never really about an ice rink per se, but rather about the larger issue of whether there should be Winter programming in the Square, and how best to go about it.
Those who recall the big push for the rink -- especially those who attended any of the public workshops on the matter -- know that this is pretty much bunk. Goodman and others were rallying very specifically for an ice rink, and spent very little time, publicly at least, entertaining a wider discussion of Winter use of the Square.
That said, the wider issue is now where the Board's attention is heading.
Earlier this year, there was a private two-day session at which a group out of New York called the Project for Public Space discussed Pioneer Courthouse Square. That group's audit of the Square's usage and design formed the foundation of the discussion -- led by Board member Tom Fuller -- at this week's Board meeting. PPS, which studies public spaces, reportedly told the Board that Pioneer Courthouse Square is one of the ten best public spaces in the world. I'm still searching for details on that reported statement on the PPS website.
According to Fuller, the point of this "place audit" was to ask and answer the question, "What can make one of the greatest spaces in the world even better?" In terms of Winter usage, the PPS report (a copy of which I was unable to secure at the Board meeting; I was told that it wuld be available when it was "final") "recommended using Winter as time to showcase local business, arts, schools, and ethnic groups."
Given this, discussion seems to be heading in the direction of determining how best to accomodate Winter usage of the Square by groups and organizations that traditionally cannot afford the direct and indirect costs of renting the Square -- in other words, what can the Board do to make Winter use of the Square by these smaller community groups possible, effective, and efficient?
Some of this discussion revolved around restrictions, in place since the Square was built, on what sorts of structures can be in place on the Square, and for what lengths of time. Ultimately, what was deemed to be "shelters" (for example, tents with no walls) are permitted but not "structures."
It was asserted during Fuller's presentation that there were requirements to "pursue broad-based community use" of the Square during Winter: A flat space and shelter. Made clear was that they were discussing flattening the slope of the Square (as would have been required by the ice rink proposal), but rather some sort of, well, structure which would be place atop the floor of the Square to provide a flat space for, say, a concert stage or even (yes) a temporary ice rink.
As the Board discussed all of this, it became clear that a majority of Trustees seem much more interested in pursuing a diverse range of Winter programming possibilities, and less keen on the original idea of a seasonal ice rink. Many members went out of their way to assert that they heard community opinion on the ice rink loud and clear.
At the same time, it was suggested by at least one member that the Board try out a temporary ice rink this Winter and see what usage and reaction is like. As if that would give any accurate indication, since pure novelty alone would probably warp any such 'findings" of community interest or usage.
There also seemed to be fair interest in maintaining some sort of public involvement as these discussions continue, although the main proponents of the original ice rink plan seemed at least a little less inspired by public input. Admittedly, some of this was pure realism, in the sense that at some point, someone has to make a decision and execute the plan. But subjectively, I felt I heard a twinge of dismissal from what appeared to be a minority of the Board when it came to the notion of public involvement.
Barring access to the PPS "place audit" report, it's difficult to nail down many of the specifics the Board has seen as possibilities for the Square. Members did, however, reference such suggestions as the addition of "European-style" kiosks for newspaper and other vendors, more "colorful plantings," some sort of structure to make the Square "more usable" during the Winter, "open visual access" to Starbucks with some sort of "tiered plaza with seating and a canopy," programming for the small amphitheater (what I call the speaker's circle), more opportunity for school groups to use the Square for classes and readings, and removing the walls on Yamhill.
At this point, what's most important is that the members of the Board who support active public involvement in the decision-making process win out. As one member suggested, it is important that they "bring in various groups from the community to see what [types of events] they might hold on the square in the Winter" rather than having the Board try to figure such important elements for themselves and on their own.
Another Board member commented that the PPS audit has "good ideas but we shouldnt settle on any of them" and that they were "confident there are other even better ideas we might come up with in Portland."
So as it stands now, there appear to be ne immediate plans to push an ice rink upon the Square, and a majority of the Board appears to be interested in having a conversation about the broader Winter usage and programming issue instead. What remains to be seen is who will drive that conversation, and what voices will be included.