October 20, 2003
(Updated) Mt. Tabor Design Winner Has Potential To Blunt Opposition To Reservoir Burial
Note: This post has been updated. Any and all updates appear at the end of the original post.
"How come there's no food here this morning?" asked a reporter. "We're staying on budget," came the reply.
Thus began this morning's news conference to announce the winner of the design competition for "what goes on top" after the Mt. Tabor reservoirs are buried.
Above is the design by Gustafson Guthrie Nichol, referred to on the design competition website as Team 1. The design itself was referred to by Randy Gragg as "Contemporary Picturesque Natural." Gragg described it this way:
"Contemporary Picturesque Natural" reshapes the three reservoirs into a new vision of the picturesque park tradition from which they first were born. Reservoir 1 would become a wetland, draining into a series of hillside gardens. Reservoir 5 would become a smooth, reflecting "water table" ethereally hovering several feet above the current stone walls to mirror the sky. Most dramatically, the waters of Reservoir 6 would be restored atop the new underground tank, but Southeast 60th Avenue will extend, via a tunnel, literally beneath the water, becoming a powerful new gateway to the entire park.
In my previous entry on the design finalists, this design was one of the two I favored, and in fact was the one I preferred of those two (the other having been that of Team 4).
Commissioner Dan Saltzman's remarks included some of the issues that will be addressed as the design process moves forward and this specific design concept is refined:
I believe the interplay of water and landscape will provide the opportunity for family activities and hope to see this idea nature as dialog with the public continues. Second, the historic resources throughout the site will need additional attention and refinement. We have here some of the most substantial historic resources in Portland and their rejuvenation and attention are very important to City Council. Third, is sustainability, and specifically a sustainable water system for the park features. ... Finally, and certainly not least is the budget. I am happy to see the project manager, Marcia West, has a strong history of holding the line on budgets. Water ratepayers are paying for this project and it is very important to City Council that we stay on budget and on schedule.
Asked why the City is moving forward with what the questioner called a "Taj Mahal" of landscaping, rather than proceeding with the burial and worrying about the rest when the City has more money, Saltzman replied, "We heard from the very outset that simply putting dirt and grass on top wasn't going to be sufficient." He added, "Portlanders care about parks and expect something of world-class design."
Saltzman was also asked what he would say to those who believe that none of this needs to be happening at all. "It is necessary to do something," the Commissioner responded. "They are aging [and] we have EPA rules that are going to be adopted soon." In light of the various choices the City would have under those rules, Saltzman said that burial is considered to be the most cost-effective, safest option.
"Much of the concern," Saltzman added, "came from not knowing what was going on top." And this design, he said, "speaks to those concerns."
Which brings us back to my headline here. While I continue to have deep reservations about the necessity, costs, and process of the City's open reservoir replacement project, from the standpoint of design and aesthetics, this was the right choice of design concept.
But beyond that, I do think it likely that this particular choice will also serve to undercut much of the public criticism of the project. With a clearly-defined concept now chosen for "what goes on top," burial opponents are going to lose some of their momentum and sway with the public.
Since process arguments don't seem to be moving people as much as they perhaps should, that leaves the issues of cost. Certainly, the controversy over the project's costs often tends to have the most resonance with the public. But now that people can see the visible part of what they will be getting for their money, I think it's safe to predict that opposition to the project as a whole -- rightly or wrongly -- will be curtailed.
Update
For those curious about the impact of the design upon current uses of Mt. Tabor Park, it might interest you to know that, when asked about the various roads and trails visible in the design plans, Marcia West, the project manager, made specific reference to the "start of the soapbox derby track." And indeed, that particular road used by the annual adult soapbox derby remains as part of the park in the chosen design concept. So, just in case any derby racers were worried: Your course appears to remain in place.