An idea that should just be forgotten (03/03/08)

Brainstorming - kicking around ideas - is always a good thing.

But that doesn't mean every idea tossed out is a good one.

Some of them ought to be walked away from as quickly as possible.

That's the case with the notion - which popped up a couple of weeks ago - that Portland's Street and Parks Department relocate to a "spec" building on county road 100 North in the former XPLEX park.

If this sounds vaguely familiar, it ought to.

Not too many years ago, another "spec" building was converted to the city's new fire station. When that happened, any potential for economic development and job growth that the "spec" building might provide evaporated.

Today, when it comes to sites that can be marketed to potential new industries, Portland doesn't have much.

The Portland Economic Development Corporation owns some land near Tyson, most of the land that had been leased by XPLEX, and the "spec" building that XPLEX had been leasing and improving.

By taking the "spec" building out of play and letting government gobble it up, the community would vastly reduce its opportunities for growth.

That's what happened when the fire station deal was pushed through. Companies that might have moved into the building that had once housed Moser Engineering and later was home to Qualtech Tool looked elsewhere and located elsewhere.

Are there space problems for the street and parks department?

Maybe.

But there are already plans on the table for a facility at Hudson Family Park that would address that need.

And that facility would have the advantage of actually being located within a city park, not at the outskirts of town.

In a brainstorming session, there's no harm in tossing out an idea.

But after a moment's consideration, that's exactly what should be done with this one: Toss it out. - J.R.[[In-content Ad]]