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The Oregon Legislature passed a pair of bills Friday morning that allocate $15 million toward a massive aquatic center planned in North Portland.
Portland Parks & Recreation projects the cost for the center at $50 million. Last year, Commissioner Carmen Rubio pledged to set aside $11.7 million from parks system development charges to build the center in the coming years. The project seeks to fill a community pool desert in North Portland, a gap made wider in 2019 when the Columbia Pool closed because of unsafe infrastructure.
Rep. Travis Nelson (D-Portland) initially proposed allocating $33 million for the center. Negotiations landed at less than half of that, but Rubio maintains it’s a win.
“This project will give folks a place to come together for physical activity, community involvement, keeping young people out of trouble and to teach our youth valuable skills,” Nelson said in a statement.
Nike officials sent a letter to the Joint Ways and Means Subcommittee on Capital Construction, urging legislators to provide the full $33 million funding.
“The North Portland Aquatic Center Project is aligned with our support of organizations that work to remove cultural, social and economic barriers to deliver accessible, safe and positive play experiences—with the goal of creating active and inclusive communities,” wrote Melissa Vaillancourt, senior director of North America government and public affairs for Nike, on Feb. 22. “We believe in a world where equal opportunity exists on and off the field of play, and Portland Parks & Recreation is a critical partner in creating equitable and inclusive access to play in our local community.”
Portland Public Schools also lobbied for the proposal, noting that George Middle School and Roosevelt High School swim teams don’t have an appropriate pool to practice in.
“North Portland is home to our most diverse student population, and many students do not have access to either private facilities or transportation to regularly travel the long distances that would be required to reach competitive-level swim facilities,” wrote Marshall Haskins, senior director of athletics for the district, on Feb. 17.
That leaves the project just over $23 million short before work can commence, funding that Rubio says she’ll actively search for.
Three sites have been tagged as possible locations for the future aquatic center: the Charles Jordan Community Center, Columbia Park, and Columbia Annex.
This article was published with support from the Jackson Foundation, whose mission is: “To promote the welfare of the public of the City of Portland or the State of Oregon, or both.”