Roy Jay: New County Court House Long Overdue

Monday, January 05, 2015

Roy Jay, GoLocalPDX MINDSETTER™

Multnomah County Courthouse, via Wikimedia Commons

It’s like taking a step back into the Twilight Zone… each time you walk into the old and crumbling Multnomah County Court House. The county has done a “so so” job of trying to keep the building functioning and serving the public and legal needs, but now is the time for a big upgrade and change.

Not enough room for judges or staff to fully function is a day to day challenge. Just recently, one of the elevators went on the fritz and people were trekking the stairs like they were in the Olympics.

High fives to the Multnomah County Commissioners for taking a bold and swift action to approve the site on Southwest 2nd Street near the Hawthorne Bridge. It’s ideal and with close proximity of the companion legal agencies such as police, federal, city hall and others. The commissioners took decisive action similar to their position on the Sellwood Bridge. Although there was lengthy opposing testimony, at the end of the day we have to realize that affirmative vote on the site is in the best interest of the overall public. For the current tenants near the property, it would seem appropriate for Portland Development Commission to open up their checkbook to help with a reasonable relocation if the VQ qualifies for assistance.

Disaster Waiting To Happen

The current county court house has outlived its warranty. In the basement, one will notice crumbling pieces of foundation and concrete. Some of the walls appear to be in worse condition than those that were in the Shawshank Redemption. The building does not meet seismic conditions so basically “the big one” would take out a few floors.

A new facility will be able to keep up with the growing public demands. Here’s the score card over the past several decades:

New Justice Center / Police Headquarters
Federal Court House
Portland City Hall complete upgrade
Edith Green Federal Building

Let’s hope that construction moves swiftly as the county has done with the Sellwood Bridge project. At the same time, let’s keep Oregonians working by providing a significant amount of jobs for skilled tradesmen and women as well as those small subcontractors that never have an opportunity to be included at the big table.

Roy Jay is a businessman with a footprint from coast to coast and beyond. He has been ranked as one of the most intriguing people in Oregon politics, yet he does not hold office. Learn more at: RoyJay.com