What's A Governor To Do?

One the one hand, Kulongoski subordinate Adjutant General Raymond Rees has a myriad of convincing, unassailable political, military and economic arguments as well as strong local citizen support (see excellent letter below signature from the North Portland Business Association) for the Oregon National Guard's interest in owning and occupying the recently decommissioned Shraff Army Reserve Center.

On the other hand, Kulongoski subordinate Oregon Department of Human Services Director Bruce Goldberg, who has demonstrably supported the discredited and abhorrent public housing policy of unlimited neighborhood concentration of public housing, would welcome an opportunity to endorse the five acres of the Shraff Army Reserve Center as more public housing in a neighborhood with the highest total number and the second highest percentage of public housing clients in the state of Oregon. 

If you were the governor, from whom would you take advice on this matter?

The Portsmouth Neighborhood Association has arranged for one of its members, Richard Ellmyer, to coordinate and moderate a public meeting for all citizens of Multnomah county on Wednesday February 21 from 6-9 PM at the Historic Kenton Firehouse in North Portland, 2209 N. Schofield, to discuss public housing policy in Multnomah county including the disposition of the Shraff Army Reserve Center. (see agenda below signature.) Governor Kulongoski declined an invitation to speak on behalf of the Oregon National Guard to those neighbors, citizens and businesses that will be most affected by his decision. A staff advisor, Danny Santos, says that the governor does support the Guard's request for the Sharff ARC but is unwilling to say so publicly. Huh?

Apparently Ted Kulongoski is afraid that public support for the Oregon National Guard might be interpreted by some as being against homeless housing. Total nonsense. The reasons why the Oregon National Guard should own and occupy the Sharff ARC are clearly and persuasively outlined in the letter of support by the North Portland Business Association. The winning public policy statement for the governor is to say that he not only supports the Oregon National Guard's need for the facilities at the Sharff ARC, he also supports a public housing policy of equitable distribution not unlimited neighborhood concentration of public housing clients. The governor will find that there is overwhelming public support for both of these policies and that it is in his and the public interest to publicly endorse both of them.

Ted, you need to speak out now in support of the Oregon National Guard so that we can immediately press this issue upon Oregon's congressional delegation for their public support of the Oregon National Guard's need for the facilities at the Sharff ARC and their public support for a public housing policy of equitable distribution not unlimited neighborhood concentration of public housing clients.


Richard Ellmyer
Community leader coordinating a local effort to bring the Oregon National Guard to the Sharff Army Reserve Center
Community activist leading the campaign to Stop The Portland Hope Meadows Corporation From Adding To The Overload Of Public Housing Clients In The Portsmouth Neighborhood And North Portland
3-6-9 Resolution author and project champion
Writer/Publisher - HAP Watcher commentary - Published on the Internet and distributed to 13,000 readers interested in public housing policy in Multnomah County.
http://www.goodgrowthnw.org
President, MacSolutions Inc. - A Macintosh computer consulting business providing web hosting for artists and very small businesses. Located in Portsmouth, the neighborhood with the second highest concentration of public housing clients, 18% and rising, within HAP's Multnomah county jurisdiction of 117 neighborhoods.

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2-8-07

Dear Governor Kulongoski et. al.:
The North Portland Business Association supports the Oregon National Guard's request to own and occupy the recently decommissioned Sharff Army Reserve Center in North Portland. The arguments in favor of this decision are as follows:

1. Oregon National Guard ownership of these facilities will sustain the historical use of property that the Reserve Component of the Army has been a continual tenant since the 1950's.

2. The Oregon National Guard can move into these facilities "as is" and take advantage of existing weapons storage vaults, intrusion detection systems, storage areas, maintenance facilities, and administrative areas that have been designed and constructed to meet the Army's needs.

3. The multimillion dollar refurbishment that was done to the primary facility in 2003-2004 brings the facility to a "Green" status per the Army's Installation Status Report (ISR) standards. This is to say that the facility complies with Army standards and is in overall good condition. These improvements were accomplished with 100% federal funding from the Department of Defense Military Construction budget.

4. The Oregon National Guard soldiers that would move into this facility would be coming from facilities that have been coded "Red" by the same Army ISR standards. This is to say that the facilities are dysfunctional and in overall poor condition by Army definition. The old facilities that would be vacated by the Oregon National Guard, would save state budget dollars for infrastructure operations, maintenance, and repair.

5. Some of the National Guard soldiers in our state still assemble and train in an armory that was constructed in 1911 and a large part of their facility inventory was constructed in the 1950's. Oregon National Guard ownership of Sharff Hall would provide an opportunity for the National Guard to permanently save millions of dollars in state funded deferred maintenance projects in other outdated facilities.

6. The Oregon National Guard has three similar maintenance buildings in the Portland area as to that which is located behind the primary facility at Sharff Hall. The ONG maintenance facilities in the Portland area vary in age from the mid 1950's to the early 1970's and are all coded as not meeting Army standards and dysfunctional per the Army's ISR report. The multimillion dollar maintenance facility at Sharff Hall was constructed in 2003 and can easily accommodate the mission of one of these outdated ONG facilities, again reducing the National Guard's back-log of maintenance and repair projects.

In addition, the Oregon National Guard has sent large numbers of our fellow Oregonians into harm's way in far away places. Many of whom did not and will not return. NPBA recognizes the debt to our fellow Oregonians who serve in the Oregon National Guard and our responsibility to help provide them with the best facilities to do their job.

The North Portland Business Association opposes the Army Reserve's prioritization of the Sharff Army Reserve Center for homeless public housing. The Sharff ARC is located in the Portsmouth neighborhood of North Portland. Portsmouth has the highest total number and the second highest percentage of public housing clients of all the 117 neighborhoods in Multnomah county. Any use of the Sharff ARC for public housing advances and gives unwarranted credibility to the long discredited and abhorrent public housing policy of unlimited concentration of public housing clients in any neighborhood in Multnomah county. The NPBA supports equitable distribution of public housing and unequivocally opposes a public policy of unlimited neighborhood concentration of public housing.

Portland Planning Bureau staff research revealed during the St. Johns/Lombard Plan process that a high concentration of low income residents in the survey area produced a demographic which discouraged certain businesses from locating in the area. Neighborhoods without sufficient buying power discourage potential middle class business development. The NPBA strongly supports equitable distribution of mixed income families for the neighborhoods that it serves.


Sincerely,
Steve Weir
President, North Portland Business Association