Milwaukie may not be able to pony up anything toward replacing the decrepit Sellwood Bridge, , but they've got big plans: they'll find a way to come up with $20 to $30 million (how's that for a ballpark estimate?) to build a baseball stadium along relatively un-used McLoughlin Boulevard for a single-A team. And hey! It'll be a public/private partnership! Gotta love that!
City officials say converting the property to a ballpark would stimulate the local economy by bringing thousands of people into Milwaukie for 38 home games a year. "What the town lacks is people coming in and putting their dollars in businesses," Councilman Dave Hedges said.
Sure hope their single-A team doesn't drive traffic away from the Little League and girls' softball league championchips held at Alpenrose Dairy.
And looks like it will have access to loot, uh, light rail too! I am sure Milwaukie will see several billion, hell, trillion dollars in economic benefits from these two extremely wise and far-sighted projects.
Posted by: metro_sucks | July 31, 2011 at 03:46 PM
The gang-bangers should have a field day!
Posted by: Max | July 31, 2011 at 04:35 PM
There is no limit to number of ways planners can figure out how to spend other people's money. If these experts actually knew how to make money and add prosperity they wouldn't be sitting around thinking of how to control other people and their money.
Posted by: Bobkat | July 31, 2011 at 11:31 PM
Well, come on now, it's their JOB to find ways to spend OPM.
Posted by: Sam L. | August 01, 2011 at 07:51 AM
Let's see...$1.2 billion for seven miles of light rail? Check.
Another $20 million or, what the heck, maybe $30 million for a baseball stadium with a capacity of a whopping 4,000 people?
Posted by: Max | August 01, 2011 at 07:13 PM