Cautious after an edgy open house, Metro councilors are pressing staff to look at the smartest ways to preserve and enhance golf and tennis at the agency's Glendoveer Golf Course in East Portland.
At a work session Tuesday, councilors talked about cost-effective ways of making improvements, including phasing replacement of the irrigation system, and the potential for partnerships with Portland Parks and Recreation to make the most of the facility's tennis center.
Metro is in the process of preparing for the next contract cycle at Glendoveer, hoping to make the most potential revenue for the agency while respecting the needs of the residents of the area. Glendoveer nets Metro $840,000 in revenue annually; the best-case scenario, presented to council July 19, had Metro's revenue from Glendoveer dropping to $565,000 annually.
At the end of the council table was a line graph showing a steep decline in the number of rounds of golf played at Glendoveer since Metro acquired the course in 1996, but the bigger backdrop was the Aug. 1 open house near the Glendoveer fitness trail parking area.
As many as 500 people attended the Aug. 1 open house, which was described by some attendees as angry and, at times, chaotic. Rumors abounded that Metro was considering putting low-income housing on the site. Attendees said epithets were hurled at staff and elected officials.
"We care about Glendoveer," said Councilor Barbara Roberts at an Aug. 2 work session. "That message was almost impossible to get out."
Glendoveer supporters sent hundreds of emails and comment forms to the council, some highlighting the "working man's" nature of the facility and the variation in difficulty between the two 18-hole courses.
"It's nice to have a course that doesn't automatically intimidate those of us who are not even high-end amateur golfers," said Metro Council President Tom Hughes.
Two weeks later, Metro is handling the course with more caution, and the council is pushing for more partners to be involved in the project. Councilors also suggested a new look at the irrigation system replacement.
"If we can't make the changes that we need to increase revenues, we also can't make the changes we need that are expensive," said Councilor Carlotta Collette.
With the revenue issue looming – both for Metro and a potential operator – Councilor Shirley Craddick said that not doing anything at the course isn't an option.
As for the leaky tennis center, Craddick suggested a new facility could both address the needs of tennis players in East Portland and a need for a community gathering place in that part of the county – without taking away from the golf experience.
"What can Metro do for the east part of the Metro region?" Craddick said. "Is there another facility to add to Glendoveer that would enhance it?"
Roberts said she was struck by the passion of some of the tennis players who use Glendoveer.
"A lot of younger players… expressed concerns that they couldn't afford to belong to a tennis club," said the former governor, who began her political career representing East Portland. "This is the only place those players could get proficient at tennis."
The council wasn't unanimous in its support for a cautious approach to Glendoveer. Councilor Rex Burkholder continued to push for more dramatic changes to the facility, saying the feedback only represented course users, not the area as a whole.
He said he was bothered by racist and prejudiced comments on some of the forms, pointing to one person who wrote that "a park in the neighborhood would be overrun with many of our citizens from around 181st to 148th, it would bring in teenagers and drinking, noisy people."
"A park is a metaphor for 'those people,'" Burkholder said. "'Those people' from the east part of the region."
He said staff should be looking at missed opportunities for recreation.
"There's a big gap in East Portland for a community center. Is there an opportunity for a meeting space? A swimming pool? I don't know," Burkholder said. "We don't have the resources, that's for sure."
Burkholder's continued quest for a re-visioning didn't seem to get much traction from his peers on the council. But he did make headway in one area, urging staff to work with Portland Parks and Recreation and that department's E-205 initiative to see what that part of the region needs as far as park space is concerned.
"One of the reasons I would encourage speaking with the City of Portland is that they are considering a bond measure," Burkholder said. If the agency looks at a new tennis center, "I don't see us making the money to do a big capital investment and pay it back."