04-04-2025
Community centers at risk of closure ‘the life blood' for Portlanders
PORTLAND, Ore. () — People were fired up over the topic of the possible during a listening session on Thursday night amid the City of Portland's $93 million budget shortfall.
The was held at Portland Community College Cascade campus in North Portland. It was scheduled to take place in the Moriarty Auditorium. However, so many people poured in that they occupied four overflow rooms.
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The , Montavilla and Peninsula Park community centers are all being considered for the chopping block as members of the public ask city leaders to find cuts elsewhere.
'I want city councilors to know community centers are the life blood of these communities, that that is where people go,' said Ben Meyer-Crosby, the vice chair of the Piedmont Neighborhood Association. 'The couple million dollars that the rec centers take from these budgets is so small compared to other things in the city and it provides such a huge impact for such a small — really — amount of money, the city can put into making sure our community stays together.'
The city-wide sports office of Portland Parks and Recreation may be cut.
'My boys want to keep playing,' said Jeff Bayer, a volunteer coach with Goldenball Youth Basketball. 'Let us compete, reduce the sports office budget if you have to but don't destroy the program.'
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KOIN 6 News asked Portland City Council President Elana Pirtle-Guiney to comment on the community members' concerns about the budget.
'We have a lot of tough decisions ahead for us,' she said. 'Certainly there are other cuts we could make, certainly there have been conversations to raise revenue, and those are all other conversations that are before us still at this point.'
Thursday night was the last budget listening session the city held. As for next steps, Mayor Keith Wilson is going to release his proposed budget, and then councilors will make their adjustments before they release a final budget in June.
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