A bit of a rant...

It's been a while, my apologies. The best I can say is it hasn't gotten any easier to be a grad student. Too many commitments, projects, papers, programs, lectures... you get the idea.

I am in the process of writing the literature review for my research on Civic, a combination of research that is convoluted at best. I have looked at sustainability, downtown development, green urbanism, other stadiums (both extant and long gone), and municipal plans for the restoration of historic schools and public facilities. All of this information has mushed together in my head to form a dense cake of ideas and hopeful wishes for the future.

I am sure that there is a solid solution for the preservation of the stadium - heck, I could list 3 viable, financially solid, culturally stimulating suggestions here and now. The problem I am facing is not with finding a system that will work, but employing the support from the public to make it happen.

Only YOU can save Civic Stadium!

Why am I saying this? Because I learned a valuable lesson this month. I have been reading the University of Oregon school paper, The Oregon Daily Emerald, and have noticed a trend in recent articles. Comments on the new baseball stadium being financially insoluble, the new basketball arena unable to yield a profit, the Rec Center is in debt... One article actually proposed an ostrich approach - bury our heads in the sand and find a solution in 10 - 15 years when it becomes a real problem.

Okay - I'm not a financial expert by any means, but something ain't right here. If I were to approach any bank in America and say "I have this great design for a new So-and-So and if we build it it will cost $100 million dollars, and will not turn a profit ever because we can not make the numbers pencil" I'd be laughed out of the office fast than you can say financial feasibility.

Here I am working like mad to find a viable, valuable solution in which not only the cultural and built heritage can benefit but also the financial outlook of Eugene, and I could have just said "Awww, we'll worry about that pesky financial business later."

Okay, in all sincerity I find this to be shameful. By creating a falsely inflated financial market that a city can in no way support, you are not doing anybody any favors. When you are doing it at the sacrifice of heritage, culture, and untapped, TRUE financial potential... I just don't know how anyone can justify that.

So, I continue to struggle with finding REAL solutions for the future of Civic Stadium that does not burden the tax payer, the city, or the future of Eugene financially. My solution, I hope, will do just the opposite - benefit the people, the local economy, and the cultural heritage of our built environment.

It's wacky, I know, but it's the best I can do.