Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon

Take the Blue Train

Photos and story by Dana Haynes

Progress is happening at the first two new facilities being paid for by the voter-approved 2008 bond measure.

In Washington County, there’s the Willow Creek Center, a one-stop shop for the unemployed and underemployed. And in the heart of downtown Portland there’s the historic building at the corner of Southwest Second and Yamhill, formerly known as the Willamette Building and the previous home of the University of Oregon’s “Duck Store.”

And stretched between them? TriMet’s Blue line for the MAX rapid transit system.

The downtown building will become the home for PCC operations such as Human Resources, Community Education and Affirmative Action, among others. PCC purchased the building from the Oregon University System last year in hopes of moving these programs off of campuses, thus freeing up space for more badly needed classrooms and labs.

“It’s basically on schedule and moving along. It’s taking form rather nicely,” said Grant Bennett, PCC managing architect.

Downtown project manager Gary Sutton agreed. “This Project is going real well. We have a good, cohesive team out there. It’s on time and on budget.”

Linda Degman, associate director of the bond program, said both programs are on track to open this school year. Willow Creek, at 185th Avenue and Baseline Road, was scheduled to open this winter. The downtown building is slated to open by the end of December with staff moving there in January.

Both sites were selected due to their proximity to light rail. It’s all part of the college’s commitment to sustainability. Both the new building in Washington County and the remodeled building in downtown Portland are meeting the highest standards for sustainability and energy efficiency.

“It’s going well,” Degmen said of the projects.

These two buildings are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to PCC and bond-related projects. Land is being sought in Newberg for an education center. And all three main campuses, plus the Southeast Center, will see construction projects eventually.

“When will construction start (on campuses)? Not for a while,” Degman said. “It’ll probably be a good 12, 18 or 24 months on some of our campuses.”

Kristin Watkins, associate vice president for college advancement, said there’s good reason not to rush these projects. “We need to be sure that we’ve taken the time to thoughtfully plan for the academic and student needs of each campus,” she said. “We also need to provide opportunity for community involvement before moving to construction.”

The college also has hired a bond public involvement manager whose job it will be to, well, keep the public involved. Gina Whitehall-Baziuk started the job in September and is spending the next few months getting to know the stakeholders so that she can assure them the chance to make meaningful contributions to the projects. Whitehall-Baziuk formerly served as the manager of public involvement for the Metro Regional Council.

Plans are being finalized for grand openings for both Willow Creek and the Downtown Center building in 2010.