🪧 Charges for an anti-trans activist in Portland

The End of the Line for the Columbia Pool

This week, the city announced it will demolish North Portland’s indoor public pool. The Columbia Pool has been around for 100 years. It closed in 2020 during the pandemic, and never reopened. The building had been so badly maintained it was no longer safe. The mayor halted plans to demolish the pool last year, but now he hasn’t found a way to save it. [Oregonian / Willamette Week]

• A new indoor pool: A new indoor pool for North Portland is in the works, but construction isn’t scheduled to start till next year. [City of Portland]
• A failure on parks maintenance: Long before it closed, the Columbia Pool became a symbol of the systemic budget problem that had long haunted the city. The city gets funding from charges developers pay; that can be used for building projects. But officials haven't planned for maintaining the projects. [Willamette Week]
• Audit last year: Last year, the parks maintenance backlog cost was as high as $800 million. [Willamette Week]
• Parks levy didn’t fix the issue: Voters approved an increase in the parks levy last year, but that won’t go very far towards addressing the major backlog. [OPB]

Charges Against an Anti-Trans Protester

A right-wing activist known for his livestreams now faces charges for his involvement in an anti-trans protest outside The Sports Bra, a local women's sports bar. A warrant for Thomas Allen’s arrest was issued for charges of assault and harassment. He may also faces charges for violating his probation. [KOIN]

• Related: We covered the protest and counterprotest earlier this week on the podcast. [City Cast Portland 🎧]

Washington County Chair Resigns

Kathryn Harrington, Washington County's chair, resigned nearly a week after the public meeting where she flipped off political rival Nafisa Fai — the only person of color on the county commission. The Oregonian reports that Harrington "improved transparency and rigor of Washington County government” during her two terms as chair. [Oregonian]

Potential Criminal Investigation Related to PPS Contract

Portland Public Schools’ $61.5 million contract with the Texas-based firm Procedeo is coming under further scrutiny. Procedeo was retained last year to oversee construction funded by the district’s school bond. This week, Secretary of State Tobias Read referred the contract to the Department of Justice for criminal investigation, saying laws prohibiting public officials from using their position for financial gain may have been violated. The details are scarce at this point — it’s not clear exactly which public official is facing a criminal investigation. [Willamette Week]