Two dozen supporters of the Willamette Science and Technology Center spoke out Monday night at City Hall against the Autzen Stadium transportation plan, which proposes to place a bus transit station on a WISTEC parking lot.
WISTEC makes about a third of its annual income selling passes to fans who park on its lot for game days. Officials fear the non-profit museum would lose about a third of that revenue, totaling $26,000, if the transit station is placed on the lot. The area under contention is southwest of the stadium on Leo Harris Parkway.
The proposed transit station is a part of the University’s plan to provide alternative transportation to the stadium in lieu of supplying the 1,375 parking places the city requires for the stadium expansion, which would allow 12,100 more fans to attend games.
City Council will vote Oct. 23 on the transportation plan. If the council votes down the plan, the University will have to draft another one or provide the additional parking places before getting the go-ahead on the stadium expansion.
University administrators say the city-owned lot by the museum is the ideal place for a transfer station, but WISTEC officials say the University should put the station on University property.
“Since WISTEC operates without state or city funding, the loss of this revenue would mean sudden death,” said Charles Christensen, a WISTEC board member. “Another door would be closed to children.”
The University has offered WISTEC $220,000 to make up for lost parking revenue, Dan Williams, vice president for University administration, said Monday night.
That figure is intended to include the money the museum would make over the next seven years by selling passes to the 200 lots the transit station would cover.
“This offer seems reasonable, fair and generous,” Williams said.
But WISTEC Executive Director Meg Trendler said the museum rejected that offer because the dollar amount was too low and covered revenue the museum would make only until 2007, when the University’s contract with the city over the use of that lot expires.
“It’s my understanding that if they build the transit center here, it’ll be here for more than seven years, and we intend to be here after seven years,” Trendler said.
Most speakers Monday night voiced support for WISTEC and said the transportation plan would cause the museum to close.
“I don’t want WISTEC to close because I’ve been meaning to go there, and if you close it, I won’t be able to go there,” five-year-old Max Chalmers said. “WISTEC rules.”