Port of Portland/Pacific Retirement Systems/Gas Tax

The state of Oregon just completed a study showing which funding measures would work best to raise money for road improvements.

Port Reclaims Old Landfill Site

Portland A reclaimed landfill site is home to local wildlife, thanks to a collaboration with Metro, Oregon State University and the Division of State Lands.

The Port of Portland delivered over 8,000 cu yds of clean sand from West Hayden Island to cover a five-acre site at St. Johns Landfill. The Dredge Oregon crew provided the site planning, equipment and labor. An average depth of nine inches makes for ideal nesting grounds for streaked horned larks, a species defined as “critically sensitive” by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. The habitat, which is within the bird species’ native range, will be maintained in perpetuity on the landfill.

Construction on the site began this summer and will continue through summer 2008. While no mitigation was required for the development, the Port saw an opportunity to promote the survival of this species within the Portland metropolitan area.

Senior Living Developer To Expand Services

Medford - Pacific Retirement Services, Inc. (PRS), is expanding its business to serve seniors throughout the United States. PRS also announced it opened a brand-new corporate office in Memphis, Tennessee. Its most recent Portland project, the Mirabella recently received an award from the AIA.

The 30-story architecture of Mirabella Portland is designed to optimize views of Mt. Hood, the Willamette River, and the Portland skyline,” says Brian McLemore, Executive Vice President of Development and Marketing for PRS. Mirabella Portland is expected to open in 2010 in the River Blocks area of South Waterfront.

Oregon Looking for Ways To Fund Road Projects

Salem - After a one-year pilot program conducted in the Portland area with more than 280 volunteers, the Oregon Department of Transportation reports that a mileage fee could feasibly replace the gas tax as the principal revenue source for road funding. The experimental program, which ran from April 2006 through March 2007, found that all of the major areas of concern could be properly addressed, including the requirement that the program be as seamless as possible for consumers. At the conclusion of the pilot, some 91 percent of the participants said they would agree to continue paying the mileage fee in lieu of the gas tax if the program were implemented statewide.

In 2001, the Oregon Legislature established a Road User Fee Task Force to research revenue collection options for Oregon roads. Oregon’s gas tax hasn’t been raised since 1993 and is not indexed to inflation. Over the years, it has lost much of its buying power. After considering 28 different funding ideas, the task force recommended that ODOT conduct a pilot program to study the concept of a mileage fee.

The final report shows that a mileage fee could be phased in gradually, alongside the gas tax, and that it could work with other systems already in place. The findings also show that congestion pricing could be implemented (where different pricing zones are applied, based on congested areas and rush hours) and, at the same time, privacy can be protected (specific travel data is not stored or transmitted). Finally, the pilot shows that there would be a minimal burden placed on businesses to conform to the program, that the potential for evasion is minimal, and that costs for implementing and administering the program would be low.