Dear advocates and neighbors,
I’m writing to share a difficult update on Columbia Pool.
After extensive efforts to identify a viable path forward, Portland Parks & Recreation has informed my office that they are moving ahead with demolition of the Columbia Pool building. At this point, I do not have additional tools available to stop that decision.
I want to start by thanking you. Your advocacy has been consistent, organized, and deeply rooted in care for North Portland families. You elevated Columbia Pool as a place of memory and community connection. You made the case on climate resilience, safety, and equity. Your work is the reason this conversation continued as long as it did, and why we were able to push on and explore every possible option.
Last year, at the request of myself and my District 2 colleagues, the Mayor granted a one-year pause on demolition to give us time to explore alternatives. The Parks Bureau cautioned us that a pause would come with real costs, with measures like dehumidification and weatherproofing requiring significant resources while the facility remained closed. We asked them to consider covering those costs from funds that were set aside for demolition to give us, as a new Council, time to work with you to find a path forward. In total, more than $600,000 was spent to preserve the structure during this period.
Since that pause, I have focused on identifying a realistic path to reopening Columbia Pool. The City commissioned a comprehensive study to assess options and their true costs. That work outlined three potential approaches, from minimal repairs to full replacement. Even the most cost-effective option, to reopen the pool temporarily as a seasonal outdoor facility, carried a cost of more than $9 million.
This did not deter me, and I pursued every avenue available to me as a Councilor. I made Columbia Pool a top policy priority. I introduced a budget amendment to dedicate $5 million toward renovations. That proposal, regrettably, did not receive Council support. I also worked to identify potential private and philanthropic partners who could help bridge the remaining cost, but despite conversations with many potential partners, we were not able to secure commitments at the scale required. Thank you, again, for standing alongside me in both of these efforts.
In the end, I was not able to assemble a path forward that could deliver the funding needed to reopen this facility. I know that this is going to have long-term impacts, both on the immediate neighborhood and the broader North Portland community, and for this I am deeply sorry.
I also want to acknowledge a broader truth. The condition of Columbia Pool is the result of years of deferred maintenance and decisions about how we invest in public assets. While these decisions were made before my time, I’d hoped we could reverse them. Portland Parks & Recreation currently faces a systemwide maintenance backlog of roughly $759 million. That backlog directly affected our ability to secure funds for this pool. Without sustainable funding, we will continue to face situations like this – situations where the cost of saving a community space becomes greater than our ability to act in time.
It is the responsibility of elected officials to properly invest in our City’s infrastructure before we reach a crisis point, and while it will take time to dig out of the backlog, and it will be too late for the Columbia Pool, I want you to know that I will not shrink from this responsibility.
As a mom and as a community member, this outcome is deeply disappointing. I know how important this space is – for families, for kids, and for the whole community in North Portland. In fact, I know that we need more pools to meet community demand, a demand that will only grow.
While I no longer have the ability to prevent demolition, I am continuing to engage with Parks regarding what comes next. I have asked for clear communication about timeline, process, and robust community awareness as demolition moves forward. As the advocates who have been closest to this work, I want to make sure you have the information you need to respond to your communities. And, if you have requests for the bureau for how this demolition moves forward, I want to make sure you have the time and space to ask.
I also remain committed to ensuring we do better moving forward: addressing deferred maintenance earlier, improving how we plan for major capital needs, and fighting for the kind of financial stability that allows us to preserve the spaces our communities depend on. I’m truly sorry that I was too late on this one.
Thank you again for your advocacy, your persistence, and your care for our community. My office remains available to you, and I will continue to be a partner as we navigate what comes next.
In solidarity, Councilor Elana Pirtle-Guiney