clarinews@clarinet.com (01/12/90)
PORTLAND, Ore. (UPI) -- Metro executive director Rena Cusma says she plans to seek money to build a new stadium and sports arena in the Portland area. She said Thursday a new complex is needed if Portland expects to keep the Trail Blazers in town. It's not a question of whether the Blazers will move, but when they will move, the director added. She said the only way to keep the Blazers in Portland is to build an arena bigger than Memorial Coliseum, which is the second smallest facility in the National Basketball Association. ``I believe that Portland is a great sports town, and that no sports franchise will seriously consider locating here without getting some kind of commitment from the region to build a stadium,'' she said. The idea of a sports complex has been kicked around for several years, but the proposal took a back seat to the new Oregon Convention Center, which is set to open this fall. It's time to revive those old discussions, Cusma said. The director, who is up for re-election this year, said she will ask the Metro council to include money in the agency's 1990-91 budget for site identification, funding methods, and preliminary engineering for a new facility. Cusma's press aide, Dave Kanner, said that money could come from $250,000 that will be left over from convention center construction. Metro and the city of Portland recently signed an agreement giving Metro the authority to operate all the city-owned visitor and spectator facilities, including the coliseum, Civic Stadium and the Performing Arts Center. Cusma has talked before about supporting the idea of a domed stadium in Clackamas County, but this is the first time she has promised money for such a project.