A supplied rendering of the Albina Sports Complex, a large youth sports facility proposed to be constructed at the site of the former Whitaker Middle School in Northeast Portland, by the Albina Sports Program. The nonprofit program is led by PPS school board chair Gary Hollands.
Courtesy of Albina Sports Program
On a split vote, elected leaders of Portland Public Schools agreed to explore partnering with a nonprofit group to build a sports complex on the now-vacant Whitaker Middle School site.
The school board voted four to two with one abstention Tuesday night to direct the superintendent to research leasing the Northeast Portland property — which has been vacant for more than two decades — to the Albina Sports Program. The nonprofit would like to build a multi-use sports complex on the 10-acre site in the historically Black neighborhood.
The lone abstention on the vote was from school board chair Gary Hollands, who introduced the proposal. When the plan first became public there were questions raised about potential conflicts of interest involving Hollands who is the executive director of Albina Sports Program — the nonprofit involved. Hollands attempted to address those concerns by removing himself from considering the proposal as a board member.
Multiple proposals have been put forth over the years for the land, such as a city-sanctioned village for people experiencing homelessness. But ultimately the board would like to see it turned into a sports facility to help ease the district’s crunch of sports facilities. Several board members who have had children in PPS shared personal stories of student-athletes having to practice at facilities across town, sometimes leaving class early for transportation, or being required to practice at odd times.
Still, some board members expressed unease at partnering with a private nonprofit group and want to ensure PPS students are the main users of the site.
Chair Gary Hollands of the Portland Public Schools’ Board of Education, at a school board meeting held at Portland Public Schools district offices, Sept. 19, 2023.
Kristyna Wentz-Graff / OPB
The proposal will direct Superintendent Guadalupe Guerrero to research leasing the site to the Albina Sports Program, where the chair of the school board — which supervises Guerrero — is the chief executive. Chair Hollands does not get paid for his role with the sports program, nor for his position on the school board.
“My involvement will be restricted to the Albina Sports Program ED (executive director) role solely during the negotiations for all articles of the resolution,” Hollands told the Board Tuesday night. “I hereby affirm my commitment to refrain from using my position as chair of the board or as a board member to exert any kind of influence upon my fellow board members or district personnel with regards to anything pertaining to the resolution.”
Board member Julia Brim-Edwards put forward an amendment restricting Hollands’ involvement, which passed unanimously. Another amendment from board member Michelle DePass laid out a set of guidelines and questions the board would need answers to before a lease agreement was signed. That amendment passed five-to-one. Hollands abstained from voting on both amendments.
The Albina Sports Program proposal could help alleviate a persistent PPS problem: not enough sports facilities for the number of student-athletes and teams in the district. The proposed complex promises to include a dozen basketball and volleyball courts, multiple tracks as well as baseball and soccer fields and four tennis courts.
The complex would also have space for retail shops and community gathering spaces, including facilities that could host state and national sporting events. In a PowerPoint presentation submitted to the board, the Albina Sports Program said the complex would be able to host youth sports teams in the city in the coming years and potentially help PPS expand sports offerings.
However, some board members said they wanted clarity on how the nonprofit would prioritize PPS students for use of the space before they would support a lease agreement. The two members who ultimately voted against the resolution, DePass and Patte Sullivan, said they did so in part because they want to keep the land in PPS control and for use by PPS students and staff.
While the resolution to consider a lease to the Albina Sports Program passed, it does not mean building the complex is inevitable.
“I want to make it clear that this resolution is just a starter for the conversation,” Hollands said to the board. “There are a lot of details that need to be hammered out, such as funding, operational aspects, how students will be prioritized, design process and a lot more and this resolution makes that process possible.”
