Stop Bridgeport Village Relocation
Show your support by signing this petition now
It is my understanding the WCB is not just considering relocating the Portland Hearings Division, but is already seriously considering relocating it to the Cover Oregon offices in Bridgeport Village.
Consider the following points and if you agree sign this petition. Perhaps we can present this to Governor Kate Brown.
Centrality and (public) transportation
It essential that the Portland Hearings Division be centrally located so that it is as accessible as possible for injured workers, employers and other witnesses. Centrality is also important for the judges, judicial
assistants, and attorneys, as well, but less vital than it is for those we serve.
Metro's public transportation system (MAX and busses) is laid out in a hub-and-spoke design with downtown Portland as the basic hub with spokes leading outwards. This is most efficient when the trip
is to and from the central hub. However, it becomes very inefficient, especially in terms of travel time, when a trip requires a person to go from end of one spoke to the end of another spoke, such as having to take the MAX from Hillsboro to downtown Portland, and then having to take a bus another 15 miles south.
Centrality is just as important for those use other means of transportation, since the same hub-and-spoke
principle applies just as much for those who commute by bicycle or even by car. For example, there are plenty of bicycle commuter lanes right around the current Portland Hearings Division, which is also conveniently near the intersection of 1-84 and 1-405, as well the major Portland arterials, such as
Burnside and MLK Boulevard.
With these points in mind, I would be very concerned that relocating the Portland Hearings Division to the Bridgeport Village will simply transfer the additional transportation cost, both in terms of time and
money, to our clients, many of whom are at or below the poverty line. Any relocation should be centrally located fairly close to the downtown area and accessible to public transportation. Otherwise, many injured workers will simply end up plugging their gas tanks instead of parking meters or Max
tickets.
Parking
The problem is not finding parking around 800 Oregon Street, instead it's the cost, at least for my poorer clients who don't have $10 dollars, which what the maximum daily cost is to park at the Liberty Centre parking structure. For example, sometimes I walk from my office to the hearings division, but other
times I end up driving, either because I have voluminous files or because I'm accompanying my client from my office to the hearings division and one car is more efficient than two. Yet even with the ongoing construction, I've always been able to find parking space quickly. There are almost always at
least a few open spots on the street, which is actually much better than downtown Portland where there are rarely open spots on the street and private parking structures charge even more than the Liberty Centre.
In short, we should not solve a perceived parking problem by creating a real commuting problem.
"Locatability"
In my experience, the fact that the hearings division is in the Oregon building means that people know where to find it easily, often because they are already familiar with the other state services in the building, such as BOLL If relocated away from central Portland, we should all expect there will be many
more incidences where an injured worker or witness gets lost, or ends up stuck in traffic and that more hearings will be delayed or postponed because of this. Most people already know the building with dome on the top.
Political considerations
The area around the current location has a nicely diverse population. I would be concerned that the Bridgeport Village would send the message that the Board is not sufficiently concerned about either diversity or serving the needs of injured workers and employers. Another political consideration is
climate change. Relocating the hearings division away from central Portland would mean that many of our colleagues who commute by bicycle would be required to drive instead, at least much more often than currently. Furthermore, some of our colleagues have voiced concern that moving the hearings division too far would run afoul of ORS 656.283 ( 4)(a).
Lead time and proximity
One of the survey questions was about the importance of proximity to the attorneys' offices. For me, it is an important consideration and is, in fact, the overwhelming reason I decided to open my office so close to the hearings division, rather than downtown where I had been in my first decade of practice. However, just last month, I renewed the lease for another 3 years. I would hope that any decision to relocate, even if just within the central Portland area, is announced with enough lead time so that many
of us would at least have the option of relocating as well.
Thank you for listening to our concerns. I remain at your disposition for any questions you may have.
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