Friday, September 13, 2013

OSU-Cascades to rebrand as OSU-Pumice Pit

What a location for a 4-year university
Just when we thought it couldn't get worse with the siting of the future campus of OSU-Cascades, it does.

The "brain trust" at OSU-Cascades chose a former pumice mine, that is now an open pit, as the future bucolic location for a branch campus of Oregon State University.

For those who like to look down on higher education, you'll get your chance with OSU-Pumice Pit.

And, the cost for buying a pumice pit plus some other parcels?  About $13 million.

Gee, talk about throwing your public money down the drain, or a pit.

The pumice pit is essentially worthless land. No other entity, other than government, would ever pay a dime for such a pit.

And, the only place where the meager 56-acre campus could grow is north where a former dump still smolders and sinks. In other words, more worthless land.

It just goes to show how much has changed since Central Oregon Community College came into being on the west side of Awbrey Butte in the early 1960s.

Then, COCC President Don Pence worked with developer R.L. Coats to donate about a 100 acres of prime real estate for the good of the community then and for future generations. It's where OSU-Cascades currently resides on nearly 150 acres.

Today, the former pumice pit owners are only concerned about how much money they can extract from the public coffers. It's not about what's good for the greatest number, it's all about what's good for the private entities' bottom line.

This is indicative of what's wrong with this country. Let's rip off taxpayers!

How pathetic.

Meanwhile, the city of Bend spent millions developing Juniper Ridge on Bend's north end with the hopes of attracting a "world class" research university.

Well, OSU-Cascades would rather spend millions on a pumice pit than millions on infrastructure at Juniper Ridge where the land would've almost been given to the future branch campus.

Obviously, with a decision as bad as this, it doesn't seem that a degree from OSU-Cascades is worth the paper it's written on.

2 comments:

  1. So OSU buying a parcel of land from a private party is a rip off to taxpayers but the $20 Million the taxpayers lost getting the first two businesses to build at JR is OK? Les Schwab and Suterra bought that land for a fraction of the cost to the taxpayers spent get it shovel ready.

    Are you drinking when you come up with this nonsense?

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  2. Come on Ray, we're(both of us)waiting for your next gun control rant. I'm guessing you're gonna take it all the way to dumbfuckistan and back on this one.

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