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Coordinates: 45°37′34″N 122°45′25″W / 45.626°N 122.757°W / 45.626; -122.757
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In October of 2019, Schnitzer announced that the plans to convert the facility into a community wellness center to serve the local homeless population had fallen flat. He cited low funding for renovation and a lack of support from elected officials and homeless advocacy organizations in drawing this conclusion. As such, he said, the facility would likely be demolished by the end of 2019.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.portlandmercury.com/blogtown/2019/10/11/27287641/developer-jordan-schnitzer-admits-wapato-jail-will-probably-be-demolished-by-2020|title=Developer Jordan Schnitzer Admits Wapato Jail Will (Probably) Be Demolished by 2020|date=October 11, 2019|first=Alex|last=Zielinski|work=[[Portland Mercury]]|accessdate=October 15, 2019}}</ref>
In October of 2019, Schnitzer announced that the plans to convert the facility into a community wellness center to serve the local homeless population had fallen flat. He cited low funding for renovation and a lack of support from elected officials and homeless advocacy organizations in drawing this conclusion. As such, he said, the facility would likely be demolished by the end of 2019.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.portlandmercury.com/blogtown/2019/10/11/27287641/developer-jordan-schnitzer-admits-wapato-jail-will-probably-be-demolished-by-2020|title=Developer Jordan Schnitzer Admits Wapato Jail Will (Probably) Be Demolished by 2020|date=October 11, 2019|first=Alex|last=Zielinski|work=[[Portland Mercury]]|accessdate=October 15, 2019}}</ref>

<br /><gallery widths="220">
File:Inside Wapato Jail.jpg|Inside the facility during a tour in December, 2019
File:Wapato security system.jpg|Alarm indicator panel
</gallery>


== External links ==
== External links ==

Revision as of 04:06, 1 January 2020

Wapato Corrections Facility
Wapato Corrections Facility is located in Oregon
Wapato Corrections Facility
Wapato Corrections Facility is located in the United States
Wapato Corrections Facility
LocationPortland, Oregon, U.S.
Coordinates45°37′34″N 122°45′25″W / 45.626°N 122.757°W / 45.626; -122.757
StatusClosed
Security classMinimum
Capacity510
Population0

Wapato Corrections Facility (also known as the Wapato Detention Facility,[1] and colloquially Wapato Jail) is a Multnomah County jail constructed in 2003 in the far corner of North Portland[2] by the Hoffman Construction Company.[3] The jail was funded in 1996 by a bond measure defined by Multnomah County Commissioners in Resolution 96-122,[4] and promoted by District Attorney Mike Schrunk and law enforcement as a response to Measure 11.

Budget limitations prevented the county from opening the facility and it has never housed an inmate, getting only incidental use such as for movie shoots. It has since become infamous, being featured by media such as CNN's Anderson Cooper.[5][6]

In November 2017 Multnomah County commissioners voted to sell Wapato to Kehoe Northwest Properties for $10.8 million.[7] On April 12th, 2018 a hearing was held to in which an alternative offer from Kehoe of $5 million dollars was approved.[8] The proceeds from the sale of Wapato were then marked to be used to create permanent housing.[9]

As of April 17, 2019 the property is owned by developer Jordan Schnitzer[10] and is estimated to have a value of $8.7 million.[8]

Proposed Repurposing

In 2015 a petition was created online to refit the facility to house the homeless[11] and in August 2016 Multnomah County Commissioner Loretta Smith also further supported the effort.[12] After the sale of the jail to Jordan Schnitzer he also received offers to convert Wapato to a homeless shelter and rejected them because of "cost and distance from other public services".

In April of 2019, a proposal was made by Kay Toran, who has been the president of Oregon Volunteers of America since 1999, to create a residential treatment program at the facility for adults experiencing addiction and mental health problems. The proposal received support from Schnitzer who called it "fabulous". Before the proposal, Schnitzer had considered using the site as a warehouse for one of his businesses, Harsch Investment Properties. Toran says that if the plan does not receive funding support in the next few years it would likely not be doable.[10]

In October of 2019, Schnitzer announced that the plans to convert the facility into a community wellness center to serve the local homeless population had fallen flat. He cited low funding for renovation and a lack of support from elected officials and homeless advocacy organizations in drawing this conclusion. As such, he said, the facility would likely be demolished by the end of 2019.[13]


  • Inside the facility during a tour in December, 2019
    Inside the facility during a tour in December, 2019
  • Alarm indicator panel
    Alarm indicator panel

References

  1. ^ "Wapato Detention Facility". Multnomah County. n.d. Retrieved 28 April 2019.
  2. ^ "Multnomah County Wapato Facility". Multnomah County. n.d. Retrieved 28 April 2019.
  3. ^ Scopel, Lee (December 14, 2001). "Construction moves forward on jail". Daily Journal of Commerce. Retrieved 21 May 2014.
  4. ^ "Resolution 96-122 1996/1997 Fund Structure" (PDF). Multnomah County. 11 July 1996.
  5. ^ Simon, Dan (March 24, 2006). "Jailbreak: $58 million prison sits empty". CNN. Retrieved 28 April 2019.
  6. ^ "New Election Poll Out; Defending the U.S.-Canada Border". CNN.com Transcripts. June 16, 2006.
  7. ^ "Multnomah County votes to sell Wapato Jail for $10.8M". Portland Business Journal. November 9, 2017. Retrieved 10 November 2017.
  8. ^ a b "Regular Board Meeting - Apr 12th, 2018". 12 April 2016. Retrieved 28 April 2019.
  9. ^ "Multnomah County sells Wapato Jail, proceeds go to permanent housing". Multnomah County. 19 April 2018. Retrieved 28 April 2019.
  10. ^ a b Peterson, Danny (17 April 2019). "Toran Offers a Plan for Wapato". The Portland Observer. Retrieved 28 April 2019.
  11. ^ Steele, Tim (28 December 2015). "County: Empty Wapato Jail no Place for Homeless". KOIN 6 News. Retrieved 28 April 2019.
  12. ^ Smitth, Loretta (25 August 2016). "Commissioner Loretta Smith wants Wapato open "today"". Portland Tribune. Archived from the original on 16 January 2016. {{cite web}}: |archive-date= / |archive-url= timestamp mismatch; 16 January 2017 suggested (help)
  13. ^ Zielinski, Alex (October 11, 2019). "Developer Jordan Schnitzer Admits Wapato Jail Will (Probably) Be Demolished by 2020". Portland Mercury. Retrieved October 15, 2019.


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