The mayor’s day laborer center group is meeting tonight for a “siting focus group” at the Jupiter hotel. It’s strictly invite only, although bizarrely, there was yet again a little confusion about whether or not I was going to be allowed in as a reporter, over which I lost my temper, briefly. Despite what you may think, that doesn’t actually happen very often—it’s the first time since I’ve been working for the Mercury. But you’d think after having Oregon Public Meetings law written about on our blog and even explicitly in our newspaper, the mayor’s office would stop trying to make decisions about “whether or not a meeting is public.” To clarify: All meetings involving the city are public unless council goes into “executive session,” which is basically reserved for terrorist attacks and things of that nature. If the mayor forms a committee, reporters are allowed to go to it. Even if they happen to be the only reporters showing up. It’s doubly frustrating to be told there’s “confusion” over whether you’ll be let in, when you’ve taken the extreme step of emailing the mayor’s office to clarify the issue 24 hours in advance. Anyway…COMMITTEE MEETING: More exciting than it looks…

The committee only has 60 days to agree on the criteria for the location of a center and pick a location, hoping to have it up and running by December/January—the money was allocated from the Mayor’s budget and needs to be used by October. The focus group, which is made up of East Side business owners, police, experts on day labor issues and representatives for the day laborers themselves, is now attempting to finalize its criteria for a day access center so that it can choose a site. It’s all very scientific, and perhaps designed to show the center has gone through a thorough process choosing the site to diffuse any NIMBY concerns that might otherwise pop up. Before the meeting started, one business owner told the facilitator, “I don’t think we should be here at all, frankly, but there are certain things beyond our control. And if this is going to get built, I want to have a stake in what it looks like.” There are four “focus areas.”

Check ‘em out after the jump.

First, location: Visibility, lighting, screening, set backs and buffers, size (it needs to hold a hundred people), traffic issues, hazardous materials (Sgt.Ellmore from the police bureau is concerned about "needles"), what's coming up in the area (a small business owner says "I don't think folks moving into new condos at the Burnside Bridgehead are going to want to be near this thing,") and long-term sustainability (it needs a long lease) for the center.

Second, physical accommodations: Restrooms ("Usually day laborers are mainly guys, so don't make a lot of bathrooms for women..."), congregation areas ("We know money is the issue, so we shouldn't rule out having tents for the workers to wait for work," said Ignacio Paramo of Voz), space for management offices, ESL, trash, and on-site parking. "I hope it doesn't turn into another dignity village," says a business owner. "I think most day laborers' priority is work," says Romeo Sosa of Voz. But since we're being creative, he's suggested internet access, a TV, skills development, mail-forwarding, a library and so on. Showers? (Sgt.Ellmore says "If you have showers, the homeless will come." A business owner adds: "Who's worthy, and who's not?")

Third, accessibility: Hours ("We're thinking 6am to 2pm,"), easy freeway access, MAX access, encouraging use of the center rather than having people continue to do roadside pickups ("It helps if the workers establish a minimum wage at the center they are going to work for..."), bilingual, visible signs.

Fourth, minimizing negative neighborhood impacts: ("Sometimes, acknowledging that there could be negative impacts for neighbors helps," says the facilitator. "It may be reality or it may be perception, but you've got to deal with it," says Precinct Commander Derrick Foxworth.) ("Those who use the services on both sides should pay for them," says a business owner. "I don't believe in a free lunch." He's being challenged by someone else: "You've got to imagine what it's like sending money back to your family because you can't survive." "But you're taking money out of my pocket to pay for this," he says. The facilitator says: "stay focused.") Derrick Foxworth says design will be important, to avoid laborers sprawling out as they are currently. Someone else has recommended environmentally friendly design, while another person has suggested having a self-policing scheme in place like a block watch. Removing co-mingling with people who are a "negative influence." And after hours, that a group will disperse and not be drinking on the streets. "If we have a constant dialog with the community," suggests Sosa, "it means everyone can understand each other's needs." Interestingly the facilitator just mentioned "there's always mediation if tension arises." Which of course, would mean more work for the consultants. But that's how these things go.

Out of all the four focus areas, one of the overall concerns seems to be sustainability for the center—that means keeping it cheap enough to survive city budget turmoil in future, but also making sure the day laborers want to use it, too. Which I suppose is also about viability, and just making the thing work. It's a tall order.