Portland Waldorf School is Bummed to the MAX

The private Portland Waldorf School's efforts to prevent the planned Portland-Milwaukie MAX line from using a route that runs right behind its campus have been quashed.

Milwaukie Mayor James Bernard nixed the deal earlier this month when he opted not to recommend consideration of a different route, along downtown's Main Street, to the project's steering committee.

The school had been concerned about safety and noise, and had been pushing since spring to get the Main Street route on the table.

But Waldorf's drive met resistance from many downtown business owners, including Bernard, who owns $711,379 worth of property downtown.

Bernard argued the Main Street route would screw up Milwaukie's plans for its downtown and riverfront.

"The City of Milwaukie has gone through a process and they've made their decision and we respect that," said Walt Dimick, president of Portland Waldorf School's board of trustees. "That doesn't mean we're not disappointed."