The Skidmore Fountain MAX station is “particularly important” to low-income and vulnerable people in the Portland area and TriMet should reconsider closing it, the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners said Monday.

The full five-member board submitted a letter to TriMet’s leaders this week, joining a growing coalition of organizations such as Portland Saturday Market and University of Oregon, opposing a proposal to close the Old Town Chinatown stop.

TriMet’s board is expected to vote on a station closure plan at its June meeting. A transit agency spokeswoman said no decisions had been made and TriMet continued to gather public opinion on the matter. The agency is considering keeping the option of keeping the Skidmore station open on weekends only during Portland Saturday Market’s season.

While previous criticism largely centered on access to the weekend marketplace, the county government is concerned because the station is close to downtown services that are critical to their clients. Those services are only open on weekdays in most instances. Multnomah County’s government provides housing and social service support to thousands of vulnerable metro area residents.

In their letter, commissioners said while they “value” TriMet’s efforts to improve its system for every rider, the commissioners were concerned about Skidmore appearing on the potential closure list. Nestled underneath the Burnside Bridge, the station is “particularly important,” commissioners said because it was within two blocks of the state’s Department of Health Services offices, and Home Forward, the county’s housing authority, offices.

“Both agencies provide crucial onsite support services and benefits, including TANF, SNAP, and Section 8 rent subsidies,” Chair Deborah Kafoury and Commissioners’ Sharon Meieran, Susheela Jayapal, Jessica Vega Pederson and Lori Stegmann wrote.

“Given the direct and efficient MAX service from outer northeast and outer southeast Portland, this stop along the blue and red lines provides unique access to these services.”

TriMet is considering closing four stations on the Red and Blue lines in and around downtown in an attempt, officials say, to speed up light rail trains throughout the tri-county region. The stops being considered are also within hundreds of feet of other stations. Two of the stations near Pioneer Courthouse Square proposed for closure have received no outright support. A third, the Kings Hill/Southwest Salmon stop, is also controversial as the Multnomah Athletic Club and other interest groups opposed the closure.

The commissioners said proximity to other stations is “not simply an issue of convenience” for people with disabilities or the elderly. “Walking an extra 600 feet to get to an alternative station can be difficult or, for some, impossible,” they wrote.

-- Andrew Theen

atheen@oregonian.com

503-294-4026

@andrewtheen

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