Library food cart pod at Portland State to remain open

Earlier this year, Portland State University made the difficult decision to close the Millar Library Food Cart Pod in July. The university is pleased to announce that thanks to collaboration with the City of Portland, the pod will now remain open.

State and city regulations for wastewater disposal changed in January 2023, and required additional infrastructure for food cart pods across Portland. Portland State’s Facilities and Property Management department spent months looking for a cost effective solution that would allow the carts to stay, but were initially unsuccessful.

“The PSU community made it clear that the Library carts are an important part of our campus, and we agree,” said Jason Franklin, associate vice president for PSU’s Planning, Construction and Real Estate. “We received a lot of feedback and advocacy for the food carts and appreciate all of the support. We’re happy that after careful consideration and assistance from the city of Portland’s Bureau of Environmental Services, we found a cost-effective solution that protects public health. We are pleased that we’re able to make the necessary infrastructure improvements to allow the carts to remain in place.”

Portland State will begin construction this summer to install a new grease interceptor system, bringing the pod into compliance with city wastewater disposal regulations. The university is working with a contractor familiar with food cart pods and the City, County and State regulations to implement this new system.

To help cover the ongoing costs of maintenance, weekly service and oversight of the new wastewater system, the food cart owners have agreed to a rent increase. The food cart owners were notified of this news earlier this month.