Abandoned carts: Albany may try again
Trying to get a handle on the problem of stolen and abandoned shopping carts, Albany passed a law in 2008. The law was amended in 2021 and then, in a reorganization of the city code, passed again in...
View ArticleChemical plant on Ferry: Here’s an update
When last we heard of Valliscor, the City of Albany had just approved the Corvallis-based company’s plans for building a chemical manufacturing plant on the east side of Ferry Street. That was on Feb....
View ArticleOn N. Albany Road, traffic cameras in place
It won’t be long now before photo-enforcement cameras will keep an eye on North Albany Road traffic at West Thornton Lake Drive. Driving into town on Tuesday afternoon, I noticed a couple of installers...
View Article‘Middle housing’ project sprouts new sign
There’s a new sign by the side of Gibson Hill Road in North Albany. It signals that a planned 80-lot “middle housing” project is ready to go ahead and that its ownership has changed. Last year a Salem...
View ArticleMiddle housing in South Albany too
A residential subdivision in South Albany is turning out differently than when it was proposed and when the Albany Planning Commission approved it in 2019. Taking up 4.76 acres along Southeast 28th...
View ArticleFuture of key downtown venue is unclear
The Albany lodge of the Fraternal Order of Eagles, a much-used downtown venue for more than half a century, has been closed for some time and its future is uncertain. My riverfront bike rides take me...
View ArticleA pothole, a hubcap and proposed taxes
A hubcap lying in the middle of Walnut Street, not far from a rain-filled pothole, was a reminder that Albany faces decisions about possible ways to raise more money to repair streets. I saw that...
View ArticleWhat about this dump on Mega site?
On an empty lot southeast of the Queen and Geary intersection in Albany, between Mega Storage and the Periwinkle Creek Apartments, somebody seems to have started an improvised dump. A reader wondered...
View ArticleLots of rain has the usual result
The heavy rains of the last few days had the usual results in Albany. Bryant Park was closed, and so was a section of Bryant Way near the city limits. During the night from Monday to Tuesday, the...
View ArticleUp for council action: Four city lots
Next week the Albany City Council will again be asked to consider disposing of four city-owned vacant lots, three of them near the Helping Hands homeless shelter and one close to the riverfront. The...
View ArticleNew traffic cameras: The money question
The first numbers have become available from Albany’s expanded venture of catching speed and red-light violations with cameras. Whether the report signals a trend, only time and more numbers will tell....
View ArticleAlbany’ top site for crashes: Here it is
On Saturday I leaned the bike against the stop-sign post at the northwest corner of Geary Street and Salem Avenue in Albany. Why would I do that? Because I wanted to get a photo of the intersection...
View ArticleThe Water Gardens on a fine spring day
Dry, sunny and warm. What a combination! For months on end we had not had such a day as Monday. The bike and I made use of the conditions for a springtime tour of Albany’s Talking Water Gardens. “Will...
View ArticleOld forgotten rails: When history fades
For many years, a remnant of a long unused railroad spur has been visible on the west end of Water Avenue at Washington Street. Before this artifact of Albany’s history disappears forever, I tried to...
View ArticleCompliant curb ramps: Useful but not cheap
Did you know there was a name for those yellow panels of little bumps on curb ramps that hurt your feet when you wear shoes with thin soles? I didn’t. Not until I came across the term and looked up...
View ArticleCity plans to put three lots up for sale
Three small vacant lots in central Albany and owned by the city will soon come up for sale. What eventually happens there, if anything, seems very much up in the air. The lots are at 503 and 519 Ninth...
View ArticleAt Albany Station, one fewer train
It had been some time since I stopped at Albany Station on a bike ride. I did that Saturday and noticed that the second half of the new passenger platform had been completed, probably months ago. I was...
View ArticleDowntown housing: The latest addition
Two buildings containing eight three-story townhouses are under construction in the 200 block of Southeast Third Avenue, the latest project by the Lepman organization to increase housing in and near...
View ArticleClose to nature: Riding by Albany creeks
One reason old Albany’s Willamette Neighborhood makes for a great place to ride a bike — besides not much traffic — is that nature is close at hand. On Monday I stopped for a minute where Water Avenue...
View ArticleBuying a gun: What OSP numbers show
Democrats in the Oregon legislature are working on a bill intended to make it harder and more expensive to buy a gun. The most likely effect of their efforts is to stimulate gun sales again before the...
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