Why saw off the tops of riverbank trees?
A week ago, I was out of town when someone got my attention with an email message. This was on May 7, and I couldn’t do anything about it at the time. “A contractor is cutting down all the trees...
View ArticleWaterfront Project shows visible progress
When you’re away for a week and then come back, you’re likely to notice progress even when day-to-day changes are small and easy to miss. I got back Monday and noticed at least a couple of things about...
View ArticleLinn County and the Wheelhouse trees
It was Linn County that caused about two dozen bushes and small riverbank trees on the Willamette to be cut down last week. Following up on yesterday’s story about this then-unexplained tree cutting, I...
View ArticleCrowd hears about law on middle housing
Close to a hundred people crowded into the Riverside Community Center Wednesday night to learn and talk about Oregon’s new “middle housing” laws. Among other things they heard that there’s nothing the...
View ArticleUp and down the new Riverpark steps
Besides the new stage, playground and splash pad, another striking feature of Albany’s refurbished Monteith Riverpark is a concrete stairway that sweeps down — or up — the middle of the park’s grassy...
View ArticleThis has nothing to do with volcanoes
Sometimes a clear picture prompts you to think things through. Especially the picture of a dormant but still majestic volcano, like Mt. McLoughlin in southern Oregon. Actually, that is baloney. I kind...
View ArticleRepaving ahead on Washington and Queen
Sections of two main traffic routes in Albany, Washington Street and Queen Avenue, are due to be repaved starting this summer at a construction cost totaling about $7.5 million. The city council will...
View ArticleRiverfront items: New access; park steps
And in other exciting news, the new crossing to the Dave Clark Riverfront Path at Montgomery Street in Albany has been opened for public use. There was a guardrail at this point before the city’s...
View ArticleA springtime visit to Freeway Lakes
This is a pretty good time of year to visit Freeway Lakes, the Linn County park located on both sides of Interstate 5 south of Albany. The water level is good, and the seasonal infestation of water...
View ArticleWaverly Lake: Why equipment was off
The other day somebody wondered on social media why the new fountain and aerators in Albany’s Waverly Lake were not working. But if they were off, it was because the power was out. “The fountain and...
View ArticleIf the Big One cuts those bridges
Several times a week, the bike takes me along Albany’s Dave Clark Path underneath the Lyon Street Bridge. Often I have wondered about those pipes going up the bridge pier. What are they for? Finally I...
View ArticleOld look restored to historic building
A piece of Albany’s architectural history has been revived with the renovation of the building at 401 Second Ave. S.W., on the northwest corner of Second and Ferry Street. You may have read stories...
View ArticleStuck on Queen, and seeing the danger
On bike rides around Albany I usually avoid Queen Avenue because of the rail crossing south of the Albany yard. On Thursday afternoon I did go that way and witnessed motorists practicing amazing...
View ArticleWhat’s this, you ask? And the answer…
Several times in the last few weeks, people have asked what’s being built on the left side of Ninth Avenue in Albany as you come off the eastbound overpass. You can look it up, of course, but I’ll save...
View ArticleOsprey action on the Lyon Street Bridge
About this time last year, an osprey got public attention by regularly having his fish lunch on top of the tallest lamp post in the middle of the Lyon Street Bridge. This year the bird is back. One day...
View ArticleTrimming trees to preserve the view
Let’s catch up with the loose ends left by the May 14 story about trimming the small trees and bushes on the Willamette riverbank in front of Linn County’s Wheelhouse Building. The operation by a...
View ArticleVisiting Waverly Lake on a very fine day
On Memorial Day, Albany’s Waverly Lake showed why it’s more than just a scenic spot in Albany. It’s also a magnet for people visiting the park when the weather is fine. I went there to use the bike...
View ArticleAppeal filed in ‘middle housing’ land division
Riverwood Crossing, the 22-lot subdivision in North Albany that grew into plans for an 80-lot “middle housing” development, has been held up at least temporarily. The Albany planning division approved...
View ArticleAlbany funeral homes have new owner
The sign at Fisher Funeral Home in Albany says, “Family owned for over 100 years.” That was so until last month. A new owner has it now. Both Albany funeral homes, Fisher and Aasum-Dufour, have been...
View ArticlePeriwinkle Bikepath: A ride through tall grass
A reader’s email sent me on a mission along Albany’s Periwinkle Bikepath on Wednesday. Riding the bike on a paved trail away from traffic in springtime is a tough job, I know, but somebody has to do...
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