On Palestine Avenue: A view and a mystery
It’s too late to see it now, but if you had looked north from Northwest Palestine Avenue last week, you would have seen a bright yellow carpet covering part of this section of the Willamette Valley...
View ArticleRed oak spared, for now, in Takena Park
Two months ago a big red oak in Albany’s Takena Park was surrounded by caution tape and in danger of being cut down because of root rot. Now the tape is gone and the tree has been spared, at least for...
View ArticleProgress report in battle against tall grass
On Saturday the bike and I returned to the paved bikepath alongside Periwinkle Creek. Sure enough, a long section south of Queen Avenue had been cleared of the tall grass that threatened to cover the...
View ArticleOn Sunday afternoon, encounter in the rain
What do you do if you find a couple of ducks hanging out behind your car in the parking lot of the Albany Fred Meyer? Ask them to hold still for a quick photo, of course. It was raining Sunday...
View ArticleWater plan: Study replacing Vine Street plant
Readers of Albany’s proposed water master plan may get the feeling that the city’s historic water and electric plant on Vine Street is not long for this world. The city council got a preview of the...
View ArticleGetting a look at new riverfront pier
As pieces of Albany’s Waterfront Project are slowly coming together, it’s tempting to get a closer look even though they aren’t officially finished or complete. So it is with the two viewing platforms...
View ArticleAround Albany on the Fifth of June
For about an hour between 5 and 6 on Wednesday night, the bike took me on my usual route along the Albany riverfront to the east end of town, and then back a different way. In bright sunshine, these...
View ArticleGood news on riverfront path
At the risk of overdoing these path reports, thrilling though they may seem, here’s one more. The Dave Clark Path at the foot of Broadalbin Street was open again on Thursday night when I went through...
View ArticleMiddle housing appeal: It’s moving fast
The North Albany property owners who appealed the city’s approval of an 80-lot townhouse development off Gibson Hill Road won’t have long to wait to be heard. As required by state rules for handling...
View ArticleCharge your EV while at the courthouse
Suppose you have an electric car and serve on a jury at the Linn County courthouse in the coming months. You could charge your vehicle while you consider the fate of the unfortunate accused. Linn...
View ArticleThat’s the sound of medical transport
On the evening of the last day of May, the whop-whop-whop of an approaching helicopter drew my attention upward. Then I saw the aircraft preparing to land at Albany General Hospital, and I got off the...
View ArticleA good place to remember Sam’s verse
When you have a few minutes, go visit the newly reconstructed east viewing pier on the Albany riverfront. It’s a beautiful piece of workmanship and a great vantage point for looking around. I stopped...
View ArticleLook at the Albany Skatepark now: Wow!
If you haven’t already seen it this weekend, go by the Albany Skatepark. You’ll be astonished at the way it looks: Cleaned up and devoid of several years’ accumulation of graffiti. I stopped there on a...
View ArticleNew apartments rise above Periwinkle Creek
Since last September, construction has been under way on three apartment buildings between Periwinkle Creek and Geary Street in Albany, at 1755 Geary St. S.E. You can see why the developers are calling...
View ArticleHub City Village: Completion in sight
Hub City Village isn’t finished yet, but it is getting close. A bike ride Sunday evening took me past the complex of 27 “tiny” houses being built at 241 Waverly Drive S.E. in Albany. To gain a...
View ArticleWhy Talking Gardens have less water
The Talking Water Gardens between Albany and Millersburg look a little odd this spring. There’s less water in the ponds. The bike took me out to the Talking Waters on Monday night after I watched the...
View ArticleBoardwalk isn’t getting rebuilt; here’s why
There’s a short boardwalk or wooden walkway along Albany’s Dave Clark Riverfront Path. It is showing its age of about 40 years, but it won’t be replaced or rebuilt as part of the city’s $21.5 million...
View ArticleDuring Flag Day week, a flap was avoided
As everybody knows, Friday was Flag Day. And as luck would have it, during the week of Flag Day the Albany City Council avoided a flap over flags. Near the end of Wednesday’s council meeting, Councilor...
View ArticleCouncil hears about tent at food cart pod
Airport Road in Albany is not on one of my regular bicycle routes. I went there Saturday to have a look at a tent. The tent shelters seven picnic tables in the center of “Charli’s on I-5,” a food cart...
View ArticleAlbany panel rejects 7-townhouse appeal
A subdivision for seven proposed townhouses off Gibson Hill Road in North Albany meets requirements in the city development code, so the Albany Planning Commission Monday affirmed its approval by the...
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