Why there’s debris in highway bike lanes
“As a fellow cyclist,” Albany resident Travis Remington asked me, “how do feel about the upkeep of the main bike lanes through Albany?” In an email on June 9, he explained: “I commute from North Albany...
View ArticleInterlude at a small railroad crossing
It’s rare that the Burkhart Street bike and pedestrian railroad crossing in Albany is blocked by a stationary train, but on Wednesday afternoon it was. It was not a long wait. I used the time of...
View ArticleThe algae mystery: Swan vs. Waverly Lake
This needs an explanation: How come Albany’s Waverly Lake is once again sporting unsightly rafts of algae while the Swan Lakes, just upstream on Cox Creek, appear to be completely clear? Albany Parks...
View ArticleAbout new fencing on Santiam Canal
A line of new fence posts drew my attention this week along a section of the Albany-Santiam Canal. It brought to mind the stories I did six years ago about this very spot. Early in 2018, neighborhood...
View Article‘Community solar’ catching rays off Hwy. 20
Drivers on Highway 20 east of Albany have noticed the pilings for photovoltaic solar panels going in near the corner of Cox Creek Lane. By the time I drove out there Friday afternoon — no bike riding...
View ArticleWorking on the railroad at Davidson Street
On one of my bike routes through old Albany’s east end, men were working Saturday at the Davidson Street grade crossing on the Water Avenue rail line. As announced on the City of Albany’s Facebook page...
View ArticleKeeping track: When will car store open?
Someone asked about the opening date of the Albany Subaru dealership that’s being built at 520 Airport Road S.E. Some time this fall seems like the most likely date. When I went by there on the bike...
View ArticleBefore it reopens: Monteith Riverpark
A week ago Monday, on June 17, the construction fencing around Monteith Riverpark had disappeared, and I took that as an opportunity to make a quick tour of the reconstructed park. Parts of the park...
View ArticleA nice new house and what it costs
On a bike ride on a warm and sunny Tuesday afternoon, this new house with a for-sale sign out front attracted my attention. It looked particularly spiffy and neat, so I stopped to take a photo. I...
View ArticleBefore and after on the Cox Creek Path
Three weeks ago, on June 5, I ran the above photo to illustrate the difficult challenge the Albany parks crew has every spring in trying to keep weeds under control along the city’s bike and walking...
View ArticleFixing Albany streets: more work on Queen
As Albany drivers have noticed, part of Queen Avenue is partially closed for construction. This is the first phase of a two-phase project that has to be finished by Nov. 1. North Santiam Paving,...
View ArticleAlbany church sells building but not bell
By the time the bike took me to the east end Friday for another look at the Albany Evangelical Church, it was far too late for the main event. That event took place Friday morning. It was the removal...
View ArticleNew Coffin Butte plan keeps road open
Republic Services has unveiled its new and radically different plan for expanding the Coffin Butte landfill in northern Benton County. One big change is that the proposal keeps open and improves Coffin...
View ArticleLook what someone has already done
It didn’t take long for some moron to damage the new Willamette River overlook on the Albany riverfront. This viewing pier, the eastern of two that were rebuilt as part of the Albany Waterfront...
View ArticleFifteen years on, the zombie still flies
Someone must have looked up from the street on First Avenue and didn’t like what they saw. Which may explain the email I got last week. “Can someone,” it said, “please paint over the hideous disgusting...
View ArticleReferee approves 80-townhouse land division
As expected, a referee has ruled for the City of Albany in two property owners’ appeal over a planned 80-lot subdivision in North Albany. Audrey Eldridge and Brad Dennis, both owners in North Albany,...
View ArticleGarden center in North Albany to close
Peaceful Valley, a garden and farm supply store at 350 Hickory Street in North Albany, is closing, and the future use of this longstanding commercial property is unknown. On social media there’s been...
View ArticleWhat Oregon says on vagrant camps
The Supreme Court’s Grants Pass decision upheld the right of cities to prohibit camping on public property. But don’t expect the ruling to make a difference in what you see on Albany streets. Or even...
View ArticleBefore and after on the Santiam Canal
Last month I wrote something about the barbed wire fence along the Albany Santiam Canal north of Queen Avenue. The bike took me by there again last week for another look. As you can see, the old chain...
View ArticleStill boarded up but not forgotten
So what’s new with the dwelling at 329 Pine St. S.E., which the City of Albany posted as a “derelict structure” two summers ago? That’s what I was wondering when I passed the place on a bike ride on...
View Article