Why there’s no more trash along this creek
Why didn’t I see shopping carts or other trash in Periwinke Creek on Sunday? Because a great bunch of volunteers hauled tons of refuse out of the creek the day before. An entry on Facebook with lots of...
View ArticleBoardwalk is open, but why is it there?
On Saturday I was glad to see that the little boardwalk at the bottom of Albany’s new Monteith Riverpark had been opened so people could use it on their way down toward the river. Since the park opened...
View ArticleAt Albany homeless site, the end is near
Given the reports last week on conditions in “Marvin’s Garden,” it was clear that Albany’s designated camping site for homeless people would have to be shut down. On Monday morning, City Manager Peter...
View ArticleHighlight on the Clark Path: Osprey in their nest
If you want entertainment on Albany’s Dave Clark Riverfront Path (as if walking or biking were not entertaining enough), check out the osprey nest on the railroad bridge. Three birds were up there on...
View ArticleHub City Village: It’s almost complete
The first thing I noticed when I stopped by the Hub City Village construction site last Saturday was the concrete pool to the right of the entrance. It looked to be about five feet deep. But of course...
View ArticleAt least there’s no ‘s’ in Cumberland
Probably the least important question about the Cumberland project in Albany is how to spell it. But it would be helpful to decide on one official version, if only for the benefit of those of us who...
View Article‘Plaza street’ will add to electric bills
Albany’s Waterfront Project calls for power lines on three blocks of Water Avenue to be placed underground, and all Pacific Power customers within the city will be charged for the expense. Pacific...
View ArticleSalem firm builds Albany eyecare office
“Hey Hasso,” the email sender wanted to know, “what is going in behind the Subway on SW Pacific Blvd. (old Izzy’s site)?” I had no idea, so I got on the bike to take a look first chance I got, which...
View ArticlePlaza street electric bill: How much to expect
Placing power lines under ground on three blocks of Water Avenue may cost Albany customers of Pacific Power between $3.50 and $4 a month for two years. When I reported on this last week, I didn’t have...
View ArticleAlbany council poised to OK a street fee
Albany residents and property owners might want to get ready for the idea of paying a monthly fee for better maintenance of local streets. After decades of previous councils talking about the worsening...
View ArticleHow about a fuel tax and bond issue too?
While the Albany City Council considers a new street maintenance fee, a council majority also wants to explore a local fuel tax and a bond issue to fund street repairs. That’s what emerged from yet...
View ArticleWhat the ‘plaza street’ may look like
So what exactly is that so-called “plaza street” that leaves Albany customers of Pacific Power on the hook for the expense of putting power lines under ground? To get a description of this part of...
View ArticleAt Waverly Lake, algae problem returns
“Have you seen the Lake recently?” the email sender asked me on Friday. “Somehow the City investment is not working.” He was talking about Waverly Lake. As it happened, I had stopped there on a bike...
View ArticleCamp cleanup planned in Simpson Park
People camping in Simpson Park can expect to be notified this week that they’ll have to leave and their camps will be dismantled. The 192-acre park along the Willamette River is situated in Millersburg...
View ArticleTurning a dirt trail into ‘community path’
Go down toward the river from the parking lot at Albany’s Talking Water Gardens and turn left. Now you’re on a dirt trail through the brush that leads to Bowman Park. I didn’t know that this trail had...
View ArticleA Tuesday ride on the Simpson Park Trail
I was out of town when I wrote Monday about the latest plan to rid Simpson Park of unauthorized encampments. On Tuesday the bike took me there to look around. The woodlands between the Willamette River...
View ArticleA dubious idea for the Lyon Street Bridge
The Lyon Street Bridge across the Willamette River has a bike lane and a raised sidewalk, each 6 feet wide. The City of Albany is contemplating a plan to combine them as a 10-foot wide multi-use path,...
View ArticleTwo trains, two tracks, one crossing
The train horn in the distance sounded like it came from the Union Pacific’s mainline. I was in the Willamette Neighborhood on a bike ride, so I hustled over to my favorite grade crossing to see what I...
View ArticleBehold an artifact of Albany industry
On a bike ride up Pacific Boulevard this month I turned east on 29th Avenue, which ends at the railroad tracks after about 1,300 feet. There, this faded red artifact from Albany’s industrial past...
View ArticleWhat lightning did in Riverside Cemetery
Saturday’s thunderstorm in the Albany area didn’t last long, but it brought down at least one big tree. About mid-afternoon Saturday, as rain sluiced down in buckets, people in the neighborhood of...
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