HASSO HERING

A perspective from Oregon’s mid-Willamette Valley

A year later, visiting Sunrise Park again

Written September 6th, 2019 by Hasso Hering

The entrance of Albany’s Sunrise Park on the afternoon of Aug. 31.

Did they ever complete the renovation of Sunrise Park, I was wondering one day last week. So, riding along on Queen Avenue, on my way somewhere else, I turned right on Thurston Street to take a look.

It had been more than a year since I had paid a visit to that southeast Albany park. I had taken an interest because the city had spent about $239,000 in federal antipoverty grant money to make improvements there, in a census tract where people can use all kinds of help.

The construction, including a parking lot, was done last summer under a $259,000 contract. In addition to all kinds of other work, the city installed a sparkling new playground as well as a portable toilet. So, is the job now complete? Not quite, it turns out. A small section is still torn up, and the circular paved path has a couple of gaps.

To mark the essential completion, though, the parks department held its first “Fun in the Park” program at Sunrise at the beginning of the summer. What remains to be done now, maintenance supervisor Rick Barnett told me, “is a small phase II of the park plan.”

“We had some available Community Development Block Grant dollars left and are using those to replace (the) sidewalk with a more modern, well lit and through route,” he explained. “We were originally going to take out the existing sidewalk to the south but decided with a little work it could be a good complement to the new sidewalk by providing a loop that walkers or small kids on bikes would enjoy. It should be substantially finished in a few weeks.”

Planning for Sunrise Park improvements started in 2013. Later the plan was expanded, and there were additional delays associated with getting a permit to disturb wetlands in the 3-acre park. Now, it may have taken six years from start to almost finish, but the result is a very nice neighborhood park.

Want to see for yourself? Go take a look. To get there, go east on Queen and when you get to Thurston, make a right. (hh)

This part of the Sunrise Park sidewalk still needs to be completed.





Comments are closed.

 

 
HH Today: A perspective from Oregon’s mid-Willamette Valley
Albany Albany City Council Albany council Albany downtown Albany housing Albany parks Albany Planning Commission Albany police Albany Post Office Albany Public Works Albany riverfront Albany schools Albany Station Albany streets Albany traffic Albany urban renewal Amtrak apartments ARA Benton County bicycling bike lanes Bowman Park Bryant Park CARA climate change COVID-19 Cox Creek Crocker Lane cumberland church cycling Dave Clark Path downtown Albany Edgewater Village Ellsworth Street bridge Highway 20 homeless housing Interstate 5 land use Linn County Millersburg Monteith Riverpark North Albany North Albany Road ODOT Oregon legislature Pacific Boulevard Pacific Power Portland & Western Queen Avenue Railroads Republic Services Riverside Drive Santiam Canal Scott Lepman Talking Water Gardens The Banks Tom Cordier Union Pacific urban renewal Water Avenue Waterfront Project Waverly Lake Willamette River


Copyright 2024. All Rights Reserved. Hasso Hering.
Website Serviced by Santiam Communications
Hasso Hering