The house at 1024 Main St. S.E. and its large yard looked like this on March 20, 2024.
From the outside, the little house at 1024 Main St. S.E. doesn’t look much worse than many others in Albany. But for some reason it is considered “no longer habitable,” and on Saturday the Albany Fire Department will use it for “live fire training.”
A few days ago the department took to social media to announce the “scenario-based live fire training.” It asked the public not to swamp the dispatch center with 911 calls when they see smoke, nor to be alarmed by a gathering of firefighters and equipment.
“The purpose of the training is to give firefighters the opportunity to practice interior and exterior fire attacks, apparatus water supply skills, search and rescue of victims, observe fire behavior, and setting up ground ladders,” the department said in its Facebook post.
It’s not clear whether the house will be allowed to burn down to the ground or whether a burned-out ruin later will have to be torn down.
The Albany Boys and Girls Club owns the house, which it bought for $95,000 in 2012. The club has been paying taxes on it ever since, $2,360 in 2023.
I emailed the club to find out why it acquired the property and what it plans to do with it. If I get an answer I’ll add it here.
That block of Main Street is a cul de sac that ends on the north side of the Boys and Girls Club.
The house at 1024 has about 1,000 square feet and sits on a lot of about 8,700 square feet. The property has a real market value of just under $300,000, according to Linn County, and an assessed value of $122,180.
The zoning is medium density residential, meaning apartments could be built there.
If you want to watch the training, the fire department had this advice: “To access a public viewing area, use the north Boys & Girls Club parking lot near the indoor soccer field. Spectators can use the gate to enter on Main Street.” (hh)
This story has been edited to correct a mistake. There is not another house between 1024 Main and the Boys and Girls Club. The lot between the house and the club, owned by the club, is a parking lot.Â
Sad Albany is getting so many apartment units wish they would stop building high density
This is another example of non profits using donated money to acquire profitable land. Maybe burning the house down will save them money to demolish the house. Usable houses should not be allowed to be torn down. Affordable housing shortages have increased by not using buildings that are available and if need be restored. Nonprofits have benefited from these homes rather than keeping them in use for people to live in. Building all these expensive housing units has limited affordable housing to be available for sale. Homeownership is usually cheaper than renting. We need homeowners for taxes and people more committed to their community.