HASSO HERING

A perspective from Oregon’s mid-Willamette Valley

More vandalism at new piers and riverpark

Written October 13th, 2024 by Hasso Hering

Plywood has replaced three panels of metal grating on the west pier on Albany’s riverfront.

On Facebook, Albany police reported new vandalism at Monteith Riverpark last week. On a bike ride, I went by there on Sunday to take a look.

Video commentary coming up:

First I checked on the western of two viewpoints or piers on the Willamette River. Three panels of metal grating in the railing had been damaged or destroyed and removed. The holes were temporarily patched with sheets of plywood fastened with plastic ties.

Then I went to the eastern pier and recorded the video above. Two panels had been destroyed there. The first was kicked out in June. The second, larger one was damaged since.

According to the police department’s post on Facebook, other damage has been done at the new playground in Monteith Riverpark itself.

The piers and the park were reopened this past summer after being rebuilt as part of the Central Albany Revitalization Area’s $21.5 million Waterfront Project. The project continues with construction on Water Avenue, which won’t be finished until next year.

As for the vandalism of the new park facilities, the police post suggested: “If you see something, say something.” Sure, but not helpful. The trouble with vandals is that they commit their crimes when no one is looking, presumably at night.

People destroying public improvements are morons, yes, but they’re not so stupid that they do their dirty work in plain sight when others are around. (hh)

These panels, I learned the day after posting this, are made of “9 gauge galvanized welded steel mesh.” The parks department now plans to have the panels of mesh tack-welded so they are no longer loose in their frames. This may make them less tempting to vandals to kick out.





9 responses to “More vandalism at new piers and riverpark”

  1. MarK says:

    Anyone who’s surprised by this is just out of touch with reality.
    I’m sure the city will just add another “fee” to maintain their Waterfront fiasco, or syphon money from some other area.

  2. anonymouse17 says:

    What kind of metal are the grates made of? Is it something that can be sold? Probably a homeless person wants the grating for a floor in their tent or something along those lines.
    Just guessing of course. It seems the City built the railings on the cheap, even though they used 21.5 million so far on the waterfront, and you are the one who said in one of your blogs posts that they will spend 25 million before they are done.

  3. Suebee says:

    Maybe those traffic cameras would be better suited to move to these areas instead… things that make you hmm?

    • Craig says:

      Excellent idea

    • Rick Staggenborg says:

      There’s a simpler and more feasible solution, and anyone can do it. If you don’t trust the gummint, just go down to Walmart with, plunk down $30.59 for a wildlife camera and when a vandal comes by, you’ll have a video you can take to the police.

  4. Lynn says:

    Several years ago people were stealing the metal LBCC letters because they were metal and they could sell them. Burcham metals was contacted and the problem was solved. Could this be what is happening to the metal grates? Just a thought.

  5. Craig says:

    I visited the peers last week. The sheet metal railings left a lot to be desired. Not something I would be drawn to. Very disappointed.

  6. Ralph Menweg says:

    Until and unless the judicial system in Albany (and Oregon) take a HARD stance on this type of criminal activity, it will not stop ! These lowlife scummers need to be put away for a serious amount of time if for no other reason but to send a message to the other lowlife criminals around here. Until we, the citizens, take this hard stance through maybe voting the lily liver politicians out of office we probably will not get any results.

  7. dave pulver says:

    how foolish to see something built that flimsy, and expect it to last. if not kicked out, it would rust out. just like the tops of the traffic light fixtures in the bermuda triangle. ….how much did those cost to galvanize? were we aware they would rust up by year 2015?

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

 

 
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