HASSO HERING

On April 23, I leaned my bike against the fence outside this metal building at 1550 Salem Avenue SE.

An old metal building on Salem Avenue is about to get a new look if the owner goes through with his plans.

The triangular parcel at 1550 Salem Ave. SE, sandwiched between the street and the railroad tracks, was owned by the Burlington Northern Railroad until 1993.

River City Design and Build, a business that does renovations and new construction, recently acquired the half-acre property and intends to fix up the building and grounds.

The metal building dates from before 1964. The design firm plans to install new metal siding, make a covered entry, expand the lobby, improve the signage and lighting, and pave the gravel lot.

“Security and lighting upgrades will address ongoing issues with trespassing, vandalism and dumping while improving overall safety,” company owner Josh Mitchell said in an application with CARA, the central Albany urban renewal district.

Twelve Albany building owners applied for a share of $545,000 CARA intends to award as grants. It already awarded about half the available funds to the Sybaris restaurant toward its remodeling of the Oregon Electric Railway depot.

River City asked for about $71,000. If it does not get a grant, the company said, “the project would ultimately still move forward, but at a much slower pace and in phases as resources allow.”

Going past this old building in recent years, often on the bike, I thought it looked abandoned or at least neglected. It now houses a going business, and it would be nice for the neighborhood if the property is further improved. (hh)