One of the metal tree wells installed on the plaza street portion of Water Avenue. photographed on Friday. Oct. 17, 2025.
A couple of things caught my attention Friday on a bike ride along Albany’s new plaza street, the block of Water Avenue near the entrance to Monteith Riverpark.
One of them was the new tree well covers installed on the sidewalk. And why I called them “wheel wells” in this video commentary, I have no idea:
As for those bollards lining the street, I guess they’re designed to bend when a car hits them.
Speaking of motor vehicles, someone behind the wheel of one did donuts on the white concrete pavement in front of the Riverfront Community Center at the entrance to Monteith Park. This happened a couple of days or nights ago.
The unsightly skid marks will be hard to get rid of. But as I understand it, the parks department has security footage of this vandalism.
If the culprit is caught and ends up in court, the sentence should be: “Get down on your hands and knees with a bucket of detergent and brush those skid marks until they are gone.” (hh)
Skid marks were still clearly visible near the Community Center on Friday, Oct. 17, 2025.
Agree with your suggestion regarding the sentence for vandalism.
A perfect application of the saying, “Let the punishment fit the crime. “
Hasso
Thank you for all your updates around Albany! I am surprised at the fancy new parkway with the huge price tag, since we never seem to make budget.
Also, will the farmers markets be moving down there? I hope, we need to keep all pedestrian events off the main drag as it’s a thoroughfare/highway and as always our traffic is beyond acceptable!
Plus, why do we have lovely new/great built in restrooms and keep them closed 90% of the time? They are a huge expense to repair or build and then the city pits up portopotties? What a joke!
So, those posts (bollards) lining the “pink brick road” are supposed to do what? They’re not going to stop a run-a-way vehicle, and if the person has had a medical emergency (such as Lyon Street’s recent “Hummer” driver), the person is not going to think, “Oh, I hit a rubber warning post, I better stop my car.”
Oh, almost forgot: I wonder what those steel or iron tree wells cost?
Forgot something: In the background of your video on the rubber posts on pink-brick Water Street, all we see are ugly, very old warehouses–except for the Sr. Center (Community Center). It looks nice, but 95% of its front parking has been removed. It is very clear that CARA (that is, Albany’s Council with the dual positions of CARA (urban renewal) board members) does not want the Sr. Center to exist. Ironic that the unlawful skid marks left on new fancy pavement were on the useless paved circle that was placed where Sr. Center parking once was.
I agree with the vandalism sentence.