Albany City Council

City assurance falls one vote short

Written May 27th, 2015 by Hasso Hering

Comments: 16 responses.

So what happens to Albany’s police station on Jackson Street once the city completes — probably in about two years — construction of a new cop shop on Pacific Boulevard? Everybody assumes the old building will be sold. If so, what happens to the proceeds?

Posted in: Commentary, News
Tags: Albany City Council, bond issue, police headquarters

A win for Albany, but a slim one

Written May 19th, 2015 by Hasso Hering

Comments: no responses.

Seriously? A mere 53 percent affirmative vote? If that holds up, it’s more than enough to pass the bond issue for a new Albany police headquarters and downtown fire station. But considering the enormous amount of work that went into this proposal, one might have wished for a greater majority of supporting votes. According to […]

Posted in: Commentary, News
Tags: Albany City Council, Albany elections, Albany police, Albany public safety buildings, Fire Station 11

Albany asks that trains be funded

Written May 13th, 2015 by Hasso Hering

Comments: 6 responses.

Whether letters to legislators get results probably depends on whether legislators are inclined to do in the first place what the letters request. So Albany’s plea to fully fund Amtrak’s Cascade passenger trains may do no good, but it can’t hurt.

Posted in: Commentary, News
Tags: Albany City Council, Albany Station, Csacade trains, ODOT, Oregon legislature, passenger rail

Pot issue still occupies mayor, council

Written May 11th, 2015 by Hasso Hering

Comments: 10 responses.

Albany Mayor Sharon Konopa is determined to keep marijuana shops — medical and otherwise — at least 300 feet from residential zones, and she seems to be counting on three council members to help her do that. What’s hard to see is how this matters much when starting July 1, all adults in Oregon will be entitled to […]

Posted in: Commentary, News
Tags: Albany City Council, Canna Kitchen, marijuana, Mayor Konopa, Measure 91

Update: Ban smoking in parks?

Written April 18th, 2015 by Hasso Hering

Comments: 6 responses.

(Please see the update at the bottom of this story.) We have plenty of rules, so by all means let’s have one more: No more smoking in Albany parks. Or “vaping” either. And if you have bad breath, please, stop breathing altogether lest somebody downwind get an unwelcome whiff.

Posted in: Commentary, News
Tags: Albany City Council, Albany parks, smoking in parks, tobacco, vaping

Albany Lowe’s: Any day now

Written April 11th, 2015 by Hasso Hering

Comments: no responses.

It’s been about two months since Lowe’s filed for building permits for its planned Albany home improvement and garden center at Ninth Avenue and Oak, and city officials say the company likely will be cleared to start construction any day now.

Posted in: Commentary, News
Tags: Albany City Council, Lowe's, Lowe's building permits

Albany funds industrial training gear

Written April 8th, 2015 by Hasso Hering

Comments: one response.

If everything goes as planned, in no more than seven years some 500 people working at Albany-area industries will have had specialized training on equipment bought with a grant from the Albany City Council.

Posted in: Commentary, News
Tags: Albany City Council, Albany industries, industrial job training, LBCC, Pepsi settlement