One of my bike routes through Albany takes me along the Perwinkle Bikepath, and on it you can see different kind of sights, from wildlife to trash.
A bike ride Wednesday took me past the vacant lot at 503 Ninth Ave. S.E., where the city of Albany plans to have homeless people camp if they can’t or won’t go to a shelter.
Albany’s new city law authorizing officially permitted homeless camps passed the city council withhout opposition this week with one big question unanswered.
Hoping to prevent or at least to reduce illegal camping by the homeless, Albany city officials are working on a proposal to authorize temporary encampments in certain places such as church parking lots.
Leaders in the Oregon legislature say they want to encourage more housing to be built and to reduce the number of homeless people. That’s what they say, but their legislation does nothing to achieve that goal.
Before any more time time goes by, I would like to acknowledge the good job of cleaning up the bank of Cox Creek between the railroad tracks and Salem Avenue in Albany.
Cities face new mandate on river trash
As if cities like Albany don’t have enough to do, the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality is proposing to list sections of the Willamette River as “impaired” by trash. This will trigger new regulations under the federal Clean Water Act, and cities likely will bear the brunt of a new mandate.
Tags: DEQ, environmental Quality, homeless camps, river trash, vagrant camps, volunteer cleanups, Wilalmette Riverkeeper, Willamette River