Independence

Dome car followup: Chat with the owner

Written February 7th, 2024 by Hasso Hering

Comments: 8 responses.

Following up on Sunday’s story about the old Southern Pacific dome car, the car has been taken to a shop in Independence, where the owner will rebuild the classic railcar so passengers can ride in it once again.

Posted in: Commentary, News
Tags: Daylight trains, dome car, Independence, Railroads, Southern Pacific, Valley and Siletz Railroad

Albany’s CARA will check out Independence

Written April 2nd, 2022 by Hasso Hering

Comments: 15 responses.

On April 20 the Albany City Council has scheduled a visit down the river to Independence to tour its downtown redevelopment project, which looks like a resounding success with a centeriece of a gleaming riverside hotel.

Posted in: Commentary, News
Tags: Albany council, CARA, Hotel Independence, Independence, tax increment financing, urban renewal

Visiting Independence and ‘Station 203’

Written March 6th, 2022 by Hasso Hering

Comments: 3 responses.

As a longtime reader, you may recognize this photo. Taken Friday, it is just like one you may have seen here before, on March 30, 2018. But now there seems to be new hope that the building will be finished and the picture will improve.

Posted in: Commentary, News
Tags: downtown development, Independence, Independence Station, Monmouth Street, riverfront development, Station 203

How Independence got its hotel

Written November 19th, 2018 by Hasso Hering

Comments: 19 responses.

The city of Independence wanted a riverside hotel and now it’s getting one. To learn how the town of 10,000 did it, I took the 20-minute drive there from Albany on Monday.

Posted in: Commentary, News
Tags: Independence, Tokola, urban renewal

A ‘pub talk’ about smart meters

Written January 31st, 2018 by Hasso Hering

Comments: 13 responses.

Pacific Power picked Independence to launch its Oregon conversion to “smart meters” because the town in Polk County is striving to be a tech-savvy place. I went there Tuesday night to take in an event the power company put on, and I learned a couple of things.

Posted in: Commentary, News
Tags: Independence, Pacific Power, smart meters