The Waverly Duck, on the far side of rafts of algae, as seen from Salem Avenue on Saturday afternoon.
The Waverly Duck is back on the Albany pond for which it is named. That was one item of news the city council got in City Manager Peter Troedsson’s weekly summary Friday. The other items were a bigger deal, and one posed a puzzle.
The fiberglass and polyurethane duck had been in wintertime storage. After being donated to the city, it was repaired and returned to the lake in 2017. Every fall since then the parks department has taken it out to store it for the winter.
Among the other items on Troedsson’s rundown of significant developments affecting Albany:
— Albany and other cities have settled their lawsuit against the state Department of Environmental Quality over the DEQ’s new requirements for handling storm water. The city said in 2019 the requirements were impossible to enforce but would cost lots of money anyway. The council got updates about settlement negotiations in executive sessions, out of the public eye. Now the permit requirements have been modified to the point where the city believes it can carry them out, the public comment period is over, and the city will apply for the permit.
— The city’s IT staff is taking steps to prevent cyberattacks by criminals seeking ransom. Troedsson cited the attack on the Colonial Pipeline Co. back east and said similar breaches were committed against the police department in Washington, D.C., and the city of Keizer in Oregon. New tools for users of the city’s information system were mentioned, as were steps to “harden” system defenses. Maybe that’s why I could not check the public website for a building permit last week without registering. And when I did register, the system said I was not authorized.
— Albany is getting $8.4 million from Uncle Sam under the “American Rescue Plan.” The Treasury is putting out rules on how or for what the money is supposed to be spent. There is a list of all American cities over 50,000 getting some of that cash. Here’s the puzzle: While Albany gets $8.4 million, Corvallis stands to receive more than $13 million. Corvallis is 1.09 times the size of Albany. So why is it being handed 1.5 times the amount of federal cash?
There may be an answer to that question. If so, somebody may supply it in the comments. If not, I’ll ty to find out next week. (hh)
It is simple, Corvallis-Lib Town. Albany – Redneck.
US President – Democrat. Oregon governor – Democrat.
The only real question is, why didn’t’t the GOP flow the dough to Albany when it had the chance under the Orange King?
Because Francois, the orange guy recognized that when government gives away money it has to first take it from somebody who actually worked and EARNED IT!
That must be why the overwhelming percentage of the 2017 GOP tax cut went to the top 10% of earners. That is how the Orange Guy made the dough NOT flow to Albany.
`I have an employee who made $70,000 in 2020 and with 2 kids paid no federal tax. You can’t give a tax cut to people who don’t pay tax.
Always referred to in our family as “Tacky Duck.”
Unlike some brilliant commenters, I can’t answer the question, But I have some ideas about root causes.
The big gap between the two cities is probably the result of Albany falling just short of some arbitrary population threshold and Corvallis just above. The fact that there are thresholds and stepped categories is one of many examples of seeing the world in black and white instead of shades of gray, prompted by America’s moralism and constitutional “originalism.” “Winner take all” is a perfect example, like our incredibly stupid electoral vote system.
Thank you, Rich Kellum for stating the obvious! I won’t be paying it back but my kids, grandkids and great grandkids will into infinity!
I moved here in 1980 from Seattle love the duck but miss the imber DCarnival greatly
As a D-H staffer I provided coverage for many Timber Carnivals. I also went a couple times on my own, just for fun. But ultimately three full days of logging events was a lot to ask a 1990s populace to be interested in. I think the carnival might have survived if it could’ve adapted to a changing entertainment marketplace. It created extra work for me in my newspaper days but I’m sorry Albany lost a signature community event.
A line from before my birth
“Why is a duck?
Because one leg are both the same”
Makes as much sense as FOX opinions