Mayor Alex Johnson II and Councilwoman Steph Newton (as chair of the ARA) listen to City Engineer Staci Belcastro Wednesday.
Nobody on the Albany City Council liked the steep jump in the price of planned construction on railroad crossings along Water Avenue. But on Wednesday a majority approved funding to pay for the work because there wasn’t any realistic choice.
Improving, closing or otherwise changing 10 crossings on the riverside rail line will cost the city $3.4 million, up from an estimate of $2.4 million in September.
Council members, sitting as the Albany Revitalization Agency governing the CARA urban renewal district, voted to approve $750,000 in added CARA funding for the project, along with additional money from transportation system development charges.
Councilwoman Matilda Novak was opposed. Steph Newton, the council member serving as chair of the ADA, said she’d be a “no” as well if she had to break a tie.
The others supported the funding because, in the words of some of them, timely completion of the $21 million Waterfront Project was impossible without it.
One of the crossings to be improved is the entrance to Monteith Riverpark. The park is being rebuilt, and without an entrance nobody could use the new park, so it has to be done.
Under terms of the crossing order issued by ODOT, a legal document, the city can’t skip any of the crossings to save money without getting a new order, a process that might take another two years or more.
In order to create new crossings designed to be more convenient, others have to be closed because the number of crossings must not increase.
City Engineer Staci Belcastro explained all that to the ARA board on Wednesday. City Attorney Sean Kidd confirmed that ODOT’s crossing order can’t be changed without starting over.
Councilwoman Marilyn Smith said the entire Waterfront Project hinges on improving access across the rail line. “It has to be done,” she said.
In the words of Councilman Ray Kopczynski, the Waterfront Project is the capstone of the CARA urban renewal district, which the city created in 2001, and the crossing work needs to get done before costs go up more.
Mayor Alex Johnson II also vehemently supported spending the money. “For 22 years we’ve been waiting for this thing to get done,” he said. “It’s time. Spend the money. Get it done.”
The rail line is owned by BNSF and operated by the Portland & Western, which is contracting for the construction with the city paying the bill.
The railroad received two bids for the work, fairly close to each other, Belcastro said. According to one email to the city engineer, the work may be done in two stages, one starting in December and the next one in February.
Here is something to look forward to: By the end of next year, all the riverfront work should be complete. And maybe arguing about CARA will be history as well. (hh)
When CARA is over (and CARA is over when this Monteith upheaval is over), that is when the comments about CARA will cool, but probably by just a little bit. There will be no more urban renewal districts, a la CARA, in Albany without a vote of the people. That is now dictated by law.
Now just wait an Albany minute regarding Water Ave R/R ped crossings! Think…people have been crossing those tracks in every which way for what.. a hundred years now. So what’s the big deal? We tax payers MUST make multiple comfy crossings for some person in their motorized scooter??!! Make one or two “specialized crossings” and the rest of us can cross & stumble as we’ve been doing all along. This repeatedly bending over with tax dollars to accommodate a few is way too over the top!
as 1 using a mobility scooter also a service connected disabled veteran
as you were not standing next to me when i became disabled. quit you crying and pay your taxes the least you can do is make it so i am able to get around and yes this project will directly affect me
It is always the same when the people do not want outrageous, unnecessary projects the city council overrides the will of the people for their hopeful success in attracting people they want to live here. If the people who live here are not to the mayor and the some city council’s liking maybe they should go where their efforts would be more appreciated. We need city officials that represent us, not disregard us at every turn.
who said there are no people who want this project?.
do you think everything in the city revolves around just you?
maybe YOU should go somewhere you feel more comfortable
the mayor and city councils are doing just fine
They’ll probably just jack up our water bills by another $9 per month to pay for this. The legal way to increase taxes without a vote.
How often do the trains cross Water Ave.
I have a house there and I’ve only seem them cross once .
It’s not anywhere near the use that Queen gets.
Just Curious?