One of the bridges in Talking Water Gardens looked like this on Friday and Saturday. The sign went up after the paint went on.
For the first time in months I rode a bike on the trails at Talking Water Gardens on Friday and came across a partly — and weirdly — painted wooden footbridge.
Odd, I thought, but didn’t pay it much attention.
Later Friday, I opened the weekly report that Albany City Manager Peter Troedsson sends to members of the city council and a few others. Here’s one of the Troedsson’s observations:
“Bizarre vandalism at TWG: Someone half-painted one of the walking bridges (see photo attached) at Talking Water Gardens. A patron advised staff and said it was a person who ran out of blue paint, went on to the white paint and left to get more paint. We are monitoring the area and reviewing the camera footage. Very strange.”
Very strange indeed.
Saturday I went back to get a photo, which I had failed to do the day before.
The photo in the city manager’s report showed paint cans and a couple sheets of cardboard that the rogue painter had placed on the bridge deck in an apparent effort to keep drips from marring the wooden planks.
By the time I came across the scene, somebody from the city had placed signs there and on at least one other wooden bridge at Talking Water Gardens: “No painting.”
You wouldn’t think the admonition was necessary. But apparently it is. (hh)
Just in case some compulsive painter sees this wooden bridge, now there’s a sign there too.
Probably an Urban Renewal vigilante that thought sprucing up the ugly natural looking bridge to update it to modern standards so tourists would like the abstract motif of a poor paint job. It reflects the distorted view of the city’s ideas of revitalizing a community. These out with the old and in with the new projects that the city has decided would create a renewed interest in community activity has created an imbalanced attraction to Albany. If their goal was to make Albany a better place to live, I wonder who was their target sector of people? If it was for dysfunctional people they are right on track.
Perhaps it’s time to rethink and redefine what is meant by “vandalism.”
The paint is not insulting. It is not offensive, coercive, or manipulating.
It doesn’t look petty or immature. It certainly isn’t violent. There is no mindless destruction or damage involved.
No…it’s just old boards that were painted. Rather nicely, I’d say.
I suppose that’s the crux of it.
The painter violated city hall’s power and control. So up go the silly “no painting” signs.
Power asserted. Control reclaimed. Order restored.
I think you have it nailed down nicely.
Naked wood is gorgeous, paint is not.
Crack head no doubt. Blame it on the state, city council and cops for not taking care of the source of the problem.
Probably, the same old man who painted the dock pilings at Bowman Park.
Other than blatant sexism, why would you presume it’s a man?
Probably some guy that ‘identefied’ as a young guy that ‘identefied’ as a woman that “identified” as a teen, that “identified” as gay that identified as someone that was confused by all the rules for each society sector, trying to convince the the world that it would be a better place if we all just shared the same views as him/her, they or them……”paint on” little crusader, PAINT ON !!!
What if they were painting it in “Pride” colors? The City would sure have egg on their face for dissuading that!
BTW- Without any ORS or Albany municipal code violation stated, does the sign have any authority?
BTW- Why don’t they put similar signs on the MUP behind Lowes?
I’m sure the sign will have as much deterrent as a “gun free zone” sign.
Who needs the mindless drivel of The Bachelor or the Kardashians when you can just pop in the comments section and read some of the dumbest hot takes by the regulars? Thanks for the laughs, boys.
Does anyone watch the programs mentioned? I never have.
According to Google season 27 premiere of The Bachelor garnered 3.66 million viewers. It is one of the lower rated seasons over the course of the show. Keeping Up with the Kardashians season 16 pulled in 1.9 million viewers. Their latest show is apparently on Hulu streaming and that company does not release viewership numbers. I suppose that’s nowhere near the kind of numbers the Super Bowl pulls in (115.1 million in 2023), but I think it’s safe to say you’re not even close to those kind of numbers even adjusted per capita.
Commenting is done more often than not by the same dozen old men. Hartman and Bob Woods on one wing, Gordon and pseudonym salad on the other.
As for me I generally enjoy your articles. It’s obvious you have a love for writing and finding stories. I think you also care about this city. But as your masthead says, this blog is a “perspective” often injecting editorial opinion into what has become the de facto newspaper in this town. That’s fine, that’s your prerogative. It’s free! Unless you’re planning to start offering Hasso+ subscriptions?
However, the oxygen you give to these few, often toxic commenters, is unnecessary. In my opinion, you’d be better off turning off comments entirely, but I know the occasional storms it brews up probably mean clicks and views. It would cut your readership in North Carolina to zero! It’s precisely the model the newspaper has adopted, just with a lot more baggage. No shame there.
Oh, and Bill? Vandalism sucks. It’s an outward expression of the pervasive disrespect for individuals, institutions, and traditionally accepted rules for living in a society, most importantly the Golden Rule. This comment section is more often than not a contributor to that erosion. With that I’ll call this my last post on here and return this space to its owners for their waning days, the grumpy old men of Albany (and Boone, NC). Have a blast, ‘ol boys!
As usual, you attack the posters instead of addressing the content. Such hate & bigotry.
When they identify the painter(s), clearly the city should reduce their social score to the ‘warning’ level.
Of course, if they fly city approved flags or donate to city approved charities this may elevate them to a “B”.
Welcome to the new, improved Albany.