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Fire season in effect, vegetation abatement required
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Albany Fire Chief John Bradner declared July 9, 2014, the start of fire season due to ongoing hot, dry weather.
During fire season,
weeds, grass, and other noxious vegetation that have been determined to
be a fire hazard must be addressed to reduce the potential for fire in
accordance with Albany Municipal Code 7.84.160. To report a
vegetation fire hazard in Albany, use the online form or call 541-791-0155.
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Preparation can protect homes from wildfire risk
Benton County and wildfire safety experts from the National Fire
Protection Association's Firewise Communities Program are encouraging
residents to prepare their homes for wildfire season.
Wildfires
have damaged thousands of acres in the Pacific Northwest already this
year. National trends show that wildfire risk and the size of many
wildfires are growing. Due to increasing wildland fire activity
over the past decade, NFPA experts and Benton County leaders continue
engaging with residents and communities about what they can do to
prepare before a wildfire strikes their areas. Wildfires do not
have to burn everything in their paths. Following are some tips to
help prevent and protect against wildfire:
- Outdoor
burn bans are in effect. Trash and debris should not be burned
when conditions are dry or windy. Unsafe burning of leaves, brush,
household garbage, and other debris is a main cause of wildfire.
- When
camping or hunting, check local restrictions on campfires. Use an
approved gas stove as an alternative for heating and cooking. If
charcoal grills are permitted, use them only over fireproof surfaces
such as asphalt or bare mineral soil.
- Dispose of smoking materials properly. Extinguish them in an ashtray and don't throw them out the window.
- Avoid parking or idling on dry grass. Catalytic converters can get hot enough to ignite the grass.
- Keep
water available when using welding equipment or cutting torches around
grass and brush. A five-gallon bucket of water with a tote sack in
it could prove valuable if sparks or hot pieces of metal catch nearby
grass on fire.
- Avoid setting hot
chainsaws or other gas-powered equipment in dry grass which could ignite
after coming into contact with the hot mufflers on the equipment.
- Clear
leaves, fir needles, and other debris from gutters, eaves, porches, and
decks. This prevents embers from igniting homes.
- Keep
lawns hydrated and maintained. Dry grass and shrubs are fuel for
wildfire. If it is brown, cut it down to reduce fire intensity.
- Remove
fuel within 3 to 5 feet of structural foundations, including garages
and sheds. If it can catch fire, don't let it touch any part of a
house, including decks and porches.
- Remove dead vegetation surrounding homes within a 30- to 100-foot area.
- Wildfire
can spread to treetops. If large trees inhabit a property, it is
important to prune so the lowest branches are 6 - 10 feet off the
ground.
- Don't let debris and lawn cuttings linger. Dispose of them quickly to reduce fuel for fire.
- When planting, choose slow-growing, carefully placed shrubs and trees so the area can be more easily maintained.
- Use
native and less flammable plants in landscaping. The Pacific
Northwest Extension office has prepared a publication with plant
information, available online at http://www.firefree.org/images/uploads/FIR_FireResPlans_07.pdf.
More
than 800 communities in the United States - including three in Benton
County - have dramatically lowered their risk of wildfire damage by
participating in the Firewise Communities/USA Recognition Program.
For more information, those interested can go online to http://www.firewise.org. Benton County residents can learn more about region-specific Firewise principles at http://www.co.benton.or.us/cd/cwpp/protection.php.
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November election filing period August 5-20, 2014
Three seats on the
Albany City Council and the Mayor's position come up for election in
November of every even-numbered year. Election Day this year is
November 4, 2014.
Qualifications as prescribed in the Charter of the City of Albany are as follows:
- The candidate
must be a qualified elector within the meaning of the Constitution of
Oregon and have resided in the city during the 12 months immediately
preceding the election and in the ward he or she seeks to represent, in
the case of Councilor, for a period of 90 days immediately prior to
election.
- Nominations
are made by declaration of candidacy, signed by the candidate, together
with a filing fee of $5, or by the filing of a petition containing the
signatures of 100 persons having the same qualifications as the office
sought and an acceptance of nomination by the candidate. A person
signing a petition shall sign only one petition for each office.
- Nominations
shall be filed on and after August 5, and before 5:00 p.m. on August
20. Forms for petitions and declarations are available at the
office of the City Clerk in Albany City Hall.
Political Signs
Political signs
for measures or candidates on the November 4, 2014, Oregon General
Election ballot may be posted on properties in the Albany city limits
beginning Sunday, August 31, 2014, in Linn County and Tuesday, September
2, 2014, in North Albany in Benton County.
The Albany
Development Code 13.320(9) says that signs shall be erected and
maintained entirely on private property with the consent of the occupant
of the premises and are limited to four square feet per face in a
residential zone and eight square feet per face in a commercial or
industrial zone. Maximum height for signs is three feet in
residential zones and five feet in commercial or industrial zones.
Billboards are excluded from the provisions.
No signs are
allowed on utility poles or on trees, rocks, or other natural
features. All signs must be removed within seven days after the
election.
A brochure containing all the rules for political signs is available online or at the Community Development Department on the second floor of Albany City Hall, 333 Broadalbin Street SW.
Violation of the sign code will result in enforcement procedures against the candidate or the property owner.
Elections Links
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Police Gator takes officers into hard-to-reach places
The
Albany Police Department recently acquired a John Deere Gator and
trailer to help with the many transportation needs during parades, and
large city events such as River Rhythms and Northwest Art & Air
Festival, and at school and business activities.
Most
often, the Gator is used to enforce alcohol and camping restrictions in
City parks and on trails. The Gator seats four, allowing police
to transport prisoners or people with medical issues from remote trail
locations and to assist with transporting officers and equipment in and
out of remote crime scenes. Earlier, park trail enforcement was
typically done by officers on bicycles; that is still a practice, but
when time is limited and a larger area needs to be covered, the Gator
saves valuable time.
The Gator is also a big hit when officers are connecting with Albany youth.
The
trailer, while purchased primarily to tote the Gator, is also used for
hauling equipment needed for department training and can be used as a
secure transportation option for large evidence seizures.
The
Department sold its Harley-Davidson motorcycle for about $7,000 to help
offset the cost of the Gator and trailer; the Harley had been used to
promote the D.A.R.E program, which has been discontinued. Cost of
the Gator and trailer combined was about $12,000.
Graphics
on the vehicles were done by Xtreme Grafx and designed to match current
patrol vehicles. The graphics identify the Gator and trailer as
Police Department equipment at events and enforcement efforts.
"An
additional benefit is they give us the ability to express pride in our
agency and give our community some bragging rights when they see us
representing them at various events," said Lt. Casey Dorland, who heads
the Police Community Resource Unit. "The Gator is another tool to
address the needs of our community more efficiently."
For more information about the Gator, contact Dorland at casey.dorland@cityofalbany.net.
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15th ATI Northwest Art & Air Festival August 22-24
Wrap
up summer in Albany August 22-24, 2014, at the community's signature
event, the ATI Northwest Art & Air Festival at Timber-Linn Memorial
Park and Albany Municipal Airport. This is the free Festival's
15th year:
- More than 75
Northwest artists will display and sell their wares. Art includes
pottery, jewelry, metalwork, wood craft, paintings, fused glass, toys,
and photography.
- Local artists will demonstrate their skills in their chosen media.
- Hot-air
balloons launch at dawn each morning sponsored by AmeriGas of
Albany/Salem. Rides are available for a fee. Contact the Albany
Parks & Recreation at 541-917-7777.
- The panda balloon returns this year, sponsored by ATI.
- The hot-air balloon Night Glow happens Friday night with music by Journey tribute band Stone in Love.
- Tethered rides are available Saturday morning, weather permitting.
- Live
music performances, featuring professional and amateur talent from the
mid-Willamette Valley are scheduled on the Festival Stage Friday and
Saturday, sponsored by Oregon Freeze Dry.
- From
crafts, live demonstrations, active play, and the Reptile Man mobile
unit, everyone in the family will find something to do in the locally
owned Red Robin Family Zone.
- Blue
Oyster Cult and Bachman & Turner share the Oregon Amphitheater
stage on Saturday. Fireworks over Timber Linn Lake follow the concert.
Admission is free, and all who attend will be issued a
nontransferable wristband.
- The
Festival's Art of Cars show will feature Studebakers, Corvairs,
Corvettes, orphan cars, and an open class on Saturday near the Festival
Stage, presented by Lassen Toyota, Northwest Toyota Dealers, Toyota
Moving Forward, and Let's Go Places and the Willamette Chapter of the
Studebaker Drivers' Club.
- Free
Young Eagles airplane flights for kids ages 8-17 are part of activities
at Albany Municipal Airport and are sponsored by Remax Integrity-Doug
Hall and Team Pendley. More than 200 kids took these flights in 2013.
- The
Oregon Pilots Association annual conference coincides with the Festival
with sessions for pilots and the public at the Linn Fair & Expo
Center
- Northwest
wines and microbrews and international foods are available all three
days. Gilgamesh Brewing will host a beer garden in the main Festival
venue and, on Saturday during the main concert, in the Amphitheater.
- Dry camping is available for RVs and tents. Call 541-928-0911 to reserve your spot
Parking is $5 on Friday and Saturday and free on Sunday.
More than 50,000 attended the 2013 Northwest Art & Air Festival.
The
ATI Northwest Art & Air Festival is presented by Albany Parks &
Recreation and the Albany Visitors Association. ATI is the title
sponsor for the 15th year.
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Art by Shirley Hilts featured in August
Multimedia Albany artist Shirley Hilts will display a retrospective of
paintings and drawings at Albany City Hall through the month of August,
2014. The display will include watercolor, oils, acrylics, and
graphite drawings from her high school years through college and to the
present.
Hilts
loved art as a child and taught high school art for 17 years, mostly in
California. Since moving to Oregon in 1988, she taught adult
watercolor classes at Albany Senior Center and Linn-Benton Community
College Sweet Home Center. She majored in art education at
University of the Pacific, Stockton, California, and studied graphic
design at University of California, Santa Cruz.
Hilt
has exhibited her work in various venues, including the Watercolor
Society of Oregon, Vistas & Vineyards, Corvallis Art Guild, and
Albany artists.
The
Albany Arts Commission coordinates and sponsors City Hall displays of
art from around the mid-valley and the Northwest in exhibits that change
every month, year-round. Art work in a variety of media is
displayed on both floors of the building and is available for viewing
weekdays during business hours and a few evenings each month when public
meetings are held.
For
information about the exhibits and the Arts Commission, contact
Commissioner Billie Moore, 541-928-6182, or Debbie Little, 541-917-7778,
or debbie.little@cityofalbany.net .
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Albany's first First Citizen: Vincent Hurley
By Cathy Ingalls, Albany Regional Museum volunteer
Every
St. Patrick's Day between 1932 and 1961, customers entering Hurley's
Drug Store on First Avenue would hear records playing Irish songs; owner
Vincent Hurley enjoyed celebrating his Irish heritage. Both of
Hurley's parents were born in Ireland and immigrated to the United
States.
For
30 years, the drug store in the 200 block of Southwest First, now
Jordan Jewelers, was a community hub and the place to meet up with
friends, says Hurley's daughter, Katy, 74, of Corvallis, who fondly
remembers her father as a patriotic, gregarious, and caring man.
"He
loved to come out front to talk to his customers," Katy said. "He
enjoyed people and he always wore a big smile on his face."
Sometimes
after closing for the day, Katy recalled her father took filled
prescriptions to customers living in the nursing home on Lyon Street,
where the overpass is now. Helping people was a big sideline to
running his pharmacy.
In
his store, Hurley installed a bench with a leather seat and back so
people could wait for the city bus in comfort and out of bad
weather.
He
also was civic minded and a big Albany booster. In 1942, Hurley,
then president of the Albany Chamber of Commerce, chamber manager Carl
Curlee, and others decided that Curlee would use a flare and a red flag
to stop a train traveling through Albany carrying a federal Bureau of
Mines agent from California to Spokane. The agent was scouting for
a place to site a regional research laboratory. City leaders
wanted the agency to locate in Albany as a way to diversify the
timber-based economy.
Curlee
got the engineer to stop and the agent onboard climbed down and after
hearing the proposal, agreed to go with several men to check out a
potential site. The rest, as they say, is history.
Hurley
was born in Portland in 1904, one of seven children, their mother a
homemaker and father a police officer, who later went to work for the
railroad. Two of the children died, and Hurley's mother passed
away when he was three.
Early
on, Hurley, who had survived polio, decided to become a doctor and
enrolled at Oregon Agricultural College in Corvallis. Later he
switched to the school of pharmacy, Katy said. She doesn't know
why her father chose to be a pharmacist, but she said the career move
fit his personality perfectly.
In
Corvallis, Hurley met Hallie Jenks of Tangent, his wife to be, who also
attended OAC and worked for the dean of science. To
help pay for his education, Hurley got a job at a Corvallis drug store;
after graduation, he purchased a drug store in Junction City, later
moving to Albany.
Katy
says some of her fondest memories are of working in the drug store,
seeing its wood interior, watching employees move about in their white
coats, and checking out display cases filled with Helena Rubenstein,
Elizabeth Arden, and Dorothy Gray cosmetics.
Also for sale were wallets and leather goods, and there was a popular candy counter.
"When we were asked out to dinner, we always took a Whitman Sampler," Katy said.
The
Hurley family that also includes Katy's brother, Pat, who lives in
Lebanon, lived in North Albany but moved to Seventh Avenue and
Broadalbin Street during World War II. They moved so the North
Albany home could house officers from Camp Adair and, quite possibly, to
save money on gas. They moved back to North Albany after the
war.
Hurley
was a Rotarian, a Shriner, served on the Albany City Council, was twice
president of the Oregon Board of Pharmacy, and was instrumental in
getting water from Adair to the family property in North Albany, now
known as Hurleywood. He was chosen Albany's first, First
Citizen.
After
selling his business to Don McMorris in 1961, Hurley filled in as a
pharmacist throughout the mid-valley, fished on the Alsea River, and
every Saturday morning could be found at an Albany auction yard buying
books. For some reason, he once purchased a hospital bed, Katy
said.
Hurley
died in 1987 and was buried at Riverside Cemetery. Another
well-known Albany institution, Fisher Funeral Home, handled
arrangements.
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Training offered for Salmon Watch volunteers
Volunteers with an interest in or knowledge of fish biology, water
quality, aquatic invertebrates, or riparian ecosystems are needed to
help sixth grade students learn about salmon this fall. Training
is required for volunteers to staff salmon watch stations and will be
offered at no charge from 9:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. Thursday, August 21,
2014, at Hesthaven Nature Center, 8590 NW Oak Creek Drive, Corvallis.
Trained salmon watch volunteers will participate in a series of sixth-grade field trips September 15-October 3, 2014.
Preregister at http://corvallissalmonwatch.wufoo.com/forms/linnbenton-salmon-watch-training/
For more information, e-mail corvallissalmonwatch@gmail.com.
The salmon watch training is sponsored by nine local wildlife, education, and watershed organizations in the mid-valley area.
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General Information: 541-917-7500
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Mayor Sharon Konopa: 541-791-0300
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City Manager Wes Hare:
541-917-7505
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Ward I Councilors: Dick Olsen, 541-926-7348
Floyd Collins, 541-928-2961
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Ward II Councilors: Bill Coburn, 541-928-0649
Ray Kopczynski, 541-917-0490
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Ward III Councilors: Bessie Johnson, 541-791-2494
Rich Kellum, 541-791-0158
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