The war on Ukraine and the global supply chain crisis upended Albany’s Riverfront redux. But, with those issues easing up, the project is gaining momentum again.
At one point, some elements of the multimillion-dollar project — which is intended to connect downtown Albany with Willamette River frontage along Water Avenue — were supposed to start this past summer, Economic Development Manager Seth Sherry said.
“It became clear that supply chain delays may have made that impossible,” Sherry said by phone. Because of the logistics logjam, neither pricing nor delivery of materials could be counted on.
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Piping up
One of the hiccups was that part of the project included the replacement of the waterline with ductile iron recommended pipe replacement.
Talk of using polyethylene instead, was brought up in an April 13 meeting of the Albany Revitalization Agency, which is overseeing the makeover. However, that option in turn raised concerns about possible soil contamination.
Scenes from the hot air balloon lift off Friday morning at the Northwest Art and Air Festival.
The plans will go forward using ductile iron to replace the approximately 70-year-old pipe, not polyethylene, Albany City Engineer Staci Belcastro said in a phone interview.
The project also had difficulty securing a contractor with the delays in the supply chain in April. Since then, a contract with Salem-based K&E Excavating Inc. was inked in August.
After a meeting with the contracting team, Belcastro was reassured that the supply chain issues should be easing up, making her optimistic about the next steps.
Not totally on pause
But while the supply chain issues may have thrown a wrench into Albany’s riverfront plan, that didn’t mean the project was on pause.
According to Sherry, the ball has always been rolling, despite the logistical issues.
This interim phase allowed more planning and pre-ordering materials as much as possible, he said.
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Among the planned amenities include a larger performance stage, enhancements to the Dave Clark trail and more accessible pathways and crosswalks.
An accessible waterfront is integral for growth, Sherry said. It’s also why the city was chosen to build there in the first place.
“The reason Albany is where it is, is because of those two rivers,” he said.
Project history
The project is a patchwork of seven planned elements, approximately 25 years in the making, Sherry added.
“Thousands of people in the community put their input in,” he said.
The series of plans that now make up the singular project were hatched back in the 1990s, when people were looking around and seeing decrepit, vacant buildings. Downtown had fallen into disrepair.
The goal isn’t to make Albany a tourist town, Sherry said. The goal is to bring more energy downtown.
The project lays the groundwork for residential and commercial development, he said. And there is a “gaping hole” he sees in Albany currently: not enough hotels.
Sherry believes Albany needs higher-end accommodations to recruit talent and stimulate growth.
Accessibility is also important. Right now, there is no pathway that gives direct access to Monteith Park. The new improvements would create more crosswalks and flatter spaces to ease access to the park.
The project has a fall 2023 end goal, Sherry said. However, as plans begin to materialize, there will be more certainty in the timeline and budgeting this winter, he said.
Belcastro hopes to have details in front of ARA, really City Council members wearing a different hat, in December.
“We want to create a better, safer, more vibrant space where people will want to live,” Sherry said.
For more information on Albany’s waterfront project, visit http://albanywaterfront.net/.
