IDEAS FOR A GREAT NEIGHBORHOOD AND COMMUNITY

SAHS, 11/23/98

[Ed.: Comments from the general discussion at SAHS as noted by city staff.]

• People are kind to others and accepting and open to all kinds of people and ideas.
• People share experiences.
• People know their neighbors.
• People have gathering places, both neighborhood and community-wide (like River Rhythms).
• We need to be inclusive rather than exclusive. We don’t want gated communities in Albany.
• We need bike lanes on collector and arterial streets.
• More off road trails would be good, such as one to Corvallis.
• Lehigh and Casa Villa need other ways in and out.
• We need to improve our bus system.
• 34th Avenue needs more/better pedestrian crossings.
• We need another interstate interchange, such as at Grand Prairie Road.
• We need to pay more attention to the needs of our disabled citizens.
• We need more curb cuts and smoother sidewalks for wheelchairs.
• We should not allow impediments like towers to be placed in handicapped ramps.
• We need to address Albany’s image problem due to odor from I-5 industries.
• We need to make better use of existing public facilities, such as school gyms and libraries.
• We need to beautify some of the parks we have.
• For new facilities like a sports complex, we need to get them planned and then figure out how to pay for.
• We could use the existing Neighborhood Watch (NW) Program as a vehicle to spread the word about the ideas that have come out of the Great Neighborhoods’ (GN) meetings.
• A neighborhood watch group or groups could "adopt" a GN project or concept.
• The Police Department’s Community Resource Unit staff can make NW groups aware of what other NW groups are doing.
• We could build on the annual NW block party event, which is held on the first Tuesday in August.
• We could use the Community Problem Solving Committee to address Great Neighborhoods issues that involve several city departments or NW groups.
• Let’s find a way to get neighbors, service clubs and churches together to solve problems.
• Let’s set reasonable goals, communicate them, achieve them, and celebrate.
• The stadium at South Albany High School is an example of what can be done.
• Let’s recognize that there is a difference between a citizen and a taxpayer.
• Let’s have occasional neighborhood meetings (breakfasts?) by ward.
• Let’s use the "City Bridges" newsletter to communicate what is going on in neighborhoods.
• Let’s do a lot of these things on a volunteer basis and show more personal responsibility.
• Let’s consider keeping the Great Neighborhoods core group together.
• Let’s remember that we all have a stake in our community and that generations that came before us put things in place that contribute to our livability.