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Water lines being replaced in Broadalbin, Hill Streets
People who work or
do business in Downtown Albany and those who live or drive in parts of
South Albany will see construction activity this summer as new water
lines are installed underground.
In downtown, 310
feet of new 8-inch ductile iron pipe will replace deteriorated 4-inch
pipe in Broadalbin Street between Second and Third Avenues. City
records show the old pipe was installed in 1910.
Work is expected to begin May 28, 2013, and should be completed the week of June 17.
Broadalbin Street
will be closed between Second and Third Avenues during construction, but
access to businesses fronting the construction area will remain open.
The street will be reopened by 6:00 p.m. each day. Canby
Excavating, Inc., of Canby is the contractor. Cost of the project
is $86,705.
Approximately
2,950 feet of deteriorated 8-inch steel distribution lines will be
replaced with 30-inch transmission lines between Queen and 24th Avenues
and on 18th Avenue from Hill to Main Street, improving water service in
Southeast Albany. As future improvements are completed, the new
line will help move large quantities of water from the
Albany-Millersburg Water Treatment Plant to all of south Albany.
In addition to new
transmission lines, approximately 750 feet of deteriorated 2-inch and
6-inch steel water lines on 18th and 19th Avenues west of Hill Street
will be replaced with new 8-inch lines. Work should begin on June
17 and be completed by August 23. Cost of the project is
$1,124,225, and the contractor is Pacific Excavation, Inc. of Eugene.
Engineering Technician Lindsey Austin is managing both projects. For more information, contact her at lindsey.austin@cityofalbany.net or call 541-917-7651.
Fire Station 11 gets protective paint
The outside of Albany's downtown fire station was painted in early May
in an attempt to seal the structure against water leaks that have
plagued the 63-year-old building.
The fire station was
reroofed in the summer of 2011 because the old roof could no longer be
patched and repaired. City staff found mold inside leaking south
and west interior walls, primarily in the firefighters' living quarters
in the spring of 2012, which required follow-up air quality testing,
mold removal, and structural repairs.
A thorough inspection of
the building found that the mold was caused by water coming through
cracks in exterior walls, and the building's evaluators recommended
painting the exterior to seal it from rain. Weather conditions
kept paint from adhering to the building when the fix was first tried in
October 2012.
Exterior paint and the
new roof are surface improvements to address water leaks and mold.
They do not remedy seismic and other critical deficiencies that have
been identified in the structure. The City Council and staff are
discussing options for the station's continued use as a fire and medical
emergency response facility.
Fitzpatrick Painting applied the paint for $10,600.
Summer Book Sale June 14-15
The Friends of the Library will host a summer book sale in the public
meeting room at the Main Library, 2450 14th Avenue SE, June 14-15, 2013.
Sale hours are 2:00-7:00 p.m. Friday and 9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. Saturday.
General fiction,
mysteries, children's books, and miscellaneous paperbacks will be sold
for prices ranging from 50¢ cents to $2.00. Proceeds are used to support
Library programs and projects.
Sign up now for Safety Camp
Registration is open for two sessions of Summer Safety Camp for Albany youth who will enter 4th, 5th, or 6th grade this fall.
Camps will be held
June 24-27, and July 22-25, 2013 at South Albany High School.
Campers will learn about burn prevention, gun and Internet safety,
daily swimming at Albany Community Pool, and Zumba exercise. Each
camp will also include a field trip to the Kroc Center in Salem.
Cost is $35 and
includes daily snacks and lunches; scholarships are available.
Register at the Boys & Girls Club of Albany, 1215 Hill Street
SE.
Safety Camp is
cosponsored by the City of Albany Fire, Police, and Parks &
Recreation Departments; Greater Albany Public Schools; and the Boys
& Girls Club of Albany. For more information, call the Fire
Department at 541-917-7700.
Water life vests available to loan this summer
 Albany
Fire Department loans life safety vests for summer water recreation use
at no charge. Vests are available Memorial Day weekend through
Labor Day, September 2, 2013. The
vests hang on a display board outside Albany Fire Station 11 at the
corner of Sixth Avenue and Lyon Street, within walking distance of COOL!
Swanson Park Action Center pool and several parks on the Willamette
River. Vests
are available in adult and youth sizes and are checked out on an honor
system with the expectation they will be promptly returned so others may
use them. Fire staff sets the vests out each morning, takes them
in at night, and inspects them regularly. The
program is made possible through the Albany Firefighters Community
Assistance Fund and generous financial support from Takena Kiwanis. Fire Department recognizes members with Lifesaving and Unit Citation awards Mayor
Sharon Konopa and Fire Chief John Bradner presented members of the
Albany Fire Department with lifesaving awards and unit citations in
April for their actions at Hill Street apartment fire in January 2013.  Lieutenant
Jamie Smith and Firefighter Curt Wilson received lifesaving awards.
They and the following other members of their unit also received
unit citations for their contributions at the same fire: Battalion Chief Ryan Bond; Lieutenants Phil McPherson, Dean Dirks, and Kyle Romey; Apparatus
Operators Steve Crofcheck, Ron Wackford, and Steve Surmeier; and
Firefighters Ed Coleman, Jon Mang, Ben Cooper, Tommy Byrd, Mark Bernt,
Jason Katzenstein, Joe Brier, Matthew DeFrancisco, Tim Hart, and Tim
Schrader Albany
Police officers were the first to arrive at the fire and rescued one of
the two trapped men by kicking in the front door and dragging the man
outside to safety. When firefighters arrived, Smith and Wilson
entered the apartment with a fire hose to search for the other known
victim and put out the fire. Smith located the unconscious victim lying
on the floor inside the apartment, directly under the area they had just
fought the fire. Wilson dragged the victim to the front door,
where other firefighters took him, provided treatment, and transported
both men to the hospital. The
victims were father and son Mike and Kenneth Smith. Both made
full, remarkable recoveries and were present for the award presentations
at the April 24 Albany City Council meeting.  Police
Lt. Travis Giboney, Sgt. Stephanie Warren, and Officer Ben Arthur were
honored for their actions by the Mayor and Police Chief Ed Boyd at the
same meeting. A
lifesaving award is presented to a member of the Fire Department whose
actions specifically save the life of another human while acting on duty
or off duty. A unit citation recognizes a company, team, or
division that overcomes adverse conditions as a team to uphold the
Albany Fire Department's mission to prevent and protect from harm. Time to check lawn irrigation systems It's
been a long winter for your yard. While plants go dormant to cope
with colder weather, sprinkler systems can feel the effects of winter,
too. Cracks in the pipes can lead to costly leaks, and broken
sprinkler heads can waste water and money. Now is the perfect time
to spruce up irrigation systems to save water and money this summer. Before ramping up watering this spring, take your irrigation system through four simple steps: inspect, connect, direct, and select: - Inspect. Look
for clogged, broken, or missing sprinkler heads. If you're
not the do-it-yourself type, find an irrigation professional
certified through a WaterSense labeled program.
- Connect. Examine
points where sprinkler heads connect to pipes and hoses. If
water pools in the landscape or creates large wet areas, the system
could be leaking. A leak about as small as the tip of a
ballpoint pen (or 1/32nd of an inch) can waste about 6,300 gallons
of water per month.
- Direct. Aim sprinklers to apply water only to the landscape, not the driveway, sidewalk, or house.
- Select. Update the system's watering schedule each season or select a WaterSense labeled controller to take out the guesswork.
For more tips and resources, visit the City of Albany's website for Conserving Water Around Your Home; for lawn care; or the EPA's WaterSense program. To schedule a free outdoor irrigation audit, contact Kim Kagelaris at 541-220-0312 or kim.kagelaris@cityofalbany.net Pick up a free outdoor water conservation kit at City Hall, upstairs at the Public Works counter (limited quantities are available June - August). | 
