Posted inSalem

Dude, where’s the Salem Alternative bridge?

OK, maybe its not a good idea to title this blog post after a 2000 stoner movie, given that most of my readers here in Salem, Oregon haven't had the cinematic experience of being wasted and unable to find their car.  But it just seemed so freaking appropriate after No 3rd Bridge and Breakfast on Bikes shared how the unneeded, unwanted, and unpaid-for proposed new bridge across the Willamette River has become nearly unrecognizable after someone -- consultants?...tooth fairy?...who knows? -- markedly altered the "Salem Alternative" design approved unanimously by the City Council. Where did the Salem Alternative go? Somebody…
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Posted inCurrent affairs Salem

New downtown Salem parking policy needs enforcement

Downtown Salem, Oregon recently went from two-hour onstreet parking with the likelihood of parking meters being installed, to free unlimited parking -- thanks to a citizen petition that was adopted by the City Council after about 9,000 people signed it. Check out Stop Parking Meters Downtown for an update on how the City of Salem is implementing the new parking policy. In short, not well, according to Carole Smith. The petition the city council adopted on Oct 14th clearly required city enforcement to prevent prohibited parties from parking where they should not. The City Councilors pledged to “do everything in…
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Posted inSalem

Unlimited free parking beautifies downtown Salem

Beautiful!  That was my thought when I parked on Court Street in downtown Salem (Oregon) about a week ago, looked up the block, and noticed that something had changed. No "2-hour parking" signs, with their metal poles. Salem looked so much more welcoming without those rule-filled signs. Now there's a more free feeling to downtown. Want to visit? Shop... dine... do business... just hang out. Feel free. See an empty space; pull in; park; for as long as you want. Simple. Reminds me of the small community where I grew up. This is the vibe that downtown Salem needs to…
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Posted inSalem

Salem Boo Bash 2013: Cavegirl and Senior Citizen Skateboarder

My wife and I thoroughly enjoyed ourselves at last night's Willamette Humane Society Bowser's Boo Bash. Laurel adapted a cavegirl outfit that she had made a long time ago. And it still fit fine!  And I went as a duded-up version of my actual longboarding self: Senior Citizen Skateboarder. The Longboard Sling (nice product) that I used to hang my board over my shoulder when I didn't want to carry it around obscured an important part of my costume, the t-shirt. So here's a photo that I took at home with a different longboard. I was thrilled to find this…
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Posted inSalem

Salem City Manager reveals plans for the Peace Plaza

Below is an update from Salem Community Vision on the $70-90 million proposal by the City of Salem to renovate the Civic Center and build a new police department headquarters. Head over there and give them a Facebook like. This recently formed group is out to bring better urban design, more citizen involvement, and improved efficiency to City government -- all sorely needed. Already Salem Community Vision seems to be having an impact. In this post I shared a message from Gene Pfeifer, who chaired the group's first meeting at the Capitol Theatre. Gene described how seismically retrofitting all of…
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Posted inSalem

Here’s how City of Salem can save taxpayers $40 million

City of Salem officials want to spend at least $70 million (could easily be $90 million) on a Civic Center renovation and new police department building just north of the current headquarters. See my previous post, "Citizens suggest better ways to renovate Salem's Civic Center." It sure looks like the cost to taxpayers could be $40 million less. This is the rough, but informed, conclusion of Gene Pfeifer. He's got 45 years of design/build experience and was instrumental in finding a lower cost solution to fixing Salem's Courthouse Square. Below is an email message that Gene sent to Geoffrey James,…
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Posted inCurrent affairs Salem

Citizens suggest better ways to renovate Salem Civic Center

Are there better ways for Salem's citizens to spend $70 million than what City Hall is planning -- a brand new police department building and a massive redesign of the civic center, along with seismic upgrades? Sure seems so. That's what I learned by spending my Friday night at a meeting sponsored by Salem Community Vision, a new group formed by some old-timers with a lot of experience in architecture, construction, urban planning, and community involvement.  As reported previously, local architect Geoffrey James came up with the idea for the meeting. Gene Pfeifer, a Silverton resident with 45 years of design/build…
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Posted inSalem

Downtown Salem wins, parking meters lose

\The 2-hour parking limit signs will be coming down soon. And the prospect of parking meters being imposed upon an unwilling downtown by the City of Salem has vanished. Free unlimited parking has become the law of downtown.  Salem’s Downtown Parking District has unlimited, free parking for the first time in decades. City councilors on Monday voted in favor of adopting an initiative that eliminates parking time-limits and bans the installation of parking meters in the Downtown Parking District. Salem City Manager Linda Norris said the changes would go into effect immediately.  Today I was happy to see "We Won!"…
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Posted inCurrent affairs Salem

City Council hears from Stop Parking Meters Downtown leader

Here's a terrific letter that Carole Smith, one of the leaders of Salem's highly successful Stop Parking Meters Downtown movement, has sent to the City Council. The Council meets tomorrow, Monday, October 14, to decide whether the Stop Parking Meters citizen initiative petition should (1) be placed on the May 2014 ballot, where it likely would pass, (2) implement the initiative petition provisions immediately via changes to City ordinances, or (3) submit a competing ballot initiative for citizens to vote on. A City staff report lays out the supposed fiscal implications.  It also reports the results of a survey of…
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Posted inSalem

Help Save Salem’s Community Vision: meeting Oct. 18, 2013

Kudos to Geoffrey James, a Salem architect, for organizing a community meeting next Friday, October 18, 2013, Grand Theatre (191 High Street, downtown), 6:30 pm. Everyone who cares about the future of the downtown area should attend. See info below from James. What makes this meeting even more important than it otherwise would be is that James recently met with the Salem City Manager, Linda Norris, and three other high-ranking City officials. Basically he was given a brush-off and told that the City wasn't interested in hearing what citizens think about the important issues below. That's a horribly heavy-handed way…
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Posted inSalem

REI comes to Salem, but not to downtown

Good news. REI is coming to Keizer Station.  REI has signed a lease for space at Keizer Station. Bethany Hawley, an REI spokeswoman, confirmed today that the outdoor gear retailer had leased space at the Keizer shopping mall. “Unfortunately, that’s all the details I can share at this moment. We will have a formal announcement next week,” Hawley said. Several stores recently opened by REI have hired about 50 employees, according to the company’s website. The size of its newer stores has been in the range of 23,000-square-feet, Founded in 1938, REI is the nation’s largest consumer cooperative with 5.1 million…
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Posted inCurrent affairs Salem

Salem City Council asking strange downtown parking questions

Hmmmm. Something is strange here, and not in a good Strange Up Salem way. Take a look at how a survey of downtown businesses requested by the Salem City Council at its last meeting starts off. City Council is considering whether to remove time limits for on-street parking in the Downtown Parking District.  In the meantime, the holiday season is rapidly approaching. Last year, the time limits for on-street parking were extended from 2 hour limits (once a day per block face) to 4 hour limits. City Council would like to have feedback from downtown businesses about your preference for…
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Posted inDogs Salem

My damn fine reportin’ on today’s Orygun storm

I am one HELL of a stormchasin' reporter. Proved that today with my coverage of what I call an Oregon Stupid Storm (copyright reserved, all that legal stuff, blah, blah, blah). For the technically inclined envious out there, all you need to make professional-quality storm-reportin' videos like this is (1) an iPhone, (2) the way cool Lumify app, and enough stupid in you to keep hauling your unwaterproofed phone out in heavy rain.  
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Posted inSalem

Creative vision for Salem City Hall and Riverfront Park expansion

I've told Geoffrey James, a noted Salem architect, that he needs to be cloned. One Geoff can keep on with what the original is doing. The clone should be in charge of urban design for the City of Salem.  (See my previous post, "Architect Geoffrey James critiques Salem's lack of urban design.") Last night I was pleased to get an email from Geoff that went to me and many others concerned about development in the downtown riverfront area. More great ideas.  I really like his "Proposal for the Expansion of City Hall and Riverfront Park." As the City should be…
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Posted inSalem

Salemians should vote on downtown parking meter ban

Tomorrow the Salem (Oregon) City Council will decide how to handle the stupendously successful citizen initiative petition that seeks to ban parking meters in the downtown area. It's on the Monday meeting agenda. The staff report notes that almost 9,000 signatures were submitted in just a short time.  The people have spoken. For quite a few reasons, making people pay for onstreet downtown parking is a really bad idea. Stop Parking Meters Downtown explains why.  So let's have a vote in May 2014 on this issue. The City Council should choose that route, rather than putting the initiative into effect…
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Posted inSalem

Architect Geoffrey James critiques Salem’s lack of urban design

Below you'll find a spot-on critique by Geoffrey James of how the City of Salem does urban design. Or more accurately, doesn't.  James is an architect here in Salem. It's fair to say, a noted architect, judging from a portion of his bio: Geoff began his long career in design in 1963 upon graduating as an architect. First licensed in the UK in 1966, he has worked on prestigious buildings around the world from England, Wales, Scotland, and Egypt, to the USA. Licensed in the US in 1979 he has designed buildings in seven states i.e. Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Alaska, Hawaii,…
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Posted inSalem

2009 Pringle Square plan way better than 2013 version

Plans to redevelop the old Boise Cascade property on downtown Salem's riverfront have, thankfully, fallen through. Mountain West Investment's attempted land grab of the Carousel parking lot in public Riverfront Park for a private access road to an apartment complex on the west side of the railroad tracks was met with intense opposition from concerned citizens.  And somehow the development team missed an obvious fact: conversion of the park land to a private use would require National Park Service approval, since federal funds were used to build Riverfront Park. The 6(f) conversion application would take two years to process, or…
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Posted inSalem

Photos: imagine what Salem’s Riverfront Park could become

After Jack Bushek sent me his new vision for Salem's old Boise Cascade property, which became a blog post, last Thursday I took a sunset walk in the south end of Riverfront Park. I wanted to imagine what Riverfront Park could be like if the land west of the railroad tracks was added on to the park, and if the Pringle Creek banks were remade into a cool mixed use area. Also, how the Park would have been changed (for the worse) if Mountain West Investment's original development plan for the Boise Cascade property hadn't fallen through. Here's the photos…
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Posted inSalem

A new vision for Salem’s old Boise Cascade property

With the seeming demise of Mountain West Investment's ill-considered Pringle Square plans, there is a fresh opportunity to make this downtown riverfront area into a place that will elicit a Wow! rather than ho-hum from Salem visitors and residents.  Here's a letter that Jack Bushek, a long-time West Salem resident, sent to me. He has shared it with Salem Weekly, the Statesman Journal, Salem City Council, Mayor, and others. Hopefully it will get the attention that it deserves.  I like Jack's ideas. They fit with the basic vision of the 2006 Urban Land Institute report that analyzed the best uses…
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Posted inSalem Skateboarding

Video: senior citizen skateboarder rolls at Salem Sunday Streets

I had a great time at the Salem Sunday Streets event a few days ago. Well, my experience could have been even greater if I'd gotten the media coverage that I had shamelessly sought in my Statesman Journal press release. Which began with: For immediate super-important stop-the-presses release Salem's Senior Citizen Skateboarder, a.k.a. Brian Hines, a.k.a. me (though I will speak in the third person for greater dramatic effect) will be making an appearance at the Salem Sunday Streets event tomorrow. All available Statesman Journal reporting and photographic resources should be diverted to this locally, stately, nationally, and, arguably, cosmically important event. …
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