Salem

Today I received a PDF file of the City of Salem Public Works decision that allowed US Bank to cut down five large beautiful Japanese Zelkova trees that have graced State Street in downtown. Download US Bank State Street Trees decision I'll have more to say about the report in tomorrow's blog post. Read it yourself, and I think you'll agree with me that this seems like a pre-determined "kill the trees" decision in desperate search of flimsy facts/ordinance interpretations to justify it. My wife and I are long-time land use activists. We've been involved in quite a few land…

Losing five large beautiful trees in downtown Salem is bad enough. How this travesty occurred is equally disturbing. The full story remains to be fleshed leafed out.  (The chapters so far are described in previous blog posts, here, here, and here.) Still, during the past week I've gotten a pretty good feel for how the needless tree-killing came about. One of my reputable sources is my wife, who spoke with a US Bank manager about why the bank wanted the trees to be removed. She didn't get the name of the manager, who was a man. What we do know,…

Today I got an excellent comment on my blog post, "U.S. Bank kills large downtown trees. Don't bank with them."  It's the best explanation that I've seen so far about how this (one of five trees that has been, or will be, needlessly cut down by U.S. Bank)... Became this... The story of how this happened is disturbing. I'll talk more about what this sorry tale says about Salem politics and Chamber of Commerce influence-peddling in a following post.  Here's the comment from Cherry City Blogger, with a few misspellings, typos, and links cleaned up for easier reading. If you…

Yesterday the U.S. Bank tree killing spree began in Salem, Oregon. Three of five large Japanese Zelkovas, which have beautified downtown Salem for about fifty years, were cut down for no good reason. The other two trees are on the chopping block. Innocents, their only crime being that some U.S. Bank executive didn't like them, they await their turn to be changed from this... To this... I was disturbed about this two days ago when I wrote "Downtown trees destroyed: shame on U.S. Bank and City of Salem." That was before the trees were cut down. Today I visited the…

Who doesn't love trees? Well, yesterday and today the Statesman Journal ran stories about two Salem entities which don't: U.S. Bank and the City of Salem. (photo by me and my iPhone; taken this afternoon while trees are still standing) Tuesday some tree lovers protested the decision to allow U.S. Bank to remove five beautiful trees that grace the street in front of the downtown Ladd and Bush branch. A city decision to permit the removal of five Japanese Zelkova trees on the north side of the Ladd and Bush branch of U.S. Bank prompted protest Tuesday at Commercial and…

I'm a frequent critic of the town I've lived in or near for 36 years, Salem. Us cynical old-timers like to call it, So-Lame. Compared to Portland, Corvallis, Eugene, Ashland, Bend, and other Oregon cities with a lot more creativity, energy, coolness, and vision. But yesterday I attended a meeting of the Salem City Club where speakers brought us up to date on the status of the long-planned bridge from the downtown Salem riverfront to Minto Brown Island. Annie Gorski, project manager for the City of Salem, showed slides of what the bridge will look like. Way cool! Something I…

My daughter stuck a (figurative) knife in my heart today. Well, make that in my stomach.  I'd just finished five miles of longboard land paddling at Minto Brown Island Park here in Salem, Oregon. I was pleasantly tired. Also, not-so-pleasantly hungry.  Checking my iPhone, I saw that Celeste, who lives in Studio City, California, had sent me a text message. We've been talking about us coming down for a visit. Guess she wanted to entice me and my wife, health-conscious vegetarians that we are. Just discovered a new veggie restaurant in the valley you guys will love! I asked what…

I'm not a big fan of how plans for Salem's downtown riverfront have devolved from a classy, creative, cool mixed use development to rental apartments and a medical rehabilitation facility. Nonetheless, I'd go to what seems to be a "sales job" for what's being called the Riverfront Park Community if the day and time didn't conflict with my Monday Tai Chi class.  It's Monday, April 1, 5:00 pm at the Carousel. Refreshments! I hope someone else will attend the gathering, then tell their tale. Here's info about it. I'm interested in learning more about what's planned for the old Boise…

How many ways can Salem, Oregon depress me? More than this resident of 35 years can imagine, even after all that time.  I'd never imagined that a giant white "Ross Dress for Less" sign would uglify the brickwork on Salem Center, greeting downtown visitors coming across the Center Street bridge with Welcome to Tackiness Land.  Yet what I never imagined has come true. And when plans for the industrial wasteland on the riverfront just south of downtown that used to be a Boise Cascade plant were first revealed, I never imagined that what was billed as a wonderful "mixed use"…

Usually I shun the word "abomination." Sounds too Old Testament'y. As in fornication outside of wedlock is an abomination.  Not true. But here's a genuine abomination: the Ross Dress for Less sign that was recently installed on Salem Center brickwork.  Walking up Liberty Street, this is the garish sight that meets your eyes as you reach Center Street. A disgusting large white sign that is way larger than the moderately attractive Salem Center sign above it. The sign clashes with everything around it. Including the red brickwork. Approaching downtown Salem from the Center Street bridge, the abomination is doubly abdominable…

Nice overview in alternative newspaper Willamette Week of how marijuana is getting more and more mainstream in oh-so-green Oregon. (Thanks to Jack Bogdanski for cluing me in to the stories via a blog post, since it's tough to find copies of WW down here in not-cool Salem.) I found "You're Not High in Portland Until... 28 things to do when stoned in Stumptown" particularly entertaining. Someday I hope the reporter will write a similar piece about Salem. Likely it wouldn't take too long. If he or she gets to 3 things to do, I'd be amazed. Ride Riverfront Carousel... stare…

If you're a Salem, Oregon area resident who isn't regularly reading the Breakfast on Bikes blog, you should be! It's not really about bicycling, though it partly is. Many, if not most, of the posts are focused on how our sometimes-fair city needs to improve alternative transportation and mixed use options. Today's blog offering is an excellent overview of what's happening (and what isn't) with the re-development of the old Boise Cascade industrial property along Salem's riverfront: "Proposed Apartments for Boise Site Turn Backs on Park." I agree with the overall conclusion.  It's great news that things are heating up…

OK, let's get past the name of this otherwise-cool housing development: Edwards Addition, which sounds like a boring afterthought, is anything but. Today my wife and I met the developer, Eric Olsen, at the Mid-Valley Home Show (Americraft Building, State Fairgrounds, today through Sunday). We'd just started to browse the show when I heard "Brian and Laurel!" Turning toward the Olsen Design and Development booth, which likely we would have walked right past otherwise, Molly Beecroft greeted us cheerily.  Molly is a former neighbor, and current realtor, who works with Eric. Her charm and my desire for a free gift soon…

My wife and I love LifeSource Natural Foods, currently Salem"s one and only natural food store. Health-minded eaters that we are, vegetarian and organic-leaning, we enjoy the friendly atmosphere and good selection of food at LifeSource. However, we also lust after a Whole Foods, Market of Choice, New Seasons, or other larger natural food store with more choices and lower prices. Usually when we're in Portland, Corvallis, or Eugene, we stop at one of the stores that Salem should have, given its population, but doesn't. So I was more than a little excited when I glanced at the front page…

Oh, irritating irritations, I had plenty of time to count you up during my lengthy wait at Salem's Vista Station post office today. (1) Walking in the door at about 2:30 pm on a Tuesday, a time I figured would be pleasingly low key busy-wise, and finding about a dozen people lined up in the small lobby. I only needed to pick up a package that required a signature. Didn't want to come back; didn't want to run the risk of having our mailhuman try to deliver it again at a day we weren't home. (2) So I decided to…