Albany Station Earns Downtown Excellence Award

Aamtrack pulling into Albany Station Photo Courtesy: railroadnews.net

(ALBANY) - Albany Station, the City of Albany`s recently renovated multimodal transportation center, has received a 2006 Award in Downtown Excellence from the Oregon Downtown Development Association.

The Albany center received an award for excellence in transit/transportation, the only award in that category. The Albany multimodal transportation center consolidates park-and-ride, bus transfers, and passenger train service in an attractive and period-appropriate gateway to Albany`s downtown.

The redevelopment turned blighted, private properties into a public showcase and point of community pride.

Three private highway frontage properties at the entry to downtown were purchased and consolidated into one public parcel. The seriously deteriorated 1908 passenger rail depot, used primarily for private railroad offices, has been historically restored as public space for Amtrak passenger rail.

The depot, one of the nation`s oldest continually operating passenger rail stations, holds an important place in Albany`s history; its function is sustained.

At the south end of the project site, deteriorated buildings were removed, landscaping installed, and period lighting added. The result is plazas, waiting areas, and other public space that is now used daily by many travelers.

The project established Albany`s first central transportation facility, bringing five providers together at a common transfer point. Albany Transit (ATS); the Linn-Benton Loop (serving Albany and Corvallis); Linn Shuttle (Albany, Lebanon, and Sweet Home); Valley Retriever (serving Newport, Albany, Bend, Salem, and Portland); and Amtrak train and bus serve the new station.

Travelers and commuters have free long-term vehicle parking; bicyclists have covered bike racks and free bike storage lockers.

`Railroad depots are often found in a community`s downtown and were historically a center of activity,"

Special Projects Coordinator Guy Mayes wrote in nominating the center for the award.

`Albany Station presents a fresh face to travelers who stop here, emphasizes a long-established commitment to historic preservation, and acknowledges the importance of transportation alternatives to the automobile."

The restoration of Albany Station was funded by a combination of federal, state, local, and Amtrak money totaling about $11.3 million. Some work at the site has yet to be completed, including a clock tower at the Lyon Street entrance. The tower will include clocks that are being donated by the Greater Albany Rotary Club.

The City received news of the award on April 19th, the day after a community rededication celebration for the station. The official awards presentation will take place at the Antonia Ballroom in Canby on May 12th, 2006.