8A
THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2015
Bridge: Project was completed ‘on schedule and within budget’
Continued from Page 1A
“The city is very excited to have completed this
project on schedule and within budget,” said Jeff Har-
rington, the city engineer. “It is a very critical bridge
to our city infrastructure and city road system.
“And having it open means that we will hopefully
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the federal government. The new span features deco-
rative concrete railings, sidewalks and retaining walls
designed to make the bridge sturdier.
Crews gave the stretch of Irving at the bridge a
fresh coat of asphalt Thursday before opening the
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plete the work.
The city is a bit apprehensive about how drivers
will react, since Irving has had a reputation for speed.
“It’s not a NASCAR track,” warned Lance Clark,
a project inspector for David Evans and Associates, a
Portland contractor that worked with the city on the
bridge.
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“It saves a lot of time and that street really absorbs
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Warr, who represents the city’s east side. “I felt that a
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cause we had no alternative route of any kind, and so
lots of those people that would traditionally be using
Irving had to come clear to the other end of town and
then cut back.”
Residents on Irving, who have suffered through
the detours and bustle of construction, will also get
some relief. Some neighbors, though, quietly enjoyed
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There is concern that pent-up driver demand for
the alternative route will turn their neighborhood
back into a speedway.
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computer analyst who lives on Irving near 20th Street. The Irving Avenue Bridge is now open after being closed since August 2014.
Joshua Bessex/The Daily Astorian
Park: Dan and Sue Stein have strong ties to the community
Continued from Page 1A
The gravel trail that con-
nects Skyline and West Grand
kitty-corner-style
follows
what may otherwise have be-
come a “pathway of desire”
— a shortcut that walkers
naturally take instead of the
path already laid down.
“We just want to make it
more convenient for them, is
really what we’re trying to
do: Give them a convenient
walkway,” Dan said.
Yard work
After the Steins bought
the property last year, they
hired Leslie Thies, a land-
scape designer from Port-
land, to blueprint the yard.
“She saw what it was and
what it could be,” Dan said.
Alex Raichl, general man-
ager of Trails End Recovery,
then carried out the excava-
tion work and Dennis’ 7 Dees
Seaside crew did the land-
scaping.
“We were looking for
something that was peaceful,
but not just a standard ‘build-
ing a yard’ that’s all green
grasses, a patio and picnic ta-
bles. There’s plenty of those
around town,” Raichl said.
“We wanted to have some-
thing that had a little more
character to it.”
Trails End demolished a
defunct house near the inter-
section and let local carpen-
ters and handymen harvest
the wood and other materials.
Then the digging began.
“I wanted to do a lot of the
work myself, just to really
capture what was going on
and to be a part of something
that turned out great,” Raichl
added.
The result — which com-
bines new and existing com-
ponents — is a terraced, open
park space that includes ca-
mellias, maple and evergreen
trees, arborvitae and other
drought-tolerant plantings; a
rock garden, stone steps and
two rock swales (now featur-
ing “Finding Nemo” toys);
and a rock wall and berm
that separate the private and
public areas while preventing
erosion.
“We try to create a reason
that someone wants to be in
that space, in the garden, and
arts-cultural-business vibe to
it,” said Dan, who sits on the
Liberty Theater and Astoria
Armory boards. “It’s a vi-
brant city that happens to be
located in a very picturesque
Golden Rule
place.”
Originally from Wiscon-
It will take a few years for
sin, the Steins moved to As- the Steins’ plants to mature
toria after a 15-year spell in DQG ¿OO LQ WKHLU SDUN ZKLFK
Portland.
may remain a work in prog-
Dan, who’s in the com- ress, said Sue, a member of
mercial real estate business, the Astoria Public Library
and Sue, the associate dean Board.
for the College of Health Pro-
“We’ll have to see what
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had long visited Astoria for year,” she said. “It’s a battle
anniversaries and special with the deer right now.”
weekends.
Dan said they hope that
“The more we got to visitors (who are welcome to
know the city and the people, add to the small toy collec-
the more we really liked it.
Downtown has a real strong
can even compete with those
beautiful views all around
without blocking them or
distracting from them,” Thies
said.
tion, by the way) remember
to observe the Golden Rule
when passing through.
“In perfect world,” Sue
said, “people would freely
come and go down here but
be really respectful of it.”
Last week, while Dan was
walking their dogs, Herb and
Olive Oil, a troop of Girl
Scouts earning their exercise
merit badges walked up the
hill and took a breather on
their property.
“They all stopped, had
some water, sat down on the
rocks, had a nice little chat
and went on their way, which
was perfect,” Dan said. “I
mean, it was exactly what we
were looking to do.”
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