Corvallis e-News | June 2026

In this issue: Run for Mayor & City Council, Open Streets heads downtown, and more!

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Open Streets heads downtown on June 28

Join us for the 8th annual free street festival that reimagines our shared public spaces.

This year, Open Streets is headed to beautiful downtown Corvallis. Eight city blocks along 2nd Street between Riverfront Park and the Skate Park in Downtown Corvallis will be closed to vehicles and opened up for people to walk, bike, and roll.

Along the route you’ll find giant games, bicycle-powered rides, cultural activities, local food and drink, street installations, dance, music and more. Leave your car behind and take advantage of the free event shuttle or join a group bicycle ride to the event. Don’t miss the opening parade that leaves from Riverfront Park at 11:15 a.m.

More information and a map of the festival route is available on the Open Streets website. 

So ... you're interested in running for elected office in Corvallis?

Election season is coming soon in Corvallis! Anyone who is interested in running for public office is encouraged to attend a free informational session at 6:00 p.m. June 8 at the Madison Avenue Meeting Room, 500 SW Madison Ave. Virtual attendees can join by signing up at this link: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_IMTx-k_BSYuMIcHavGP_ZA. A recording of the session will be made available on the City website.

Staff in the City's elections office will provide information about the process of running for office, including roles & responsibilities of the Mayor and City Councilors, election timelines, key dates for election paperwork, and more.

Everyone is welcome to attend the meeting or tune in via Zoom. This event will not be a forum for debating issues, nor will it address how to campaign for office.

Summer @ Your Library

Summer reading starts June 1 for kids, teens, and adults!

Find out more and get started: cbcpl.net/summeratyourlibrary

See our summer events: corvallisbenton.librarycalendar.com

City leaders celebrate Van Buren Bridge opening

Last month, we had an opportunity to celebrate a huge milestone for the Corvallis community at the ribbon cutting event for the new Van Buren Bridge. The $85.4 million bridge has been carrying traffic for weeks now, but this was still a fun opportunity to celebrate with everyone who made the project happen.

Mayor Charles Maughan shared some remarks about the importance of the bridge and the hard work that goes into public infrastructure projects like this one. It’s also a good reminder of how long projects like this take: starting with an idea, to finding money in the budget to pay for it, then designing and building the project, then finally giving it to the community for decades to come. It takes a lot of patience and foresight to pull off a project like this.

“I hope that people think about the kind of work that it takes to invest in this kind of infrastructure for the future,” Mayor Maughan said at the ribbon cutting event.

Built to last

The City of Corvallis takes this same approach to infrastructure projects in our local community. They’re mapped out years in advance, using community input and long-range planning to anticipate what we’ll need decades from now. After that, the City Council has the hard job of balancing community priorities and finding money to pay for infrastructure improvements. We take this approach for everything you see (and don’t see!) around town: underground water pipes, new traffic signals, community facilities (like our two newly renovated fire stations), and even public parks and hiking trails.

The Van Buren Bridge started design work in 2019 and took 7 years to complete. With a little luck, it'll last us for the next 75+ years. A big part of the work we do at the City of Corvallis involves planning and developing similar infrastructure projects to serve our local community decades into the future.

Overhead traffic detectors coming to an intersection near you

Have you spotted one of these traffic detectors perched atop signal poles near some intersections in Corvallis? They look like video cameras — but they're not video cameras.

These are traffic detectors that provide info to the computers that control traffic signals at many intersections. For many years, we used traffic detectors that were installed in the pavement (you can see the circular markings on the pavement showing where these detectors were installed).

Detectors in the pavement are difficult to access and often get damaged during construction activities. So we're starting to transition to overhead detection systems, like the one you see in this photo.

What they're NOT doing:

• They're not recording or saving video footage
• They're not reading license plates or facial recognition
• Law enforcement has no access to these devices

Their only function is to detect vehicles and bicycles so the traffic signals can operate correctly. This technology is helping us modernize our signals and keep traffic moving smoothly in Corvallis.

How to report weeds and tall grass

It's spring in Corvallis, and that means everything is growing like a weed ... including the weeds! If you spot an overgrown area with tall grass, here's a handy list of how to report it to the City and get it addressed.

Are there tall weeds or grass on private property?

Use Corvallis Connect and select “Private Property - Weeds, Tall Grass, & Vegetation on Private Property” under the Topic Areas heading. If you are not able to complete an online form, please reach Development Services by phone at 541-766-6929 during regular work hours.

Are there overgrown plants in the public right-of-way that may be causing a transportation hazard?

Use Corvallis Connect, and select “Streets, Signs and Sidewalks - Vegetation Obstruction” under the Topic Areas header. If you are not able to complete an online form, please reach Public Works by phone at 541-766-6916  during regular work hours.

Are there tall weeds and grass in a city park?

Most areas of city parks are classified as naturescaping and are not enforced as tall grass on private property. However, you can still notify park staff if you find an area of concern. Use Corvallis Connect, and under Topic Areas, select “Parks and Recreation – Maintenance In Parks”. If you are not able to complete an online form, please reach Parks and Recreation by phone at 541-766-6918 during regular work hours.

Is there an imminent danger of fire in an area of tall grass?

If there are active conditions that could create a fire, contact the Corvallis Fire Department by phone at 541-766-5070 or by email at wildfire@corvallisoregon.gov.

Corvallis goes sticker-free with new online parking permit system

Permit parking in Corvallis is about to get a lot more convenient with the launch of a new self-service online permit management system. The City of Corvallis Public Works Department has been hard at work developing the new permit parking system, which officially launched on May 1.

The new system covers most parking permit functions used by the public in Corvallis, including:

• Residential Parking District permits
• Residential guest/visitor passes
• 10-hour meter permits in downtown

Previously, many of these permits were primarily accessed through in-person visits to the Corvallis Public Works main office. By creating a free account, customers can apply for permits and renew existing permits using their personal device. They can also update license plate and vehicle information, and sign up for automatic annual permit renewal for eligible permits.

The new system avoids stickers, hang tags, and physical permits. Instead, your permits are associated with your vehicle license plate – a convenient and efficient way of managing everything in one place.

“We’re excited to take this important step toward modernizing our heavily used parking permit system,” said Rory Rowan, the City’s Transportation Division Manager. “For a college town like Corvallis, parking permits represent a huge opportunity to improve efficiency and customer service for our entire community.”

The system is powered by Passport, a parking technology vendor used in hundreds of cities nationwide.

While the new system will become available on May 1, Public Works staff notes that there will be a transition period as the new permit system enters widespread use. During that time, the City will continue to honor all existing hang tags, stickers, and other permits.

For more information on this project, email parkingpermits@corvallisoregon.gov or call 541-766-6916.

City warns of financial scams targeting land use customers

The City of Corvallis is again warning community members to use caution when opening emails purporting to come from City officials. In the last week, the City became aware of some attempted financial scams that targeted customers engaged in land use services at the City. A similar round of fraud attempts took place in late 2025.

In these scams, victims were identified using information associated with open land use cases. Scammers contacted those individuals and sent fake invoices under the names of City building officials requesting payment as part of a land use process. The fake invoices included instructions to send the payment via wire transfer.

City officials are reminding the public that payments will never be requested via wire transfer.

Keep in mind these tips to ensure you don't fall victim to a financial scam.

• Carefully examine emails to ensure they are coming from legitimate City email addresses. Sophisticated scams often use names of actual City employees, together with generic email address or unfamiliar phone numbers.
• Look for grammatical errors, improper punctuation, or unfamiliar department names.
• For land use services, customers have the option of paying through a secure online service. The City will never ask for payment via wire transfer.

If you have fallen victim to an online financial scam, call the Police Department at 541-766-6911 to file a report.

Upcoming City Council Meetings

Catch up with your elected officials at their regularly scheduled meetings and work sessions. Upcoming meetings are listed below, along with links to calendar entries with more information. You don't have to attend to share feedback on any topic that's important to you. Feel free to use the Public Input Form to get in touch with the Council anytime, anywhere. 

FYI: Council Three-Month Calendar

The City Council's three-month calendar is a good way to track topics and learn about upcoming business items. The three-month calendar is available on the City website.

The schedule is subject to change, so be sure to contact your City Councilor to learn more about any particular topic you see on the calendar.

What's New at the Library this Month?

Outdoor Storytime, 10:30am Tuesdays and Thursdays June 16- August 27. Storytime is moving to Central Park for the summer!    Rain location:  Main Meeting Room

Infant Storytime:  For babies 0-1.  June 17-August 26 Wednesdays at 10:30 in the Main Meeting Room. 

Tech Help Lab:      1st and 3rd Wednesday   2nd floor classroom, Drop in for free, basic, one-on-one tech help from a library staff member. Bring your computer or device or use one of ours

Free Employment Help:     June 4,  red study room, 10am-noon, drop-in.  Job-seekers can drop in to meet with an Employment Specialist from Worksource Oregon.

What Does It Mean to Be American?:  June 6, 3-4:30 , Main Meeting Room.  Join Oregon Humanities for a reflective conversation exploring  when and how we define ourselves as an “American.” 

Children’s Concert: Jessa Campbell:  June 10, 10:30-11:15, Main Meeting Room Join Jessa Campbell  for a free children's concert that bridges the worlds of music and ecology.

Random Review:   June 10,12-1pm, Main Meeting room and streamed online   The Berry Pickers: A Novel by Amanda Peters

Craft Night for Adults:  June 16   , 5:30-7pm, Main Meeting Room  For ages 16+.     This month’s craft: iron-on patches

Rhys Thomas: Science Circus:  June 17, 5:30-6:30pm, Main Meeting Room A rare blend of science, comedy, and circus arts for the whole family!

Bee Amazed with Museum of Natural and Cultural History:  June 24, 1:30-3pm.  Children and their families are invited to enjoy hands-on science fun and buzz-worthy activities about bugs and bees

Model Train Show:  June 20 and 21  , Main Meeting Room  The Oregon Electric O Gaugers bring a model train show for the whole family.

Family Craft Night:  June 23 , 5:00-6:30, Main Meeting Room:   Make some crafts with the Library and The Arts Center. All ages welcome! Supplies provided.

Rainbow Nef Night for Adults:  June 26, 6:15-8:15pm. Come celebrate your Pride and join us for snacks, crafts, and Nerf games after hours in the library!  For Adults 18+

All Ages Pride Tea  Party:  June 27, 10:30-12:30, Main Meeting Room.  Celebrate the rainbow at this all-ages Pride Month Celebration  Free and open to all.

Get a Library Card: Sign up for a library card and get access to all services and materials including placing holds on materials,  downloadable books, audiobooks, magazines, streaming movies and more!

Home Delivery Service:  Get your holds delivered to you!  Delivery is available to patrons with current library cards who live within the library service district.

Books & More from Home:  Read ebooks, download audiobooks and magazines, or watch streaming video all from the comfort of your home with your library card!

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