The Old 300 sways gently from side to side as the clickity-clack of the wheels on the track provides a backbeat to the staccato clangs from the bell Jim Wilkins rings at each intersection. Pedestrians turn, smile and wave as the trolley moves along Astoria's riverfront. The smiles extend to City Hall and the business community as leaders in this north coast town marvel at the success of their latest effort to revitalize downtown Astoria. In one of the state's oldest cities, vibrant shops slowly replace empty storefronts as the city and community continue a thoughtful and steady progression of improvements. Some of the most recent successes include an aquatic center, movie theater and the Oregon State University seafood consumer school in the east end of town.
Work is under way to transform a downtown movie theater into a performing arts center.
The trolley project, however, evolved without the cumbersome legal or governmental restrictions often associated with redevelopment. More than 200 Astorians gave 3,200 hours of their time to refurbish the 1913 trolley, put it on the tracks and give people a new way to see Astoria. Gov. John Kitzhaber recently awarded the Astoria Riverfront Trolley Taskforce one of eight Governor's Economic and Community Development Awards for the year. Astoria Mayor Willis Van Dusen said the award validates the dreams and visions of those who first talked of putting a trolley on the tracks almost two decades ago. The trolley idea first surfaced in 1980 as part of an artist's rendering of one possible look for a redeveloped riverfront.