Editor’s Note: In previous editions of The Land Park News and The Pocket News, we published two special commentaries on the development of the Curtis Park Village Project at the railyards adjacent to Sacramento City College. Below, we have reprinted the opinion pieces. The first is by Katy Grimes in favor of not stalling the project and the second is by Rosanna Herber, who favors greater review of the project plans. For those who have not yet, please share with us your thoughts about the development plan  –  e-mail ryanrose@valcomnews.com. We will print your letters in the March 11, 2010 edition of The Land Park News.

 

Not in my backyard: Curtis Park Village Project derailed

By KATY GRIMES

Editor’s Note: The following is a special commentary by local political columnist Katy Grimes, publisher of the online political journal “The Sacramento Citizen” (thesaccitizen.squarespace.com). Grimes is a well-known Sacramento political analyst, having been published in The Sacramento Union and The Sacramento Bee.

 

One of the bigger problems with social “do-gooders” is that they always think that their solutions are good for everyone else. Affordable housing, water restrictions, solar power, healthy eating, bicycling to work, public transit are all great ideas – for other people. The satirical newspaper The Onion exemplified this syndrome years ago with their own headline: “A study released Monday by the America Public Transportation Association reveals that 98 percent of Americans support the use of mass transit by others.”

Usually we see this occur on neighborhood association boards where a few like-minded bullies can prevent developments, impose unrealistic traffic calming measures, randomly decide land use, and even impose remodeling requirements and restrictions on homeowners.

Local developer Paul Petrovich has been working for more than 5 years and invested more than $40 million in his proposed Curtis Park Village development, currently home to the unsightly, old Union Pacific railyard located behind Sacramento City College, between the neighborhoods of Land Park and Curtis Park.

The proposed development appears to have all of the necessary elements that concerned citizens say they want: A mixed-use project, urbanized community structure, in-fill development (utilizing land within the city limits); a public transit oriented development with two light rail stations, while being pedestrian-friendly offering a pedestrian foot bridge to connect the neighborhoods and City College; neighborhood retail (no big-box stores); office space; a health club; a 7-acre park; tree-lined streets; and 240 affordable, subsidized, multi-family housing units, 184 single family homes, and 90 senior housing units, all utilizing a design that integrates with architecture in the surrounding neighborhoods.

What’s the beef?

The project has turned personal. Area residents have made the Curtis Park Village project about Paul Petrovich the man, instead of focusing on the project, which takes a blighted piece of land and gives it life, turning it into homes, businesses, parks and pretty streets.

With most of the 32 design changes that Petrovich made to the plan at the behest of five vocal members of the Sierra Curtis Neighborhood Association, it appears that they are now requesting changes to their original requests for changes. This can only lead one to believe that they are nothing more than attention-starved obstructionists who should take up a hobby instead. The spaceefficient street grid Petrovich originally designed was replaced with meandering streets and a traffic-calming roundabout; now the opponents of the development want a street grid again. The cries about increased traffic are based on three-generation-old plans that included a hotel; even the Draft Environmental Impact Report showed a minimal traffic increase at major intersections and no traffic increase on most Curtis Park streets.

Support for Pertovich’s development seems to cut across socio-economic, political, philosophical and environmental lines and has received support from some unlikely sources: The Smart Growth Leadership Council, Friends of Light Rail, Assemblyman Dave Jones, state Sen. Darrell Steinberg, Mayor Kevin Johnson, and even the once contentious Land Park Community Association.

Given that area residents have to get in their cars and drive to other neighborhoods  for most services, for a residential  area of more than 10,000 households, the Curtis Park, Land Park and Hollywood Park neighborhoods are underserved in retail services when compared to other Sacramento areas. This seems to defy the environmental green movement as well as Petrovich’s development plans, which presents a mix of residential, retail, office, park space, even a health club for residents, and will be pedestrian friendly.

Four of the five vocal opponents are on the Sierra Curtis Neighborhood Association board of directors and several of the project opponents write for the neighborhood newspaper, “The Viewpoint.” Three of the five opponents are attorneys. With the Curtis Park neighborhood made up of 2,500 households, and neighboring Land Park with 7,000 households, the neighborhood association should take a poll of the area if they are truly interested in taking the pulse, in order to sincerely represent the neighborhood. The Land Park Neighborhood Association offered support for the project as well as some suggestions.

Ironically, when the need for multi-family low-cost housing came up, the opponents of the project insisted that the low-cost housing be removed from the original prominent locations nearest Curtis Park, and placed instead, in the rear of the development by the railroad tracks, demonstrating that their involvement is not for the greater good, but instead the Not-In-My-Backyard attitude – living in lowcost housing and riding the bus is good for other people.

Petrovich has made clear that while he has a great deal of time, money and emotions invested in this project, it is already zoned industrial. Opponents disingenuously have tried to claim that he threatened to rezone it industrial and build warehouses on the land. If the land does not become a lovely, welcoming neighborhood, it still needs to have the toxic dirt removed and something eventually built, and no developer or city can afford to put another park on land that can generate income and property taxes. There are already two large parks in the vicinity – William Land Park and Curtis Park.

The city requires that a certain percentage of high density and low income or senior housing be built into all projects of this scale. Petrovich has melded the city’s requirements, neighbor input as well as his own, to come up with a project that appears to have a good balance. But a few Curtis Park activists could still chase away this developer, leaving behind the unsightly toxic wasteland, ripe for any national developer specializing in big box stores or warehouses.

 

Prudent planning, review is best for Curtis Park Village Project

By ROSANNA HERBER

Editor’s Note: Rosanna Herber is the president of the Sierra Curtis Neighborhood Association. SCNA represents more than 2,500 households in the historic Curtis Park neighborhood located just south of downtown Sacramento. Visit the group’s Web site at http://www.sierra2.org/.

 

It’s decision time for Curtis Park Village. The proposed development on the 72-acre parcel between Land Park and Curtis Park is the City’s best opportunity to see a forward-looking, state of the art, infill development that will endure for the next 50 years. The project application is going to the Planning Commission on February 25 and to the Council on April 1. The Sierra Curtis Neighborhood Association (SCNA) is eager to see the development go forward, but not without first making sure the surrounding neighborhoods get a fair deal from the developer. Issues related to toxics, design and traffic must be addressed before the projects approved.

The December editorial by Katy Grimes “Not in my backyard – Curtis Park Village Project derailed?” left me wondering if Grimes had read the project application. Grimes wrote “the proposed development appears to have all of the necessary elements that concerned citizens say they want:: a mixed use project…offering a pedestrian footbridge to connect the neighborhoods and City College…no big box stores…a health club…240 affordable, subsidized multi-family housing units…all utilizing a design that integrates with architecture in the surrounding neighborhoods.”

Sounds beautiful, right? But, read the project application. It does not include a pedestrian footbridge to City College. Only bus service is proposed between City College and the commercial area. It’s unrealistic to expect students and faculty who drive to the campus to take bus service to the commercial area to purchase food or services. It is more logical they would either drive their cars or walk over the pedestrian bridge. The lack of an overcrossing is a serious flaw that must be corrected. We need the Council to put the pedestrian bridge back into the project and get federal dollars to pay for it.

In public meetings, the developer has promised not to allow “big box” style commercial development. However, the proposed project application offers nothing to ensure this promise. SCNA has asked the Council to condition the commercial zoning guidelines so that each building be limited to no more than 55,000 square feet. (For comparison purposes, the Safeway store on R Street is 53,000 square feet.) This requirement would allow a grocery store, but still ensure that “big box” retail stays out of the neighborhood. There is no firm proposal for a health club in the Village as Grimes reported. It’s just a “concept” for the commercial area, like the previous ideas of a hotel and dinner theatre. After the developer gets approval for 259,000 square feet of commercial space, he can build any type of “big box” store he wants as long as it meets the commercial zoning guidelines.

The proposed 259,000 square feet of commercial space is a suburban, auto-oriented design that is not consistent with the Sacramento General Plan’s designation of this area as a Traditional Center. The Land Park Community Association recognized this inconsistency and wrote in a September 2009 letter to City Planning staff, “Land Park and Curtis Park are both traditional neighborhoods…We fear that the current development proposal contains many elements of a more contemporary, car-oriented suburban type of development: elements that are inconsistent with our existing neighborhoods and that would undermine their unique character.”

The letter goes on to say, “We are concerned that the current configuration of the development plan will funnel most of the project’s residential commuter traffic on to 21st Street and overwhelm the street’s traffic capacity during commute times, reversing the gains achieved by the recent conversion.” Make no mistake. This oversized commercial space will significantly increase traffic. You can look forward to gridlock on Sutterville Road and more cars on your neighborhood street. While LPCA did not recommend a size for the commercial area, SCNA urges the Council to limit it to 170,000 square feet because it will generate less out-of-the-area auto traffic.

The project application doesn’t propose 240 affordable, subsidized multi-family housing units as Grimes reported. Most are upscale multi-family units. The only subsidized housing will be the 90 units at the senior housing complex. SCNA would welcome more affordable units so that the students and faculty connected with City College could live in the Village. That is why SNCA asks for duplexes and granny flats to be allowed by right on single family lots. We also want the Council to approve guidelines so that fourplexes and triplexes can be built. This would allow for a wider variety of ownership housing types and sizes, including live-work units.

What about the remaining toxic soil? How will families know they live in a safe neighborhood? The plan is to bury the toxics under a 7-acre park, which will be covered with a geomembane cap and two feet of clean soil. It will essentially establish a hazardous waste storage facility in our neighborhoods. SCNA is alarmed there is no requirement that the Master Plan for the park be completed before the Council certifies the environmental document that allows the state to approve a final clean up plan. We do not believe two feet of clean soil can support an adequate neighborhood park. In order for an average sized shade tree to be planted, clean soil of approximately 6-8 feet would be needed so the tree’s roots didn’t disturb the cap. If the Council rushes forward with certifying the environmental document, the state will decide the level of clean dirt for the cap. We could see a park with no trees! SCNA urges the Council not to approve the environmental document until the Master Plan for the park is complete.

While SCNA understands there are significant financial demands on the developer stemming from the clean up of the toxics, we do not believe these circumstances should compel the City to accept a project that may be financially viable in the short term, but does not serve the surrounding neighborhoods or the City well in the long run.

 

Readers: What do you think?  Send your thoughts to ryanrose@valcomnews.com and we will print them in the next edition of The Land Park News.

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In response to a news story that he was at death’s door in London, Missouri-born Samuel Langhorne Clemens, known popularly by penname Mark Twain, wrote, “The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated.”

Indeed, as Twain has since passed, his legend (and wisdom) lives on in popular culture. And while his larger-than-life persona is sometimes exaggerated by modern authors and playwrights, Twain’s pointed humor, dogged honesty, keen insights and plainspoken ways are as welcomed now as they were when he was writing for The Sacramento Union newspaper during the 19th century.

It has been nearly a century since his death, but his ghost still haunts Sacramento. The capital city’s deep political divide would be the perfect fodder for a Twain novel or the subject of a community chat.

Next month, Twain returns to life via the stage – and he is back in Sacramento. Actor Hal Holbrook portrays the famous author Saturday, March 6 at 8 p.m. at The Community Center Theater. Tickets are available at the Convention Center Theater Box Office (1301 L St.), Tickets.com, and (916) 808-5181. Ticket prices are $30-$60 plus facility and service fee. Student tickets available for $15 with I.D. at the box office.

Holbrook has been portraying Mark Twain on stage for over 50 years and has performed more than 2,000 shows. His portrayal of Twain is one that is as much educational as it is entertaining.

Considering Twain’s far-reaching legacy, our city is very lucky to have such a connection to the author (much as I’m sure Salinas values John Steinbeck). Clemens might have been born on the Mississippi River, but Twain spoke the language of modern Californians – in his time, he was a pioneer for human rights, women’s rights, the environment and the humane treatment of animals. He may have been a character of the Gilded Age (having coined the term in fact), but Twain, pseudonym and all, was the real deal.

The Sacramento Union believed that – and they traded on that reputation. Anytime The Union encountered financial problems, the publisher would drag an old desk out from the backroom and sell it as a “Desk used by Mark Twain.” Almost always, those desks sold quickly.

A chance to experience a form of Twain today is a treat. As Twain’s close friend Helen Keller wrote, “I think ‘Mark Twain’ is a very appropriate nom de plume for Mr. Clemens because it has a funny and quaint sound that goes well with his amusing writings, and its nautical significance suggests the deep and beautiful things he has written.”

 

E-mail Ryan Rose at ryanrose@valcomnews.com.

Like many children, Jay Canter was given something to do with his curious and potentially destructive hands. Unlike most of them, however, Canter developed an infatuation that continues to grow to this day. At age six or seven, Canter was given a camera to keep his hands busy during the annual family trip to the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C. Idle hands could be a very expensive proposition in such a place, after all.

At first it was just point and shoot, of course. He knew nothing of lighting and shadows and any number of other tricks known by professionals. But what started as a project to curb youthful exuberance for the Carmichael-raised Canter, eventually turned into a life-long artistic journey.

“I had my first stuff published when I was 16,” Canter said. “I was really into race cars and that was what I photographed first.”

It wasn’t long before car magazines became aware of his skills. Executives came from all over to see this kid with the camera. He went on to graduate from El Camino High School in 1996, but photography was still just a hobby for the most part.

The first national magazine to feature his work was a high-performance car magazine called “Turbo.” The honor came at a pivotal time for him, as he was unsure about whether or not to pursue photography as a job.

“Photography is absolutely my full-time job now,” he said. “I left corporate America 10 years ago.”

But how did he come to be so outstanding that he was able to make a career off his skills? He took photography class in high school, but he never really absorbed the nuts and bolts aspects taught in structured classes. Instead, he learned by doing.

“I am totally self-taught,” he said. “I have always had an artistic eye.”

That might be just a bit of an understatement for someone who was named The Best Photographer in Sacramento by the Sacramento News & Review in 2008. Canter knew he was good, but even he was shocked to be given that honor.

“I had no idea about the award,” he said. “I wasn’t even in town when the issue came out.”

Canter recalled getting a text from a friend congratulating him.

“Congratulations for what?” he laughed. After hearing the news, he sent his parents on a search for copies of the end of the year “Best Of” issue of the publication. The voting is all anonymous and to this day, he doesn’t know who voted for him or which works of his inspired said votes.

 

Shots from around the world

In his career, Canter has traveled all over the United States as well as internationally. He has shot fashion, commercial, weddings, parties and the aforementioned sports cars, but now most of his work deals with scenery and architecture photography.

“I consider myself a real world photographer,” he said. “I’m not going to cut your head off and put it on Brad Pitt’s body. That’s not what I do.”

Canter takes pride in tinkering as little as possible with his pictures. Either he got the shot he wanted, or he didn’t. It would appear that he generally gets the shot he wanted. His scenery pictures have been so well received, in fact, that Mercy San Juan Hospital features 32 works in its new six-story critical care facility.

Twenty pictures are in the lobby of the facility, while the others are in the actual patients’ rooms. The pictures are what Canter describes as “iconic stuff from the western U.S.” The pictures are from all over California including Pollock Pines and Placerville. They are meant to be colorful and cheery pictures in the hopes that they might make a stay in a critical care facility a little more comfortable for the patients.

 

An eye on the future

As for future projects, Canter has something in the works for Second Saturday on March 13 at the L Street Lofts at 1818 L Street. He will have an entire floor dedicated to his work alone and proceeds from the event will go to a local charity. As of right now, some of his pieces can be seen at the Appel Gallery at 931 T Street, which Canter said is the only photography-exclusive gallery in Sacramento.

Eventually he would like to open a gallery and studio where people can come and see his work permanently on display. In the meantime, Canter continues to spread his message about his craft. He teaches seminars, gives private lessons and helps with the photography department at El Camino.

“Just because you have a camera doesn’t make you a photographer,” he said. “I want to get that awareness out there that photography is an art and that we need to support local artists.”

He also encourages people to ask him questions. He says that he has people come up to him all the time with photographical queries and he always answers each one to the best of his ability.

Canter has made it as a big-time photographer published all over the world, but he still calls just one place home.

“I love Sacramento,” he said. “I have had opportunities to move to Los Angeles and New York, but I stay here because I love the community.”

In the end, it looks like his parents had the right idea sticking that camera in his hands. He found what he loves and has become a success without destroying even a single priceless artifact.

People interested in buying some of Canter’s artistic works can do so at his Web site www.jaycanter.com. There you can find contact info and pretty much anything you need to get a hold of his one-of-a-kind works.

 

E-mail Benn Hodapp at benn@valcomnews.com.

They came with both barrels blazing: A city councilmember, a former mayor, and a dozen or so city employees there to make a point – containerized pick-up for green waste is the future, and it is time to get on board.

The Department of Utilities invited residents to an informational meeting Jan. 21 at Kennedy High School to discuss the benefits of using cans to dispose of yard and lawn clippings. Edison Hicks, general manager of Integrated Waste from Sacramento’s Department of Utilities, led the charge, along with Sacramento City Councilman Robbie Waters and former Sacramento Mayor Anne Rudin.

The advantages are overwhelming: lower costs, cleaner streets, safer streets, and less likelihood of fostering West Nile virus.

“In 2004 we (the city of Sacramento) began using containers on a voluntary basis,” said Hicks. “Right now, about 70 percent of the city is using containers, and we hope to be at 80 percent by the end of February. With loose-on-the-street pick up, we pay two employees, driving two vehicles, to service 1200 households. With containers, one driver can service 2,000 households a day.”

And that difference in cost may be reflected in utility bills for Sacramento customers.

Currently, about $10 of your utility bill is for the removal of yard waste. If residents continue to use loose-on-the-street, their bill may increase by about $30 a month. A second can may be requested, for a charge of an additional $5 a month.

Customers using the 96-gallon cans will receive an additional eight loose-in-the-street collections, once a month for January, February, May and October. The months of November and December will see collections a minimum of every other week.

Walt Siefert from the Sacramento Area Bicycle Advocates spoke of the dangers to bicyclists by having to ride through piles of leaves, or around piles, thus riding into traffic.

And David Brown, manager for the Sacramento-Yolo Mosquito Vector Control told the group how piles of yard waste create a haven for mosquitoes.

“When people hose down their driveways and sidewalks, the yard waste gets into our sewer system, creating an ideal environment in the catch basins for breeding mosquitoes,” he said.

“I couldn’t wait to get the yard container,” said Kathy Garcia, a 16-year resident in the Pocket. “I love it. I’ve been using the container since they first offered us the cans. And we put our green kitchen scraps in there, too. But I do hate seeing the cans left out on the street.”

“I’m glad we went to containers,” said Sue Armi, who has lived in her Pocket area home 33 years. My concern is during leaf season or after a big storm, if we’ll have too much waste for the container. But I don’t like the piles in the street. We live on a curve, and when cars come around the corner, it’s constant clean-up.”

But not everyone is in love with the idea of using the containers.

“It’s not that I’m against them,” said Ted Kellogg, “I think they (city utilities) should provide enough flexibility. Occasions arise when you need extra pick-up. During the summer there’s often a need for some extra pick-ups without charging extra. I would not like a rate increase at all, but I guess I’d be forced to use a can if my bill goes up.”

“Originally I chose to use the container. It used to be when you had overflow you could put it out in the street and it would be picked up,” said Phyllis Hill, who moved into her Pocket home in 1973. “But a few months ago, I got a notice on the door saying I had 5 days to remove the yard waste, or I’d be fined $500. It took two days to cut it into small enough pieces to fit in my can and the cans of two neighbors. In the process, I found out I could turn my container back in, so I did. I’m unhappy if I have to go through that again. With our yards that are on the levee, we have a lot to deal with. I have 80 roses, 12 fruit trees, five redwoods, plus oak and dogwood. And I have three compost piles going. I can only do much.”

 

What do you think about green waste containers? Do you want one? If you have one, what do you think of the service? And should the city be mandated to pass on the savings from the containers back to citizens? E-mail ryanrose@valcomnews.com. Letters on the matter will be printed in a future edition of The Pocket News.

Editor’s Note: In the Jan. 21 edition of The Pocket News, we published a special feature on the Bay Delta Conservation Plan written by District 7 City Councilman Robbie Waters. The story generated many comments from readers regarding the state’s plan to build water intake structures along the Sacramento River, across from the Pocket. The following report is a follow-up to the original story. Read both online at www.valcomnews.com.

Councilman Robbie Waters is very pleased to announce that on January 29, the Steering Committee for the state’s Bay Delta Conservation Plan formally dropped the proposed locations for new water intake structures across from the Pocket area.

The BDCP will now move forward with five identified sites from Clarksburg downstream to Courtland, on the east levee of the Sacramento River. You can see the new map on page 4 of this document on the BDCP Web site: http://www.baydeltaconservationplan.com/SteeringCommitteeLibrary/1.29.10 SC HO SC_Intake_Structures_North_Delta_Locations_012810_v5.pdf

Our advocacy to the Department of Water Resources was successful in convincing decision makers that the pumping facility locations directly across the river from the Pocket area would have an inappropriate and disproportionate impact on our community. Thank you to the many residents who attended meetings, sent letters and emails to DWR.

On the new map referenced above, it should be noted that the site selection criteria now includes “avoid high population density areas.”

Although we have successfully ensured that no BDCP pumping intakes will be built across from the Pocket area, our attention now turns to the DWR North Bay Aqueduct Alternative Intake Project (NBA AIP). This proposal would draw water from the Sacramento River to supply water agencies in Napa and Solano counties via a new intake in Yolo County across from our community.

Stay tuned as events surrounding this NBAAIP project develop in the coming months. Visit http://www.water.ca.gov/pubs/planning/nba_aip_nop__department_of_water_resources__north_bay_aqueduct__alternative_intake_project__notice_of_preparation_/dwr_nba_aip_nop-11-24-09.pdf for more information on the project.

There is much excitement in the air at John F. Kennedy High School these days, as an inauguration for the school’s long-awaited performing arts center is scheduled to be held on February 9.

Originally part of the school’s initial 1960s construction plans, the center was eventually eliminated from these plans and fell into the category of “plans for the future.”

Unfortunately for the school, its students and the community, the future was much further away than many people had hoped for or imagined.

Now more than four decades later and with the 15-month construction project recently completed, the $8.2 million, 465-seat, state-of-the-art auditorium is nearly ready for use by the school, the Sacramento City Unified School District and the community.

The center’s inauguration, which will be attended by Kennedy High’s senior class, the school’s staff, local dignitaries and district personnel, will be a ceremonial type event, which will be held in anticipation of the official opening of the venue, which does not currently have a specific date.

Also participating in the event will be the school’s choir and orchestra.

 

Showtime at Kennedy

Being that construction on the building has been completed, the school is working toward what could possibly be the first event held in the auditorium, a performance of “The Wizard of Oz,” which is scheduled for the second week in May.

The school’s drama department is beginning preliminary stages with the play, but since the opening date for the center has not been determined, planning for the production remains challenging for the department.

Although the center may be officially opened as early as March, Kennedy High must wait until the construction company completes the final details of the building and the district approves the new structure before keys to the center are presented to the school.

Considering the possibility that the venue may open in March, an event is tentatively scheduled to be held at the center on March 2.

Currently, the building is undergoing its “punch list” stage, which consists of checking off all the permit processes and details that must be relative to code.

Kennedy High Principal Felisberto Cedros said that he is pleased that the school and the community are finally receiving the long-awaited Kennedy High performing arts center.

“It’s been a long wait and our kids and community are ecstatic that this is going to bring some cultural aspect and venue to the Pocket area,” Cedros said. “From the kids’ aspect, they can hardly wait to get in there. The new facility is going to add a lot of prestige to John F. Kennedy and the Pocket area. The teachers are delighted that years later, here it is. It’s a state-of-the-art building that’s modern, comfortable and has a lot of amenities.

“And from my end, I want to see my (students) do something with it, because it’s no good if it’s not utilized. Our drama department is really excited and the kids are really excited to get together and put their best foot forward. This is going to be an absolutely wonderful facility to hold not only school events, but definitely a venue that will be able to sustain cultural influence in the Pocket area.”

Although community groups and other local organizations will be allowed to rent the facility through a permit process with the district, Cedros said he does not share the same concerns of those who are worried about the possibility that school events could eventually have to compete heavily with community events at the new center.

“I don’t think that’s going to be an issue for us,” Cedros said. “Our facilities are for our students first. Obviously we coordinate that with permits, as well, but since I’ve been here, the priority has always been what’s best for John F. Kennedy and John F. Kennedy students. And we map out and we calendar events and it’s always scheduled around what’s happening or not happening here at JFK. It’s always worked well, even with the Little Theatre and the (very limited) space available. It’s always staff first and community second and it’s a good partnership.”

 

The center’s specs

The performing arts center, which is located on the west side of the campus, will be a very large upgrade from the school’s previous performance venues, which were the aforementioned 75-seat Little Theatre and the gymnasium, which Cedros described as an “unflattering, unwelcoming (entertainment) venue.”

Unlike the space, lighting and sound-challenged Little Theatre, which consists of stage space for productions with no more than about eight entertainers, the new auditorium, which will also be used for music and drama classes, will allow for much larger productions, including musicals.

In relation to the Little Theatre versus the new auditorium, Cedros said that it is like comparing “night and day.”

“Now we have a facility that is exclusive for this type of entertainment, for plays, for music, for cultural events, so it’s night and day,” Cedros said. “This is an absolutely amazing project and well worth it for the community.”

The new, 13,775-square-foot, masonry block and steel superstructure auditorium, which was built through the efforts of the nationally-recognized architectural firm, Williams + Paddon as the architect and Roebbelen Contracting as the contractor, is located on the former site of the old M-wing portables.

Among the facility’s features are: theatrical lighting and lighting controls, a digital sound system, a lighting loft, control, sound and ticket booths, dressing rooms, a large backstage area that can be used for building sets, a motorized projection screen and an orchestra pit, located beneath removable seats near the stage.

 

Pride in the Pocket

Cedros said that Kennedy’s new venue is recognized as one of the premier performing arts centers in the Sacramento area.

“From what the architects have told me and the contractors that have been here, the two (auditoriums) that they compare (JFK’s new auditorium) to right now are (the auditoriums at) St. Francis High School and Natomas (Charter School). Those have been in place for about three or four years and this is just an upgrade of those, because this facility is obviously brand new.”

Maria Lopez, spokesperson for the district, said that the community is fortunate to be receiving such a fine performing arts center.

“The arts are very important,” Lopez said. “Certainly, this will be another great asset in the community for not just the Pocket area, but for the city to have this wonderful new theater to have another asset to help promote the arts and to make the arts a living part of what we all can enjoy.”

 

E-mail Lance Armstrong at lance@valcomnews.com.

The Greek Orthodox Church of the Annunciation has a rich history in the capital city, including nearly 60 years in East Sacramento.

Many East Sacramentans are familiar with the large, Byzantine-style church and its accompanying Hellenic Center at the northeast corner of Alhambra Boulevard and F Street, across from McKinley Park. But the church’s history in Sacramento predates this historic site.

But taking a step back prior to the church’s establishment in Sacramento, county records indicate that Greeks had a presence in the city as early as 1890.

From 1910 to 1920, no more than 50 Greek families resided in the Sacramento area. And of these families, the majority of the men were employed by the Southern Pacific and Western Pacific railroads.

Although there was no Greek church in the city during this time, the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church – the mother church of Greek orthodoxy in the West at the time – served as a relatively nearby active presence for the church.

Also during this era, liturgy was occasionally celebrated in Sacramento through clergy of San Francisco and later Los Angeles, with the first of these liturgies being held at Red Men’s Hall at 716 I St.

 

Constructing a church

The first official step toward establishing a Greek orthodox church in Sacramento occurred with a Jan. 18, 1920 meeting, which was held at the Pythian Castle at 831 I St.

Tom Mantis, president of Elpis, a then-6-year-old, independent Greek fraternal organization in Sacramento, initiated the meeting, which was designed to organize the Greek Orthodox Community of Sacramento.

By Dec. 20, 1920, the community had been formed and members of its first board of trustees were elected.

The following year, the first Greek Orthodox Church of the Annunciation was constructed at 620 N St.

The first liturgy in the new church was held on Dec. 25, 1921, under the direction of Father Sardounis.

A Greek school was established at the N Street site in a two-story Victorian in the mid-1920s.

The school, which was held following classes at local elementary and middle schools, was located on the ground floor of the building.

East Sacramento resident Penny (Anton) Kastanis recalled attending the school during the late 1940s.

“The school had desks that we sat at like in a regular school room and the classes were quite often taught by the priest or the priest’s wife,” Penny said. “Father Econome was one of my teachers. We all had books that we would purchase and they were all in Greek. They were like a first grade book with things like the alphabet, stories and poetry.”

The priests of the church resided on the second floor of the school building.

Additionally, the second floor of the school building was home to Nicholas Terzakis, the church’s caretaker during the 1920s.

Penny said that she continues to remain friends with former students of the school and added that the site of the original church and the school was very much “the center of both religious and social activities for the Greeks of Sacramento.”

Helen (Sady) Psihopaidas said that she remembers a unique aspect of the old N Street church.

“They had singing birds on both sides of (the nave of) the church,” Psihopaidas said. “They were hanging in regular-sized bird cages and there were about five on each side of the room. It was quite a unique sight.”

Penny, who also remembers the birds, said that the birds, which she suspects were canaries, were covered during liturgies, so that they would not interrupt the chanting, singing and other parts of the liturgies.

 

Parish and parishioners

With the founding of the church in Sacramento, a popular annual Greek picnic was established in 1922.

By the early 1930s, the event, which was held at Helvetia Park in West Sacramento and included food, games and a beauty queen contest, was drawing about 2,000 Greek-Americans from Sacramento and beyond.

Another Greek event was the Greek Independence Day ceremonies, which honored the Greeks’ freedom, as a result of the 1820s war that eliminated the Turkish control of their land.

In Sacramento, the event was celebrated every March 25 with special liturgies, banquets and dancing.

During World War II, members of the church supported the Greek War Relief and the Red Cross.

An article in the Dec. 9, 1940 issue of The Sacramento Bee, for instance, showed that by this time, Greeks in the Sacramento area had raised as much as $10,000 to assist war victims in their native land.

Eventually, the old N Street church became inadequate to meet the needs of the growing parish and efforts were made to establish a new church building and recreation hall, known as the Hellenic Center, on property that the church purchased across from McKinley Park.

In 1949, George E. Johnson, who many longtime Sacramento residents remember for his Del Prado Restaurant, organized a fundraising drive, which resulted in the collection of about $48,000.

The Hellenic Center, which is located to the south of the Alhambra Boulevard church, was the church’s first building constructed at the site.

Shortly after its construction, this building, which has hosted many events throughout its history, was temporarily used for church liturgies and the offices of the priests.

 

Charting growth

The new church was completed in the fall of 1951 and held its first liturgy in the building with its pastor, Father Nicholas Karas.

New church offices were also constructed along N Street in the 1950s.

Many of the icons and other important pieces from the original church were placed in the new church.

These pieces included various paintings that are still located in the church today.

Overall, the cost of the land and its buildings was $318,211.

And this was money well spent, considering that the church has operated for well more than a half a century at this site.

In recent years, a drive to construct a new church building to replace the current church building in Sacramento has thus far been unsuccessful.

A plan to build a church in South Natomas fell short in 1993 and the property was subsequently sold.

Through this sale, the property’s former owner, Angelo Tsakopoulos gifted the church $1.1 million, which was used to purchase the remainder of the block at the Alhambra Boulevard site.

Prior to this purchase, the church owned half the block.

 

Expanding and exploring

Currently, members are split between the options of demolishing the present church building and constructing a new church in its place or building a new church on an 8-acre site in the 48-acre McKinley Village development, just east of the current church.

Terry Kastanis, the parish’s librarian who met Penny at the Alhambra Boulevard church and married her a year later in 1961, said that no matter what its members decide, the current economy has the new church project on hold. However, the church did move forward with a plan to construct a preschool and childcare center at the church site. The center is now open and operating 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday. For more information on the preschool, call Annette Chavez (916) 231-9173.

Undoubtedly, the Greek community is not only known for its historic East Sacramento church complex, but also for its Greek Festival, which is held each year at the Sacramento Convention Center.

This year’s edition of the festival, which is the city’s third largest drawing event, will be held September 3 through 5.

Eugene Fotos, 77, who was raised in East Sacramento and attended both locations of the church, said that he is proud of the church’s long history in the capital city.

“We’ve been here for a long time and have grown a lot since we were on N Street,” said Fotos, whose nephew, Father James Retelas, is the current pastor at the church. “We used to have about 40 people come to the church on N Street and now we get about 200 on average and sometimes about 300. I look at it as a big family and you don’t have to be of Greek descent. We welcome everybody.”

 

E-mail Lance Armstrong at lance@valcomnews.com.

Think about taking a few moments or an afternoon to slow down and enjoy a brief “escape” to a local museum, such as the Crocker Art Museum. Spending a quiet hour or two in a museum can be relaxing, informative – and as stimulating as you choose it to be.

Museums are nonprofit and educational institutions that make a unique contribution to our community by interpreting and preserving the things of this world, according to the California Museum Association.

There is a museum for every taste and interest. There are art and natural history museums, science and technology centers, historical societies and museums, botanical gardens, zoos, children’s museums and much more.

There are 1,300 museums in California. We are fortunate to be within less than an hour’s drive of many fine museums in the region. Sacramento abounds with great museums. There are too many to mention – for a full listing, visit www.sacmuseums.org to discover and learn more. The California Museum in Sacramento is acting as the hub for this month’s event, and will be hosting buses as well as selling box lunches for hungry visitors.

Here are a few that are just in our backyard:

 

The Aerospace Museum of California houses a unique collection of 40 military and civilian aircraft, and much more. There are 15 restored engines on display. Visitors are encouraged to use the educational programs, and enjoy the Air Force and Coast Guard art collections. Visitors can see aircraft from a fully restored 1932 Curtiss-Wright “speed wing” biplane to an A-10 Warthog and engines including models from pre-World War I, the first jet engine, and a J-58 jet engine that powered the SR-71 Blackbird to three times the speed of sound. Their Aerospace Learning Center allows visitors to fly non-motion flight simulators or ride in a motion ride simulator. The museum is located on the campus of the former McClellan Air Force Base, at 3200 Freedom Park Drive in Sacramento.

 

The California Museum focuses on the unique industries and people who have made our state the great place that it is. It creates unique educational programs and exhibits and hosts cultural events. It is a place children, adults and visitors from around the globe can be inspired by this great state’s rich history and stories of its innovative people. All visitors are encouraged to make their own mark on history. The museum is located at 1020 O Street in Sacramento.

 

The California State Capitol Museum is located in the state capitol building. The building serves as both a museum and the state’s working seat of government. Visitors to the Capitol can at once experience California’s rich history and witness the making of history through the modern lawmaking process. The museum is located at 1315 10th Street in Sacramento.

 

The California State Indian Museum displays exhibits illustrating the cultures of the state’s first inhabitants. California’s prehistoric population, one of the largest and most diverse in the Western hemisphere, was made up of over 150 distinct tribal groups who spoke at least sixty-four different languages. California Indian population estimates, before the arrival of the first Europeans, were at least 500,000 people. The museum is located at 2618 K Street in Sacramento.

 

The California State Military Museum does not glory in war. Rather, its intent is to remind this and future generations of the sacrifices made by previous generations to keep our state and nation free. Californians have a long and proud tradition of service that stretches back over two centuries when Alta California was a Spanish colony and later a Mexican province. Since joining the Union, California has provided more of its citizens to our common defense than any other state. The museum is located at 1119 2nd Street in Old Sacramento.

 

The California State Railroad Museum is a complex of historic facilities and unique attractions. Widely regarded as North America’s most popular railroad museum, there is something here for everyone. Throughout the year, visitors experience lavishly restored trains, engaging exhibits, and unique special events. The museum is located at the corner of Second and I streets in Old Sacramento.

 

The Crocker Art Museum is the first public art museum founded in the West. Established in 1885, it remains the leading art institution for the California Capital Region and Central Valley. The Museum, which is housed in one of the finest examples of Victorian Italianate architecture in the United States, offers a diverse spectrum of special exhibitions, events and programs to augment its collections of California, European and Asian artworks, and International Ceramics. The museum is located at 216 O Street in Sacramento.

 

The Discovery Museum Science & Space Center encourages the learning of history, science and space. It has two facilities on one location: the Challenger Learning Center and the Science and Space Center. Have you ever wanted to explore space? Do your children dream of being astronauts? This may be the place for you. The museum is located at 3615 Auburn Boulevard in Sacramento.

 

Sutter’s Fort State Historic Park and Museum chronicles the adventures, trials and tribulations of an 1839 Swiss immigrant named John Sutter, who received a 48,000-acre land grant in the Sacramento Valley from the Mexican government. He used the land to create a flourishing agricultural empire and named it New Helvetia (New Switzerland). This empire established Sacramento’s earliest settlement and the first non-Indian settlement in California’s Central Valley. Sutter’s Fort is located at 2701 L Street in Sacramento.

Museums, in addition to being the stewards of our cultural and natural heritage, offer each of us the invaluable opportunity to refresh, relax, recharge and renew. As the old adage goes, “You’ve got to pour into yourself before you can pour yourself out for others.”

 

E-mail Susan Laird at susan@valcomnews.com.

With the January 14 news that the National Basketball Association and the owners of the Sacramento Kings are backing a proposal featuring a three-way land swap that would include a new sports and entertainment complex on the city’s portion of the historic downtown rail yard and a new fairgrounds at the site of Arco Arena, the timing is right to take a trip down memory lane to when Cal Expo became a part of the community.

It has been 41 years since the opening of Cal Expo, which as part of the proposed land swap would be sold at market value and be redeveloped.

The road to the creation of Cal Expo began with the state’s 1948 purchase of 1,000 undeveloped acres, which would partially be used as the site of the new fairgrounds.

It was not until the early 1960s, however, that funds were allocated and more specific planning began for the construction of the Cal Expo fair site, which would replace the Stockton Boulevard fair site, which opened in 1909.

 

One-of-a-kind events

One of the most notable events leading to the opening of Cal Expo occurred prior to the 1967 California State Fair, which was the last State Fair held at the old fairgrounds.

On May 22, 1967, the new, 630-acre fair site was dedicated by then-Gov. Ronald Reagan during a 25-minute ceremony, which began at 2 p.m. on a platform at the base of the American River levee.

The ceremony, which was held on a very hot day, in which temperatures reached 106 degrees on the platform and 103 degrees in the shade, drew 300 people, including various state officials and other distinguished guests.

During his brief speech, Reagan told the crowd that Cal Expo would represent “the best of the past, in which the State Fair (would) preserve a slice of Americana; and it (would) be a window into the future.”

California Sen. Albert Rodda, who authored the legislation for Cal Expo in 1963, also spoke at the ceremony, saying, “I am confident of (Cal Expo’s) success. The state is ready for it and it cannot fail. We are providing an exposition that will show all heritage, spirit and culture of the state of California.”

The event culminated as Reagan, with his wife Nancy at his side, unveiled a dedicatory, bronze plaque, which read: “California Exposition. ‘To serve the needs of the people of California.’ Dedicated May 22, 1967. Ronald Reagan, governor.”

While Ronald and Nancy Reagan remained standing next to the plaque, a crane lowered a large, heavy, outline map of the state of California toward a concrete base. Ronald Reagan then helped lower it onto the base, which was created with sand from all 58 California counties.

Above the Reagans and other attendees, fireworks were launched, aerial rockets exploded and small American flags attached to little parachutes made their way to the ground.

The ceremony also included performances by the University of California, Davis band.

 

Developing the grounds

With only a year prior to the opening of Cal Expo, the race began to have the grounds and its buildings completed in time for the 1968 State Fair.

Throughout 1967 and up until the opening of Cal Expo, local media provided those living in the region with information about the future and continual status of the site.

Prior to the construction of Cal Expo, for instance, The Sacramento Bee showed an artist’s rendition of the future fairgrounds’ nine-acre, $3.8 million complex, which was designed by the San Francisco firm, Wurster, Bernardi and Emmons, and would consist of “modernistic” buildings with changing exhibits depicting the state’s rich culture and heritage.

As the grounds continued to develop, The Bee and other news media presented views of the future fairgrounds, which also included a variety of water features.

Built at a cost of $33 million, Cal Expo was eventually completed in time for the opening of the 1968 State Fair.

Although many people were saddened to see the old fairgrounds close, nonetheless much excitement surrounded the opening of the new fairgrounds, which featured its aforementioned eight-building Exposition Center, its three-building Exhibits Complex, a spacious grandstand with permanent seating for 7,000 overlooking a one-mile race track, an outdoor arena and a midway and concessions area.

The fair, which also features the Raging Waters water park, a permanent monorail system, the Sept. 11 Memorial Park and its iconic water tower, was officially opened by Ronald Reagan at its Cal Expo site on August 26, 1968.

 

Cal Expo memories

Since its opening, Cal Expo has been home to the creation of many memories.

Artist Ann Ragland Bowns of Citrus Heights said that she has loved Cal Expo since she first visited the fairgrounds in 1968.

“I was an art demonstrator there (at the 1968 State Fair),” Bowns said. “I love the (Cal Expo) fair and I still love the buildings up there at the Expo Center. The water features are one of the most spectacular and enjoyable things at (Cal Expo) and I also like to look at the farm animals.”

Greg Kinder, a deputy manager for the State Fair, said that during his youth “a lot of times (going to the fair at Cal Expo) was the highlight of the summer.”

Cal Expo, which has been home to a wide variety of other events, ranging from the Sacramento County Fair, the Sacramento Jazz Jubilee and the Sacramento Autorama to the Governor’s Inaugural Ball, concerts and many horseracing events, continues to serve the community.

But after four decades of providing many fond memories for many people in the region and throughout the state, Cal Expo remains in limbo.

Meanwhile, efforts to provide a larger and more improved State Fair continue.

In an attempt to increase the fair’s attendance, during an Oct. 9, 2009 meeting, the California Exposition and State Fair Board of Directors voted to have the fair open in July, beginning with the 2010 fair.

Influencing the board’s decision was the fact that since 2003, many California schools had begun their school years prior to Labor Day – the day that had traditionally become the final day of the fair each year. Of additional concern to the board was the fact that this trend was scheduled to increase with the vast majority of the schools within the fair’s target geographic area in 2010.

The fair board also recognized state employee furloughs as another reason for decreased attendance in 2009.

Cal Expo will host its 42nd State Fair from July 14 to August 1.

As for the possibility of a relocation of the fairgrounds or perhaps a revamping of the current fairgrounds, only time will tell.

 

E-mail Lance Armstrong at lance@valcomnews.com.