Skateboarder and Pocket resident Eustaquio Lafranco.

Pocket residents Demetrius Williams and Eustaquio Lafranco both love to skateboard.

Williams, who has been skating for five years, enjoys the freedom skateboarding gives him. “With this you’re not really required to do anything – you’re required to go out there and have fun, learn as much as you want or as little as you want,” he says.

And Lafranco, who has been skateboarding for the last 10 years, says the skateboard population in the area is steadily growing and although there is now a skate park at Reichmuth Park in South Land Park, it would be beneficial to have more skate parks as an interest in skateboarding continues to grow.

Now with the help of the City of Sacramento, the Sacramento City Unified School District (SCUSD), Freeport Renovation on the Move (FROM) and other community members are coming together to give skateboarders like Lafranco and Williams another skate park at Argonaut Park in Freeport Manor.

Getting Support

During their initial work on trying to get a local skate park built, the teens were meeting at the Robbie Waters Pocket-Greenhaven Library, where they met Kathi Windheim, president of the Friends of the Pocket-Greenhaven Library. She suggested Argonaut Park as a possible location as it was adjacent to New Technology High School and she knew the school had a group of skateboarders.

Windheim contacted New Tech’s Principal Paula Hanzel, who supported the project. “We’re in a neighborhood where kids need stuff to do, and they need the right stuff to do,” she explains. “And the more we can put in that park for not only my kids, but all the kids in the neighborhood to do, the better off we are.”

Next on board was Darrel Woo, second vice president for SCUSD Board of Education representing District 6, who believes the skate park will be a nice compliment to the workout stations that were put into Argonaut Park a few years ago.

Also on board is Sacramento City Councilman Jay Schenirer representing District 5. “I think anything that we can do to provide positive outlets for young people and safe places for them to be when they’re not in school is a good thing,” Schenirer says of why he supports the project.

And the group received support the of FROM, which according to President Barbara Moore works to provide a healthy way of life for children and teens in the Freeport Manor, South Land Park and Pocket areas. “It’s a need and we have so many kids that like to skate,” she explains. “There’s not (a skate park) that close, so we decided let’s put a skate park over here – we have the space and it would be a great thing.”

Skateboarder and Pocket resident Demetrius Williams. // Photos courtesy of Eustaquio Lafranco

Plan in Action

Now with support in place, plans could start for the Argonaut Park skate park.

According to Windheim, as another skate park is being built at McClatchy Park in the Oak Park area, they asked Schenirer if they could be part of the design process for McClatchy so they could design both at the same time to save money, and he agreed.

On March 5, Windheim says a meeting was held at the Evelyn Moore Community Center to begin planning the design of both skate parks. The meeting was lead by Aaron Spohn from Spohn Ranch Skate Parks in Los Angeles, who Windheim says will be designing both parks.

Dennis Day, landscape architect for the City of Sacramento, says Spohn discussed with those at the meeting what was possible for the skate parks. “He led them – there were some adults there as well as high school students – on what they would like to see in their ideal skate park,” he explains. “They got to design and move around templates of skate elements.”

Community skateboarders, including Lafranco and Williams, attended the meeting to give their input on what they would like to see in the skate parks. “He pretty much gave us a piece of paper and a layout of other parks he’d did that were similar, and just said put the pieces where you want them and that’s what we did,” Williams says.

Hanzel says letting the neighborhood kids help design the Argonaut Park skate park is huge. “You want to teach kids to be civically responsible and civically involved, and the sooner you get them involved and have that be a positive experience, the more likely to have that continued throughout their adult life,” she explains. “When you empower, you create positive people and positive people move things.”

Multi-Use Design

Although a design for the McClatchy Park skate park has reportedly been finalized, the design for the Argonaut Park skate park is still in the works.

According to Woo, the concept for Argonaut Park is still conceptual, but they are looking at a design that would create a “low-level stage amphitheater that the kids can skate around” with a pathway around the perimeter. This way, he says the skate park could serve multiple purposes as it could also be used as a stage area for New Tech. “It looks like a plan that will harmonize with the existing facility without taking away the other purposes of the facility,” he adds.

Hanzel says right now New Tech does not have a room where she can fit all of her 300 students at the same time. ” It would be great to have an outdoor space where we could all gather and engage in the things that we now have to do twice,” she says.

And Windheim says they are considering some skateboard-specific elements for the park, such as a stair set with rail and “hubba bank,” a roller, “curved taco” and flat ledge. She says the Argonaut Park skate park will be roughly 5,000 square feet. “We will be smaller than McClatchy Park (skate park), but with many of the same great elements and a different layout,” she adds.

Finding Funds

Although plans for the design are in motion, much is still needed to be done in terms of fund raising to build the skate park.

Windheim estimates the Argonaut Park skate park will cost around $120,000 to complete.

According to J.P. Tindell, manager of park planning and development for the City of Sacramento Parks & Recreation Department, the City has set aside $20,000 of Park Impact Fees as “seed funding” for the Argonaut Park skate park

Windheim says they are now in fund raising mode for the rest of what they need. “We’re trying to raise the rest of this money through grants, fundraisers, (and) different community support,” she adds.

In regards to fundraisers, they recently held a rummage sale in Belle Cooledge Park, and are now planning an event at Argonaut Park on Saturday, June 8 from 1-5pm that will feature a jazz band, food, prize drawings and a skateboarding demonstration. Windheim says the event will be funded through an $815 community grant they received from Schenirer’s office.

And they will be launching an online fundraiser where community members can vote for the best skateboarding trick videos on votdo.com. Windheim says from May 15-30 skateboarders can upload their videos to the site. Then visitors to the site can vote for $1 per vote from June 1-30. The most votes in each category, Windheim says, will win skateboarding gear donated by Spohn and Spohn Ranch Skate Parks.

Something Positive

Williams says he is going to be “pretty proud” once the Argonaut Skate Park is built as he will know he had a hand in helping make it happen. He also feels the additional skate parks will help people improve and build a love for skateboarding. “It’s going to be bring a lot more people out there to try to skateboard because every time there is a park, there’s people that see the park and say I want to try and they get out there.”

Moore also believes the new skate park will get more kids interested in skateboarding. “I think it’s going to revitalize the youth out there and make really something positive to bring to them because they need some positive reinforcement in the neighborhood,” she adds.

Lafranco believes the new skate parks may even bring new businesses to the area. He says right now skateboarders in the area have to travel to Elk Grove, Natomas, or downtown for skateboarding supplies. “With all these new skate parks emerging, … it could bring in a new business opportunities for skate shops,” he says.

Donations for the Argonaut Skate Park can be made out to “FROM” and mailed to Barbara Moore, 6013 McLaren Ave., Sacramento 95822. For more information on the Argonaut Skate Park, call Kathi at 392-0101 or e-mail Rosio Ruano in Councilmember Jay Schenirer’s office rruano@cityofsacramento.org.

Argonaut Park is located on Kitchner Road near Freeport Boulevard.

In continuing its efforts to meet human needs without discrimination, The Salvation Army recently opened its new child development center at the southwest corner of Broadway and Alhambra Boulevard.

The event included a ribbon cutting to officially open The Salvation Army’s new child development center at the southwest corner of Broadway and Alhambra Boulevard. The ribbon was made of paper and included colored hand prints of children. / Photo courtesy, The Salvation Army

The $3 million, 14,000-square-foot, two-story, Oak Park area facility replaced a 2,400-square-foot modular building that had housed The Salvation Army’s day care center at the site for the past 24 years. Prior to October 1986, the organization’s day care services had been provided in downtown Sacramento.

Funds for the structure were raised through a diligent, three-year capital campaign and ground was broken for the center last September.

The campaign was led by John Frisch and Diane Mizell, co-chairs for the campaign and other projects of the organization.

In celebration of the new facility, about 100 people attended a grand opening event, which featured a short program, a tour of the facility and refreshments prepared by food crews of The Salvation Army’s shelter on North B Street.

The event, which was held in triple-digit temperatures on Wednesday, June 22, was commenced with an introduction and opening prayer by Maj. Tedd Lowcock, who serves as co-pastor of the Sacramento Citadel Corps of The Salvation Army, along with his wife, Maj. Cindy Lowcock.

During the program, Tedd Lowcock introduced the event’s emcee, Maj. Doug Riley, who expressed his gratification with the new center, which is six times larger than the old education building, which was demolished to provide space for the present center.

“It’s hard to believe that it was just last September when we gathered here with shovels in hand to break ground for this amazing new center,” Riley said. “When looking at this beautiful new building, it’s even harder to imagine the old temporary, modular building that stood on these grounds for more than 20 years. Remember what it looked like? Small, single-story, well maintained by our staff, but a bit tired and woefully out of date for the needs of our children. Now look at what an amazing environment these children will have to learn and grow. And this is just the outside of the building.”

The program, which concluded with a ribbon cutting and a closing prayer by Cindy Lowcock, also included brief speeches by Frisch, Mizell, Panorea Audis from Supervisor Phil Serna’s office, Councilmembers Jay Schenirer and Kevin McCarty, and Keith Hart, who represented Mayor Kevin Johnson’s office.

The event was additionally highlighted by music played by a brass band and the presence of a group of children who would be attending the center.

As a show of appreciation to the donors who helped make the construction of the building possible, the children sang a song as part of the program.

David G. Bentley, director of business services for The Salvation Army’s Del Oro Division, said that one of the highlights in the efforts to have a new child development center constructed at the Alhambra Boulevard site was the accomplishment of acquiring financial assistance in a down economy.

“We started this capital campaign in 2008, when the economy took a nose dive,” said Bentley, who organized the day’s program. “It was a very difficult time to raise money. As (people) look at this building, they are just in awe that we got this thing done, and the children who will be utilizing this facility will have a first-class building for learning opportunities.”

Bentley, who has dedicated 27 years of service to The Salvation Army, added that the completed structure is “absolutely vital” for many local, financially struggling parents and their families.

“These are low income families who utilize this program and in this economy, this (program) is vital for parents who are either single parents or what have you, to go back to school, go for job interviews or even working, for them to have a safe environment for their children to be at while they’re away from them,” Bentley said. “Then with our after school program, schools are cutting left and right, and we’re hoping that we can fill the gap for those children for computer lab, music programs, media programs. We really feel strongly that we have to reach out, especially to that Oak Park community.”

Due to the much greater size of the new center, children, ages 3 to 5, will be able to receive age specific care and instruction.

The center’s day care service, which is licensed through the state of California for 75 children, is provided on the first floor of the building, and is divided into three separate rooms that are designed for 25 children per room. Each room is designated for a specific age of a child.

This building, which provided many preschool, childcare, after school and parent education programs during its 24 years of use, was replaced by the Alhambra Boulevard campus’ new child development center. / Photo courtesy, The Salvation Army

In the previous structure, children met together in a single room.

The upstairs portion of the building is mainly the site of an after school program for children, ages 6 to 12. The program provides assistance with homework and presents the children with a safe after school environment.

Future plans for the center, which is open weekdays from 6:45 a.m. to 7 p.m., is to add music education programs, a media room and possibly a game room.

The drive to add music education programs to the center is headed by Sonja Stires, the director of programs for the Alhambra Boulevard campus.

Having such programs, Bentley explained, is very beneficial for children who attend schools that no longer have funding to provide similar programs.

The Salvation Army’s Alhambra campus is also home to a community center, a gymnasium with basketball leagues, and a chapel with a congregation of about 175 people who attend services on a weekly basis.

Bentley, who was involved in all stages of the project from its planning and construction to the building’s dedication, said that the new child development center was without question, a great investment for the community.

“A building of this size and of this quality, I believe will stand the test of time and be around, and our programs will serve our community for as long as we are around,” Bentley said.

And Riley emphasized, “It’s not about the building. It’s about the relationships and the opportunities we’re creating.”

A social cycling event, called a “ciclovia” is being proposed by Sacramento City councilmembers Jay Schenirer and Steve Cohn. The proposed event could be held in Sacramento’s midtown area along J Street, or in Land Park on Broadway or Freeport Boulevard. / Valley Community Newspapers photo, Benn Hodapp

Sacramentans know that they are privy to generally good weather, moderately flat terrain and numerous local parks in which to ride bikes. But two Sacramento City Council members are behind a proposal to bring the cycling culture to parts of Sacramento that remain largely untouched by cyclists.

Joe Devlin, chief of staff for District 5 councilman Jay Schenirer, explained that while Sacramento has some avenues for cycling, there remain large areas that can and should be altered to accommodate cyclists. To bring this issue to light, Schenirer and fellow District 3 Councilman Steve Cohn are working on an event called a “ciclovia” which translates to “bike path.”

The proposed event, which is still in the planning stages, would entail blocking off areas of midtown Sacramento on streets that could include J Street, Freeport Boulevard, Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard and Broadway Avenue. The idea would be to block off parts of these streets for a few hours on an agreed upon day in order to let bicyclists ride around in places where they normally couldn’t. Ideally the event would integrate with local businesses who would bring some of their merchandise out to the streets to stimulate the local economy as well.

“East Sacramento and Land Park are great places to ride bikes,” Devlin said. “It’s very flat and has good weather. “It’s just missing a culture of cycling.”

Joining in on the effort to make the event a reality is the Sacramento Area Bicycle Advocates (SABA). Because the city likely doesn’t have much money to put forth for the event, members of SABA are being called upon to volunteer at the event. Devlin said that he would like to get as many volunteers as possible to work and direct traffic.

As far as where it would take place, that will not be known until the council members find out exactly what the costs will be to put on the ciclovia event.

“It would be fun to close off Freeport or J Street and have businesses get involved,” said Devlin. “These are unnatural places for lots of people to ride bikes normally.”

The hope is that the street party would highlight the need for established bike lanes to be built and maintained in the midtown area. Devlin talked about historical Broadway Avenue and the fact that riding down that street on a bike would be incredibly dangerous as it is now due to the fact that it is has no bike lane.

“We want to demonstrate the need to improve [cycling] pathways,” he said.

As with anything in a floundering economy, some people will be skeptical of anything that costs money to produce. However, Devlin outlined some of the things that will hopefully make the costs low and the benefits high. The event would likely be on a weekend when fewer people are on the road during the day and he said that there would not be large sections of major roads shut down.

“It’s a social event,” he said. “We want people to interact with (hopefully) thousands of other cyclists. It has a potential to create a long-term economic boost to businesses. It is a slight inconvenience with the possibility for big benefits.

The cycling season, which for Sacramento is a lot longer than other places around the country, is a big thing locally. Devlin hopes that putting together a place for cyclists to interact would have a positive impact on both cycling, as well as introducing cyclists to restaurants and other businesses that they simply did not have access to without a car.

For more information or to volunteer for the proposed ciclovia event, you can contact Cohn’s office at (916) 808-7003 or Schenirer’s office at (916) 808-7005. For more information on SABA, visit www.sacbike.org.

benn@valcomnews.com

Jay Schenirer took the oath of office for the office of city councilmember for Sacramento’s District 5 on Nov. 30.

The swearing in had an element of star quality, as California Senate President pro Tem Darrell Steinberg administered the oath of office. Steinberg served on the Sacramento City Council from 1992 to 1998 as the councilmember for District 6.

Schenirer ran on a campaign addressing concerns for public safety, local neighborhoods, budget, youth, rail yard development and small business. According to his Facebook page, he regards himself as “an independent thought leader.” Schenirer is a small business owner and is an education policy advisor for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the James Irvine Foundation and the California Endowment.

Also sworn in that evening were Councilmember Steve Cohn (District 3) and Councilmember Darrell Fong (District 7). Council member Angelique Ashby was sworn in on Nov. 23 to represent District 1.

Darrell Fong took the oath of office for the office of city councilmember for Sacramento’s District 7 on Nov. 30.

The swearing in was an intensely personal moment for the retired Sacramento Police Department captain and community volunteer, as his identical twin brother, Derrick Fong, administered the oath of office and their mother, Frances Fong, witnessed the historic moment.

Former Councilmember Robbie Waters was on hand to congratulate Fong. Waters endorsed Fong in the subsequent run-off election.

Fong thanked Waters for his years of public service to the people of Sacramento, and acknowledged Waters’ support, stating, “I would not be here if it weren’t for you.”

Also sworn in that evening were Councilmember Steve Cohn (District 3) and Councilmember Jay Schenirer (District 5). Council member Angelique Ashby was sworn in on Nov. 23 to represent District 1.

*THIS INFORMATION BASED ON SEMI-OFFICIAL RETURNS REPORTED BY THE SACRAMENTO COUNTY REGISTRAR OF VOTERS.

Since 1992, no incumbent Sacramento City Councilmember has lost a re-election bid; on Tuesday night, that all changed.

The June 8 Primary Election has changed the make-up of the Sacramento City Council.

The June 8 Primary Election was a defining moment in politics statewide: for the first time, the California Republican Party was running not one, but two women for statewide office, with Meg Whitman as the party’s gubernatorial nominee and Carly Fiorina as the GOP pick to run against Barbara Boxer in the U.S. senate race. Adding to this historic development was the local result – Sacramento City Councilmembers Ray Tretheway, from Natomas’ District 1, and Robbie Waters, representing Pocket-Greenhaven’s District 7, have apparently lost in their race to serve another four years at City Hall. It’s been 18 years since such an upset has occurred in Sacramento City politics.

According to semi-official results released June 9 at 1:48 a.m. by the Sacramento County Registrar of Voters, both incumbents lost to political newcomers, Tretheway falling to Natomas grassroots campaigner Angelique Ashby, and Robbie Waters being edged out by Ryan Chin and Darrell Fong. Tretheway, who claims he was a target because he would not support Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson’s strong-mayor initiative, had been recently seen by political watchdogs as very vulnerable, especially as Ashby scored a number of major endorsements and political allies (Johnson being one of them). Waters, who ran twice unopposed (most recently in 2006), faced a tough fight of his own, desperately trying to fend off two candidates that were as equally funded and organized.

The District 7 Race

According to the semi-official results, Chin was the big winner Tuesday night, taking in 38.45 percent of the vote; Fong came in second with 31.41 percent; Waters, the four-term incumbent and only Republican on the City Council, garnered 27.44 percent; and college student Diedre Hobart came in a distant fourth place. With no candidate earning a clear majority, the results set up a likely run-off election this November between the first- and second-place winners, Chin and Fong, respectively.

Waters, who has served on the City Council since 1994 and raised more money and spent more money in this election than any other City Council candidate, was fighting a determined battle in his re-election bid. Challengers Chin, a strategic communications officer with Sacramento State, and Fong, a retired Sacramento Police captain, seized early on to the anti-incumbent sentiment sweeping the U.S.

In their first public debate held last spring, the District 7 challengers came out swinging, saying that Waters was out of touch with the current needs of the district. Waters, for his part, pointed to a number of recent accomplishments, such as the building of a new library; however, the library issue had turned into a slight political misstep among some Pocket voters as the new building was named after Waters. Some screamed impropriety; Waters and his supporters have said the councilmember simply followed the wishes of library volunteers.

Also dampening Waters’ re-election momentum was news that his son, Dan, had been allegedly involved in a city scandal involving building permits in Natomas, an area off-limits to new construction due to persistent flood concerns. Although the councilman had no direct connection to the permit mess, Waters nonetheless appeared in a number of news reports discussing the situation and deflecting character attacks.

In a special interview prior to the election with Valley Community Newspaper reporter Celia Green, Waters had said that he hoped to serve one more four-year term and then retire from city politics. That retirement, it seems, will come early.

The District 3 Race

Although the Pocket-Greenhaven community saw quite the political upset, the District 3 race was anything but; Councilmember Steve Cohn, Midtown and East Sacramento’s longtime representative on the City Council, will remain in office for another term. The incumbent had faced a strong challenge from East Sacramento Chamber of Commerce President Chris Little and Midtown business owner Shawn Eldredge, but the incumbent persevered, winning his bid for a fifth term as the District 3 representative.

Cohn, who will now be one of Sacramento’s longest-serving councilmembers, garnered 53.95 of the vote, winning a clear majority and avoiding a run-off election in November. Little and Eldredge scored 37.73 percent and 5.52 percent, respectively, while candidate Jeff Rainforth garnered the remaining votes.

The Sacramento County Sheriff’s Race

A bruising primary election will likely turn into a bruising general election: candidates Scott Jones and Jim Cooper, both captains with the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department, did not win a clear majority of votes and will now face one another again in the November General Election.

In what has been one of Sacramento’s most hotly contested races, Jones and Cooper threw mud, hurled accusations, and laid charges of political impropriety and professional misconduct. The race has also come to represent a battle between two law enforcement legacies, as Cooper, endorsed by former Sheriff Lou Blanas, and Jones, endorsed by outgoing Sheriff John McGinness, attacked one another for their political connections as much as their administrative philosophies.

Jones came out on top in Tuesday’s race, but not by much, taking in 46.17 percent of the vote; Cooper came in second and garnered 41.37 percent of the vote; a third candidate, Bret Daniels, drew the remaining votes.

Sacramento County voters can expect the war of words to continue into the fall. The 2010 General Election is Nov. 2.

Sacramento Area Race Results listed as “semi-official” by the Sacramento County Registrar of Voters (winners listed in CAPS, % of vote listed in parentheses, incumbents listed as necessary):

Sacramento City Council, District 1

ANGELIQUE ASHBY (50.98%)

Ray Tretheway, incumbent (41.55%)

Efren M. Guttierrez (7.36%)

Write-in (.12%)

Sacramento City Council, District 3

STEVE COHN, incumbent (53.95%)

Chris Little (37.73%)

Shawn Eldredge (5.52%)

Jeff Rainforth (2.69%)

Write-in (.11%)

Sacramento City Council, District 5

JAY SCHENIRER* (47.04%)

Patrick Kennedy (34.32%)

Henry Harry (6.41%)

Terrence Johnson (6.04%)

Leticia Hilbert (6.00%)

Write-in (.19%)

*(As no candidate won a clear majority of 50-percent-plus-1-vote, Schenirer will likely face Kennedy in a run-off election in November, according to semi-official results)

Sacramento City Council, District 7

RYAN CHIN* (38.45%)

Darrell Fong (31.41%)

Robbie Waters, incumbent (27.44%)

Diedre Hobart (2.67%)

Write-in (.04%)

*(As no candidate won a clear majority of 50-percent-plus-1-vote, Chin will likely face Fong in a run-off election in November, according to semi-official results)

Sacramento County Board Of Supervisors, District 1

PHIL SERNA (71.60%)

Keith Weber (28.15%)

Write-in (.25%)

Sacramento County Board Of Supervisors, District 2

JIMMIE YEE, incumbent (78.05%)

Raymond Kemp (21.73%)

Write-in (.22%)

Sacramento County Board Of Supervisors, District 5

DON NOTTOLI, incumbent (70.01%)

Lovie Kirkland (29.75%)

Write-in (.24%)

Sacramento County Assessor

KATHLEEN E. KELLEHER (63.98%)

David A. Benson (21.60%)

Margaret Pennington (14.28%)

Write-in (.14%)

Sacramento County District Attorney

JAN SCULLY, incumbent (79.39%)

Julius M. Engel (20.44%)

Write-in (.14%)

Sacramento County Sheriff

SCOTT JONES* (46.17%)

Jim Cooper (41.37%)

Bret Daniels (11.77%)

Write-in (.70%)

*(As no candidate won a clear majority of 50-percent-plus-1-vote, Jones will face Cooper in a run-off election in November, according to semi-official results)

For complete Sacramento County election results, visit http://sacresults.e-cers.com/default.aspx. For information on statewide races and ballot measures, visit www.sos.ca.gov.

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