Loading images

 The American River is surely one of Sacramento’s most precious resources and access to the river beaches and trails is under attack. The River Park Neighborhood Association is trying to slip through a proposal to construct a fence along the levee at Glenn Hall Park, designed to shut off access to the river from dusk to sunrise.

The plan to construct a tubular steel fence with an “exit only” turnstile (similar to the one at the Sacramento Zoo) is part of a proposal to spend money set aside for capital improvements for the River Park, East Sacramento, and Campus Commons neighborhoods.

Opponents call the fence proposal an extreme, over-reaction to problems that occurred during the summer months, such as noise, drinking, littering, and unsafe driving on Carlson Drive. In the warm weather, Paradise Beach becomes a popular spot for sun bathers, swimmers and partiers.

The River Park Review printed some letters from River Park residents. Here are some quotes that exemplify some of the concerns:

“For years the Paradise Beach area has been a trouble spot for River Park. The activities at the beach have caused an increase in crime, vandalism and drunk driving in our neighborhood … By building a fence across the entire levee there is the opportunity to curb reckless behavior”

“For those that don’t live in close proximity to the park, you may not have experienced people driving across your lawn, urinating in your front yard, gunshots outside your window, or a gang fight across the street, but these activities are par for the course in Glenn Hall Park. These issues are directly related to the lack of lighting and security in the park.”

Opponents charge that the “crime problems” have been greatly exaggerated and that the proposed fence will not do little to address the few problems that do exist.

For example, a levee barricade will not solve the problem of people urinating or driving across someone’s lawn –– unless they put the fence around the entire neighborhood. As far as “gunshots” and “gang fights” – this is certainly not the norm in the River Park neighborhood as the police reports confirm.

As City Park Ranger Greg Narramore stated at the River Park Neighborhood Association meeting on April 18, 2009 “River Park is still one of the most crime free neighborhoods in Sacramento.”

It’s true that people drink at the beach in the summer weekends and some drive drunk through the neighborhood – but most of the partying takes place during the day. The way to solve a drunk driving problem is to enforce the law already in place. The fence proposal punishes us all for the sins of a few.

Aside from being an eye sore along the beautiful levee, the fence proposal uses up resources that could be used for more productive capital improvements, and it would set a bad prescient for all the other river access points. No specific neighborhood should be allowed to control the river or the river access.

At the recent RPNA meeting on November7, 2009 I raised a proposal to form a committee to explore alternative solutions such as: random police patrols, perhaps a life guard to keep order at the beach (and maybe save a life in the process), perhaps an attendant at the parking lot to stop the people from bringing alcohol down to the river. No committee was formed.

Although most people in the area have not yet been properly informed, the River Park Neighborhood Association plans to hold a meeting to decide on this issue. The meeting will take place on Thursday, November 19, 2009 at the Fremont Presbyterian Church at 5770 Carlson Drive (Geneva Room). The meeting will start at 7:30 PM. All residents of Sacramento and the surrounding area are welcome to come and voice their opinion. This decision effects the entire city.

You may also express your opinion by contacting the office of City Councilman, Steve Cohn.
Phone: 916-808-7003
e-mail: scohn@cityofsacramento.org

Please help us stop this proposed river barricade.

Michael Stavros
River Park Resident for19 years