Guest Commentary: Parkway Plan Update

David H. Lukenbill, Senior Policy Director
American River Parkway Preservation Society

In the December 1985 American River Parkway Plan, an element of the Sacramento County General Plan, ratified by Sacramento County, the city of Sacramento and approved by state legislation: The Urban American River Parkway Preservation Act, California Public Resources Code Sections 5840, there was a mandate to review and update the plan every five years to allow for changing circumstances.

When I learned—during a term as president of the American River Natural History Association in 2001—that the Parkway Plan had not been updated since then, I was very concerned, as it was obvious that many of the issues troubling me about Parkway management and funding had not been addressed in a structured and organized way for quite some time.

One of the major items we worked on during the initial planning period for the formation of a new nonprofit advocacy organization—the American River Parkway Preservation Society— in 2002, was to encourage the planning update process to be conducted.

Soon after, the update process finally began and now is reaching completion—for which we are very happy—and the community should feel a certain sense of pride in the work that has been done.

The crucial piece of the completion is to ensure that in the future, the update process sticks to the original five year sequence of review and update, as new issues will evolve requiring new planning.

As of this writing the current schedule for wrapping up the plan’s review and vote—Sacramento County Board of Supervisors voted to approve on August 27th— is:

· Sept. 15: Before Rancho Cordova City Council at 5:30 p.m.

· Sept. 18: Before Sacramento City Planning Commission at 5:30 p.m.

· Oct. 7: Before Sacramento City Council at 6 p.m.

· January 2009: Approval required of state Legislature.

However, what has still not been addressed adequately in this updated plan are two of the key issues that threaten the Parkway.

The American River Parkway is the most important recreational area in our region and it has serious financial and public safety issues not being dealt with effectively.

Sacramento County has been running about $1.5 million annual ($1,514,787 in the 2005/2006 budget *) Parkway maintenance deficit for years—not to mention their current county-wide deficit—and illegal camping by the homeless in the lower Parkway has created unsafe conditions for legitimate Parkway users. (* Retrieved September 11, 2008 from http://www.sacparks.net/our-parks/american-river-parkway/financial-needs-study/docs/ARP-Financial-Needs-Study-Update-2006.pdf (page vii)

The maintenance deficit impacts the entire Parkway, reducing the ability to keep trails properly cleared, facility repairs and replacements updated, and general clean-up on schedule.

The illegal camping and related crime in the lower Parkway is a serious issue, and it has gotten so dangerous that Parkway directors have recommended people not go there alone—a sad reality long accepted by the adjacent communities of Midtown and North Sacramento—who have been unable to use their part of the Parkway safely, especially if alone.

Though the updated plan does prioritize the response to illegal camping, there are insufficient funds to accomplish this and the only funding response proposed is to increase taxes and fees.

Our solution is twofold:

For financial stability: Create a public/private partnership with a nonprofit organization to manage the Parkway—which could also raise funds philanthropically—via a contract with a Joint Powers Authority of Parkway adjacent cities and the county. This management and fund raising model is being used successfully by the Central Park Conservancy, under contract with the city of New York, and the Conservancy provides 85% of the funding for Central Park. www.centralparknyc.org

For illegal camping by the chronic homeless: Conduct regular sweeps by the police through the Parkway to eliminate the illegal camping, accompanied by homeless advocate and treatment organization representatives, ensuring that warnings are given before the sweeps, any confiscated personal property of the homeless is properly stored for reclaiming and needed services can be offered to the homeless.

We wrote extensively on this issue in our research report from 2005, The American River Parkway Lower Reach Area: A Corroded Crown Jewel: Restoring the Luster @ www.arpps.org/report.pdf (pages 25-42)

Also, a press release from May 12, 2008 is posted at www.arpps.org/news.html about the homeless issue, and one from January 18, 2008 (same page) about the financial situation.

David H. Lukenbill, CFO & Senior Policy Director
American River Parkway Preservation Society (ARPPS)
Preserve, Protect, and Strengthen the American River Parkway,
Our Community’s Natural Heart
2267 University Avenue
Sacramento, CA 95825
Phone: 916-486-3856
Email: Dlukenbill@msn.com
Weblog: http://parkwayblog.blogspot.com/
Website: http://www.arpps.org/

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