County supervisors will discuss the future of regional parks on Tuesday after hearing recommendations from a local group trying to rescue the parks from extinction. The Grassroots Working Group (GWG), an independent citizen-volunteer group, was formed in 2010 to explore ways to keep area parks open without further straining the county budget. “We consider the current condition of the County Regional Parks Department to be beyond critical,” wrote Charlea Moore, an Elverta resident and Grassroots Working Group member, in a letter to the Board of Supervisors. “Something must be done very soon in order to rescue our regional parks and open space system, or the result will be an enormous los

With help from neighborhood volunteers and a group of rose-lovers, the rose garden at McKinley Park will be getting a facelift this fall. The 1.5-acre rose garden, which was originally planted in 1928, will be closed from September to mid-February for renovations, including a new irrigation system, accessible walkways, planter curbs, new signs and accessible parking spaces near the garden entrance. According to a recent historical assessment, the 83-year-old garden has not been upgraded or improved for several decades except for the rose arbors, which were replaced five years ago. “This may be the first time (the rose garden) has ever been given this much attention,” said Claudia Bordin

Prepare for a weekend of fun and excitement for the unveiling of Sacramento’s first BMX bike and skate park. Councilmember Jay Schenirer along with bike enthusiasts, neighbors, and City staff will be on hand to open the Park that will be accessible to riders of all ages. What: Opening of BMX Bike Park When: Saturday, June 18, 2011 at 12 P.M. Location: McClatchy Park 3500 Fifth Avenue Sacramento, CA 95817 The BMX elements were used in the 2011 Mountain Dew Action Sports Tour in San Francisco in April that featured some of the best riders in the world. Thanks to a generous donation from Terre Cox of College Cyclery, the ramps and jumps will be set up in McClatchy Park for the summer. Th

Sacramento City Council and hundreds of residents Tuesday night listened to details of a $1.8 million general fund cut to parks and recreation that would leave only three of the city’s 13 swimming pools open by Summer 2012 and area parks in a state of decline amid reductions in park maintenance, trash pick up and general repairs. Pools and green spaces are two potential casualties of a $39 million city deficit that could impact residents in large and small ways, including a swim on hot day or a drink of water from a park faucet. Parks and recreation director Jim Combs said six area pools would remain open this summer including George Sim, Clunie, Pannell Meadowview, McClatchy, Johnston a

An ordinance that bans for-profit businesses from renting Sacramento’s athletic fields could soon be a thing of the past in the Parks Department, which has seen numerous cutbacks and faces still more in the current budget. “It does prohibit the commercial use of our fields,” said Teresa Jackson, the Parks Department’s general recreation supervisor. The ordinance governs use of fields and, as it currently stands, does not allow commercial entities to rent fields unless they are taking part in a fundraiser for a nonprofit, Jackson said. Jackson said that the ordinance is being reviewed. “It has been brought up over the years that there are a number of groups that would like to rent the fi

Local residents seeking information about forming their own neighborhood volunteer groups convened at the Clunie Clubhouse at McKinley Park this past Saturday Morning. The informational event, held by coordinators from the Land Park Volunteer Corps, drew over 30 individuals ranging from concerned citizens, past and present city employees, and representatives of various community organizations. Craig Powell, lead coordinator for LPVC, passed out an detailed guide outlining the “nuts and bolts” involved in forming a successful city park volunteer group. Staff from the cities park department summarized the resources available to groups interested in volunteering, and how to coordinate with v

Close to 150 people braved the rain Saturday afternoon and came to the Hagginwood Community Center for the dedication of the Grantland Johnson Soccer Field. “It’s quite an honor, I must tell you,” said Grantland Johnson to the crowd crammed inside the lobby of the community center. A native resident of Sacramento’s Del Paso Heights neighborhood, Johnson graduated from Grant High School where he played for the Pacers football team. He received his B.A. Degree from Sacramento State in Government and later received honorary Doctorates of Humane Letters from both Sacramento State and Golden Gate University. “I would not be the person I am today, had I not grown up in this great community of

Please join me along with City of Sacramento Parks and Recreation staff to begin discussion on the cleanup and future design of the 19th and Q Street Neighborhood Park site. The meeting will be held on Wednesday, March 23, 2011 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the CADA Courtyard, 1322 O Street. The meeting will include information on an EPA Brownfield Grant that was awarded to clean-up the future park site and we will begin discussion on what neighbors would envision for the future park. We encourage you to bring children to this meeting! For more information, contact Tin-Wah Wong at 808-5540 or twong@cityofsacramento.org.  

Mr. Villa stood on the stage, but the crowd seemed to not recognize the man who was in front of the wall that bore his art.  "Don't graffitti it" he told the young skateboarders that were in the park.  Esteban Villa then sang a song that was the "Bakersfield" sound, "Chicano" in its roots, but Bakersfield in its sound.  Professor Emeritus Esteban Villa was at home while he remembered he was sitting under the trees when he thought of the song "Southside Park". Southside Park on Saturday was like a barbecue with benefits.  Skateboards, pretty women, promotions, music, and the locals walking their bikes and stopping to see what all the music was about.  Nearby, the sounds of powwow drums cou

For the past eight weeks, 33 at-risk high school students have been renovating Howe Park. They have designed and built a small dog park, refurbished park benches and walking bridges, and remodeled landscaping – and they will be showing off their handiwork Thursday from 11 a.m.-noon. Funds to do the work were scarce, but a trio of government agencies collaborated to make it possible. The Fulton-El Camino Park District's general manager, Roy Imai, said that when the Sacramento County Office of Education contacted him about a partnership, his staff brainstormed several project possibilities. Imai said his office had six ideas, but were unsure of where the money would come from. The final p

Last night the Auburn Community's main park had it's playground torched.  As an member of the rec district's board of directors I am obviuosly upset.  As a father and resident of the community I am furious.  Vandalism & delinquency costs a community on so many levels, from lost dollars and time, to lost opportunities and as was the case with a rock toss over an overpass recently, serious injuries and possibly worse. Whether in the heart of a city, or in an outlying suburb it is getting worse, and nobody is immune.  I so encourage anybody that witnesses any questionable activity to please notify the proper authorities.  Only by banning together & sending a strong message we will not accept

Councilmember Ray Tretheway hosts free movies nights in Natomas area parks on Saturday evenings in August. Saturday, August 7th North Natomas Community Park Cagney Way & Crest Drive Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs Saturday, August 14th Witter Ranch Community Park 3790 Poppy Hill Way Charlotte’s Web Saturday, August 21st Two Rivers Park 3201 West River Drive UP Saturday, August 28th Regency Park Community Park 5500 Honor Parkway The Princess and the Frog Movies start at dusk (generally 8:45 p.m.) Games and fun will start at 7:00 p.m. Bring your blankets, snacks and flashlights. Donations for local schools will be accepted and provided to Natomas and Twin Rivers School Districts. Con

Throwing a Fourth of July celebration? Your fellow Americans have some tips, ranging from home-grown parades and potlucks to Elvis impersonators, dunk tanks and old-school amusements. This week, a handful of Sacramentans offered ideas on how to have fun and maybe even save a little cash this holiday with celebrations as diverse as the country. Organizing your own Independence Day parade topped the list of suggestions. Processions can be as small and impromptu as a clanging pots-and-pans parade of kids and adults moseying around the block or as big as a community parade with marching bands and dozens of floats closing down streets. Jeff Dominguez, who owns Exit Realty West in Midtown, i

 Grab your blankets and lawn chairs and and get ready to enjoy those June nights. East Sacramento is gearing up for this year's annual Pops in the Park concerts, starting Saturday with the country band Whiskey Dawn at East Portal Park. Pops in the Park began in 1991. “The Sacramento Symphony did outdoor concerts in every council district in order to pay back the community,” recalled Councilman Steve Cohn. The concerts took place in the afternoon, but because of the heat, Cohn said attendance usually was low. Upon entering the city council, Once he became a council member, Cohn decided to change things. “I decided to do evening concerts and do a series and get really good bands that folks

While on a scouting mission for an adventure race I was planning, I discovered a lovely Sacramento gem. Just north of downtown, I found myself walking the gangplank of what I’ve named the “USS Sacramento Dragonfly”. The “ship”, better known by its very ordinary name, the “Sacramento River Water Intake Facility” offers some of the area’s best river views, nature-inspired art and architecture all in one place and all for free. Longtime area resident, Merry Walle, said she knew there was an intake facility, but “had no idea that was so beautiful!” She also noted being “amazed at the wide and impressive causeway connecting it to the land”. Completed in 2004, the facility is moored by 300 st

SACRAMENTO – More than 10,000 members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and their friends will descend on parks throughout the Sacramento region Saturday, May 8, to perform necessary work from clean-up and general maintenance to painting, planting trees and even construction jobs. Under the banner of Mormon Helping Hands, an international program of the Church that has provided manpower in distressed communities and organized relief efforts after natural disasters, the volunteers have chosen parks in their own communities to perform work in state, regional and city parks that have been hit hard by the recent downturn in the economy. The Sacramento effort is part of a stat

Imagine playing softball at your local park and seeing an ad for a local sports equipment store, or going to a city skatepark and finding out there's a sale at the nearest skate shop. This type of city-business interaction could be possible with the Department of Parks and Recreation's Community Sponsorship Initiative. Thursday afternoon at the Sacramento Softball Complex, the department unveiled its new funding program, CSI, which was approved by the City Council April 6. The program provides individuals, groups and businesses sponsorship and advertising opportunities, all while funding Parks and Recreation programs and facilities. "It's taken us a year to get to where we are now, but t

The Sacramento City Council passed an initiative from the Department of Parks and Recreation to raise money through sponsors and advertisers during Tuesday night's meeting. The program, formally called the Community Sponsorship Initiative, is intended to allow the department to find alternative funding amidst the state's hefty budget deficit. According to the department's April 6 report to the City Council, creative means of funding are now desirable for the department that has faced two consecutive years of budget cuts. "All we're putting forth is permission to advertise at our specialized facilities," Operations Manager Dave Mitchell said. "This endeavor before you tonight is not new t

Photos: 1) Ian Shive at work; 2) Sequoia National Park; 3) Yellowstone National Park Interview by Tony Sheppard Originally published in Capitol Weekly Ian Shive, the photographer behind the new pictorial book "The National Parks: Our American Landscape" recently spent a day in Sacramento, visiting a management class in the Recreation, Parks and Tourism Administration program at Sac State. I asked him a few questions about his work and the value of parks in our lives: Photography as a living is new to you – before it was more like a cell phone plan: Unlimited nights and weekends. Very true [laughs]. What were you doing before and how did you get into this? I was working as a publicis

The vibe at Fremont park was laid-back and friendly during the new Hot Lunch series presented by Hot Italian and The Sacramento Press. Dozens of people sat scattered through the park on blankets and in lawn chairs, bobbing to the live music and chowing down on the food that was delivered from Hot Italian, just across 16th Street. Most people in attendance were on their lunch breaks some were just walking their dogs and got pulled in by the delicious smells and intriguing sounds. Attendee Melissa Olsen said, "I'm here on my lunch hour, and I think this is a good morale booster for all of the state employees in this hard time, to have somewhere near the end of the week to just unwind and l