Category Archives: McKinley Park

McKinley Pond Renovation Update

Posted on 09/25/2016 by admin

East Sacramento Preservation Board Member Judy McClaver recieved the Good Neighbor Award from Nextdoor.com and was featured in their blog post (below).

Although tickled by the award Judy is currently right in the thick of the pond renovation. “The geese have finally left and about 66% of the ducks. There are some still hanging around. I have put water out for them on the east side of the pond outside of the fence. People can help them by replenishing the water. There is a plastic bag in the watering area with two liter plastic bottles to refill from the drinking fountain,” she said.

She continues to advocate for the safety of the waterfowl and turtles with the pond projects started, but there are still turtles that need rescuing. McClaver worked out a plan with Sacramento City Parks that the donated plants in the pond’s planters can be saved and replanted in the pond when the project is done. The duck ramp is to be reinstalled for ducklings.

McClaver stresses that the job is far from done. “Piles of debris on the island from contractor’s trimming need to be removed and the waterfowl feeding signs need to be put in the pond where people will see them (line of sight) not above people’s heads,” she said.

Good Neighbor Awards

Sacramento’s “First Lady of Waterfowl” Awarded Good Neighbor Award

September 12, 2016
Judy working from a boat to clean trash and debris out of McKinley Pond.

Written by Danielle Styskal

Each month, Nextdoor is honoring the good neighbors who are making a difference in their neighborhoods every day with our Good Neighbor Award. Each winner is nominated by their neighbors and will receive a gift card from Nextdoor in recognition of the positive impact they have made in their community.

To nominate a good neighbor in your community, click here.

According to several of her neighbors, every city should be so lucky as to have their own “First Lady of Waterfowl,” as Judy McClaver is fondly referred to in Sacramento.

Sacramento’s Good Neighbor Award winner, Judy McClaver.

Sacramento’s Good Neighbor Award winner, Judy McClaver.

Since late 2012, Judy has been fervently volunteering her time to improve the local pond and its surroundings in Sacramento’s McKinley Park. Judy first noticed that the pond was becoming contaminated and dangerous, and turned to the local City Council to have the water tested.

She now walks the park each day to clean up fallen tree branches that park patrons sometimes throw into the pond, causing injury to the pond’s wildlife. She removedbamboo from the pond’s island that was killing the waterfowl and attracting rats – and was ultimately causing odor and adding leaf debris to the pond. Then, she put in new plants.

Judy working from a boat to clean trash and debris out of McKinley Pond.

Judy working from a boat to clean trash and debris out of McKinley Pond.

Uneducated park visitors often feed the waterfowl, causing malnutrition and deformities, so Judy worked with the local Parks Department to implement and post a waterfowl feeding policy that educates others on why bread and human food is harmful.

Judy educating visitors to the pond about ducks and geese and proper feeding to avoid malnutrition and wing and beak deformities.

Judy educating visitors to the pond about ducks and geese and proper feeding to avoid malnutrition and wing and beak deformities.

And, when a family of wild ducks from the pond ends up in a storm drain or backyard swimming pool, Judy is the first person her neighbors turn to for help – she’s an expert in trapping and relocating the waterfowl to a new, safe habitat.

Judy’s efforts haven’t gone unnoticed by her grateful neighbors. According to one, “She volunteers to help clean up our local park, assists in wildlife rescue, and is an all-around great neighbor to have. We’re so lucky to have her living here.”

Says another, “Judy is a treasure.”

Judy is willing to do the work to maintain the beauty of a prized local park – all out of the goodness of her heart. Congratulations on being named Sacramento’s Nextdoor Good Neighbor Award Winner!

Do you have a story about how you have used Nextdoor in your neighborhood? Let us know.

 

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Lawsuit Against McKinley Village – Appellate Court Hearing Set

Posted on 09/18/2016 by admin

Below is information from East Sacramento Partnerships for a Livable City regarding their suit against McKinley Village, including a link to the legal brief.

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

The lawsuit brought by East Sacramento Partnerships for a Livable City (ESPLC) to protect our neighborhood and future residents from the dangers of the McKinley Village project will be heard on Monday, September 19, 2016. ESPLC will present oral argument to a panel of judges at the Court of Appeal in Sacramento.

ESPLC pursued legal action after all attempts failed to persuade our City leaders to put the interests of City residents above special interests of developers. ESPLC continues its advocacy for first preserving, protecting, and improving environmental quality of life for residents throughout Sacramento. Common sense reveals the dangers and irresponsibility of approving a residential housing complex on an island of land surrounded by a major freeway on one side, high‐volume railroad tracks on the other, and bordering a former landfill:

• Increased cancer risks up to 12 times the accepted standard.

• Noise and toxic air particles from the anticipated 100 trains per day that require installation of air filtration units inside all of the homes and will render the outdoor portions of these residences, and project playgrounds, virtually unusable.

• An additional 1.2 million vehicle trips per year generated by this car‐dependent project through our already‐congested neighborhood.

• Potential methane contamination from the adjacent landfill site and inadequate monitoring systems that two independent agencies have described as not “fully effective in detecting and/or controlling landfill gas migration.”

These dangers, and many others, are simply too grave to ignore, and will never go away. ESPLC encourages you to join in support of our advocacy for common sense and for a fair and just public process by attending the oral argument before the Court of Appeal and by reading ESPLC’s attached legal brief. The oral arguments are open to the public and typically last less than an hour.

Legal Brief

When: September 19, 2016

2:00 p.m.

Where: Court of Appeal of the State of California (Third Appellate District)

Stanley Mosk Library and Courts Building

914 Capitol Mall, First Floor

Sacramento, CA 95814

Case Name: East Sacramento Partnerships for a Livable City v. City of Sacramento, et al.

Case No. C079614

ATTENDANCE
For those attending the hearing, please plan to arrive by 1:30 PM.  We have visited the Court and spoken to the security officers about procedures.  Business or business casual attire is appropriate.  Electronic devices (including cell phones), food, and drinks are not allowed.  Visitors are asked not to speak once inside the courtroom and proceedings have started.
PARKING
The parking lot closest to the Library and Courts Building is the City Parking Lot on L Street between 10th and 11th Streets.  Entrance is on 10th Street between L and K Streets.  Payment is collected by credit card at the “Pay Here” machine on the 10th Street side, or by cash on the 11th Street side.  (It is a large facility used by downtown employees but usually has plenty of room.)
THANK YOU
For your support of our neighborhood efforts to preserve and to protect the quality of life for all people within the City of Sacramento through advocacy of common sense and a fair and just public process.

 

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