Sweatin' for McKinley

If you're feeling a little guilty after eating so much the night before at Food Truck Mania--or you just wanna get out and have fun learning to be fit and healthy--then come on by the 3rd annual Sweatin' For McKinley health fair and fitness camp this Saturday morning, September 13. The event runs from 8:30am-12pm and will feature classes like Zumba, boxing, flag football, soccer, yoga, Pilates, kids camps and adult boot camps. Not to mention the many vendors, displays, raffles and prizes that will be available at the fair. 

While general admission to the fair is free, a $15 Fitness Pass will get you into as many of the fitness classes as you want. All proceeds from the event will go to support the McKinley Park Renewal Fund, which helps maintain the Clunie Community Center and the McKinley Rose Garden. For more information, and to buy Fitness Passes in advance, go to www.sweatingformckinley.com.

East Sac Community Meeting About Crime

A little while ago my wife contacted Councilmember Steve Cohn’s office to coordinate an East Sac Community Meeting to discuss all of the crime that our neighborhood has recently seen. 

Steve's office just confirmed the details of this meeting. It will be held on Wednesday, August 27^th from 6:30-8pm at the Clunie Community Center.  Councilmember Steve Cohn and his staff have put together a wonderful structure. The Sacramento Police Department will give us an update on the crime in the area as well as discuss crime prevention strategies.  Jena Swafford, Sacramento’s Neighborhood Watch Coordinator, will discuss how to set up a Neighborhood Watch and how using NextDoor.Com is a great way to connect with neighbors for a variety of ways including crime prevention.  A Park Ranger will also speak about Park Safety and what volunteers can do to stay safe. Lastly Steve Cohn will also speak at this meeting. 

This is such an important meeting for the East Sac community to attend.  Will you help us get the word out for this meeting?  Please forward the flyer that is attached by email and/or hand delivering it to your members/neighbors.  The more East Sac residents in attendance, the more we can make a difference in our neighborhood!!!

We hope to see you at the meeting!

Kids at Heart

Since 2002, The GreenHouse has helped support disadvantaged youth and families with after-school tutoring, mentoring, spiritual and leadership development. A primary source of funding for such programs comes from the annual Kids at Heart dinner, to be held this coming Saturday, May 31, at 6pm in the Grand Hall of the Clunie Community Center.

In addition to a celebration dinner, there will also be a silent auction, youth performances and handing-out of community awards. Tickets are $60 per person. To buy tickets, or for more information, call (916) 402-7978 or go to thegreenhousecenter.org.

Council District 3 Candidate's Forum

The May meeting of the East Sacramento Chamber of Commerce will be headlined by the candidates for District 3 City Council. The meeting will be held this Wednesday, May 14, from noon to 1:30pm at the Clunie Community Center. 

The cost for lunch is $15 per person. For more information or to make reservations, call (916) 452-8011 or email eastsacchamber@aol.com.

27th Annual Pancake Breakfast and Easter Egg Hunt

This coming Saturday, April 19, the East Sacramento Kiwanis Club will hold its 27^th annual pancake breakfast and Easter egg hunt. Breakfast runs from 7:30-11:30am at Clunie Community Center, with the free Easter egg hunt (for kids up to age 10) to begin at 9:30 in the park nearby. There will also be carnival games and other children’s activities.

Tickets for the breakfast are $6 for adults, $4 for children. Proceeds from the event will fund community service projects, including the Kiwanis Family House at UC Davis Medical Center. For more information, call Mike Flynn at (916) 484-1314 or email michaelhflynn@yahoo.com.

Click on the tab at the top of this blog to see all the East Sacramento Homes for Sale.

East Sacramento Improvement Association Meeting

With incumbent Steve Cohn not running for reelection as District 3 councilmember, it's time for new candidates to present themselves to the East Sac community. They will do so this Wednesday evening, April 16, at 7pm at the Clunie Community Center as the headliner for the East Sacramento Improvement Association spring meeting.

Cohn will also speak, and there will be a presentation on public safety by Sgt. Michael Hight of the Sacramento PD. The meeting is free and open to the public. For more information, go to eastsacimprovement.org.

Click on the tab at the top of this blog to see all the East Sacramento Homes for Sale.

Sacramento Food & Film Festival

On several evenings spread out over the next ten days, people throughout Sacramento will get to enjoy food, wine, beer and movies at the 3rd Annual Sacramento Food & Film Festival. The goal of the festival is to promote food literacy throughout the Sacramento region in a fun and truly delicious way.

The current schedule is:

-March 20 (Thurs.): Food Film Festival Premiere, 6-8pm
-March 22 (Sat.), Film: Beer Wars, 4-7pm

-March 25 (Tues.), Film: Bottle Shock, 7-10pm (a great movie!)
-March 26 (Wed.), Film: Cafeteria Man, 6:30-8:30pm
-March 28 (Fri.), Film: Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, 6-9pm
-March 29 (Sat.), Film: The Slow Food Story, 5-7pm
-March 30 (Sun.), Film: Sweet, Sexy Ocean, 4-6pm

The various films will be screened at different locales around Sacramento, most accompanied by food and drink related to the film. Especially exciting for residents of East Sac is that Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs will be screened at the Clunie Community Center in McKinley Park. What could be better than that? Spaghetti, garlic bread and salad will be provided by Selland's.

Proceeds from the festival will go to the California Food Literacy Center. To find out more about the various venues and films and to buy tickets, call (916) 595-7822 or go to www.sacfoodfilmfest.com.

East Sac Chamber Lunch and State of District Report

This Wednesday, February 12, the public is invited to attend the East Sacramento Chamber of Commerce’s February lunch meeting at the Clunie Community Center. At this meeting, City Councilmember Steve Cohn will be presenting his State of District 3 report, including his future goals for East Sac and River Park.

I am a member of the East Sac Chamber of Commerce and make it to many of the meetings and it is always worth going. This meeting should be extra special given all the conversations that Steve Cohn is involved in about the future of East Sac (i.e. McKinley Village). I look forward to hearing what he has to say...

The lunch is from 12pm to 1:30pm, and is $15 per person. To make reservations, or just learn more about the chamber, call (916) 452-8011 or email eastsacchamber@aol.com.

Christmas with a Cause

On Friday evening, December 6, more than a dozen local musicians--including Autumn Sky, Atlas and Arrows, Hans Eberbach, Ricky Berger and Justin Farren--will be in the Grand Hall of the Clunie Community Center to perform a mix of original songs and Christmas favorites.

This holiday music show is planned to run from 7-10pm and is open to all ages, with a suggested donation of $10 per person. All proceeds raised by the concert will benefit the Mustard Seed School, run by Loaves & Fishes. This event is sponsored by Sanctuary Covenant Church in partnership with Friends of East Sacramento. For more information about attending or volunteering at the event, go to sanctuary-church.org or call (916) 548-8791.

Nutcracker Preview

This Saturday, Nov. 23, bring the kids and stop by the Grand Hall at Clunie Community Center for a sneak peek at this year's "The Nutcracker." The free performance will run from 11:30am to 12:15pm, and then ballet company members will remain afterward to conduct a free children's ballet lesson.

My neighbor and friend's daughter has performed in The Nutcracker over the past several years and we love going to see the performance. It will be great to catch a sneak peak of them up close just a few blocks from our home!

For more information, call (916) 264-2920.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIEcCyuCjBM&feature=player_embedded

Get Involved with Diabetes, Health & Community

In the U.S., it's estimated that nearly 26 million Americans live with diabetes, with 3.9 million of those living in California. Nearly 80 million more are at risk for contracting Type 2 diabetes. That's why the American Diabetes Association (ADA) was formed, to provide information that will help those living with the disease and to prevent it from occurring in others.

On November 16, the ADA will host Get Involved with Diabetes, Health & Community in the Grand Hall of the Clunie Community Center. This free event runs from 11am to 3pm and will include speakers discussing living with diabetes, health screenings and consultations, volunteer opportunities and information on healthy living.

For more information, go to diabetes.org/sacramento, or call (916) 924-3232.

East Sacramento Improvement Association meeting

This coming Wednesday, October 16, the East Sacramento Improvement Association will hold its fall meeting to discuss many neighborhood topics. In addition, updates from Nextdoor.com on neighborhood safety will also be discussed.

The meeting is open to the public. So if you have any questions or concerns of your own regarding these or other East Sac neighborhood matters, you can attend the meeting at 7pm in the Alhambra Room of the Clunie Community Center.

Movement as Medicine

Sponsored by Body Joy and Impact A Village, the Movement as Medicine event this coming Saturday, September 28 is designed for yoga experts, novices or, really, anyone looking to improve their health and themselves. After all, more and more studies are clinically proving the benefits of yoga--and movement in general--both physically and mentally.

That's why the overall focus of the day's event is on "creative movement." You will observe (and participate in if you're so moved) free-form dance, gentle yoga, live drumming and expressive art. This annual event will take place from 4-6:30pm at the Clunie Community Center in McKinley Park. Proceeds will benefit the Dance Movement Therapy program at Sutter Cancer Center in Sacramento and the Sacramento 5Rhythms Dance Scholarship program.

Ticket prices are $20 in advance and $25 at the door, with discounts available for families, students and the financially challenged. Tickets for children under 15 years are $5. For more information about the Movement as Medicine philosophy and to buy tickets in advance, visit movementasmedicine.net.

Click on the tab at the top of this blog to see all the East Sacramento Homes for Sale.

2nd Annual Sweatin' for McKinley

This Saturday, August 17 is the 2nd Annual Sweatin' for McKinley. Raise your heart rate and overall awareness about your health while also raising money to support the Clunie Community Center and McKinley Rose Garden.

At the free health fair, there will be information booths and speakers on nutrition, fitness and overall wellness, as well as a silent auction, raffle and fitness fashion show at 11:30am. A variety of fitness classes will be conducted throughout, starting with a session with Yoga Across America at 8:30am. Then, every hour on the hour, there will be 30-minute Pilates, kettle bells, boxing, yoga and Zumba classes. There will also be intensive boot camps offered, for kids as well as for adults.

The event runs from 8:30am to 12 noon at McKinley Park. Tickets are $20 pre-sale or $25 on the day of the event. For more information, visit friendsofeastac.com or www.mckinleyparkcenter.com/sweatin-for-mckinley-2013.

Click on the tab at the top of this blog to see all the East Sacramento Homes for Sale.

McKinley Village Environmental Impact Study

There will be a city meeting about the upcoming environmental impact study for McKinley Village. It will be Wednesday evening from 5:30 to 7:00 at the Clunie Community Center in McKinley Park (601 Alhambra Boulevard).

As per the document “ Responsible agencies and members of the public are invited to attend and provide input on the scope of the environmental document for the proposed McKinley Village project”. 

The document also states:

"Written comments regarding the relevant issues may be submitted at the meeting” and on the second page it state “written comments or questions concerning the proposed project should be directed to the City’s environmental project manager at the following address by 4:00 pm on June 24, 2013. Please include the contact person’s full name and address:

Dana Allen, Associate Planner

City of Sacramento, Community Development Department

300 Richards Blvd, Third Floor

Sacramento CA 95811

916-808-2762

dallen@cityofsacramento.org

You can see the full document here

http://www.cityofsacramento.org/dsd/planning/environmental-review/eirs/documents/FinalMV_NOP5_24_13rev_OPT.pdf

I plan on going to find out what the scope of an Environmental Impact Report is, see the process and I hope to also gain any new insights into the project itself.

I hope to see some of you there. 

I’ve had conversations with several East Sac locals about this project and the reaction to it has been greatly varied. I would love to hear your thoughts on it. Please add a comment here on my blog or email or call me.

McKinley Village Project on the Table Again in East Sac

Well, once again the 48 acres of land North of East Sac between the Capital City Freeway and the Union Pacific Railroad tracks near Sutter’s Landing Park is being reviewed for development. The current name for the proposed development is the Mckinley Village.

Many residents are getting involved in the conversation and want to know what the impact will be.

Fortunately, there are many ways to find out. I'm not going to try to recreate the wheel with all the thorough journalistic (and some less than journalistic) reporting out there, I'm just going to summarize the facts and point towards the information.

I'm also not going to weigh in for one side or the other just yet. As a resident of East Sac and the McKinley Park neighborhood, I'm very cautious of new development and any increased traffic. As a Realtor, I am always intrigued by new development (a good sign for the economy) and homes for sale. I'll read all the information and go to the meeting and try to slowly form my opinion of this potential development...

According to the Q&A of the developer this would be:

328 single family one and two story homes on a 48-acre lot. Homes will range in size from approximately 1,250 square feet with three bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms to approximately 2,500 square feet with five bedrooms and four bathrooms. Some of the homes will feature an option for second units, and others will have a master bedroom on the ground floor. This will be a $130 million development and they would expected the homes to sell from $300,000 to $600,000 plus.

Access to the Mckinley Village development for cars, bike, and pedestrian would be through A and 28^th Streets in Midtown, and via an under-crossing of the UnionPacific Railroad tracks that connects through the Cannery Business Park to C Street between 40^th Street and Tivoli Way in the McKinley Park neighborhood. There will also be a bike and pedestrian under-crossing of the Union Pacific Railroad tracks at B Street and Alhambra Boulevard in the McKinley Park neighborhood

Mckinley Village would also include 2.9 acres of park land, which will require that RCI (the developer) pay maintenance fees to the Park and Recreation Department. There will be over 2,000 trees and an additional 3.26 arches of common green space.

Here are the links to the most informative articles that I have found:

A detailed article in The Sacrament Bee

http://www.sacbee.com/2013/05/12/5413743/phil-angelides-pushes-housing.html

The developers Q&A document

http://www.scribd.com/doc/141664071/Frequently-Asked-Questions-for-McKinley-Village

Brochure

http://www.scribd.com/doc/141668073/McKinley-Village-brochure#download

Illustration

http://www.scribd.com/doc/141665259/McKinley-Village-Illustrative

Plans

http://www.scribd.com/doc/139731007/McKinley-Village-Plans

Several articles in the Sacramento Press

http://www.sacramentopress.com/headline/82300/Residents_react_to_the_McKinley_Village_project

http://www.sacramentopress.com/headline/82716/Sacramento_Old_City_Association_forum_on_McKinley_Village_development

http://sacramentopress.com/headline/82710/McKinley_Village_RCI_response

And an article in the East Sac News

http://www.valcomnews.com/?p=9851

There are two upcoming meetings that I plan on attending to find out more about the development and participate in the conversation.

A community meeting sponsored by MENA and ESIA on June 4th at 6:30pm at the Clunie Auditorium. The presenters will display graphics and answer questions on the proposed development. Other local development projects will be displaying materials and answering questions at the meeting as well.

The Sacramento Old City Association is organizing a public forum on Mckinley Village on June 8 at the Midtown Village Cafe (1827 I St, Sacramento, CA 95811). The event begins on at 9:00 AM so you better show up early to get your coffee and a chair!

This might be an interesting one to follow like the project at Curtis Park Village that has taken years to get off the ground. Then again it might not even get close to becoming anything and just stay an empty field for the next several decades with the occasional resident living under a blue tarp against that chain link fence seen from the highway...

MENA Community Meeting including Sutter Park!

This Wednesday, October 3^rd will be a McKinley East Sacramento Neighborhood Association (MENA) Community Meeting. It will start at 6:30pm at the McKinley Park Library at 601 Alhambra Blvd.

On the agenda is:

Councilman Steve Cohn discussing the rebuilding efforts of the McKinley Park playground that was partially destroyed by fire.

Stonebridge Properties will be presenting their proposal for Sutter Park at the Sutter Memorial Hospital site. Come and get a good look at displays of the proposed development and hear about the results of previous community meetings.

Ed Cox and Deb Newton of SABA (Sacramento Area Bike Advocates) will talk about the speed on H Street, traffic counts and control efforts recently implemented.

The Greek Anunciation Church will be presenting their planned project and discussing their efforts to enhance present church facilities and provide a visual linkage with McKinley Park.

Friends of East Sacramento will be providing an update on the McKinley Park Rose Garden renovation and status of the Clunie Community Center management transition to their organization.

The Sacramento Police Department and EASTSACWATCH will provide an update on incident reports and community crime fighting efforts.

If you live in East Sac but aren't already a meeting of MENA, you should join because you will get all the details on the neighborhood emailed directly to you!

Theodore Judah Third Annual Gala Dinner Dance and Auction

Saturday April 28^th will be the Third Annual Gala Dinner Dance and Auction for Theodore Judah Elementary in East Sac.

It will start at 6:30 pm in the Clunie Community Center and feature a dinner catered by Z-Chef, live entertainment by Kiss N Tell, dancing and a silent and live auction.

The proceeds will fund the schools Science Alive program. Tickets cost $55 per person. For reservations or to make a donation to the auction contact Dowson at 798-9001 or email her at donna@d3x.com

Book Donations Needed

The Friends of McKinley Library will be holding a book sale on Saturday April 14^th from 10:00 am to 4:30 pm in the Clunie Community Center.

You can drop off donations of good or like new condition of books, CD’s, DVD’s and magazines at 601 Alhambra Blvd. All funds raised will go to support special programs at McKinley Library.

To volunteers to help with the event or become a Friend of the Library, call 264-2920.