Guest opinion column by Citrus Heights resident Tom Scheeler–
Now that we have celebrated Citrus Heights’ 20th anniversary of its birth and we have a new identity slogan “Solid Roots, New Growth,” I would propose that we all see what we can do to make Citrus Heights a better, cleaner, more attractive and vibrant community.
Let’s all take a look around our yards and see what we can do to make them more attractive to our neighbors and improve our overall community. Does your yard need some attention? Please cut your lawn and pick up debris.
Got a boat, trailer or RV parked on your front lawn? Please take it to an appropriate storage facility. Have a broken down car/truck in your driveway? Sell it or donate it. It doesn’t take much if we all do a little.
Actually, some of these are city code violations — but don’t clean them up because of that, do it because it makes your community better and helps it achieve growth through being an attractive place to live.
In a broader community view, I believe that we need to replace the median fence on Greenback Lane, from Mariposa Avenue to Birdcage Street. I suspect that this very unattractive rusted wire fence was supposed to allow for median vegetation to grow on it and ultimately be a green wall of growth for much of Greenback. Well, that hasn’t happened and much of the fence is in median without vegetation.
Related: City pursues barrier fence to reduce pedestrian collisions near Greenback/Auburn
The installation, in my engineering opinion, was poor and unattractive. Greenback is one of, if not the only, primary travel paths into our city and to hopefully a revitalized Sunrise Mall. This existing fence gives visitors a horrible first impression of our city, and, in my opinion, must be replaced.
There are many examples, both in the Sacramento area and in other areas, of very attractive median divider fences. As an example, look at the fencing used at Watt and El Camino. This is very attractive, colored fencing incorporating bird and fish sculpture and installed in a manner that the panels can be easily replaced if they become damaged.
This is a great example of what we could, no, should have. As for paying for this new fence, obviously the city (we) can pay for it, a grant could be sought (frankly still citizen money), or perhaps this could be made a development condition for the new 55-acre housing development just off Sunrise, north of Greenback. There is a nexus to making this part of the development agreement, in that presumably many of these new residents will transit from Interstate 80 down Greenback to this development.
Related: New map shows proposed 55-acre housing development in Citrus Heights
So, I encourage you to give your yard a look to see what you can improve and I urge all residents to give the city staff and elected officials their opinion on this median fence issue, which I believe will greatly improve our city aesthetics for our daily travels and for visitors to our city.
Tom Scheeler has lived in Citrus Heights for 35 years, along with his wife of 44 years. He is a retired mechanical engineer and has been an active member of the Park Oaks Neighborhood Association.
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