Dear Mayor Steinberg and City Council Members, I am a native Sacramentan who will be celebrating my 60th birthday this year. I grew up in Curtis Park. Walking and bicycling were my primary modes of transportation throughout my childhood. My brother and I rode everywhere—at least within the zone permitted by our parents: Franklin Blvd. to the east, downtown to the north, the Sacramento River to the west, and Meadowview / Pocket Road to the south. Just about all of our friends got around walking and riding, too. Fast forward to 2019. I now live in South Land Park, and I still walk and ride in this area on a near daily basis. There are hundreds of walkers and riders, of all ages, in the neighborhoods abutting or in close proximity to the proposed Del Rio Trail. A SAFE and INVITING PATH in this area—for strolling, commuting and everything in between—is long overdue. I therefore urge you to approve the Del Rio Trail project.
I live 4 homes west of the proposed trail on Del Rio Rd and am writing in strong support of this proposal.
The DRT (Del Rio Trail) will be a great asset to at least 6 communities south of the Zoo and an asset to the City of Sacramento as a whole.
I've often heard our elected leaders champion Sacramento as a "World Class City". Basketball teams don't make cities world class, public space does. Make more great public spaces and you will have a world class city.
The loss of tracks on this transportation corridor would sever the ties to important regional history, effecting the heritage of a greater area than a few miles of Sacramento. The corridor through neighborhoods would be necessary only as a staging link to the town of Freeport where longer excursions would begin down river. Do not vote against the foundations that built Sacramento. This city is not only the capital of California but has deep roots in the story of agriculture and transportation. Now is the time to save this railroad from sinking into a murky unknown future.
We live on a court that backs up to the existing train tracks. The Del Rio Trail would be a great asset for our city. It will improve several City neighborhoods, and the entire regional trail network. It will allow easy and safe bike and pedestrian travel from residential areas to our local shopping centers, schools, and parks. It would allow many residents near the trail to safely reach downtown.
We petitioned the State Railroad Museum at a meeting in 2014 to scrub plans to run a excursion train along the tracks with the support of neighborhood owners associations, and they agreed. Unfortunately, there are Excursion Train supporters that are actively lobbying to have the Rails to Trails plan scrapped.
Sacramento has a rare opportunity to do something that will benefit many neighborhoods. The Del Rio Trail would add to our region’s “Quality of Life”.
We Support the Del Rio Trail Project, and urge the Council to support it too.
I believe the Del Rio Trail will improve several City neighborhoods, and the entire regional trail network. It will allow easy and safe bike and pedestrian travel from residential areas to shopping centers, schools and parks. It allows bike commuters to reach downtown on a Class 1 off-street path. Children will use it frequently. It will connect out neighborhood in a wholly new way.
As a mother to a 15 month old and a baby on the way, I am looking forward to the day that we can hop on our bikes and ride the trail. Our house does back up to the trail and we couldn't be more excited about the idea of the trail. More than just a place to take the kids, it can become safer for all of us. Our house was broken into last year. As they jumped the fence from the railroad tracks. It would attract better people and would be subject to less crime than abandoned rail beds.
I support the Del Rio Trail project, and urge the Council to support it too.
I live just south of the Del Rio Trail project area. I live in the area that will be impacted by the southern tourist train route. Please vote yes on the Del Rio Trail project EIR. It will connect Delta Shores/Pocket to the city core.
I also strongly oppose the Railroad Museums plan to operate environmentally insensitive locomotives from Sacramento through the Stone Lakes Wildlife Refuge. Please do not help facilitate the train museums attempt to invade the pristine Stone Lake Wildlife Refuge with their wine train joy rides. Clearly, the train museum values making a quick buck on tourists more than preserving wildlife in Stone Lake or preserving air quality and community livability in South Land Park. Reject their toxic trains. Support community trails. Vote yes on the Del Rio Trail project EIR.
I am opposed to the adoption of the preliminary EIR on the Del Rio Trail. The preliminary EIR must include all aspects of plans for multi-purpose uses of the right of way plan to include rails, and bike and walking paths in the planning document. While immediate use of the tracks by the Sacramento Southern Railroad for any purposes is not envisioned today, decisions made today will predetermine outcomes for the future. Paving over or removing short segments of track, as provided for in the current EIR document, is short sighted. A vision of joint rail and non-rail uses of the trail alignment must be included in the preliminary report now. Preservation of rail can coexist with short term development of the trail, but project design will need to present long run opportunities for this historic railroad route.
William Kerby, Emeritus Professor of Economics-CSUS
Greenhaven-Pocket resident for 46 years
Specifically, I work downtown and would much prefer using this route than travelling via South Land Park Blvd, where there are no sidewalks.
More broadly, I believe the Del Rio Trail will improve several City neighborhoods, and the entire regional trail network. It will allow easy and safe bike and pedestrian travel from residential areas to shopping centers, schools, and parks. It allows many more bike commuters to reach downtown on a Class 1 off-street path. Children will use it frequently. It will connect our neighborhood in a wholly new way.
I Support the Del Rio Trail Project, and urge the Council to support it too.
Please vote to approve the Del Rio Project tonight. The project design is well-thought out and will be an asset to my neighborhood and to our City. I am excited about having a paved biking and hiking trail nearby that will connect nearby neighborhoods. My dog urges your support too! Leslie McFadden
I fully support the Del Rio Trail Project. As a bicycle commuter and pedestrian I would greatly appreciate a safer way to travel to the South Land Park area via alternative transportation. More generally, I feel it is critical for the council to support safe and convenient means of alternative transportation in order to make Sacramento a more sustainable, healthy, and accessible city for its residents.
I SUPPORT RAILS-WITH-TRAILS!
I urge the City Council to reject ANY proposal to remove ANY track or any other railroad infrastructure on the historic former Southern Pacific Walnut Grove Branch and instead develop the corridor to support both rails and trails, just like between Old Sacramento and the I-5 overpass.
Removal of any length of track on the line will effectively destroy the continuity and functionality of this priceless historic artifact and regional treasure. There is no reason that rails and trails cannot coexist, and indeed that would be the fairest way to balance our *duty* to preserve our history and transportation infrastructure with the *desire* by some for recreational trail development.
Please do not destroy this historic railroad route that is an integral part of Sacramento and California's rich railroad history.
Mike Roque
Director
Folsom, El Dorado & Sacramento Historical Railroad Association
Road Foreman of Engines
Placerville & Sacramento Valley Railroad
In our South Land Park and Greenhaven areas our bike paths could best be described as "fits and starts" because of land ownership disputes along the river and other breaks in a solid vision. This project would finally connect all of the south area neighborhoods to the downtown area in a safe continuous trail. Families would be able to ride their bikes or walk safely through neighborhoods where streets are usually very busy. Please support this vision of a viable commute without the pollution of vehicles, it will be well used by our families.
i support the Del Rio trail Project, it has been very carefully studied, transparent and laid out. The project will maintain the historical artifacts, along with providing a safe secure mode of transpiration for the future. City staff, and their project managers went over the top ensuring that all aspects of the project were deal with and the associated risks have a detail plan for mitigation.
The EIR and Design Plan are well written and cover most questions that are to be addressed.
I stand with the South Land Park Neighborhood Association in support of the Del Rio Trail project. Supporting trails also supports a safer, healthier community for our children and us all. Please vote to support the Del Rio Trail. Thank you.
I am a South Land Park resident and am in full support of the Del Rio Trail. I am also an avid bicyclist, and also a fan of history and of trains. During the process learning about the Del Rio Trail process I attended meetings to learn more about the process. I learned from the knowledgeable city staff and the engineering firm that about 98.2% of the train tracks south of Sutterville Road are still in place. I also learned that none would be added and none would be removed during this process, which I was pleased to hear.
Sacramento needs more safe places for people to walk, bike, and otherwise do outdoor activity that's actually outdoors, and this trial will help have a safe, direct connection from South Land Park up to the Sprouts Market/Zoo/Land Park area, and without having to drive. I strongly encourage the city council to support the Del Rio Trail.
The Del Rio Trail is a 21st Century venture that will bring life into our city and connect communities in a healthy and vibrant way. The EIR is very clear that there will be impacts, but impacts will be mitigated. I believe the staff and the people who have contributed to the findings have been very thorough. Thank you for including the residents as well as government people, the local bands of Miwok, naturalists, historians, and others. Thank you for helping Sacramento be an example of green energy, conservation, and being proponents for good health. Please approve the plan for the Del Rio Trail.
I fully support the Del Rio Trail Project!
Sacramento needs a major structural improvement to the city. The Del Rio Trail project will not only improve our green belt infrastructure, provide a safe biking/walking path, but also has the potential to build community - getting folks outside to meet each other as opposed to interacting through social media portals. Once completed, the Del Rio Trail will be a draw for residents and tourists alike. Heck, maybe even Sunset Magazine would feature this in an upcoming magazine article. Let's be forward thinking and acting. This project will change our city landscape for the better. Let's win Sacramento - Let's build the Del Rio Trail!
The Del Rio trail will improve the neighborhood, and Sacramento's bike trails overall. It will allow for easier bike and walking access for families with small children, and make the area a safer place than it is at present. I support the Del Rio Trail Project, and I urge the Council to support it too.
Dear Mayor Steinberg and City Council Members, I am a native Sacramentan who will be celebrating my 60th birthday this year. I grew up in Curtis Park. Walking and bicycling were my primary modes of transportation throughout my childhood. My brother and I rode everywhere—at least within the zone permitted by our parents: Franklin Blvd. to the east, downtown to the north, the Sacramento River to the west, and Meadowview / Pocket Road to the south. Just about all of our friends got around walking and riding, too. Fast forward to 2019. I now live in South Land Park, and I still walk and ride in this area on a near daily basis. There are hundreds of walkers and riders, of all ages, in the neighborhoods abutting or in close proximity to the proposed Del Rio Trail. A SAFE and INVITING PATH in this area—for strolling, commuting and everything in between—is long overdue. I therefore urge you to approve the Del Rio Trail project.
Edie Brennan
ediebrennan@att.net
We need this bike trail more than old rails
Greetings -
I live 4 homes west of the proposed trail on Del Rio Rd and am writing in strong support of this proposal.
The DRT (Del Rio Trail) will be a great asset to at least 6 communities south of the Zoo and an asset to the City of Sacramento as a whole.
I've often heard our elected leaders champion Sacramento as a "World Class City". Basketball teams don't make cities world class, public space does. Make more great public spaces and you will have a world class city.
The loss of tracks on this transportation corridor would sever the ties to important regional history, effecting the heritage of a greater area than a few miles of Sacramento. The corridor through neighborhoods would be necessary only as a staging link to the town of Freeport where longer excursions would begin down river. Do not vote against the foundations that built Sacramento. This city is not only the capital of California but has deep roots in the story of agriculture and transportation. Now is the time to save this railroad from sinking into a murky unknown future.
We live on a court that backs up to the existing train tracks. The Del Rio Trail would be a great asset for our city. It will improve several City neighborhoods, and the entire regional trail network. It will allow easy and safe bike and pedestrian travel from residential areas to our local shopping centers, schools, and parks. It would allow many residents near the trail to safely reach downtown.
We petitioned the State Railroad Museum at a meeting in 2014 to scrub plans to run a excursion train along the tracks with the support of neighborhood owners associations, and they agreed. Unfortunately, there are Excursion Train supporters that are actively lobbying to have the Rails to Trails plan scrapped.
Sacramento has a rare opportunity to do something that will benefit many neighborhoods. The Del Rio Trail would add to our region’s “Quality of Life”.
We Support the Del Rio Trail Project, and urge the Council to support it too.
Bob and Vicki Ibarra
South Land Park
I believe the Del Rio Trail will improve several City neighborhoods, and the entire regional trail network. It will allow easy and safe bike and pedestrian travel from residential areas to shopping centers, schools and parks. It allows bike commuters to reach downtown on a Class 1 off-street path. Children will use it frequently. It will connect out neighborhood in a wholly new way.
As a mother to a 15 month old and a baby on the way, I am looking forward to the day that we can hop on our bikes and ride the trail. Our house does back up to the trail and we couldn't be more excited about the idea of the trail. More than just a place to take the kids, it can become safer for all of us. Our house was broken into last year. As they jumped the fence from the railroad tracks. It would attract better people and would be subject to less crime than abandoned rail beds.
I support the Del Rio Trail project, and urge the Council to support it too.
Alessandra Langen
South Land Parki
I live just south of the Del Rio Trail project area. I live in the area that will be impacted by the southern tourist train route. Please vote yes on the Del Rio Trail project EIR. It will connect Delta Shores/Pocket to the city core.
I also strongly oppose the Railroad Museums plan to operate environmentally insensitive locomotives from Sacramento through the Stone Lakes Wildlife Refuge. Please do not help facilitate the train museums attempt to invade the pristine Stone Lake Wildlife Refuge with their wine train joy rides. Clearly, the train museum values making a quick buck on tourists more than preserving wildlife in Stone Lake or preserving air quality and community livability in South Land Park. Reject their toxic trains. Support community trails. Vote yes on the Del Rio Trail project EIR.
I am opposed to the adoption of the preliminary EIR on the Del Rio Trail. The preliminary EIR must include all aspects of plans for multi-purpose uses of the right of way plan to include rails, and bike and walking paths in the planning document. While immediate use of the tracks by the Sacramento Southern Railroad for any purposes is not envisioned today, decisions made today will predetermine outcomes for the future. Paving over or removing short segments of track, as provided for in the current EIR document, is short sighted. A vision of joint rail and non-rail uses of the trail alignment must be included in the preliminary report now. Preservation of rail can coexist with short term development of the trail, but project design will need to present long run opportunities for this historic railroad route.
William Kerby, Emeritus Professor of Economics-CSUS
Greenhaven-Pocket resident for 46 years
Specifically, I work downtown and would much prefer using this route than travelling via South Land Park Blvd, where there are no sidewalks.
More broadly, I believe the Del Rio Trail will improve several City neighborhoods, and the entire regional trail network. It will allow easy and safe bike and pedestrian travel from residential areas to shopping centers, schools, and parks. It allows many more bike commuters to reach downtown on a Class 1 off-street path. Children will use it frequently. It will connect our neighborhood in a wholly new way.
I Support the Del Rio Trail Project, and urge the Council to support it too.
Jonathan Victor
South Land Park
Please vote to approve the Del Rio Project tonight. The project design is well-thought out and will be an asset to my neighborhood and to our City. I am excited about having a paved biking and hiking trail nearby that will connect nearby neighborhoods. My dog urges your support too! Leslie McFadden
I fully support the Del Rio Trail Project. As a bicycle commuter and pedestrian I would greatly appreciate a safer way to travel to the South Land Park area via alternative transportation. More generally, I feel it is critical for the council to support safe and convenient means of alternative transportation in order to make Sacramento a more sustainable, healthy, and accessible city for its residents.
I SUPPORT RAILS-WITH-TRAILS!
I urge the City Council to reject ANY proposal to remove ANY track or any other railroad infrastructure on the historic former Southern Pacific Walnut Grove Branch and instead develop the corridor to support both rails and trails, just like between Old Sacramento and the I-5 overpass.
Removal of any length of track on the line will effectively destroy the continuity and functionality of this priceless historic artifact and regional treasure. There is no reason that rails and trails cannot coexist, and indeed that would be the fairest way to balance our *duty* to preserve our history and transportation infrastructure with the *desire* by some for recreational trail development.
Please do not destroy this historic railroad route that is an integral part of Sacramento and California's rich railroad history.
Mike Roque
Director
Folsom, El Dorado & Sacramento Historical Railroad Association
Road Foreman of Engines
Placerville & Sacramento Valley Railroad
In our South Land Park and Greenhaven areas our bike paths could best be described as "fits and starts" because of land ownership disputes along the river and other breaks in a solid vision. This project would finally connect all of the south area neighborhoods to the downtown area in a safe continuous trail. Families would be able to ride their bikes or walk safely through neighborhoods where streets are usually very busy. Please support this vision of a viable commute without the pollution of vehicles, it will be well used by our families.
i support the Del Rio trail Project, it has been very carefully studied, transparent and laid out. The project will maintain the historical artifacts, along with providing a safe secure mode of transpiration for the future. City staff, and their project managers went over the top ensuring that all aspects of the project were deal with and the associated risks have a detail plan for mitigation.
The EIR and Design Plan are well written and cover most questions that are to be addressed.
I stand with the South Land Park Neighborhood Association in support of the Del Rio Trail project. Supporting trails also supports a safer, healthier community for our children and us all. Please vote to support the Del Rio Trail. Thank you.
I am a South Land Park resident and am in full support of the Del Rio Trail. I am also an avid bicyclist, and also a fan of history and of trains. During the process learning about the Del Rio Trail process I attended meetings to learn more about the process. I learned from the knowledgeable city staff and the engineering firm that about 98.2% of the train tracks south of Sutterville Road are still in place. I also learned that none would be added and none would be removed during this process, which I was pleased to hear.
Sacramento needs more safe places for people to walk, bike, and otherwise do outdoor activity that's actually outdoors, and this trial will help have a safe, direct connection from South Land Park up to the Sprouts Market/Zoo/Land Park area, and without having to drive. I strongly encourage the city council to support the Del Rio Trail.
The Del Rio Trail is a 21st Century venture that will bring life into our city and connect communities in a healthy and vibrant way. The EIR is very clear that there will be impacts, but impacts will be mitigated. I believe the staff and the people who have contributed to the findings have been very thorough. Thank you for including the residents as well as government people, the local bands of Miwok, naturalists, historians, and others. Thank you for helping Sacramento be an example of green energy, conservation, and being proponents for good health. Please approve the plan for the Del Rio Trail.
I fully support the Del Rio Trail! It will bring community together, support a healthy lifestyle, and create a green space for children to play!
I fully support the Del Rio Trail Project!
Sacramento needs a major structural improvement to the city. The Del Rio Trail project will not only improve our green belt infrastructure, provide a safe biking/walking path, but also has the potential to build community - getting folks outside to meet each other as opposed to interacting through social media portals. Once completed, the Del Rio Trail will be a draw for residents and tourists alike. Heck, maybe even Sunset Magazine would feature this in an upcoming magazine article. Let's be forward thinking and acting. This project will change our city landscape for the better. Let's win Sacramento - Let's build the Del Rio Trail!
The Del Rio trail will improve the neighborhood, and Sacramento's bike trails overall. It will allow for easier bike and walking access for families with small children, and make the area a safer place than it is at present. I support the Del Rio Trail Project, and I urge the Council to support it too.