Just thought I would add a little editorial I wrote in the Citizen back in 2006. I think most of you will agree. Of course, they omitted some of it. Dear Editor, In reply to your editorial on smart growth in the 08/02/06 issue of the Elk Grove Citizen... Having spent my first 20 some-odd years in the area and graduated from Elk Grove in 1972, I have a little different view from the one in the editorial I referred to. In 1975 I moved to Virginia because of the Navy. After a while I realized that I had no intention of staying away from California any longer than I had to, and the destination of choice was right back to Elk Grove. Contrary to many people I met, I had no complaints about where I came from, the lifestyle I grew up with, the way we were brought up, or the environment around me. Unfortunately, circumstances dictated that I would never make it back as a resident of the area. However, I do come back home to Elk Grove on vacation to visit family and friends every chance I get. The changes to Elk Grove that I have seen over the past thirty years since I left have appalled me, as it has most of the genuine old-timers I know. Right before I left in 1975, the beautiful walnut trees that lined both sides of Elk Grove Boulevard all the way from 99 to Elk Grove-Florin Rd were cut down to widen the road. I knew in my heart that that was the beginning of the end of the Elk Grove that both locals and visitors loved so much. Since then, every time I come home I am amazed at how much worse things have gotten than the previous visit. First we lost our (free) quiet old park for whatever reason to outsiders from Sacramento. I think this may be when people started showing up and liking the place. Unfortunately, the quiet community looked really quaint to other Californians and was in commuting distance to where they worked. Then houses started sprouting in any spot someone wasnt standing on. The Enos dairy on Bruceville Road went away and started becoming the self-serving and autocatalytic community of Laguna. We knew there was no stopping it when houses were even built on what locals referred to as Soggy Acres, which is all the area west of 99 and between Laguna Blvd and Cosumnes River College. The area got its nickname from the fact that EVERY year it would hopelessly flood out. I believe the only thing stopping that from continuing now is a good set of pumps. With any luck, you will always have power to run them. Of course, you voted Rancho Seco out, refuse to allow new power plants, and even want to get rid of the best thing California has going for it powerwise - Hydroelectric. But I digress. Now you have built away all the farm land from 99 to 5 and Elk Grove Boulevard to Kammerer Road. And its not done yet! It is like a fire out of control. The only thing that will stop it is when it reaches an area already built, such as Galt or Lodi. Sacramento has already been connected. When I look at the growth of Elk Grove, I see a town (oops, city now) running out of control down a mountain, falling all over itself. Smart Growth? In my opinion Elk Grove is out of control, and has been for a long long time. The previous editorial talks about the rural nature and view of the Sierras possibly being lost in the future if you are not careful. Well guess what? IT IS WAY TOO LATE TO WORRY ABOUT THAT! Most residents in the Elk Grove area havent got a clue about what Elk Grove was. Elk Grove, or Laguna as most new residents would probably prefer, doesnt exist anymore. Instead of a very nice rural town that time forgot, that had a little bit of new growth east of the high school stuck in it, now it is a blossoming Los Angeles with a little bit of nice rural town stuck in it. The damage is done now and there is no going back. But there are still some of us who know what we have lost. The growth may have been a money boon to some and a great new frontier to newcomers, but to a lot of us it was just a tragedy that had a life of its own. So, please, please dont insult us by complaining about the possibility of uncontrolled future growth. Sincerely, Ernest K. Howard
Posted on: Sat, 29 Mar 2014 02:44:31 +0000
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