RANCHO CORDOVA, CA (MPG) - It was a marathon Rancho Cordova Council Meeting as the running time stretched past the 5-hour mark with the bulk of the session taken up by the continued approval process for Community Enhancement Fund (CEF) Allocations.

With Stacy Delaney, Community Enhancement Analyst, representing city staff recommendations, the council addressed 18 applications pulled for further discussion from the previous meeting. Altogether, 85 applicants are hoping to be awarded monies from the 2.1 million community fund for their programs and projects. Examples of these discussed on May 3, were Mandarins of Sacramento Music Academy Scholarships at Sunrise and McGarvey Elementary Schools, LaCars’ Legacy-Your World Your Canvas Puppetry Arts, and River City Christian Middle and High School Crossover Basketball and Hummingbird Theatre Company.

Council discussed each application as well as heard comments from the public which could include the applicant themselves. Demonstrating their desire to help as many as possible, the council not only looked at monies that could be dispersed from the fund but also through other sources such as COVID-19 relief. They even brought up how programs and projects while possibly not getting funding now would be looked at in the near future. “Bear with us,” said Vice Mayor Donald Terry.

Discussion closed with the council’s thoughts and direction to be incorporated in the resolution for adoption at a future meeting.

A possible one-year pilot program with Scooter Share company White Fox had a smoother ride this time around than when it was last discussed as representatives from the company actually showed up. Perhaps to make up for their past faux pas, they stayed on the line to talk with the council even though it was around 1:00 am for the representatives of the east coast business.

Along with staff, they presented how their business model would overcome such issues as blight, misuse, reliability and vandalization. Unlike say Sacramento, their scooters are to be returned to docking stations which provide charging, sanitization and (in the future) helmets. More importantly they prevent scooters from being left anywhere the rider chooses - be it even in the middle of the street. White Fox initially proposes the docking stations to be on public property with private in the future.

The council apparently liked what they heard as they all voted yes to continue the process for putting shareable scooters on the streets of Rancho Cordova after failed attempts. Even Vice Mayor Terry who was most vocal about his hesitancy to go forward with the proposal gave a “yes”. He did, though, continue to state his discomfort with the exclusivity of the one-year pilot program at the loss of working with any other players in the industry. White Fox said the exclusivity is based on the desire to acquire data on the area and how to make the relationship most profitable. Vice Mayor Terry also still harbored reservations about the technology as a whole. On the other hand, Mayor Garrett Gatewood said he was “excited” to do business with them.

From the unwanted blight of scooters strewn across the cityscape, the council turned to expanding the “screening” around a proposed delivery station on the corner of International Drive and Rancho Cordova Parkway. City Planning Manager Darcy Goulart and a representative from applicant Panattoni development shared plans for the 181,500 square foot building and their desire to acquire the building permits to start construction. With the residents and the nearby town center and park in mind, Councilmember David Sander stated his strategy as “let’s screen a lot,” and double up the trees to obscure the building to aid in beautifying the wider area. Or as Mayor Gatewood joked, “Increase the view by decreasing the view.” Councilmember Linda Budge agreed with Sander’s words that how this is done is going to set the tone for the future. Still, Sander called it a “great project” and the council acknowledged the Panattoni rep’s flattering words about working with the city. The project was approved to go forward with pedestrian access and landscaping suggestions addressed.

Along with the CEF, scooter and delivery station topics, the night also saw a presentation from Gary Goodson District Manager of the Sacramento - Yolo Mosquito and Vector Control District. He discussed the challenges and solutions posed by mosquitoes and the diseases they bring especially in the upcoming warmer summer season. While stating the city had done a “great job” in preventative measures, Goodson pointed to West Nile Virus carrying mosquito cases of high activity just outside city borders. He also warned of the Yellow Fever Mosquito, a new invasive day biting mosquito that while not yet found in Rancho Cordova is an aggressive creature capable of transmitting several diseases and difficult to eradicate once established. As protection from all mosquitoes, he brought up new sterilization technology but encouraged the public to be diligent, draining all water, discarding unwanted items that can collect water and report day biting mosquitoes.

As for public comments, those included a resident inquiring about services not for the homeless of which there are many, but for those who are about to lose their home, another concerned with large mounds of dirt, mulch and tree trunks left in Lincoln Village Park and a resident wondering when the Planning Commision was going to return (Vice Mayor Terry said it was in the works).

Beginning the Council Reports, Councilmember Suri Pulipati urged residents to donate in any way to help alleviate the COVID-19 crisis in India, her place of birth. She also spoke about the Kindness Inspiration Rock Chain project along Rossmoor Drive where residents can paint a rock in a show of unity and that kits were available at City Hall.

Councilmember Sander had a glowing review for the annual Kids Day held at the Mineshaft. Despite having to be run as a drive-thru event due to COVID-19, he called it an example of how “raising kids in Rancho Cordova is great.” He attended another Connector Meeting, reporting back on the expansion of roadway between interstate 5, highway 99 and highway 50 but citing concern about how to succeed when multiple jurisdictions are involved. Sander was also planning to tape some informational videos aimed at kids concerning the vaccine.

Another local event was praised by Councilmember Budge who attended an Arbor Day celebration at Sonoma Park. Councilmember Budge also attended the Regionals Transit meeting where they won an award from the American Planning Association for their RT-Forward campaign. She also expressed how well a recent closed Special Meeting of the Council regarding Affordable Housing had gone and her desire that these types of discussion be made available to the public via video (this would actually come to fruition at a later date).

Regarding his Air District meeting, Vice Mayor Terry reported how low income families can turn in their car and be rewarded with an electric or zero emission vehicle as a reward for going green. He stated Sacramento City Unified are counting the highest number of kids returning to in person schooling and that research is showing schools are not becoming the super spreaders as some feared.

Echoing comments throughout the night from practically all of the council on the need for vaccination access and the unvaccinated indeed come forward to get one, City Manager Cyrus Abhar praised the recent April 23 pop up vaccination clinic at City Hall run together with the Del Paso Heights Vaccination Clinic. He marveled at the quick turnaround time from the initial call to the city by Clinic Coordinator Nancy Bui-Thompson to the actual successful (around 450 vaccinations) event a mere few days later. In recognition of Public Service Week, Abhar also showered accolades on both city staff and the council itself.

In his report, Mayor Gatewood also enthusiastically mentioned the event and especially the work of Director Dr. Kawanaa Carter who told the Mayor they would continue to hold clinics as much as needed. He reported his attendance at a SMUD board meeting where a zero carbon footprint was proposed. Touchingly Gatewood expressed his pride in his son’s performance at a Little League game where he “never saw so many people attending” reflecting the strong desire for normalcy the public is craving.