Dear West Sacramento leaders, business owners and community members,

I write to you today urging you to rethink your support of the current location of the proposed Jefferson Station Bike Nest project. I have lived in West Sacramento for the past 9 years with my husband (who is a lifelong West Sacramento resident) and our four children. We are very committed and invested in the community of West Sacramento: our three oldest children attend Our Lady of Grace School, my husband is a West Sacramento little league coach, and in addition to being a West Sacramento business owner, I have been a Girl Scout leader to a local troop for the past six years. In addition to the many local activities we participate in, we love using the Clarksburg Trail as a place to exercise and spend time as a family. Because of this, we love the idea of the bike nest, but not in its current proposed location. 

The close proximity to the campus of Our Lady of Grace School presents many safety issues which, as a parent of four young children, make me very uncomfortable. Also creating a unique concern is its close proximity to the Southport Town Center Plaza (which seems to be a redundant location for the bike nest considering Target and Nugget both provide water, telephone service and bathroom facilities.) Town Center Plaza already struggles with loitering. The current bike nest location would be a natural spot for those kicked out of Target and Nugget to congregate- all within ear shot and vision of students as young as four years old. Another concern is how easy it would be for someone to sit and watch our children as they play on the playground. Currently, it would be easy to see if inappropriate behavior was taking place on the trail. Unfortunately, the nest would create an opportunity for someone (i.e. a sex offender) to sit and watch our children without raising any alarm. 

Assemble Sacramento has suggested a barrier be built between the nest and the school. Barricade ideas that have been suggested include trees and/or wooden slats inserted into the existing chainlink fence. These are not viable solutions. Trees will not provide an immediate solution, as it would take years for them to grow large enough to create a visual barrier- a barrier that would likely cease during the autumn and winter months. And placing slats into the existing fence doesn't obstruct the view, as the Clarksburg Trail sits above the campus.

As leaders of our community and contributors to this project, I urge you to rethink your support of the nest in its current location. Moving the project up or down the Clarksburg Trail would still activate the area and provide the community with a place to rest while enjoying the trail. I'm sure if the businesses that donated their time and services to this project knew the surrounding community had serious issues with its current location, they would be more than willing to assist in securing a more suitable spot. I respect Assemble Sacramento's mission to bring communities together and provide areas of enjoyment in under utilized spaces. But the lack of communication to the surrounding community prior to securing this location is proving to be very divisive. I know that if we come together as a community, we can find a better location in which all of West Sacramento can be happy about. Thank you for your time and I look forward to working with you all as community members who want the best for our amazing city.

Respectfully,

Samantha DeAnda