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1. What is your opinion on light
rail throughout Folsom?
Light rail is only funded to go along
Folsom Blvd on the edge of Folsom. There are also studies being done
by Regional Transit evaluating the possibility to provide light rail
along Highway 50 to El Dorado Hills. This potential extension to El
Dorado Hills is not funded and if it ever were to be approved and
funded it would likely be over ten years from now.
I do not view providing light rail throughout the city as desirable
or cost effective. Regional Transit’s view, which I agree with, is
that the current light rail alignment will be a commuter service
that will relieve current and forecasted congestion along Highway
50.
2. What is your view on the south of
50 situation? What do you support in terms of development?
The Sacramento Area Council of
Governments (SACOG) is recommending over 17,000 homes for the area
known as Folsom’s sphere of influence (SOI) as part of their
“Blueprint” for growth in this region. To give you a perspective of
what they are proposing, the SOI includes approximately 25% of the
land of the current city boundaries and we currently have ~20,000
homes in Folsom. They are proposing approximately four times the
housing density in the SOI area than we have in our current city!
I believe that Folsom should seek to control the development in the
SOI. Otherwise the development will likely negatively impact our
schools, our traffic and our general quality of life with little
opportunity for us to reduce these potential impacts and maximize
the potential benefits. If the region decides that development
should happen South of Hwy 50 we must:
* Require the developers to pay all costs and prohibit any expense
on the taxpayers within the current city boundaries
* Require a minimum of 30 percent open space – not counting front
and back yards and parking areas
* Require the developers to build parks in addition to the open
space
* Require developers, not the current residents of Folsom, to pay
for all new schools
* Prohibit new development from taking any of our existing water
supply
* Require developers to pay for all transportation improvements
* Prohibit development unless all environmental impacts are
addressed
3. What actions would you like to see taken to mitigate excess high
density housing in south Folsom?
We should continue looking for opportunities to move high density
housing to areas where transit oriented development can take place.
I would also like to see the Cross Country course next to the high
school maintained to mitigate the impacts of housing in that area.
4. What are your opinions on a growout population for Folsom?
70,000, 90,000... over 100,000?
The forecasted build-out population for Folsom is slightly less than
70,000. This was set over ten years ago when the City’s General Plan
was developed and many development entitlements were given to the
major developers. This estimate was reviewed recently and is still
seen to be accurate.
5. What plans do you support to control out of town traffic within
the city, without interfering with residences right to access?
I am not sure what is being proposed here. Is this a proposal to
restrict non-residents of Folsom from being able to use the public
roads in Folsom? We have many residents that use the roads of other
cities and I am not supportive of starting a process of having
cities restrict the use of their roads to their residents. I do not
think this a good regional policy and I doubt it would be legal.
6. What are your opinions on the Folsom Library?
Great cities have great libraries! We are on our way to having a
great library and I am very excited about the positive impact having
a library of this quality will have on the residents of Folsom. If
you would like to learn more about my view on the library site
please go to http://www.ericking.org/library.cfm.
7. Why is Folsom trying to keep its own solid waste system when a
great savings and better service for the residents of Folsom can be
obtained by contracting this service out? What are your plans to
revisit this in the near term?
The city is responsible for providing the highest quality service to
the residents at the lowest possible cost. Recent surveys and my own
personal experience is that the quality of service provided by our
solid waste department is excellent. Before putting that level of
service in jeopardy we would need to believe that we could obtain
not only a short term cost savings, but also the assurance that in
years or even decades to come that private service provider would
not raise rates beyond what we could have provided ourselves.
Currently Folsom has the second lowest monthly solid waste rates in
the region compared to other municipal-operated programs. Folsom’s
rates are also about $1.20/ month lower than the average contracted
out rates. These rates are maintained while providing a higher level
of service by providing street sweeping and a pickup program for:
sharps from medical waste, used oil, and other hazardous material.
In short, there are other areas of the city with much greater
potential cost savings without the risk of a level of service
reduction and I believe we should focus on the biggest potential
impact items first.
8. What are your opinions of the Dam Road closure? Do you think an
effective compromise is obtainable?
The Dam Road closure is horrible and has not been properly
justified. I have been on two different lobbying trips to D.C. for
this issue and have met with members of Congress and the Federal
Government, including Commissioner Keys. I believe a compromise is
obtainable, but it will not be easy and it will take consistent
pressure and leveraging every relationship we and our friends have
in D.C.
9. With the growing population, how will the city ensure adequate
public safety services?
The city now budgets its money by starting with a strategic planning
process that sets the priorities for the city. After setting
priorities we then allocate the available funds based upon those
priorities. Public Safety is my highest priority and as long as I am
on the City Council we will have adequate public safety.
10. Rainbow Bridge is a landmark to the city. It is also one of the
more memorable sites to visitors. What will you do to clean up the
graffiti from RB and preserve this city treasure?
I have been leading a group developing a Zero Tolerance Ordinance
for Graffiti within Folsom. Our work is nearly complete and we will
be bringing the revised ordinance to the City Council in early
October. Cleaning this bridge is very tough and expensive because it
is over a river and environmental concerns make it very difficult
and expensive to clean. That is why the punishment for graffiti on
this bridge should be severe. We will be cleaning the bridge as part
of our next major maintenance work on the bridge.
11. How do you plan on making Folsom more bicycle-friendly?
In October ’03 the League of American Bicyclists designated Folsom a
“Bicycle Friendly Community” for our extensive bike trail system and
efforts to ensure that children are safe when biking to school. The
league, based in Washington D.C., noted that 95% of Folsom’s
arterial streets have bike lanes or paved shoulders, two schools
have bike safety programs, and that bike lanes connect to
neighborhoods, allowing residents to ride from their homes.
Here are excerpt from our City website that illustrate more of our
plans:
The following is a list of trail projects you might encounter while
using the Humbug-Willow Creek Trail system. The Parks & Recreation
Department is working hard to complete these trail sections with the
ultimate goal of completing the 16-mile Humbug-Willow Creek trail
from Empire Ranch to Lake Natoma.
Humbug-Willow Creek Trail Blue Ravine Road Trail Under crossing:
The long awaited trail under crossing at Blue Ravine Road and
Humbug-Willow Creek is underway (near the intersection of Blue
Ravine Road and Riley Street). The City recently awarded a
construction contract to build the under crossing. Construction
should start in mid August and the plan is to have it completed by
October 30.
This is a much needed grade separated crossing. This section of Blue
Ravine Road experiences high volumes of traffic at very high speeds.
The ability to provide a grade separated crossing at this location
is a high priority.
Humbug-Willow Creek Trail, Sun Country Trail Extension:
This project is another "fill the gap" project that ties two
existing segments together with a bridge over Humbug-Willow Creek.
The project is located at Sibley Street and Blue Ravine Road and
makes a connection between the under crossing at Sibley Street and
the existing trail that parallels Blue Ravine Road. The project was
awarded at the March 9th Council meeting and construction started in
June 2004. The project is expected to be completed by October 30.
Humbug-Willow Creek Trail, Middle School Segment:
This project completes another small gap in Humbug-Willow Creek
Trail network. This segment is along Humbug Creek between the
existing trail by the Folsom Middle School and East Bidwell Street.
This trail segment will make a connection to the planned
bike/pedestrian over crossing at East Bidwell Street.
This project was awarded at the March 9th Council meeting and
construction is expected to begin in late August. Depending on the
weather this project should be completed by December 2004.
Humbug-Willow Creek Trail, Overlook Trail Bridges/Boardwalk:
The missing link to the Overlook trail segment is nearing
completion. The final phase of this project includes the
installation of two bike/pedestrian bridges and a boardwalk over
Humbug Creek. The girders for the bridges will be installed in late
August, followed by volunteers who will install the decking and the
railings. The project is expected to be completed by the end of
September.
12. How do you see Transit Oriented Development (TOD) fitting into
Folsom's future (north or south of 50)?
The land within the current city boundaries is nearly built out, but
we will continue to look for opportunities for TOD such as with our
railroad block development plan. The railroad block development plan
is part of a TOD project plan that has strong public support.
If development occurs south of Hwy 50 we should make TOD a major
part of this general plan. Smart Growth concepts such as TOD are
being discussed at the SOI visioning meetings and need to be a large
part of any plan to develop south of Hwy 50.
13. What would you propose to improve the long-term (after the new
bridge) prospects for traffic in Folsom, particularly in the
historic district?
Here's a summary of some current projects/programs related to the
traffic in the Historic District.
1. Internal Circulation.
We are currently working with the merchants to improve circulation
on a street grid consisting of Sutter/Scott/Riley/ Leidesdorff and
the Sutter street off-ramp. This will include replacing traffic
turning movements at several intersections where they are not
currently allowed. The plan is to make these improvements by
mid-November.
2. Riley St. & Natoma St.
Staff is continuing to adjust the Traffic Signal timing along these
streets to maximize the flow of traffic. We also have a consultant
looking at an Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) which would
make the signals more responsive to traffic changes along these
corridors.
3. Riley St. overlay.
As part of the current street overlay program, Riley St. in the
Historic District will be overlaid. This will not necessarily
improve traffic flow, but will improve the road condition for
motorists. This work will occur later this month.
Outside of the Historic District key projects include:
* Constructing the Empire Ranch Road / Highway 50 interchange
* Completing Empire Ranch Road through to Sophia Parkway in El
Dorado Hills
* Light Rail
* Folsom-Auburn Road widening
* Various street and intersection widening projects
14. Many of our major roads (Prairie City, Iron Point, Greenback)
are major thoroughfares, yet are unlandscaped. What would you do to
help beautify these areas?
The way the city looks is very important to me. The city has limited
funds and I am strongly opposed to raising taxes so we make
incremental progress each year. Here are a few things that will be
done in the near future to improve the landscaping within the city.
* Prairie City Road – We will soon begin a $75,000 project to
landscape the median between Blue Ravine and Hwy 50. $75,000 is not
enough to do everything we would like, but we hope to be able to
appropriate more next year to augment what will be done this year.
* We will also begin a small landscaping project at the corner of
Iron Point and Prairie City next month (near the Prairie Oaks
signage)
* In Prairie Oaks, we recently re-landscaped 35 corners (upgrading
irrigation, removing old plants and adding new plants)
* We will soon begin planting 200 oak trees on the Oak Avenue
Parkway median (between Iron Point and East Bidwell )
15. What are your thoughts on Measure T?
(Note to voters: Measure T will
not be on the ballot)
I am very disappointed that members of the community and their
lawyer found a technicality that knocked this Measure off the
Ballot. I did not support this measure, but I would have rather had
the discussion and let the voters decide for themselves.
16. What are your thoughts on Measure W?
Measure W amends the City Charter to require the Folsom City Council
to take certain actions prior to the approval of the annexation of
the land within Folsom’s Sphere of Influence (SOI).
Here are excerpts from the legal Impartial Analysis of Measure W.
Measure W requirements include the following:
* Identifying and securing the water supply for the SOI area without
reducing the water supply serving water users north of Highway 50
and at no cost to existing Folsom residents.
* Adopting an infrastructure funding and phasing plan for the
construction of roadways and transportation improvements to mitigate
traffic impacts caused by any development of the SOI area. The plan
would identify the timing for construction of all transportation
improvements, including any required improvements along the Highway
50 corridor. The timing of the construction of improvements would be
tied to the anticipated rate of growth and associated traffic
impacts. The plan would not require existing Folsom residents to pay
fees for transportation improvements required to serve the SOI area.
* Adopting a plan maintaining 30% of the Area as natural open space
to preserve oak woodlands and sensitive habitat areas. Natural open
space would not include active park sites, residential yard areas,
golf courses, parking lots, and their associated landscaping.
* Submitting a plan to the Folsom Cordova Unified School District
providing for the funding and construction of all necessary school
facilities for the SOI area, so that Folsom residents north of
Highway 50 are not required to pay for the construction of new
school facilities serving the SOI area and existing schools are not
overcrowded by development in the SOI.
* Adopting a General Plan Amendment to serve as the blueprint for
development in the SOI area, but only after the completion and
certification of an Environmental Impact Report and comprehensive
public meetings and hearings. The city would be required to mail
every registered voter a notice of the time, place and date of the
public meetings and hearings and a summary report on the proposed
development plan. The summary of the development plan and a summary
of the associated environmental review would be required to be
available for public review at specified sites.
I support these first steps to protect the residents of Folsom from
the potential negative impacts of development south of Highway 50. I
also support our efforts to maintain control of the development, if
any, within our sphere of influence area south of Hwy 50.
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