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Residents, officials: Real Estate meltdown, boy killed by train some of the top news stories in 2008
By Bobby Wilson - Citizen Staff Writer
A lot unfolds in 365 days.
Elk Grove definitely had its share of developments in 2008, and residents said some news stood out more than others.
Many folks considered the real estate melt down and a 15-year-old boy being hit and killed by a train to be the biggest local news items of 2008.
For some city officials, they said, the election in November and plans to restructure the city staff as well as hiring a new police chief topped the news last year in Elk Grove.
Chimdum Mez, a 16-year-old Elk Grove resident, paused for a moment to reflect, and then it struck him.
“Lots of foreclosures and stuff,” he said.
Mez added many people had to move away to find new housing.
The struggling real estate market pinched people nationwide, Elk Grove City Council Member Jim Cooper said.
“But enough families have been affected (in Elk Grove) that it makes it a serious issue in my mind,” Cooper said. “Some folks may say the mall was the biggest story of the year, but I think the foreclosure crisis really hits hard, and just the whole state of the economy.”
Cooper was referring to the Elk Grove Promenade Mall that’s being built off Grant Line Road near Highway 99. Construction has stalled and the project’s developer, General Growth Properties, Inc., is grappling with financial problems. A tentative date for the mall to open has been estimated as some time in 2010.
The sagging economy definitely was the unmatched dilemma of the year, Elk Grove Planning Commissioner George Murphey said.
But reductions in property and sales taxes have not cut into the city’s coffers as deeply as other cities, thanks to a healthy savings, Murphey said. The city has a reserve of $10 million, or 18.5 percent of the estimated annual revenues, according to city documents.
“I think we are fortunate that we weren’t affected this year, not to the extent some cities were,” Murphey said. “I guess there is an upside to all this.”
But that doesn’t mean the city will not have to tighten its belt in 2009, he said.
The incident where a train struck and killed a teen in Old Town was also considered to be a major story for many residents in 2008.
Matthew Gordon Hernandez’s life was cut short in December when he was hit by a Union Pacific train on the stretch of tracks near First Avenue, north of Elk Grove Boulevard.
“The accident on the railroad --- it had a very (big) impact on me because I knew the person,” Suzanne Russell of Elk Grove said. “He was my nephew.”
Hernandez attended Elk Grove Charter School, which is near the accident scene and where Hernandez lived. A memorial has been started near the scene of the accident, and the death remains under investigation.
An Apple iPod music player and headphones were found, and investigators are trying to determine if Hernandez had been using them. Witnesses told police that the train’s operator had blown the train’s horn.
Three developments register as the biggest news items of 2008 for recently elected City Council Member Steve Detrick.
The hiring of the new police chief, Robert Lehner who started in October, was the most important, Detrick said. Detrick added that crime is one of the biggest issues in Elk Grove, and the city needed to insure that the new chief was equal or better than Lehner’s predecessor.
It’s too early to say, though, if Lehner has done that, Detrick said.
“He’s still getting his feet wet,” Detrick explained.
The second biggest happening for Detrick was Elk Grove starting its transition from being a contract city to hiring full-time staff to do the contractors’ jobs, which was a recommendation of the 2007 Sinclair report.
The report says that city staff will have a more vested interest in Elk Grove municipal government than contractors who work when needed.
Last but not least, Detrick said he was proud of defeating former Council Member Mike Leary in the November election.
Laura Gill started her job as city manager of Elk Grove in June. She agreed with Detrick that hiring the police chief and actions associated with the Sinclair report were huge for Elk Grove.
“I think that we are making very large strides in a very short amount of time,” Gill said. “It has been moving very quickly.”
The momentum should continue in 2009, Gill said.
“We have got a lot of spinning plates,” she said.
Elk Grove definitely had its share of developments in 2008, and residents said some news stood out more than others.
Many folks considered the real estate melt down and a 15-year-old boy being hit and killed by a train to be the biggest local news items of 2008.
For some city officials, they said, the election in November and plans to restructure the city staff as well as hiring a new police chief topped the news last year in Elk Grove.
Chimdum Mez, a 16-year-old Elk Grove resident, paused for a moment to reflect, and then it struck him.
“Lots of foreclosures and stuff,” he said.
Mez added many people had to move away to find new housing.
The struggling real estate market pinched people nationwide, Elk Grove City Council Member Jim Cooper said.
“But enough families have been affected (in Elk Grove) that it makes it a serious issue in my mind,” Cooper said. “Some folks may say the mall was the biggest story of the year, but I think the foreclosure crisis really hits hard, and just the whole state of the economy.”
Cooper was referring to the Elk Grove Promenade Mall that’s being built off Grant Line Road near Highway 99. Construction has stalled and the project’s developer, General Growth Properties, Inc., is grappling with financial problems. A tentative date for the mall to open has been estimated as some time in 2010.
The sagging economy definitely was the unmatched dilemma of the year, Elk Grove Planning Commissioner George Murphey said.
But reductions in property and sales taxes have not cut into the city’s coffers as deeply as other cities, thanks to a healthy savings, Murphey said. The city has a reserve of $10 million, or 18.5 percent of the estimated annual revenues, according to city documents.
“I think we are fortunate that we weren’t affected this year, not to the extent some cities were,” Murphey said. “I guess there is an upside to all this.”
But that doesn’t mean the city will not have to tighten its belt in 2009, he said.
The incident where a train struck and killed a teen in Old Town was also considered to be a major story for many residents in 2008.
Matthew Gordon Hernandez’s life was cut short in December when he was hit by a Union Pacific train on the stretch of tracks near First Avenue, north of Elk Grove Boulevard.
“The accident on the railroad --- it had a very (big) impact on me because I knew the person,” Suzanne Russell of Elk Grove said. “He was my nephew.”
Hernandez attended Elk Grove Charter School, which is near the accident scene and where Hernandez lived. A memorial has been started near the scene of the accident, and the death remains under investigation.
An Apple iPod music player and headphones were found, and investigators are trying to determine if Hernandez had been using them. Witnesses told police that the train’s operator had blown the train’s horn.
Three developments register as the biggest news items of 2008 for recently elected City Council Member Steve Detrick.
The hiring of the new police chief, Robert Lehner who started in October, was the most important, Detrick said. Detrick added that crime is one of the biggest issues in Elk Grove, and the city needed to insure that the new chief was equal or better than Lehner’s predecessor.
It’s too early to say, though, if Lehner has done that, Detrick said.
“He’s still getting his feet wet,” Detrick explained.
The second biggest happening for Detrick was Elk Grove starting its transition from being a contract city to hiring full-time staff to do the contractors’ jobs, which was a recommendation of the 2007 Sinclair report.
The report says that city staff will have a more vested interest in Elk Grove municipal government than contractors who work when needed.
Last but not least, Detrick said he was proud of defeating former Council Member Mike Leary in the November election.
Laura Gill started her job as city manager of Elk Grove in June. She agreed with Detrick that hiring the police chief and actions associated with the Sinclair report were huge for Elk Grove.
“I think that we are making very large strides in a very short amount of time,” Gill said. “It has been moving very quickly.”
The momentum should continue in 2009, Gill said.
“We have got a lot of spinning plates,” she said.
Reader Comments
The following are comments from the readers. In no way do they represent the view of egcitizen.com.
Skip wrote on Jan 12, 2009 7:06 PM:
" This story is amazing because when you comment and write the truth it is not posted. People bought houses they could not afford. Period. Someone sold them a bill of goods and promises and they were not smart enough to realize that. Or they felt entitled to the big house. Sad. "
SKip wrote on Jan 10, 2009 12:10 PM: