By Sara Beth Williams–
More than a year after Auburn Boulevard Business Association (ABBA) president Richard Hale retired and stepped down from his position, the organization remains “dormant,” according to city officials and a prior co-chair.
“Currently, there is no progress on reviving [the association],” said former ABBA co-chair Diane Ebbitt-Riehle in an interview with The Sentinel. Ebbitt-Riehle was named co-chair in November of 2022 when Hale resigned. Ebbitt-Riehle added that it has been hard for business representatives to attend meetings, and there has been an overall lack of interest in the association.
ABBA was formed in 2016 as an effort to “make Auburn Boulevard a destination point,” Hale said in a 2017 interview with The Sentinel. Under his leadership, ABBA worked with the city to create a 31-point action plan for improving the boulevard. Phase I of the Auburn Boulevard Complete Streets project has been implemented from Sylvan Corners to slightly past Antelope Road, but phase two has yet to begin.
Plans for the second phase of revitalization include undergrounding of overhead utility lines, installation of bike lanes and wider sidewalks, upgrading signals, adding decorative street lighting, new landscaping, and trees, upgrading storm drains, roadway resurfacing, enhanced transit stops and a new gateway sign over the boulevard.
According to a previous Sentinel report, plans also show new center medians with designated turn lanes to be installed along most of the corridor, which have drawn controversy from business owners.
An email from Citrus Heights Communications Officers Marisa Brown indicates that Phase II of the project, which will extend along Auburn Boulevard from Rusch Park to Riverside Avenue, has stalled, due to construction bids for the project coming in at $10 million over budget.
“City staff is currently working to identify cost savings and modifications to the project,” Brown said earlier this month. A recommendation to reject all bids and revise and re-advertise the contract was later approved by the council during their Feb. 8 council meeting, and posted on the city’s website for a re-bid on Feb. 15.
Brown said ABBA has been dormant due to “leaders transitioning roles or moving,” but said city staff are “always available to support and create connections for businesses on Auburn Blvd.”
According to Ebbitt-Riehle, until the city’s revitalization project begins, businesses “are not going to be interested in that boulevard.” However, she anticipates a higher interest in the business association whenever work on the boulevard takes place.
By Sara Beth Williams--
More than a year after Auburn Boulevard Business Association (ABBA) president Richard Hale retired and stepped down from his position, the organization remains “dormant," according to city officials and a prior co-chair...
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