Folsom City Council balks at Sluice Diggings mine fence

The Folsom City Council decided last week to postpone a $123,000 fence to protect the historic Natoma Sluice Diggings mine. The three-acre mine site at Highway 50 and Folsom Boulevard is preserved as public open space. The Diggings are a series of trenches that were used to mine gold from nearby creeks during the early 1900s. The area was planned for commercial development before it was donated to the city of Folsom in 2016. Some of the trenches exceed 30 feet deep. Viewed from the road, the hill otherwise maintains natural beauty with heritage oaks, valued by the city as a scenic gateway from the west. Several years ago, the city installed wrought-iron fencing to keep unauthorized visitors out, staff said. The fence was installed for safety and to protect the site from vandalism. Staff said the fencing used was unfortunately residential grade, damaged by break-ins over the years. Sluice Diggings have now become an "attractive nuisance" where trespassing, drug use and other illegal activities go on. For health and safety reasons, city staff initially urged removing the fence and replacing it with commercial grade fencing. "Trespassing is a serious risk management issue and should be treated as an emergency," authorities said. The Folsom Police Department supported the replacement. Councilmember Justin Raithel then questioned the move, citing numerous other city problems that need to be fixed. City Manager Bryan Whitemyer asked, "Man, is this the highest and best use of funds, especially with so many maintenance items deferred?" District 4 Councilmember Barbara Leary said she has a long history with the property, beginning with preservation efforts in the 1980s. "I think we ought to look at, at least repairing some of the parts of the fence that have been broken," said Leary. Advised by Whitemyer, the council simply denied the S & S Fence Company contract on the table March 25. "Clearly, I think this deserves further conversation," said Whitemyer. "We're not going to ignore it. As we steadily attack our list, ultimately it will be addressed." "It is in the parks master plan, but we have not to my recollection had a discussion about that," said Mayor Sarah Aquino. Leary added it's difficult to obtain (state and federal) funding for historical interpretation sites. "The way that they have been preserved to this point is to try and keep people away from them," Councilmember Mike Kozlowski said. "But there may be other methods that would actually preserve them better for the long haul, that actually might negate the need for a fence." "I think we've come to the right conclusion tonight," said Raithel.