When Summer Santich heard two years ago that the Sacramento City Council was soliciting ideas for revitalizing the waterfront, she was 13 years old and planning a trip to Disneyland in a few weeks.
So the idea struck her: How about a Disneyland-style water show in Old Sacramento?
Council members loved Summer’s idea when they heard it in June 2017, so they encouraged Summer to work with a city consulting firm on design. She did and – voila! – her dream is coming true.
Inspired by Summer’s idea, an interactive water fountain with a possibility for light shows was part of a $42 million waterfront revamp plan approved Tuesday by the City Council. Summer, an Inderkum High sophomore, testified at the public meeting.
Afterward, Mayor Pro Tem Angelique Ashby tweeted a photo of herself with Summer, saying she was “beyond proud of this young lady.” Ashby said Summer’s “formidable” waterfront concept had been “selected for funding by Council and Mayor.”
A final design for the water fountain has not been chosen – it will not necessarily replicate a Disneyland-style water show – but the vision is consistent with Summer’s idea of using an eye-catching water display to attract, excite, and fascinate waterfront tourists and visitors.
Summer, 15, said she is very proud – “it’s been incredible” – but that she had no idea when she appeared before the council two years ago that her water-show idea would gain traction. The finished product is expected to cost about $4 million.
“I didn’t expect anything like this to happen,” she said. “I was simply going (to council) because it was like, ‘Well, I’m free today and I kind of want to talk about this topic, so I’m going over there and just give them my two-cents worth – if they use it, awesome.’”
Santich said that Sacramento is her hometown and she recognizes the vital importance of Sacramento’s two rivers to the city’s history, from Native American days to gold mining to construction of train tracks.
“We need to make sure that we preserve our water, we need to keep it clean, we need to stay connected to it, because we are a water city,” Summer said.
Summer currently is in the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme at Inderkum. Next year, she hopes to take one IB and two Advanced Placement (AP) classes toward her long-term goal of becoming a teacher.
The Inderkum teen, a straight-A student, said she believes that America’s youth can change the world if they stand up and speak out. “We can’t sit back and let things happen,” she said.
And Summer clearly is leading the way — starting with Sacramento’s waterfront.
