Construction to begin soon on new Rancho Cordova water wheel after crash
The rebuilding of a Rancho Cordova furniture store’s landmark water wheel is expected to begin soon after the original was damaged in a February crash.
Lisa Keyes, Naturwood Home Furnishings’ president, said work has begun to remove the remaining pieces of the old wheel, and permits have been secured for construction to begin in the next few weeks.
“We have all the plans ready to remake it,” Keyes said. The new wheel will be made of redwood, and repairs will be made to the rock framing around it.
The wheel has been at the location since 1984, making Naturwood “the building with the wheel,” and Keyes said customers have been asking every day when it would be rebuilt since it was destroyed.
“We’re happy to hear that they care,” Keyes said. “We’re excited.”
The wheel has been important to the family since the business opened, Keyes said. It was built by Keyes’ family, and her grandfather’s original drawing is being used to rebuild it. Keyes’ daughter’s fiancé is the contractor, and some of the people who helped design and build the original wheel are returning to work on it again.
Keyes said the family saved some of the 40-year-old wood from the original wheel and plans to “make something out of the pieces.”
“It means a lot to me,” Keyes said. “My dad had his hands on it, and he’s no longer with us.”
The crash occurred in February when a vehicle traveling eastbound on Highway 50 ran off the roadway and crashed into a chain-link fence and the wrought-iron fence surrounding the business’ parking lot, according to the California Highway Patrol.
“The engine block of the vehicle was displaced and found under the vehicle,” a release from the CHP said.
The driver, a 23-year-old man, sustained critical but not life-threatening injuries and was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence, the CHP spokesperson said in February.
