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COVID-19: Citrus Heights roller rink seeks public support to loosen restrictions

By Mike Hazlip–
Sunrise Rollerland in Citrus Heights is reaching out to the public with an online petition in an effort to convince state officials to allow roller skating facilities to reopen during COVID-19 shut downs.

The petition, posted on Change.org, says skating rinks are an important to the community and contribute to health and wellness. As of Saturday, the petition had over 2,500 signatures towards a goal of 5,000.

Kathy Neutz, owner of Sunrise Rollerland told The Sentinel in a phone call Saturday she believes health officials are not treating skating rinks fairly.

Neutz said roller rinks were specifically listed under family entertainment guidelines on June 6, but were removed from the amended guidelines released June 12. Sunrise Rollerland was the first skating rink to reopen in June, but was forced to close 12 days later after a complaint, according to Neutz.

“Why can’t we be like the gyms? Why can’t we be like the movie theaters?” she said.

Neutz, a labor and delivery nurse, says the 27,000-square-feet of indoor space at Sunrise Rollerland is more than enough to prevent the spread of COVID-19 at the facility.

She and her husband, Ken, had been working with staff to sanitize the rink and limit the number of people at one time. She thinks the safety measures they have in place make skating at the rink safer than going to the grocery store.

“If we can follow the same rules that they can and have thousands of people, why can’t we have a hundred?” Neutz said. “Let us open when gyms open and we’ll prove to you that we’re safe and we can do this.”

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