A map of what streets will be impacted by the Gateway Activation Project. // City of Citrus Heights
By Sara Beth Williams– Local residents are being invited to play a key role in shaping the future of the Gateway Activation Project by submitting feedback through an online survey, Citrus Heights officials announced.
From June 1 through June 17, residents can complete a short Gateway Activation Project Feedback Survey, available online. The city says responses will help guide final decisions and ensure the plan reflects the community’s vision and priorities.
The city is also planning to host another in-person pop-up event on Saturday, June 14 along the Old Auburn Multi-Use Trail near Big Oak Mobile Home Park. Community members are invited to drop by anytime between 8 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. to meet the team, view informational displays, and provide additional feedback.
On Tuesday, April 29, the city hosted a community workshop at Big Oak Mobile Home Park, providing residents with an overview of the project initiative. The event included a presentation, interactive discussions, and opportunities for attendees to share ideas.
For those who couldn’t attend in person, the city has published a full summary of the meeting, including the presentation slides and major takeaways.
The Gateway Activation Project will implement multimodal and roadway improvements along Old Auburn Road and Wachtel Way, connecting to existing multi-modal facilities according to the city’s website. This improvement will also provide connection to future facilities proposed by adjacent municipalities, including the City of Roseville and Sacramento County.
The goal of the project is to develop Complete Street solutions to address safety concerns, increase access and mobility connections for pedestrians, cyclists and drivers, and improve operations.
Sixth grader Lyra Rutherford from Woodside K-8 took first place in the contest. Two other students from Trajan Elementary School, Liliana Hodges in fifth grade and Sophia Richards in fourth grade, were runners-up in the contest. // Citrus Heights Water District
By Sara Beth Williams–
A sixth grader at Woodside K-8 was awarded first place in an annual Water Awareness Poster Contest hosted by the Citrus Heights Water District. The poster contest is held each year to help promote water awareness, and the theme for 2025 was “The Traveling Water Droplet.”
Students from four local schools submitted a total of 273 colorful and imaginative entries, according to a Citrus Heights Water District press release. Each poster captured the “remarkable voyage” water takes through the environment.
“From clouds to faucets, the creativity displayed by these young artists impressed judges and community members alike,” the district wrote.
Sixth grader Lyra Rutherford from Woodside K-8 took first place in the contest. Two other students from Trajan Elementary School, Liliana Hodges in fifth grade and Sophia Richards in fourth grade, were runners-up in the contest.
“To all the students and teachers, thank you for your enthusiastic participation in the poster contest and for creating such wonderful posters about the water cycle,” Citrus Heights Water District Board Chair Ray Riehle said in the press release. “Your artwork not only showcases your creativity but also demonstrates your understanding of this important natural process.”
This year marks the 32nd year of the annual Water Awareness Poster Contest. The contest teaches students the value of water as a limited resource and the importance of using it wisely, according to the district’s website.
Customers can pick up a 2026 calendar, which will feature 2025 poster contest winning entries. The water district office is located at 6230 Sylvan Rd.
Habitat for Humanity Greater Sacramento along with multiple city and regional partners, broke ground on a 26-home housing project on Sayonara Drive, June 2, 2025. // SB Williams
By Sara Beth Williams– Community members and leaders from across the Sacramento region gathered together Monday morning to break ground on a long-awaited affordable housing project on Sayonara Drive in Citrus Heights that will provide qualified home buyers with housing ownership opportunities.
Citrus Heights Mayor Jayna Karpinski-Costa called the groundbreaking “phenomenal” and credited the work of the city’s staff and the collaboration with major partner Habitat for Humanity Greater Sacramento.
“The number of available starter homes in the US is lower right now than it was in the 1960s,” Habitat for Humanity Greater Sacramento CEO Leah Miller said during the ceremony. “Homes like the ones we’re building right here on Sayonara Drive are what we need in order to provide opportunities for folks to get into the opportunity to build intergenerational wealth, break cycles of poverty, and be able to continue to build that financial stability for generations to come.”
The groundbreaking was attended by multiple local and regional leaders and partners, including several Citrus Heights City Council members and city staff, U.S. Representative Ami Bera, former and current Habitat for Humanity volunteers, members of the Citrus Heights Police Department, and more.
Bera spoke on the importance of housing projects like the current Sayonara Drive housing project and the need to have a balanced market with both affordable homeownership opportunities and affordable rental opportunities.
Citrus Heights City Manager Ash Feeney praised the dedication and hard work done by Community Development Director Casey Kempenaar and Senior Planner Alison Bermudez with the Citrus Heights Planning Division.
Miller called the Sayonara housing project its largest development to date.
Once described as the most dangerous street in the city, Sayonara Drive has two rows of vacant lots after the city purchased blighted buildings from absentee landlords and leveled them in 2008.
Kempenarr said the city approached Habitat for Humanity directly in 2018 and began working on preliminary plans for housing. After several years, a proposal to build 26 affordable homes for purchase was brought before the Citrus Heights Planning Commission in March of 2022.
The project will fill the 12 vacant city-owned lots with 26 new single-family homes, which are to be owned, not rented. The project fulfills an obligation for housing that the city was initially required to meet within five years.
The new community will include 26 all-electric homes ranging from two to five bedrooms, all equipped with energy-efficient heating systems, low-flow plumbing fixtures, alarm systems, solar battery storage, rooftop solar, and drought-tolerant landscaping. The homes will also be EV-ready.
Homes will be purchased by qualified buyers who land in specified low-income brackets, and buyers will be required to contribute 500 hours of “sweat equity” during the course of construction.
Construction on the first eight homes in the Habitat for Humanity Sayonara project will begin this year, with estimated completion in 2026, the city said, adding that construction on eight additional homes will begin in the fall of 2026, and construction on the remaining 10 homes should start in 2027.
During the application period for the first phase of homes, which just closed on May 23, over 300 applications were received, competing for eight available homes, Miller said, calling the need for affordable housing “tremendous.” Miller confirmed that during each phase, a mixture of home sizes will be constructed, ranging from two-to-five-bedroom floor plans.
Prior to the second and third phases of home construction, applications will open each time a new set of homes is planned. Applications typically open months prior to construction and will be shared on the city’s website and Habitat for Humanity of Greater Sacramento’s website.
`The Discount Store has moved to the Grand Oaks Shopping Center. // SB Williams
By Sara Beth Williams– The Discount Store officially opened at a new, smaller location at the Grand Oaks shopping center on Friday, May 30. The store is now located in the space that formerly held The Camp Transformation Center, a unique gym specifically focused on clients seeking trainers to help guide them in their fitness and nutrition goals.
The gym opened in October 2022 and closed roughly a year ago, according to Discount Store lead manager Alisan Urbano. Online business review site Yelp also indicates The Camp closed, but no date was specified. The last review was posted in February 2023. According to the gym’s website, The Camp has 21 transformation centers in California.
At least one moving truck could be seen in front of the former gym last week, transporting merchandise to the building during a Sentinel staff visit to the shopping center.
The Discount Store originally opened in the building formerly home to Smart and Final, according to Urbano, and has chosen to move to a smaller location now to save on the cost of operations. Urbano said she was unsure of whether the new location will still carry large pieces of furniture and appliances, along with the other discount merchandise they typically sold at the former location.
A visit to the former Discount Store location found large banners across the front windows of the store reading, “We Have Moved.”
Th Discount Store’s new space still has THE CAMP signage attached to the front facade, and multiple posters with The Camp logos and gym information still hang on the red walls throughout the interior. Urbano said that staff has been in discussion with the property owner about refreshing the interior with new paint and getting rid of the old signage. For now, The Discount Store is open to the public in spite of the conflicting old signage amid a new store banner.
The Grand Oaks shopping center has seen multiple tenants coming and going in the last several years. Recently, a dough shop has opened up in the former site of a small Greek eatery.
Thomas Fallon, with Thomas Fallon’s Camplyfe Dreamchasers mixed martial arts gym, recently merged with MMA Gold. The merger was commemorated with new signage, Fallon confirmed. A social media announcement from MMA Gold indicated the MMA company merged with Thomas Fallon a year and a half ago, with the statement “New gym, same mission.”
Fallon’s gym offers instruction in jiu-jitsu, boxing, kickboxing, wrestling, and Muay Thai martial arts. Fallon said he has been training students at his Citrus Heights gym for two years.
Urbano said a new donut shop is also expected to move in next door in the near future.
The Discount Store’s new address is 7965 Auburn Blvd., two doors down from Dollar General.
By Sara Beth Williams– A pedestrian who passed away after being struck by a car in a local shopping center on May 26 has been identified.
Jeanine Ethelwyn Owen, 66, was hit Monday, May 26 in a shopping center parking lot off Sunrise Boulevard. She died the same day according to the Sacramento County Coroner’s Office. The incident took place just after 10 p.m. according to Sacramento Metro Fire District incident logs.
A male driver was traveling at a slow speed in the FoodMaxx parking lot when he ran Owen over, according to authorities. The driver cooperated with law enforcement, and there were no signs of alcohol, other impairment or distracted driving, Citrus Heights Police said. The collision is still under investigation.
Goats are grazing at Twin Creeks Park Site open space in Citrus Heights to help with fire mitigation and weed abatement. // City of Citrus Heights
By Sara Beth Williams– A unique team of groundskeepers has made its way to Citrus Heights, and they’re already hard at work helping with weed abatement.
In the summertime, the city will often bring in a herd of goats to graze on high grass at various locations throughout the city. This year, the city has nicknamed the hoofed helpers the G.O.A.T.S. (Greatest Of All Time).
The goats are part of an eco-friendly initiative to manage vegetation throughout the community. Unlike traditional methods that rely on heavy machinery, chemicals, or herbicides, goats offer a sustainable alternative that’s gentle on the environment. Currently the goats are grazing at the Twin Creeks Park Site open space near Starflower Drive.
These agile animals can also access steep slopes and hard-to-reach areas that humans and machines often can’t, the city said on social media post. By munching through overgrowth, the goats help reduce fire hazards and promote healthier ecosystems.
In the past, goats have also helped control weeds in the acreage behind City Hall and on the 11-acre plot of land located at Sylvan Corners, which was once home to Sylvan Middle School.
Residents are encouraged to visit and observe the goats in action, but the city reminded observers in a social media post to be respectful to neighbors and be aware of electric fencing, which has been temporarily installed to protect the herd of goats and keep them from wandering.
The goats will continue moving through various open spaces in Citrus Heights over the next few weeks, the city said.
By Sara Beth Williams– What began as a half-acre vegetation fire quickly spread to reach up to 1.5 acres Tuesday afternoon, according to fire officials.
Just before 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, fire crews responded to a grassfire originally reported to be coming from Escallonia Drive in Citrus Heights. To the west of Escallonia Drive, a bike trail runs alongside a greenbelt area, which, according to Google Maps, is located in Orangevale. Neighborhoods on either side of the greenbelt, north of Oakenshaw Way, are still located in Citrus Heights. Homes east of Cross Drive, south of Oakenshaw Way, and west of the greenbelt behind Escallonia Drive are in Orangevale.
Officials initially said the fire was only half an acre, but over time the fire grew to a total of 1.5 acres, officials confirmed, before being fully contained and extinguished. Residents in both jurisdictions reported seeing and smelling smoke in the air. Video shared by Sacramento Metro Fire District officials showed charred, smoldering grass in a small area of the greenbelt. Crews spent almost three hours extinguishing the grassfire.
No structures were threatened, officials said. The fire is still under investigation.
A pool supply truck was partially destroyed by fire on Friday, May 30, 2025. // Sac Metro Fire District
By Sara Beth Williams– A semi-truck fire on Greenback Lane near San Juan Avenue sent thick black smoke into the air Friday afternoon, causing traffic disruptions and drawing emergency response from local fire crews.
Mark Nunez, Public Information Officer for the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District confirmed the fire broke out around 1:49 p.m. on May 30 and involved the cab portion of a pool supply semi-truck.
“Only the tractor portion of the semi was involved,” Nunez said, adding that no hazardous materials were released and there was no risk to nearby businesses or homes.
Heavy flames could be seen coming from the truck in a video shared to The Sentinel by Metro Fire. Black smoke was also visible according to multipole witnesses, which Nunez explained is common in vehicle fires.
“[Black smoke] is typical in any vehicle fire with the oils, plastics, and other petroleum or plastic based components that are used to make vehicles,” Nunez said.
Firefighters quickly contained the blaze, but drivers were advised to avoid the area as emergency crews worked to clear the scene and restore traffic flow along Greenback Lane.
No injuries were reported. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
Citrus Heights Police Chief Alex Turcotte stands with Corporal Brian Barron holding a plague that reads “Brian Barron, Police Corporal: April 26, 2006 – May 31, 2025.” // Citrus Heights Police Department.
By Sara Beth Williams– The Citrus Heights Police Department honored the retirement of Corporal Brian Barron, a founding member of the police department, saying his law enforcement career has left a lasting legacy in the community and among his peers.
Barron joined the department in 2006 as one of Citrus Heights Police’s inaugural officers, the department said on social media.
Over the years, he served in a wide variety of specialized roles, including Field Training Officer, K9 Officer, Detective, Motor Officer, and a member of the Crisis Negotiation Team according to the department. His service also extended to technical instruction, acting as a range, firearms, and use-of-force instructor.
Multiple community members expressed their gratitude to Barron on social media following the department’s announcement, calling him, “above and beyond a good officer.” One commentor thanked Barron for his influence in the Explorer Program.
With a law enforcement career that began before joining Citrus Heights Police, Barron has been a Field Training Officer since 2001, according to Barron’s LinkedIn bio and served as one of two lead trainers for the department’s use-of-force simulator.
Barron also served as a K9 handler for 14 years and is an experienced public speaker. In his bio, he emphasized the importance of humility and forgiveness, traits he believes are essential but sometimes overlooked in modern law enforcement.
“Thank you for your commitment to our community,” the department wrote. “We hope your retirement brings you as much happiness as you brought to people during your career.”
By Sara Beth Williams– A late-night vegetation fire near a gas station on the corner of Antelope Road and Sunrise Boulevard was determined to be arson, according to officials.
According to the Citrus Heights Police Department, a bush on fire was reported to police on the south side of the Circle K gas station just before 11 p.m. on Sunday, June 1. The area is frequently occupied by transients, Sgt. Ryan Smith with the Citrus Heights Police Department said Monday. Witnesses at the scene reported seeing a female transient ignite the fire and positively identified her to officers when they arrived.
Police arrested the woman, identified as 29-year-old Jennifer Woodhall, on charges of arson. According to officers, Woodhall was found in possession of matches and lighters and was unable to provide a “plausible explanation for her actions.”
Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District crews extinguished the flames, which threatened at least two businesses, including the gas station and Leatherby’s Family Creamery.
No injuries were reported, and no additional suspects were involved, according to Smith. Sacramento Main Jail records show Woodhall is still in custody.
