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Tag: Regina Cave

Q&A: why isn’t roadwork on Sunrise Blvd done at night?

File photo, road work construction sign.

With the city’s announcement that one lane of Sunrise Boulevard near Sayonara Drive will be closed on weekday’s from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. to allow for drainage improvements, some residents have questioned why the work wasn’t scheduled at night.

While the city has previously announced nighttime closures on Sunrise Boulevard due to paving work in the past, this time the closure is affecting a busy roadway during the day for an extended period of time, through Sept. 15.

Asked how decisions are made regarding when to schedule road work, Citrus Heights General Services Department Management Analyst Regina Cave said factors include whether the area is commercial or residential and also how long the project is estimated to take.

“Night work is fine for commercial areas,” said Cave in an email to The Sentinel. “However, when you are close to residential, it becomes a quality of life issue due to noise.”

Citing past night work near homes on the north end of Sunrise Boulevard, she said the city has at times conducted roadwork at night — but an effort is made to keep it to a minimum of three nights or less at a time.

“Because this project is about 30 days worth of work, the impacts to the immediately adjacent residents with night work would be too great, therefore we opted for day work,” Cave said regarding the latest drain work on Sunrise Boulevard.

Have a question about something related to Citrus Heights? Submit it here and we’ll consider it for including in a future Q&A article.

As previously reported on The Sentinel, the city announced that storm drainage improvement work will result in the closure of one southbound lane of Sunrise Boulevard on a short section of roadway between Sayonara Drive and Arcade Creek.

The project was scheduled to begin Aug. 2 and continue through Sept. 15, with construction work taking place from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, according to a news release from the city.

The $212,000 drainage project was approved by the city council in June and awarded to Martin General Engineering as the lowest bidder, according to a June 8 staff report. The project includes installation of 435 linear feet of new storm drain pipe, along with a new manhole at the intersection of Sayonara Drive and Sunrise Boulevard.

An existing storm drain at the location “is undersized and does not meet current standards,” the staff report said.

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August 5, 2017
Prominent gateway arch, signal proposed for Auburn Blvd

A photo of a recently completed archway in Hayward was modified by City staff to show how a similar arch could look on Auburn Boulevard with “City of Citrus Heights” superimposed on top of the arch. // Courtesy, City of Citrus Heights

A new gateway arch and signal light on Auburn Boulevard has been proposed by City staff to welcome drivers and pedestrians to the city and help define the border between Roseville and Citrus Heights.

Two different gateway sign options were presented by City staff during a council meeting on Feb. 11, with one design sporting an integrated traffic signal and arch, and the other featuring a small “welcome” marker in the median strip, similar to others around the city. In a slide presentation, a photo of an archway in downtown Hayward was modified to show how the arch could look on Auburn Boulevard, with staff superimposing “City of Citrus Heights” on top of the arch.

Citrus Heights Development Specialist Devon Rodriguez told council members the proposed location would be in front of the Kmart and Smart & Final shopping center on Auburn Boulevard, between California Burger and Wells Fargo. She said the design options were being shared with the council to receive general direction and feedback, with no vote required at the current stage.

Business owner comments

A total of three business owners spoke at the meeting during public comment, all in favor of the Hayward-style arch.

[Photos: see additional arch and median style options here]

“We overwhelmingly liked the gateway archway, especially the one in Hayward,” said Richard Hale, Chairman of the newly formed Auburn Boulevard Business Association and owner of Walt’s Auto Service in Citrus Heights. He said City staff had shown various options to his association, and business owners preferred how signal lights were incorporated into the Hayward archway.

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Kimberly Berg, who owns the Citrus Heights Car Wash at the corner of Antelope Road and Auburn Boulevard, told council members that the arch would make a “great statement” and create a “memorable experience” for those coming into the city from the freeway or Roseville.

Council members respond

Several members of the council expressed a preference for the integrated signal and archway, although questions were raised about cost, and whether a new stoplight would be too close to existing traffic signals.

“I know that the center median option is going to be very inexpensive compared to the [archway],” said Councilmember Mel Turner, who said he preferred the arch design but wanted to see the costs involved before giving a recommendation. “[The arch] is a statement; it’s great, it’s fantastic — but the cost, I’m assuming, is also fantastic.”
Rodriguez replied that detailed figures for cost comparison had not yet been assessed, pending direction from the council on which option was preferred -- but several figures were presented by the City's principal civil engineer, Kevin Becker. Becker told council members he hoped the integrated archway and signal would run about $650,000, citing the cost of a typical traffic signal running about $420,000. He also said the Rusch Park arch, which does not have an integrated light signal, cost about $210,000. By comparison, the cost of the "Welcome to Citrus Heights" sign in the median strip on Greenback Lane near Indian River Drive only ran about $35,000, according to City Management Analyst Regina Cave. Mayor Jeannie Bruins said a new light signal is planned for the location "no matter what," so she said cost comparisons would need to factor in the price of a separate stoplight for the median-strip sign option. Accidents from drivers turning on and off Auburn Boulevard in the area were cited by Rodriguez as the reason for a new traffic signal. Asked by Councilmember Sue Frost if the existing stoplight on Auburn Boulevard near Interstate 80 was too close to consider adding another signal, Rodriguez said the distance, about 600 feet apart, is far enough to add another signal. Based on feedback received from the council, Rodriguez told The Sentinel that staff will work on getting more detailed cost comparison estimates to present to council members at a later date. Background The gateway arch and signal is part of the City's plan for Phase II of the Auburn Boulevard Complete Streets Revitalization Project -- a project authorized in 2005 which envisioned a revitalized and enhanced section of Auburn Boulevard, from Sylvan Corners to Interstate 80. The project was broken up into two phases, with Phase I being completed in 2014 and Phase II still in its preliminary stages. Phase 1 focused on the area of Auburn Boulevard from Sylvan Corners to just past Antelope Road, and included undergrounding utility wires, adding bus pull-outs and nearly 10,000 feet of bike lanes and wider sidewalks, planting 230 new street trees, and installing energy-efficient street lights. Want to see more stories like this on The Sentinel? Click here to take our one-minute survey and let us know. According to City staff, Phase II will feature similar improvements, continuing from Grand Oaks Boulevard to the northern city limits. Rodriguez said staff estimate the entire Phase II improvements will cost around $15 million, with the majority of funding "ideally" coming from variety of sources, including federal funds, grants, and SMUD. The earliest date that Phase II construction work on Auburn Boulevard would begin is 2019, according to Rodriguez. Reader input: Share your thoughts about the new gateway signs/stoplight on our Facebook page.

February 17, 2016
City opens addt’l free sandbag site for Citrus Heights residents

A sign outside C-Bar-C park in Citrus Heights notifies residents of a supply of sand available at the location. //CHSentinel

Updated Oct. 28, 7:56 a.m.–
Preparing for winter weather and the potential for a “Godzilla El Nino” rainy season, the City of Citrus Heights opened up a second sandbag station outside City Hall last week, making it easy for residents to grab a shovel and stock up on free sandbag supplies at either of two locations in the city.

The City limits free bags and sand to Citrus Heights residents only, and proof of residency is required before picking up bags from City Hall’s main desk, according to Regina Cave, who works in the City’s General Services Department. She said the load-your-own bags can be picked up between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. on weekdays from City Hall’s temporary location on Auburn Boulevard, with sand available at either C-Bar-C Park or out in front of City Hall.

Although sand and bags are free, Cave said residents need to bring their own shovels and will be given empty bags from City Hall to fill with sand at either location. She said a 10-bag limit is recommended for cars, and 20 bags for trucks, due to hauling capacity on vehicles.

The City Hall sandbag station is located at the City’s temporary offices at 7927 Auburn Blvd. and the station at C-Bar-C Park is located at 8275 Oak Ave. Sand is available 24-hours-a-day from City Hall, while C-Bar-C’s availability is limited to daytime park operating hours.

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Last December, anticipations of a large storm drove Citrus Heights residents to fill up more than 11,000 free sandbags from stations at C-Bar-C Park and McDonald Field, according to the City. Although demand ended up causing sandbag stations to run out of supplies, the storm turned out to be a “fizzle.”

[From last year: ‘Stormageddon’ a fizzle for Citrus Heights, says City engineer]

Cave said McDonald Field’s sandbag station is not in operation this year, although the station at C-Bar-C Park is open year-round.

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Citrus Heights Sandbag locations:

City Hall
7927 Auburn Blvd., near Rusch Park. (Bags available 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sand available 24-hours-a-day)

C-Bar-C Park (sand only, no bags)
8275 Oak Ave., East of Fair Oaks Boulevard

October 28, 2015
Work begins on new Antelope Rd stoplight project

Construction has begun on a new stoplight at the intersection of Amsterdam Avenue and Antelope Road in Citrus Heights.

Construction began last week on a project to signalize the intersection of Antelope Road at Amsterdam avenue and Rosswood Drive in Citrus Heights, with City officials anticipating the project to be completed in the next five weeks.

During construction, Amsterdam Avenue and Rosswood Drive will be open for traffic, but Antelope Road is currently limited to one lane in each direction between about 8:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., according to City Construction Inspector Randy Keen.

Keen said the project includes new sidewalks, stoplight poles, crosswalks, handicap ramps and several new LED street lights. He said the project was a condition included in the approval of the AutumnWood housing development in order to accommodate the increased traffic on Amsterdam Avenue coming from the 46 new homes.

Amsterdam Avenue resident Carolyn Martinez told The Sentinel that traffic has already increased in the area from construction workers and interested buyers using Amsterdam as the main entrance for the new AutumnWood development.

“I’m very glad that they’re gonna [construct a new stoplight],” said Martinez, commenting she has a hard time making left turns onto Antelope Road. “It’s necessary because I can’t even get out of my driveway sometimes.”

[Also on The Sentinel: Citrus Heights police roll out new 2015 patrol SUVs]

Keen said the location of the new stoplight is called an “offset intersection,” as it will signalize both Rosswood Drive and Amsterdam Avenue. He said it will be similar to the intersection on Auburn Boulevard at Kanai Avenue and Carlton Lane, which is also offset.

The total cost of the project will run about $550,000, according to City Management Analyst Regina Cave, while the recently completed stoplight project on Sunrise Boulevard and Sungarden Drive cost around $2 million.
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July 30, 2015
Daytime road paving closes Sunrise Blvd lanes, Thursday

Drivers were alerted to expect additional delays due to daytime paving this week on Sunrise Boulevard.

Updated Apr. 11, 10:39 p.m.–
The City of Citrus Heights alerted drivers to expect additional delays along a section of Sunrise Boulevard near Sungarden Drive this week in order to allow for road paving associated with a new signalized intersection project, according to a general services news release on Wednesday.

“The contractor will begin setting up traffic control at 7 a.m. and will be shifting lanes throughout the day,” the news release stated, adding that traffic would be reduced to one lane in each direction on Thursday until 5 p.m.

The paving work was part of a larger project to add a new signalized intersection at Sunrise Boulevard and Sungarden Drive, and has caused lane closures and traffic delays for the past few months.

[Related: City gives ‘green light’ for new $2M stoplight on Sunrise Blvd]

The City gave final approval on the multi-million dollar “Sunrise/Sungarden Intersection Improvements Project” last October, with the goal of improving traffic safety at a location where the city manager says people have been hit and killed in the past. The project was awarded to Teichert Construction and includes gutter, curb, sidewalk and bus stop improvements along a 1500 foot section of Sunrise Boulevard.

City Management Analyst Regina Cave said scheduling of the April 9th paving during commute hours was necessary due to “temperature restrictions,” and estimates the full Sunrise Boulevard intersection project will “wrap up” by next month.

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The City directs requests for additional information about the project to Regina Cave at (916) 727-4770 or rcave@citrusheights.net.

April 9, 2015
STORM: Residents pile up on free sandbags

Updated Dec. 11, 9:46 a.m.–
“Load your own” sandbag locations in Citrus Heights have been busy this week, with shovel-ready residents stopping by through Wednesday to load up on free sand in preparation for heavy rains and high winds hitting the area this week.

Delorean Walton, 29, helps his mom, Michele, fill up sandbags in preparation for a large storm expected Wednesday.

“This is definitely going to be a lifesaver,” said 29-year-old Delorean Walton, who was out Tuesday helping his mom fill sandbags, saying they’ve had some close calls with flooding in the past. “It was nice they put the piles out here early.”

Although free for Citrus Heights residents, volunteer Sarah Clement was on scene checking ID’s Tuesday, saying more than a few people were turned away for coming from outside the city limits.

The first-time volunteer also said the “steady stream” of sandbaggers had been “remarkably kind” all day at the McDonald Field location.

“Everybody’s been really nice and helpful,” Clement said, noting a man who returned to donate some cut-off traffic cones to help others funnel sand into the narrow bag openings. “A couple of people have even come and volunteered to help senior citizens load bags.”

The City’s Management Analyst Regina Cave said due to weight considerations, residents will be limited to 10 bags for those with cars and small trucks — although she said larger trucks will be allowed to take more, if needed. She also recommended residents take a shovel along, as bags and sand at the two locations are provided by the City, but shovels aren’t guaranteed.

Cave said the City is also urgently looking for volunteers willing to check ID’s and monitor supplies at the sandbag locations, as she said they currently do not have enough man-power to stay open after 5 p.m.

Those interested in volunteering at the sandbag stations are invited to call (916) 727-4736. Other sandbag or storm-related questions should be directed to the general services main line at (916) 727-4770.

<<Want to keep up to date on local news in Citrus Heights? Click here to sign up for our free Weekend Edition and get the top local news stories delivered to your inbox once a week>>

<<For more storm-related tips, see story: “City gears up for storm; offers preparation tips for residents”>>

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Citrus Heights sandbag locations and hours (December 2014):

Hours: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., or until supplies run out (Update: Citrus Heights police tweeted an update Thursday morning saying that sandbag stations “will remain closed until further notice.” An employee at Lowe’s said their Citrus Heights location was also out of sandbags as of Wednesday evening, although other hardware stores may have bags in stock. Follow The Sentinel on Facebook or Twitter for local updates.)

McDonald Field (at the corner of Old Auburn and Antelope Road).

C-Bar-C Park (off Oak Avenue, just East of Fair Oaks Boulevard).

December 9, 2014
City gears up for storm; offers preparation tips for residents

Updated Dec. 10, 12:33 p.m.–
The City of Citrus Heights is busy providing storm preparation tips and getting staff and equipment ready for fallen trees, clogged gutters and flooding that often accompany the heavy winds and rain expected this week.

A car splashes through a large puddle on the side of Old Auburn Road, during last week’s rain.

“The biggest concern is the winds that are coming through,” said Regina Cave with the Citrus Heights General Services division, recalling the “havoc” caused in 2008 and 2012 by heavy rains and clogged storm drains from late leaf-drops.

“We’ll have staff waiting here for all the calls, and we’ll have field staff prepared with equipment, chainsaws, to go out and assist,” said Cave, regarding the City’s current storm preparations. “We’ll also have our tree contractor that will be located here on our campus ready for calls.”

Cave offered several preparation recommendations for residents, emphasizing the need for clearing leaves from around nearby gutters, curbs and storm drains to allow for proper drainage.

“Do not clear them onto your lawn, they need to be put in their green waste containers,” said Cave, commenting that winds and rain will just “put ’em back into the gutters.”

Cave, who serves as a management analyst for the City’s general services division, also recommends residents pick up some sandbags if their property is lower in elevation, or if their driveway is flat and tends to get some run-off into garages or front doors during regular rains. For those located near creeks, she “strongly recommends” getting some sandbags from one of the City’s two free sandbag locations, or at a hardware store.

<<For more info on sandbags, see story: “STORM: Residents pile up on free sandbags” >>

For flooding-related issues or downed trees during the storm, residents can call general services at (916) 727-4770, although the City doesn’t respond to private property trees, unless it’s blocking the sidewalk or road, according to Cave. Trees or branches falling on power lines can be reported to the Sacramento Municipal Utility District, via their outage line at (888) 456-7683.

“We’ll respond as fast as we can, as urgently as we can,” said Cave, who cautioned that in cases where the creeks are full, there will be localized flooding. “People need to keep in mind that when the creeks get really full, they have a certain capacity, and the storm drains will not drain down fast because [they’re] all going to the creeks.”

She also warned that high winds paired with soil saturation from rains will make it easier for trees to come down during the storm and recommended parking vehicles in garages, or at least on a driveway to enable free flow of water draining at the street. Keeping flashlights on hand for power outages, unplugging Christmas lights, and bringing any loose outdoor décor inside is also recommended.

The Citrus Heights Police Department is also active in preparing for the storm, with Sergeant Mike Wells sending out a press release Wednesday morning advising motorists of several locations that “historically had issues” with flooding in the past. The areas listed are Sunrise Boulevard between Twin Oaks Avenue and Woodmore Oaks, Greenback Lane between Fair Oaks Boulevard and Sunrise Boulevard, Van Maren Lane between Greenback Lane and Calvin Drive, Antelope Road and Auburn Boulevard, as well as Mariposa Avenue and Highland Avenue.

The Department also referred non life-threatening calls to SMUD, PG&E and the City’s general services division. Calls to Citrus Heights General Services are typically answered by staff 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., with calls forwarded to police dispatch after hours.

<<Want to keep up to date on local news in Citrus Heights? Click here to sign up for our free Weekend Edition and get the top local news stories delivered to your inbox once a week>>

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Related info:
Citrus Heights General Services: (916) 727-4770 (24-hours-a-day)
SMUD outage line: (888) 456-7683

December 9, 2014
Old Auburn Rd boasts new $1.1M roadside trail

Designed to encourage more walkability in Citrus Heights, a new 4,100-foot trail has opened on Old Auburn Road just east of Fair Oaks Boulevard, featuring a wide, fully paved path for bikes, pedestrians and mobility scooters.

Cars pass by the newly completed Old Auburn Multi-Use Trail in Citrus Heights.

“It’s a nice improvement to what it used to be before,” said nearby resident Harvey Sanford, commenting the area used to be just dirt and weeds with an unpaved path through it. “It’s a real nice, pleasant walk up and down the trail.”

According to City Management Analyst Regina Cave, construction for the project began in March of this year and was completed last month — although she said there are future plans to add low-maintenance landscape amenities to the trail.

Funding for the $1.1 million project was provided in part by the federal Highway Safety Improvement Program, which contributed over $700,000 for design and construction costs, according to Cave.

A flier for a ribbon-cutting ceremony this Saturday “strongly encourages” walking or biking to the event as there are no designated parking areas for the trail, and nearby roadside parking is limited.

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If you plan to go:

Old Auburn Multi-Use Trail
Ribbon Cutting
Saturday, Oct. 25, 2014
10 a.m. to noon
Location: Old Auburn Road and Orelle Creek Court

October 24, 2014