Updated Nov. 8, 7:59 a.m.–
A collision involving at least four cars at the intersection of Sunrise Boulevard and Greenback Lane blocked several lanes of traffic Thursday night, as about a dozen officers responded to the scene.
“Citrus Heights has a road closure due to a collision,” Senior Dispatcher Tina Mack with the Citrus Heights Police Department said in an email alert to media around 8:30 p.m. Thursday. “All southbound Sunrise Boulevard lanes are closed at Greenback Lane. Traffic is diverted to eastbound and westbound Greenback Lane.”
By 10 p.m. all lanes had been re-opened.
Police did not return a phone call requesting comment Friday morning. Reports of injuries and the cause of collision are unknown at this time.
<<Update: The new Walmart Market opened as scheduled on January 7, and is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.>>
A new Walmart Neighborhood Market on Sunrise Boulevard is scheduled to open just after New Year’s, bringing 95 jobs and a 39,000 square feet grocery store to Citrus Heights, according to a construction superintendent in charge of remodeling the location.
Construction on Citrus Heights’ new Walmart market is expected to be “substantially completed” by November 14, according to SD Deacon.
“I’m proud to welcome this new Walmart Neighborhood Market to Citrus Heights,” said Mayor Mel Turner. “The store’s emphasis on quick, convenient grocery shopping is important to our community.”
Neighborhood Markets were launched by Walmart in 1998 as a smaller alternative to their supercenters, typically being about a third the size and focusing on grocery, pharmacy and pet supplies.
Local construction workers with Citrus Heights-based SD Deacon Corp of California are handling the remodel of the new store, as they have for other local businesses like Stein Mart and HD Supply, according to General Superintendent Don Yount. He said they are on schedule to have work “substantially complete” by November 14, with the grand opening planned for January 7, 2015.
The new store is located at 6197 Sunrise Blvd. between Lowe’s and Barnes & Noble bookstore. Those interested in applying for a position at the new location are invited to visit Walmart’s hiring center at 8065 Madison Ave., between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m., any day except Sunday.
A new multimillion-dollar traffic light project on Sunrise Boulevard received the go-ahead from the Citrus Heights city council last month, with work scheduled to begin in November, according to General Services Director David Wheaton.
A new traffic light project is expected to begin in November at the Sunrise Boulevard and Sungarden Drive intersection.
Located at the intersection of Sunrise Boulevard and Sungarden Drive, City Manager Henry Tingle said the project is expected to take until Spring to finish, and is needed to improve traffic safety at a location where he said people have been hit and killed in the past.
Asked about impact to traffic, Tingle said drivers “won’t see any delay in where they are going” after the project is finished.
The project will run between $2.4 to $2.6 million, according to Wheaton, and also includes gutter, curb and sidewalk improvements, as well as several bus stops.
Funding for the project is provided through a variety of sources, including a Highway Safety Improvement Program Grant, the Gas Tax, Measure A Capital fund, General Capital Improvement Funds, Transportation Development Act and Stormwater Utility funds, according to documents provided to the council by the City’s General Services Division. An estimated $86,600 will also be provided by Sacramento Regional Transit for the cost of the bus stops included in the project.
Although work on the signal project won’t begin until November, Wheaton said construction activity at the location may be observed starting this week, as the Citrus Heights Water District will be working on a three-week project near the intersection.
Several lanes on Antelope Road at Sunrise Boulevard were shut down for five hours Monday, after officers responded to a motor scooter injury accident around 3 a.m. – just 12 hours later, Antelope Road lanes were shut down again when a bicyclist collided with a vehicle just a few blocks away at the Auburn Road intersection.
Citrus Height police conduct investigation at Antelope Road and Auburn Boulevard, Monday.
The morning collision involved a scooter carrying two people, which reports say struck a median after sliding 250 feet along the ground. Police said the afternoon collision involved a bicyclist crossing Antelope Road against a red light, who struck a van that was lawfully in the intersection.
The morning collision resulted in several lanes being closed for five hours during commute time as police conducted an investigation, and lanes were closed again in the afternoon for about an hour.
Police said no helmets were worn by those involved in both the morning and afternoon crashes, and all three persons were hospitalized with injuries ranging from moderate to critical.
A Citrus Heights Police Department press release sent out after Monday’s injury accidents reminded bicyclists “to obey all rules of the road, including riding with the flow of traffic, and to protect themselves by wearing a helmet.”
The CHPD requests that anyone who may have seen the afternoon collision contact their Traffic Unit at 916-727-5500.
An inflatable big-screen projector will be set up behind Dress Barn in Citrus Heights Saturday night, as the Citrus Town Center hosts a showing of “The Nut Job” cartoon — the final film to be shown during its summer “Outdoor Movie Series” this year.
Theatrical release poster.
“Bring the family and enjoy a Citrus Heights night under the stars,” reads a flier for the event, which also highlights free popcorn, raffle prizes and music will be supplied at the family-friendly event.
The PG-rated film features the voices of Brendan Fraser, Liam Neeson and Katherine Heigal, and opened in January of this year, enjoying a moderate turn-out by audiences around the country before being released on video several months ago.
The final of five outdoor films shown this year, the 85-minute movie is scheduled to begin around 8:20 p.m., depending on when it gets dark, but organizers say people usually start arriving around 7:30 p.m. to enjoy some “pre-movie entertainment” and save a seat.
Although plastic chairs will be provided, organizers welcome attendees to bring their own chairs, small coolers and drinks — as long as there’s no glass or alcohol. They also recommend bringing a blanket if planning to sit on the ground, as the venue is on cement.
The “Outdoor Movie Series” is one of many activities the Citrus Town Center sponsors throughout the year, as part of its goal to foster a “community feel” for the neighborhood shopping center. In 2012, the former “Sunrise Festival Shopping Center” finalized its nearly $4 million remodel, featuring new landscaping, store frontages, outdoor seating areas, and a prominently displayed new name at the corner of Greenback Lane and Sunrise Avenue.
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If you plan to go:
Date: Saturday, Sept. 13, 2014
Time: Approx. 8:20 p.m., or when dark.
Location:
Citrus Town Center, behind Dress Barn
7925 Greenback Ln., Citrus Heights.
With giveaways, local vendors, fire truck photo-shoots and free safety checks, the Citrus Town Center hosted a Safety Fair on Saturday — drawing kids, families and shoppers to the annual Citrus Heights event.
Strollers, balloons, moms and more, were out and about at the Citrus Town Center’s Safety Fair over the weekend.
Odds of winning an 11 a.m. raffle by the fire department for free home safety equipment were high, due to only a handful of entries — but things had picked up by the second noon-hour raffle, according to the Department’s booth manager.
Area resident Kristin Pickett waited in a line of cars to get a free child seat safety check performed by the Citrus Heights Police Department.
“It was wonderful,” said the young mother, after Officer Dave Jones took several minutes to verify her child’s car seat base was securely fit and the straps tight. “It was great of them to be giving up their Saturday on this extremely hot day.”
Free bike safety checks were also offered by police, with officers available to provide brake checks and chain adjustments, as well as helmet and seat adjustments.
“There’s still too many kids that ride their bikes without their helmets,” said Sergeant David Gutierrez with the CHPD Traffic Unit, adding that half-way through the event they had been able to provide a few free helmets and fittings.
Handing out free Quick Quack car wash vouchers, Chaplain Frank Russell with Law Enforcement Chaplaincy Sacramento manned a table hoping to recruit new volunteers for his organization which offers “compassionate crisis care” and counseling for law enforcement workers and community victims of trauma or crime.
In addition, Sunrise Marketplace, Sprout’s and several other local businesses took part in the event, along with a cartoonist who offered free caricature drawings to a constant line of excited attendees.
Saturday’s Fair was one of many activities the Citrus Town Center sponsors throughout the year, as part of its goal to foster a “community feel” for the neighborhood shopping center. In 2012, the former “Sunrise Festival Shopping Center” finalized its nearly $4 million remodel, featuring new landscaping, store frontages, outdoor seating areas, and a prominently displayed new name at the corner of Greenback Lane and Sunrise Avenue.
A tractor pulls a float at the 2014 “Red, White & Blue” Parade.
On Saturday, the 15th annual Citrus Heights “Red, White & Blue” Parade hit the streets of Citrus Heights with celebration and community spirit.
Beginning at 9 a.m., the parade traveled along Sunrise Boulevard, beginning north of Madison Avenue at Uplands Way and continued to the northwest corner of the Sunrise Mall parking lot at Greenback Lane.
Numerous businesses, and community groups took part in the event, with the Rotary Club of Citrus Heights offering a $5 pancake breakfast for attendees in the Sunrise Mall parking lot.
The parade dates back to Citrus Heights’ founding and was originally created as a “happy birthday” to the City, according to Citrus Heights Event and Community Center Technician Michele Saario. Several years later, in 2002, the event became known as the “Red, White & Blue” Parade, due in part to the September 11 terrorist attack.
Typically bringing about 75-100 entries, the annual parade seeks to bring together civic clubs, commercial entities, non-profits, bands, dance teams, churches, horse clubs, schools, drill teams, sports teams, and car clubs. Saario also said kids are encouraged to be involved in the event through an annual parade poster contest.
The event is traditionally held on the fourth Saturday in June each year.
