Daily Archives: October 3, 2017

Share Your Thoughts with MTD

In an effort to better understand how people get around the South Coast, Santa Barbara MTD has launched a Community Survey seeking input from local residents, whether or not they currently ride the bus. The brief survey is available in English and Spanish, and can be taken online or on a paper form. Paper forms will be available at the Transit Center and MTD Headquarters, and can be mailed upon request.

In addition to seeking input through the Community Survey, the MTD Board of Directors is holding three Community Listening Sessions throughout the south coast during the month of October, one of which is in Goleta City Hall Council Chambers (130 Cremona Drive, Suite B) on Tuesday, October 24 at 6:00 p.m. MTD encourages the public to attend and share input on what they like, what they’d like to see change, and to give general feedback on MTD’s services. Simultaneous English/Spanish interpretation will be available. Refreshments will be provided.

A complete list of the Community Listening Sessions is available here. For additional information, contact Hillary with Santa Barbara MTD at (805) 963-3364 x218 or info@sbmtd.gov.

$2.5 Million South Coast Workforce Homebuyer Program Available

We all know there are many benefits to living close to work, but the price of housing on the South Coast makes it near impossible for many who work here to own a home. Benefits of living near work include stronger community involvement since people feel more connected to their community and have more time, as well as environmental benefits of reducing air pollution and traffic congestion. In order to keep the local workforce talent, and businesses, from moving elsewhere, the Housing Trust Fund (HTF) of Santa Barbara County is offering a South Coast Workforce Homebuyers Program to help first-time homebuyers with the 20% down payment required when purchasing a home. This program was featured at our State of the City in May of this year. Using $2.5 million in investment capital, HTF will provide qualified first-time homebuyers with a low-cost down payment loan up to 16.5% of the home purchase price (maximum $100,000). The homebuyer must contribute 3.5% of the home purchase price for a combined 20% down payment. Get more details on this program and learn how to apply at www.sbhousingtrust.org or contact Yvette Lounsbury, Homebuyer Loan Administrator, at YLounsbury@sbhousingtrust.org or (805) 845-3585.

Know Your Flood Risk

The Santa Barbara County Water Agency (SBCWA) will hold a meeting to receive public comment on updated flood insurance rate maps from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). This meeting will help residents and local business owners learn more about the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) and to provide input for consideration before the maps are finalized. The new maps are preliminary and Santa Barbara County officials encourage residents and business owners to review the proposed flood insurance rate maps to learn about local flood risks, potential future flood insurance requirements, and identify any concerns or questions about the information provided. The meeting will be held on October 26, 2017 from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. at the Santa Barbara County Administrative Building, 105 E. Anapamu St. For more information on the meeting and this process, contact Jon Frye at jfrye@cosbpw.net.  Preliminary copies of the revised Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) and Flood Insurance Study (FIS) can be found at http://arcg.is/2g2RPSj.

Photo by Giana Magnioli, Noozhawk

The Survey Results Are In!

The City has plans to improve the playground equipment at Berkeley, Andamar, Winchester I & II Parks (San Miguel and Santa Barbara Shores Parkes will be upgraded at a later date). To gather resident input, the City sent out a survey over the summer to find out how residents use their neighborhood park and what improvements they want to see. The responses were overwhelming and the results will be presented to the Parks & Recreation Commission at their regular meeting on Wednesday, October 25 at 6:00 p.m. at Goleta City Hall (130 Cremona Drive, Suite B). Thank you to everyone that took the time to complete a survey. In the coming months, the City will be securing a vendor to make the recommended improvements to these four locations. Stay tuned for more details and visit our project page for the latest information.

Permanent Pickleball Courts Coming Soon!

A huge thank you to all the players that supported the pilot pickleball program at Evergreen Park! Your participation was exciting, and as a result, this October and November we will be installing two pickleball courts at Evergreen Park. The two courts will be permanently painted on one tennis court and the temporary tape will be removed from both of the tennis courts involved in the pilot pickleball program. The portable nets that will be used for the new pickleball courts are being donated by an anonymous player. Those playing the sport will set up the nets each day and secure them on site in the evening. If you are interested in learning more about pickleball in Goleta, please contact our Parks & Recreation Manager, JoAnne Plummer, at jplummer@cityofgoleta.org or 562-5505.

Magnolia Avenue Sidewalk under Construction

Construction has started on the Magnolia Sidewalk Infill Project. To improve pedestrian travel in the area, the existing sidewalk will be removed and new sidewalk will be constructed on both sides of Magnolia Avenue between Hollister Avenue and Gaviota Street. The project will take about six weeks to complete and make improvements to walking paths, sight distance at the intersections for drivers, drainage along Magnolia Avenue, and driveway access. For more information please visit the project page.

Input Requested for Goleta’s Historic Preservation

As part of the ongoing efforts to identify the City’s historic resources, in 2016 the City of Goleta embarked on a citywide historic resources survey and development of a comprehensive historic context statement. The purpose of a historic context statement is to place built resources in the appropriate historic, social, and architectural context so that the relationship between an area’s physical environment and its broader history can be established. Residents had an opportunity to share what buildings they thought should be considered historic resources. Refer to our November 2016 Monarch Press article for more details. Based on resident input and research from our consultants, Historic Resources Group, a draft of the Historic Preservation Context Statement has been created by the consultants and there will be a public workshop to discuss and provide input on October 18, 2017 at 6:00 p.m. at Goleta City Hall, Council Chambers (130 Cremona Drive, Suite B). The Historic Preservation Context Statement will provide the foundation for the ordinance that will follow. www.HistoricGoleta.org

Exciting Times for Goleta Library!

At the September 19 City Council meeting, the City Council unanimously voted to approve new operating hours at the Goleta Valley Library. The number of hours the library is open (55 hours) will remain the same.  However the new hours will maximize convenience and access for patrons by opening earlier on Mondays. Effective October 1, 2017, the local branch will be open the following hours:

Sunday: 1pm – 5pm
Monday: 10am – 7pm*
Tuesday: 10am – 7pm*
Wednesday: 10am – 7pm*
Thursday: 10am – 7pm*
Friday: 10am – 5:30pm
Saturday: 10am – 5:30pm
* = new hours

At the August 15 City Council meeting, councilmembers unanimously voted to take over direct control of the Goleta Library effective July 1, 2018. City staff are working on all of the steps that need to be completed in order for the Goleta Library to be recognized as a municipal library. We are happy to share that one of those steps has just been completed. The City was recently accepted into Black Gold as a new member. Obtaining membership into Black Gold was an important milestone, as it will allow the Goleta Library to continue benefiting from the cooperative’s collection materials (books and electronic materials) that are distributed and shared among the member libraries in the region.

Sign up here to get the latest library news delivered to your inbox and visit http://www.cityofgoleta.org/projects-programs/studies-and-other-projects/goleta-library for more information on the Goleta Library including Council’s August 15, 2017, decision to take over management by July 1, 2018.

New Monarch Butterfly Education Program

Due to the current closures of trails leading into the Goleta Monarch Butterfly Grove, there are many residents and visitors who will miss out on the opportunity to see this extraordinary migration in person. Dedicated docent volunteers and City staff are hard at work developing an alternate education program for the community. The details of this program are still under development, but we are hopeful that it will kick off by the new year. Please be sure to register here for updates on the Monarch Butterfly Education Program and other recreation programs. If you are interested in getting involved, please contact JoAnne Plummer, Parks & Recreation Manager, at jplummer@cityofgoleta.org or 562-5505.

Riding into Hollister Class I Bike Path Final Stages

Those of you that have driven along Hollister Avenue in western Goleta have seen the construction on the Hollister Class I Bike Path. The project is moving along nicely and we are pleased to announce that one of the bike path sections (between Entrance Road and Pebble Beach Drive) is now open for pedestrians and bicyclists! The K-rail will remain in place and there will be no change to the traffic configuration.  Signing and striping will not be installed on the new pathway and cross streets until the final stages of construction on this project in late October/early November. Between Pacific Oaks Road and Entrance Road, pedestrians and bicyclists remain in the temporary detour pathway behind the K-rail. 

Temporary bus stops remain at the same locations, which are East of Palo Alto Drive and West of Cannon Green Drive, and access is provided from the new pathway to the bus stop location at the K-rail.

Additional on-going work includes:

  • Electrical work, installation of signal poles, underground facilities, pull boxes and pedestrian push buttons for the modified signals at Entrance Road and Pacific Oaks Road.
  • Continued landscaping and irrigation work for the landscape buffer area.
  • Grading work and construction of the curb and gutter between the pathway and the K-rail.

Once construction between the pathway and the K-rail is complete, the project will move into Stage 3 where the K-rail will be removed, the pavement rehabilitation will be done on Hollister Avenue for the entire length of the project, and the final pavement delineation and signage will be installed.  We anticipate moving into Stage 3 in mid-late October.

Thank you for your continued patience as this project nears completion.

Sign up here for project updates via email and/or text message. For more information on the Hollister Class I Bike Path project, visit http://tinyurl.com/HollisterClassI.