Daily Archives: February 7, 2020

Cathedral Oaks Road Crib Wall Repair Update

The City of Goleta would like to update the community on the status of the closed bike path area on Cathedral Oaks Road. The bike path was closed on January 30, 2017, following a winter storm event that eroded the slope and raised concerns over the integrity of the crib wall. A crib wall is a type of large scale retaining wall that retains an earthen slope.  The Cathedral Oaks Crib Wall is located along the down slope on the northern side of Cathedral Oaks Road.   

High intensity rainfall caused runoff to infiltrate behind the crib wall and caused extensive damage. An initial investigation led to reopening the roadway after determining it was not undermined. The bike path however remains temporarily closed.  Public Works hired a geotechnical and structural engineering design team to perform a comprehensive investigation of the crib wall. The purpose of the investigation was to determine the potential failure mechanisms related to the original crib wall design and construction. Work included drilling approximately 23 borings near the bike path.  The borings ranged between 25 feet to 80 feet below ground surface.  The work also included using ground penetrating radar, collecting and analyzing soil samples in the laboratory, and developing and providing recommended structural repair options and cost estimates.

The City is working toward completing design alternatives and preliminary cost estimates for the Cathedral Oaks Crib Wall Repair Project.

The consultant team has performed the geotechnical analysis, seismic downhole logging surveys, analyzed the soil samples collected, and reviewed the geophysical data. The structural engineering portion of the team is currently preparing design alternatives and associated preliminary cost estimates for the repairs. Once complete, Public Works will present the design options, preliminary cost estimates, and recommendation to the City Council.  Public Works will then issue a Request for Proposals to design the ultimate repair or replacement of the retaining wall system.  Actual construction timing and project funding will be determined as the final project is developed.

Open House Kick-Off for the City’s Old Town Sidewalk Project on February 13

The City of Goleta is pleased to announce that construction will soon begin on the highly anticipated Old Town Sidewalk Improvements Project (OTSW). Work is scheduled to start in late February or early March. We hope you will join us for an Open House Kick-Off event on February 13 from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. at the sidewalk at 98 Nectarine Avenue (new location!)  to learn more about this long-awaited project. City Staff, the Construction Manager, and Contractor will be present to talk about Old Town Sidewalks and answer questions. There will also be maps and Spanish translation available.

The Old Town Sidewalk Improvements Project has been in the planning and design phase for the last three years and the City of Goleta is excited to finally bring it to construction. The project includes constructing sidewalk on at least one side of each street north of Hollister Avenue between South Fairview Avenue and Mallard Avenue and Pine Avenue south of Hollister Avenue. The new sidewalk will connect to existing sidewalk. There will also be drainage improvements, tree replacements, repaving, and the construction of 39 back-in angled parking spots on Magnolia Avenue. Watch this video to learn more.

Goleta Public Works Sr. Project Engineer James Winslow said, “This project is long overdue. The streets in Old Town are 40 to 50 feet wide and many of the streets don’t have continuous sidewalks which means residents and children are walking on the street to get to the bus stop. They are pushing their strollers and carts down the middle of the street. They are double and illegally parking thereby blocking access ramps. When this project is done, the safety improvements, livability and ability to recreate in Old Town will change dramatically. We are pleased the community will be able to enjoy the improvements for years to come.”

Mayor Paula Perotte said, “Our actions to provide sidewalks for Old Town Goleta demonstrate our commitment to promoting exercise and reducing traffic. Our City Council and staff don’t just talk the talk – we walk the walk!”

Background:
On December 17, 2019, Council awarded the construction contract to Toro Enterprises, Inc. The $3.2 million dollar construction contract is partially funded with a $2.224 million Active Transportation Program (ATP) grant the Public Works Department secured on December 7, 2016. MNS Engineers, Inc. and team have been working on the preliminary design, right-of-way, encroachments, and final design for the past two and one-half years.  Aside from working with approximately 100 property owners and tenants on encroachments, the final design incorporated direct input and feedback from the residents in Old Town, including saving four large trees, particular drainage improvements, and maximizing the travel lane and parking widths on Gato Avenue. The feedback came through community meetings, outreach events, half a dozen Council presentations, and countless hours engaging the community one-on-one and in ambassador coffee house style meetings.

There are three phases to the project which will take approximately nine months to complete.

The City knows long-term projects such as this one can be inconvenient for those that live or visit the area, and we appreciate your patience in advance.

To learn more about this project, go to https:tinyurl.com/GoletaOTSW, email sidewalks@cityofgoleta.org, or call the Construction Manager at 805.450.7949.

First Ever Spanish Book Club for Grades 3-6

We hope you will join us for our first ever Spanish Book Club for children in grades 3 – 6 at the Goleta Valley Library! This new book club is aimed at Spanish-speaking children who would like to improve their Spanish reading and comprehension skills. Each book will be covered over three meetings where students will get to practice their Spanish vocabulary as they discuss what they’ve read and theorize what will come next in the book. The book club will help children improve their Spanish language skills by:

  • Deepening their appreciation and understanding of Spanish-language text
  • Extending their thinking to process and interpret different perspectives and opinions of their peers
  • Expanding their ability to express ideas orally using academic language
  • Providing an authentic context for applying norms for listening and speaking

The Spanish Book Club meets the 2nd and 4th Sunday of every month at 3:00 p.m. at the Library (500 N. Fairview Avenue). Space is limited and registration is required in person at the library or by calling 964-7878.

The Adult Winter Reading Club is Back!

From now through February 28, 2020, the Adult Winter Reading Club is happening at Goleta Valley Library. Patrons are encouraged to read or listen to as many books (including magazines and periodicals) as they can over this time period and be entered into a weekly raffle to win prizes. While filling out your raffle ticket, check out the Library’s “Did You Know” display, showcasing the many services offered by the Goleta Valley Library. Prizes are donated by our very generous local businesses. Sign up to participate in person at the library.

Goleta Valley Library Partners with UCSB Reads

The City of Goleta is proud to partner for the very first time with the established and influential UCSB Reads program.  Tomorrow, Saturday, February 8 at 1:00 p.m. the Goleta Valley Library, in collaboration with the UCSB Library, will host a panel discussion with UCSB faculty researchers about the 2020 UCSB Reads selection “Rising: Dispatches from the New American Shore” by Elizabeth Rush. The discussion will be followed by a sure-to-be spirited Question and Answer session. This free event will be held at the Goleta Valley Library located at 500 N. Fairview Avenue.

The UCSB Reads program brings together the UCSB campus and local communities each year for a dialogue about important topical issues while reading a common book. This year’s book is about climate change and rising sea levels. Panelists include: Sarah Anderson (Bren School, Political Science), Ed Keller (Earth Science), Eckart Meiburg (Mechanical Engineering), Monique Myers (Marine Science Institute) and Andrew Plantinga (Bren School, Economics).

“I am so excited that, for the first time, Goleta is a community partner in the UCSB Reads program, one that has promoted so much thoughtful discourse throughout the community,” said Goleta Valley Library Director Allison Gray.  She added, “We look forward to a lively discussion.”

Copies of “Rising” are available for borrowing at the Goleta Valley Library. View a flyer for the event here.

Hashtag Tiny Library Comes to Goleta

Art and libraries collide with the newest installation outside of Goleta Valley Library. A Tiny Library in the form of a bright yellow hashtag is now in front of the Goleta Valley Library located at 500 N. Fairview thanks to a partnership with the Santa Barbara County Office of Arts & Culture. The hashtag will remain on the front lawn of the library through April 30, 2020, and library staff will stock it with books for all ages. These books are free to the public, and individuals are also encouraged to leave books to donate to other readers.

Library Director Allison Gray said “I am delighted to have this eye-catching, creative library available for our community members to enjoy. This is a unique opportunity for those without a library card to have access to free books. We encourage anyone who doesn’t yet have a library card to come take a look at the hashtag and then come inside and get a Goleta Valley library card.”

The Tiny Libraries exhibit, by artist Douglas Lochner, is the result of a partnership between the Santa Barbara County Office of Arts & Culture and the City of Santa Barbara. It consists of six bright, life-sized, functional art “libraries” in the shape of punctuation marks. The City of Goleta worked with the County Office of Arts & Culture to bring the hashtag to Goleta; the other five punctuation marks will be placed throughout the County. All six were originally on State Street.

More information about the Tiny Libraries program is available at www.sbac.ca.gov/tinylibraries.

Goleta Valley Library Annual Report

The numbers are in for the Goleta Valley Library Fiscal Year 2018/19 and the results are eye-opening. The statistics show the library is thriving with an increased number of people using the facility, resources and programs. This is in part due to the variety of ways people can access books (hard copy or digital), the wonderful programming available to community members, and the creativity of offering something like the “Library of Things” to patrons.

Over a quarter of a million people visited the library during the more than 15,000 hours it was open, which averages to about 740 visitors per day. Those library users borrowed well over half a million (605,000) physical items from the Goleta Valley Library and downloaded over 75,000 items. Library staff conducted more than 600 programs for all ages, with a total attendance of over 21,000 people! View the full 2018/19 Goleta Valley Library Annual Report here.

What do all of these numbers mean? The Goleta Valley Library is an extremely busy, vibrant, multifaceted organization that goes out of its way to meet the needs of its community. Check out this Library Use Calculator to see how much money you saved in your last trip to the library.

Learn more about the Goleta Valley Library and upcoming events at www.GoletaValleyLibrary.org, and sign up for the monthly e-newsletter, The Reading Corner, here. For the latest information, follow the Library on Facebook (@GoletaValley Library) and Instagram (goletavalleylibrary).

City of Goleta Welcomes New Community Resource Deputy

The City of Goleta is pleased to welcome a new Community Resource Deputy to our team.  Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Deputy Jaycee Hunter was selected for the position and will begin his new assignment on February 10, 2020.  He was introduced at the February 4, 2020, Goleta City Council meeting.

Deputy Hunter was born and raised in Goleta and is invested in the community where he still resides.  He brings almost 35 years of law enforcement experience to the City. While he has been employed at the Sheriff’s Office for almost four years, he spent the majority of his career as an officer with the Santa Barbara Police Department where he worked a number of assignments including patrol, major crimes, cold cases and as a traffic investigator.  He most recently worked as a School Resource Deputy at his alumni school, San Marcos High School, where he also met his high school sweetheart. 

Deputy Hunter is looking forward to his new assignment with the City of Goleta.  He said, “I have lived in Goleta the majority of my three and half decades in law enforcement providing services to communities outside of Goleta.  With my new role, I am elated to be home where I can now protect and serve my community with the special law enforcement services provided by the Community Resource Deputy position.”

City Manager Michelle Greene said, “This is an important position for the City and we are pleased to have an experienced and dedicated law enforcement professional protecting and working collaboratively with our community members.” 

Director of Neighborhood Services and Public Safety for City of Goleta Vyto Adomaitis said, “We are extremely excited to welcome Deputy Hunter to the City of Goleta and look forward to working with him to help maintain a safe community and provide a high level of service to our residents.”

The City of Goleta contracts with the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office for police services.  As the Community Resource Deputy, Deputy Hunter will address quality of life issues through education and training, crime prevention and intervention, specialized patrol services, and building community partnerships with our residents, our local businesses, and our other neighborhood-serving agencies. He is bilingual.

Welcome Deputy Hunter.  We wish you a wonderful chapter ahead with the City of Goleta and thank you for all you have done to help others during your career and thank you in advance for your service to our community.

City of Goleta Introduces New Parks and Open Space Manager

The City of Goleta is pleased to welcome George Thomson as the new Parks and Open Space Manager for its Public Works Department. This is an important role for the City which values and prides itself on its variety of parks and open spaces. George will take on the job of planning and managing the City of Goleta’s open space system.  It’s a perfect match for George, a Goleta resident who brings more than 20 years of experience managing local ecosystems and developing hands-on community education and stewardship programs.

George most recently worked for the City of Santa Barbara where he managed the design and construction of the City’s major park improvements and recreation facility renovations. During his time with the City of Santa Barbara he also oversaw habitat restoration projects, invasive plant removal programs and the development of constructed wetlands to improve creek and ocean water quality. George also served as Reserve Steward at the University of California’s Coal Oil Point Reserve and worked for five years at UCSB’s Cheadle Center for Biodiversity and Ecological Restoration.  He attended UC Santa Barbara, UC Davis, and the University of Tasmania in Australia.  His graduate school research through UCSB focused on management of California’s central coast grasslands. 

City Manager Michelle Greene said, “We are thrilled to have George Thomson join our City team. He brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in the area of habitat restoration on the South Coast, which will be of great benefit to the City – particularly for our efforts to restore sensitive habitats on the Ellwood Mesa and enhance the Lake Los Carneros open space area. These areas are gems of our community, and we look forward to working with George on preserving and enhancing them and other open space areas within our community.”

GGeorge began his new position earlier this month.  He said, “Ellwood Mesa and the Butterfly Grove, Lake Los Carneros, Stow Grove Park, Evergreen Open Space, and other local treasures are so critically vital for our community’s quality of life.  These are places we love and I am so excited to begin this new decade working towards the best possible stewardship of our open spaces.” 

We welcome George Thomson to our team and wish him great success ahead in this important and rewarding role for the City.

 

LEAD Goleta is Underway

We have a fantastic group of engaged community members as the cohort of our second LEAD Goleta Community Academy (January and February 2020)! LEAD stands for Learn, Empower, Advocate and Discuss, and is open to 30 Santa Barbara County residents, including high school and college students. This six-week class is designed to give community members an inside look at how local government works so that they can effectively participate, share that knowledge with others, and possibly even consider a future role in city governance. Three people from the City’s first LEAD Goleta Community Academy went on to serve on a Board or Commission.

During each class, participants hear directly from City staff or Councilmembers. LEAD is also very hands on, with attendees having the opportunity to tour the newly purchased City Hall building and participate in a mock City Council meeting. The current class will graduate on February 12. We can’t wait to show you photos and video from this Academy class.  Stay tuned!

The next LEAD Goleta Community Academy will take place in the fall. Please email jshaw@cityofgoleta.org if you would like to be notified when applications are available for LEAD Goleta Fall 2020.