Daily Archives: October 28, 2022

Hollister Avenue Old Town Interim Striping Project Approved

Construction to Begin Early Next Summer

The Hollister Avenue Old Town Interim Striping Project (Project) is headed to the final design phase and will begin construction in early summer 2023. At a Special City Council meeting held October 27, 2022, the Goleta City Council voted in favor of moving the project forward after hearing a presentation from City Staff and testimony from community members. This meeting was the culmination of several City Council meeting and a recent well-attended workshop.

Goleta Public Works Director Charlie Ebeling said, “Public Works is excited to move to the next phase of delivering this project. The project will meet several community goals such as increased parking and bike lanes. The project will also include several safety improvements.”

The Project includes:

  • One vehicle and bike lane in each direction
  • A non-traversable painted median
  • Back-in angled 90-minute parking along the north side of the street
  • Parallel 90-minute parking along the south side of the street
  • Pavement restoration
  • Traffic signal equipment and timing upgrades

For more information on this project, please visit: https://cityofgoleta.org/hollisterinterimstriping.

Pictured: Aerial photo of Hollister Avenue in Old Town

Last Chance to Help Update Goleta’s Accessibility Plan

Take Survey through Friday, November 4

The City of Goleta is reminding its community members and organizations to provide input on its Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Self-Evaluation and Transition Plan by taking our survey. Your feedback will assist in addressing and prioritizing current and future accessibility needs for individuals with disabilities to access City facilities, programs, services, activities and events offered to the public.

There are two surveys available and will remain open through November 4. One survey is intended for input from the general public and is open to everyone who accesses City services, and the other survey is designed for organizations and agencies that assist persons with disabilities. Both surveys are available in English and Spanish and can be accessed through the links below. To take the survey in another language, use the drop-down at the top of the survey.

The survey is also available to download and print on our website at https://www.cityofgoleta.org/your-city/public-works/disability-services.

Hard copies can also be picked up at:

  • Goleta City Hall (130 Cremona Drive, Suite B, Goleta, CA 93117) during regular business hours (Monday – Thursday, 8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.).
  • Goleta Valley Library (500 N. Fairview Avenue, Goleta, CA 93117) during regular business hours (Tuesday – Thursday, 10:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.; Friday & Saturday 10:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. and Sunday 1:00 – 5:00 p.m.).

Please return all hard copy surveys to Julie Jang, City of Goleta ADA/504 Coordinator, at the City Hall address listed above. For any additional feedback, please contact Julie by phone at (805) 690-5121, by TDD through California Relay at 7-1-1, or by email at jjang@cityofgoleta.org.

Goleta Community Center Update

Antiquated Building to Undergo Seismic and Accessibility Upgrades: Funding Needed for Additional Improvements and Future Programming Needs

There are big changes in store over the next year for the nearly 100-year-old Goleta Community Center (GCC). Located at 5679 Hollister Avenue in Old Town, two of the biggest rooms in the city-owned building have been closed since January of 2021 due to seismic concerns. The City will assume direct management of the city-owned building in January of 2023 and plans to immediately begin a seismic retrofit construction program. The goal is to re-open the full facility for community use by summer 2023. 

City of Goleta Mayor Paula Perotte said, “The City Council wants to ensure that this important gathering spot for Goleta meets the needs of the community for years to come.”

During the seismic retrofit construction, the main building will be closed for several months, however, operations in the auxiliary buildings, including the Senior Center Program, the CommUnify/Head Start programs, Rainbow School, Resilience Personal Training, and the Boys and Girls Club will continue as usual. 

Following the seismic renovation, the building will undergo disability access improvements to sidewalks, paths of travel, the bathrooms and sewer lines in the main building required under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). These projects are largely funded by federal grants from FEMA (the GCC serves as a shelter in emergencies) and a federal Community Project Funding grant secured for the project through the efforts of Representative Salud Carbajal. 

While the upcoming projects will ensure that the building is again fully usable, additional funding is needed in the future for other important upgrades. The entire building needs a refresh, both in functional systems and aesthetics, the parking lot needs to be repaved, and the Gazebo area in the front of the building needs to be rebuilt and re-landscaped. Also, funding will be needed for City programming requested at the facility once the Council adopts a Goleta Community Center Strategic Plan. Staff will work diligently to identify ways to fund the important community priorities identified in the Plan.

A group of community members is working with an Ad Hoc Committee of the City Council to create a Strategic Plan for the GCC. The plan will help set a vision and goals for the Goleta Community Center and the role it will play in our community over the short- and long-term and will outline specific steps that can be taken to achieve those goals. The plan will draw upon the results of an extensive community outreach process conducted in 2020, which included surveys and focus groups of community members and other stakeholders. It will also reflect current priorities and needs identified by the working group and community members. The Strategic Plan will use this input to set the expectations for future management of the GCC, whether it is managed by a non-profit lessee or directly by the City.

If you have any feedback or questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out and let us know. Contact Shannon Kirn, Management Analyst, at skirn@cityofgoleta.org.

Background:
The City of Goleta acquired the Community Center in 2013. In a previous life, the building served as the Goleta Union elementary school, but the school was closed in 1976 because it did not meet minimum seismic requirements for a school. For the next several decades it was run by a non-profit organization known as the Goleta Valley Community Center. 

Lake Los Carneros Footbridge Update

Replacement and Design Process Underway: Cost to Replace Bridge Estimated at Over $2 Million

The City of Goleta is looking at options for the removal of the treasured Lake Los Carneros Footbridge. This popular, scenic bridge has been closed for more than a year due to significant rot of the wooden structure. The 30 plus year old bridge has provided countless visitors an up-close and personal look at the wetland habitats and wildlife at Lake Los Carneros. The City knows the community is eager to see a functioning bridge at this important recreation spot.

Goleta’s Public Works Department is putting together an independent team to design and seek regulatory agency permits for removal of the footbridge. Various conceptual designs for a replacement bridge will also be developed for the community’s feedback. Removal of the existing bridge is anticipated to cost over $500,000. The cost to replace the bridge is currently unfunded and is estimated to be well over $2 million.

City of Goleta Parks and Open Space Manager George Thomson said “Lake Los Carneros is one of the City’s premier open spaces and the footbridge provided generations of Goletans inspiring opportunities to observe wildlife in their natural habitat. The City is balancing a variety of high-priority programs and projects in our parks and open space system. Removing the rotted bridge, while protecting the sensitive wetland habitats, is the initial phase of this project. As bridge replacement designs are developed in 2023, we look forward to collaborating with the community to ensure the new bridge is compatible with our limited funding, can be easily maintained, and will provide the next generation a window into the wonders of Lake Los Carneros.”

Once a team is put into place it will create designs for the bridge, develop bridge removal and replacement costs, and coordinate state and federal regulatory permits. The community will play an integral role in providing design input and ensuring the project is financially and ecologically sustainable. 

The footbridge was closed in 2020 when it came to the City’s attention that it may not be structurally sound and a structural assessment was conducted. An independent, licensed structural engineer determined the bridge should remain closed for all operational and service usage and that it should be demolished and removed due to the significant level of decay. The report found that the level of deterioration was beyond repair considering American with Disabilities Act requirements for accessibility and updated building code requirements.

For questions or concerns, please contact George Thomson, Parks and Open Space Manager at gthomson@cityofgoleta.org or (805) 961-7578.


Significant levels of rot in the wooden footbridge supports require demolition of the existing structure.