Author Archives: Jaime Shaw

Help Us Improve Hollister Avenue in Old Town

Everyone who lives, works or plays in Old Town is encouraged to provide feedback on the Hollister Avenue Complete Streets project by attending our workshops and/or taking our survey (available in English and Spanish).

Please join us to discuss how to improve the quality of life in Old Town by making Hollister Avenue appealing to walk, cycle, drive, shop and dine. The first community workshop on the Hollister Avenue Complete Streets project will be April 13, 2017, from 6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. at the Goleta Valley Community Center (5679 Hollister Avenue). The project is aimed at developing a plan that will:

  • Make Old Town street safer for all travel modes
  • Reduce cut-through traffic through Old Town
  • Provide safe and convenient connections to residents, employees, and visitors using all modes of transportation
  • Improve the quality of life by making Hollister Avenue appealing to walk, cycle, drive, shop and dine

As part of CycleMAYnia, please join us on May 6 for a WalkBikeGOleta Tour in Old Town. Participants can join either a walking group or biking group for a tour of Old Town where they will be able to give input on areas of concern for walking / cycling and share their vision for the future of Old Town. More details to come.

To receive updates on this project via email or text sign up at http://tinyurl.com/goletasubscriptions. To learn more about this project go to www.goletacompletestreets.com.

To Leash or Not Leash

As a reminder, dogs are required to be on a leash and under their owners control at all times while in a public space unless otherwise posted. Off-leash dogs can easily become lost or get attacked by a wild coyote or bobcat. They can also cause harm to people, other animals and property.

For those that want a space for their dogs to be off-leash, please visit these nearby dog parks and follow the posted rules: Patterson Open Space Off-Leash Dog Area (500 block Cathedral Oaks to 500 block Ribera Drive to 5100 block University Drive to 500 block Calle Aparejo), Tabano Hollow Neighborhood Open Space (5100 block University Drive to 5100 block Tabano Way), or Kiwanis Meadow at Tucker’s Grove Park (entrance at intersection of Turnpike and Cathedral Oaks Roads). For a complete list of off-leash dog parks in Santa Barbara County visit https://www.countyofsb.org/parks/dog.sbc.

Beautify Goleta: It Will Put a Smile on Your Place

Last September the City initiated its community clean-up program which launched in Old Town.  This program, called Beautify Goleta, is designed to make it easy for residents to clean up their homes and yards.  The City encourages this by providing roll-off boxes for disposal of unwanted items for a designated time period on specific Saturday mornings for small sections of the City.  After the clean-up events, the City has additional street sweeping completed in the identified neighborhoods.

The first Beautify Goleta event was Saturday, September 17, 2016, for the area north of Hollister Avenue between Cardinal and Kellogg Avenues. Over 6.90 tons of material was collected!  The second Beautify Goleta event was Saturday, November 5, and focused on residences on Alondra Drive and Mallard Avenue. With the help of community volunteers, over ten tons of material was collected!

Given the success of the program, the City Council has authorized additional clean-up events in the coming months.

If you have large items that you want to dispose of and do not want to wait for Beautify Goleta to come to your neighborhood, please contact Marborg at (805) 963-1852 to schedule your free bulky item pick-up (up to two per year per household). To dispose of household hazardous waste please call (805) 882-3602 and for electronic waste call (805) 963-1852.

Learn How Your Business Can Save Energy and Money

Are you a business looking to be more energy efficient and cut costs?  Then Southern California Edison’s (SCE) Direct Install Program is something to consider.  SCE will send an energy efficiency expert to your facility and evaluate it free of charge to identify energy-saving opportunities.  If you agree with the recommendation and costs, your older, less efficient equipment will be replaced with the program’s more modern energy-efficient equipment.  Some of the new replacement products include LED lights and signs, refrigeration, occupancy sensors and smart power strips.  This is a win-win, as your business will use less energy, reduce its carbon footprint and lower your electricity costs.  For more information, click here.

Citizen’s Academy is Now Accepting Applications

The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office, UCSB Police Department and the City of Goleta are pleased to announce that applications are now being accepted for the second Citizen’s Academy for Isla Vista residents and college students in Santa Barbara County. The eight-week interactive course begins on April 5 and runs through May 17 with classes from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. every Wednesday night at various locations throughout Santa Barbara County. The class ends with a graduation ceremony and celebratory BBQ on Saturday, May 20, 2017.

While the Sheriff’s Office puts on a yearly Citizen’s Academy open to the general public, this Citizen’s Academy is geared toward Isla Vista residents and college students residing in Santa Barbara County. The course includes classes on active shooter training, use of force, search and seizure law, building searches, arrest and control, firearms and K-9 operations, just to name a few.

To participate in Citizen’s Academy, please complete an application, scan and email it to Senior Deputy Dave Valadez at dmv4120@sbsheriff.org. Applications are due by March 20, 2017. For additional information, please call Senior Deputy Dave Valadez at 805-319-9773.

Goleta Cares about its Biking and Walking Future

Thank you to the 1,599 people who completed our Bicycle Pedestrian Master Plan (BPMP) survey!  That is an incredible number of responses and we appreciate everyone who took the time to provide his/her thoughts.  The survey results will be posted on our website shortly.  The BPMP will promote public health, reduce automobile usage and fuel consumption, and promote transportation equity.  For an update on the project please visit http://tinyurl.com/GoletaBPMP.  To stay up to date on this topic, sign up to receive emails at http://tinyurl.com/goletasubscriptions or text GOLETA BIKEWALK to 468311.

Report Potholes on City Assist

The City is aware of the deterioration of the roads, especially after the recent rainstorms, and has plans to repave. We count on you, our residents, to be our eyes and ears and report road problems you discover. Please use our online tool, City Assist, to let us know of problems you encounter.

The City is dedicated to fixing the roads and expects to spend $3.6 million this year in pavement repair. This is expected  to begin after the rainy season in late April / early May.   On March 7th the City Council will vote on an item to put the overlay project out to bid.  Additionally, as part of the Hollister Class I Bike Path Project which will be constructed this summer, a section of Hollister Avenue from Pacific Oaks to Ellwood Elementary School will be paved.  Finally, the City is working on a slurry seal project that is expected to go out to bid the first week of July.

Learn the Latest on Fire Station 10

The City is excited about the addition of a new fire station in Western Goleta to serve our residents.  Please join us for a community meeting on Fire Station 10 on Thursday, March 16 beginning at 6:00 p.m. at the Ellwood School Multipurpose Room (7686 Hollister Avenue).  At the previous community meeting on November 17, 2016, the City received feedback from residents on the proposed Fire Station 10 project.  We took the feedback we heard and made updates which addressed some of the concerns expressed by neighbors. The revised plan will be shared at the upcoming March 16 meeting.

More information can be found here: www.cityofgoleta.org/projects-programs/building-development/fire-station-in-western-goleta.  To sign up for project updates via email or text, visit http://tinyurl.com/goletasubscriptions.

Your Input is Requested

The community is invited to provide input on its experience with the Planning and Environmental Review (PER) Department at the City of Goleta at a meeting on March 8. The City hired Citygate Associates, LLC, to conduct an organizational and operational review of the PER Department with the strategic objective of enhancing organizational operations for current and future needs.

Citygate will be hosting a meeting on Wednesday, March 8 at 6:30 p.m. in Goleta City Council Chambers located at 130 Cremona Drive, Suite B.  The purpose of this meeting is for customers and stakeholders to provide feedback on their experiences and perceptions of the PER Department to the consultants.

All five divisions of the PER Department are included in this review: Current Planning, Advance Planning, Building and Safety, Planning Commission/Design Review Board and Sustainability. No PER staff will be participating in the meetings so the public can speak freely.   Discussions about specific projects and/or proposals for ordinance changes will be redirected to a more appropriate venue.

If you cannot attend the meeting but want to provide feedback, please email Jane Chambers with Citygate Associates, LLC, at jchambers@citygateassociates.com by March 8th.

Drought in Santa Barbara County Enters Sixth Year

The recent winter storms resulted in a welcome capture of rain needed for replenishing reservoirs, creeks, rivers and groundwater supplies in Santa Barbara County. However, it was a drop in the bucket. To demonstrate, Cachuma Lake would need 55 inches of rain to fall in a short amount of time to lift us out of emergency drought conditions

Northern California has fared better from this winter’s storms, so as California emerges from a record-breaking drought, Santa Barbara County remains one of only two counties still experiencing exceptional drought. We are in the middle of the wet season, which typically runs from October through March, but there’s no guarantee that Mother Nature will cooperate. In 2015, officials were prepared for an El Niño wet season that didn’t materialize. Since October 2016 through January 24, 2017, however, we received more than 13 inches of rain, or 171 percent of normal. And yet, we remain in a drought.

In Northern California, recent rains sent rivers over their banks, filled reservoirs and reduced or eliminated the severity of the drought for 98 percent of the state. Locally, Cachuma Lake rose a few feet but still sits at only 11 percent of capacity, and groundwater basins throughout the county are showing signs of stress. The severe drought conditions that persist in the county continue to threaten our region’s ability to maintain public health and safety for residents as we enter the sixth year of exceptional drought.

Although water providers across the county have done much to diversify and secure their water supply sources over the past 30 years, this drought has made clear the need to further develop drought resilient local water sources, while simultaneously enhancing and securing existing supply sources and infrastructure. To this end, water agencies from across the county have been meeting together and with state water officials to develop a unified regional plan to improve the ability of Santa Barbara County to get through the current, ongoing drought emergency, and proactively plan for the next drought.

In December 2015, the County’s Water Resources Division completed the Long Term Water Supply Alternatives Report, a study of local water supply options available now and into the future. To read the executive summary, go to http://bit.ly/2jkvdvG.

What Can You Do?
While new, expanded, and rebuilt water programs and infrastructure projects are under consideration, we can all continue to conserve water, integrate water use efficiencies and be water wise. To learn more about the many actions each of us can take to reduce water use during these extraordinarily dry times, go to www.WaterWiseSB.org. While not all actions apply to everyone, learn some of the most common things you can do to save water.

You can also learn more about where your water comes from. Residents in Goleta are served by Goleta Water District. Learn more at www.goletawater.com. Thank you for doing your part to protect our local supplies.

Information provided courtesy of the County of Santa Barbara.