Daily Archives: March 3, 2023

Historic Preservation Commission Off and Running

The City’s newest Commission – Historic Preservation – is off and running. The Commission held its first ever meeting on February 22. The Historic Preservation Commission is an important next step in implementing the City’s Historic Preservation Ordinance, which was enacted by the City Council in April 2022. The goal of the Ordinance is to preserve and protect resources that, once lost, cannot be replaced or replicated.

Responsibilities of this new five-member Commission include:

  • Making recommendations to the City Council regarding the designation of eligible properties as Historic Landmarks, Historic Districts, and Points of Historical Interest within the City and Mills Act requests.
  • Making recommendations to the City Council regarding the rescission of or amendment to a historic designation.
  • Reviewing and making recommendations to the Design Review Board on projects involving alterations to historic resources.
  • Reviewing historic resources surveys and making recommendations to the City Council on periodic updates to the City’s Historic Resources Inventory.
  • Making recommendations on any proposed design guidelines that may be developed by the City for project review or review of appropriate alterations or new construction within Historic Districts.
  • Acting as an advisory board to the City Council, Planning Commission, Design Review Board, City Manager, and all City departments on all matters related to historic preservation.

The Commission meets on the 3rd Monday of every month at 5:30 p.m. You can participate by attending in-person in Goleta City Council Chambers (130 Cremona Drive) or online via Zoom. You can also watch from the comfort of your home on the City website or on Goleta TV Channel 19.

Pictured: Historic Preservation Commissioners and City Staff

Women’s History Month

March is #WomensHistoryMonth and we hope you will join the City of Goleta in recognizing the contributions and achievements made throughout history by women and girls of every race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic background. 

Our Mayor Paula Perotte made Goleta’s history by being the first elected Mayor for the City of Goleta in 2018. She has been leading our great city ever since. 

Make sure you visit the Goleta Valley Library in-person or check out their online catalog at https://www.goletavalleylibrary.org/ to learn more about the historical and cultural achievements of women around the world.  

Thanks to all of the women who have and continue to make history.

New Teen Programs and Opportunities at Goleta Valley Library

Teens looking for a fun way to spend the afternoon or a purposeful way to get involved should look no further than their local library this month.

At Goleta Valley Library (500 N. Fairview Avenue), teens can register for a free crafting class to make Morse Code Bracelets on Saturday, March 18th from 2:00 – 4:00 p.m.

Bookworms in junior high and high school are invited to our first-ever Bring-Your-Own-Book Club to share and discuss what they’re currently reading with the group. Snacks and drinks will be provided, and community service opportunities will be available. Come to the first meeting on Sunday, March 26th from 2:00 – 3:00 p.m. to learn more!

Teen Volunteers who are interested in helping with the Tech Tutoring and Homework Help programs should complete a volunteer application and drop it off at the library. Stay tuned for more information about the 2023 Summer Reading Program teen volunteer program coming soon!

Learn more about programs and events at www.GoletaValleyLibrary.org.

1,000 Books Before Kindergarten Party

Celebrating Literacy at Goleta Valley Library

The Goleta Valley Library held a 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten graduation party on Saturday, February 25th, to recognize the wonderful accomplishment of the young readers who finished reading (and being read to) 1,000 books before they entered kindergarten. More than 60 people attended the party, which was complete with a special storytime of I Am Invited to a Party! by Mo Willems, a certificate ceremony, a bubble dance party, and a magical balloon drop finale! After the party, families who were new to the program had a chance to register their children and pick up their first reading log to get started. The next party will be held on September 23, 2023, at 11:00 a.m.

Readers who had completed the program received a special goody bag that contained books provided by the Friends of the Goleta Valley Library, who received a grant from First 5 Santa Barbara County to provide new hardbound books for the 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten program. We extend our sincerest thanks to the Friends of the Goleta Valley Library and First 5 Santa Barbara County for their support of our readers.

About the Program
1,000 Books Before Kindergarten is an early literacy program popular at libraries across the country. It encourages parents and caregivers to read to their children, which helps prepare them for school readiness and lifelong success by building a strong foundation for later reading and writing.

At the Goleta & Santa Ynez Valley Libraries, the program is open to all families whose children are below kindergarten age. To get started, stop by the library to pick up your first reading log. As you read to your child, mark off a circle for each book you read. You can mark off a circle for each time you read the same book, too, as repetition is an important part of learning to read. When you’re finished, you and your child can bring the completed log back to the library to receive a prize and your next reading log!

Once you have completed all ten logs and read 1,000 books, we will contact you with an invitation to our 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten graduation party.

The friendly librarians at the Goleta & Santa Ynez Valley Libraries are excited to offer this program to support literacy in the community. Logs are available in English and Spanish at the Goleta Valley Library, Isla Vista Bookvan, Buellton Library, and Solvang Library. Stop by your local branch and ask for your first log at the front desk. To pick up your reading log at the Goleta Valley Library Bookvan, please check the Bookvan page of our website for hours and locations.

Program materials and prizes at Goleta Valley Library are generously sponsored by the Friends of the Goleta Valley Library. To learn more or to become a Friend, visit https://www.friendsofthegoletavalleylibrary.org/.

Prizes at Solvang Library are sponsored by the Friends of the Library of Santa Ynez Valley. To learn more or become a Friend, go to: https://friendssyvlibrary.org/.

Councilmembers and Employees Recognized for Milestone Years of Service

The City of Goleta is fortunate to have a dedicated group of Councilmembers and staff working together to ensure Goleta remains the best place to live, work and play, now and into the future. On March 2, a group of approximately 30 people were recognized for their milestone years of service to the City of Goleta. Mayor Paula Perotte had the honor of pinning those who have reached five, 10 and 15 years of service and Mayor Pro Tempore Kyle Richards passed out certificates. Among the recipients was Mayor Perotte herself who received her ten year service pin. Mayor Pro Tempore Richards and Councilmember Stuart Kasdin received their five year pins. 

Mayor Perotte said, “It’s been several years since we have had the opportunity to gather and get back to our tradition of recognizing those with milestone years of service to the City. This is important because we couldn’t do anything as a City without the great work that all of you do day in and day out to keep our City moving forward in a positive direction.”  

The City of Goleta is always looking for great people to join our team. Go to www.governmentjobs.com/careers/goletaca to see what career opportunities we have.  #TeamGoleta

Pictured above: Mayor Perotte pinning Neighborhood Services Director Jaime Valdez, who celebrated 15 years with the City


Five-year pin recipients


10-year pin recipients


15-year pin recipients

Reporting Storm Damage to the City

It has been a busy Winter Storm Season. We thank our amazing Goleta Public Works Team for all of its prevention and cleanup efforts and we also thank our attentive community members for helping keep our community safe. You are an important aspect of communication for us, especially following a storm, to let us know if there are any problems that the City needs to respond to.

At the March 7 City Council meeting, Public Works staff will provide an update on the January storm damage to the City Council. The significant rainfall we had on January 9, 2023, caused flooding, damage to public rights-of-way, downed trees blocking sidewalks and streets, road closures, and disruption of public services. The storm prompted the County of Santa Barbara and the City of Goleta to declare a local emergency.

In the aftermath of the storm, City staff, along with consultants, have been assessing the damage to City property and infrastructure in order to make repairs and apply for any federal funding.

While several locations had storm damage, three of the largest were:

  • Jonny D. Wallis Neighborhood Park (170 S. Kellogg Ave in Old Town): There is an estimated 5.5-foot diameter sinkhole that is 36-inches deep. Granite Construction will be doing repairs in the coming weeks.
  • Ellwood Mesa Bluffs: The trail was eroded by the storm. Repair to the slope will begin after the rainy season for stability of equipment.
  • San Rossano Drive and Padova Drive Drain: There is a 36-inch-deep sinkhole near the curb drain inlet. Public Works staff has taken preventive measures by fencing off the damaged locations for public safety. A contractor will be secured soon to do repairs on the damaged area.

With another storm recently occurring in late February, and the possibility of more this season, staff will be monitoring the locations with damage, as well as checking for any new damage. We appreciate the public notifying us as well about problems in the City right-of-way so we can address those issues. Please use our online reporting system, City Assist, at www.CityofGoleta.org/CityAssist.

Funding Received for Ekwill-Fowler Project

The City of Goleta is pleased to share that the California Transportation Commission recently allocated $11.4 million of State Transportation Improvement Program funding to construct the Ekwill Street and Fowler Road Extensions Project (Ekwill-Fowler Project). This is the largest capital improvement project to date for the City, and it has been in the planning development stage for many years. This revenue, along with other City funding, allows the City to now advertise for construction bids, which the City anticipates occurring in late spring of this year.

The Ekwill-Fowler Project will construct a new road, the Ekwill Street extension, across Old Town Goleta from Kellogg Avenue to Fairview Avenue. It also extends existing South Street (and renames it Fowler Road) to Technology Drive. The new streets will have one travel lane in each direction, Class II bike lanes, sidewalks and landscaped parkways will extend along both roadways. In addition, the project will construct intersection capacity improvements (roundabouts) at the Pine Avenue intersection with Ekwill Street and at the Hollister Avenue and State Route 217 ramp intersections.

City of Goleta Public Works Director, Charlie Ebeling said, “The City has been working diligently over the last fifteen years to complete the project development and property acquisition phases of this very complex project and get the project ready for construction. The California Transportation Commission allocation represents a critical funding milestone towards the objective of starting construction in 2023.”

“Congratulations to the City of Goleta on their recent $11.4 million allocation by the California Transportation Commission for the Ekwill Street and Fowler Road Extensions Project,” said Marjie Kirn, Executive Director of SBCAG. “This significant investment in infrastructure by the state not only helps to improve safety on roads and bridges but will also enhance access for pedestrians and bicycles in the area. We look forward to seeing the positive impact of this investment in our community which has allowed for this much anticipated project with the City of Goleta to move forward.”

At the February 21, 2023, City Council meeting, Council awarded a professional services agreement to provide construction management for the project. Construction is expected to begin in late summer or fall 2023.

Learn more about the Ekwill-Fowler Project here. For questions, contact the contract Project Manager, Gerald Comati, at gcomati@com3consulting.com.


Rendering of Hollister Avenue roundabouts at Route 217 interchange