Author Archives: Jaime Shaw

Piers 421

Recap: Platform Holly and Piers 421 Virtual Town Hall

The State Lands Commission (Commission) and the City of Goleta hosted a virtual Town Hall on August 27 to update the community, policymakers, and others about the status of the Platform Holly and Piers 421 decommissioning projects.  Mayor Pro Tempore Kyle Richards welcomed attendees and thanked them for participating. He emphasized the importance of these projects and noted that they are emblematic of California’s shift away from fossil fuels and toward clean energy. 

The Commission’s Executive Officer, Jennifer Lucchesi, summarized the purpose of the Town Hall and introduced Jeff Planck, the co-project manager, who gave an overview of the progress to date, status update, and next steps. Jeff explained that the well plug and abandonment work is paused because of the pandemic, and that this will delay the eventual decommissioning (platform removal). Jeff also explained that the Commission is proceeding with preliminary work to decommission the PRC 421 onshore piers. 

The Town Hall also included questions from the community. Questions were about the anticipated timing for decommissioning Platform Holly, costs, and other project elements. 

In case you missed the meeting, it is being rebroadcast on Channel 19 on Thursdays and Fridays at 1:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. You can also watch a recording on the City’s website at https://tinyurl.com/y6cnbwsx. A copy of the presentation is available here.  To sign up to receive information as the project progresses go to www.slc.ca.gov and go to E-list and sign up for Platform Holly.

Background
In 2017, Venoco quitclaimed its Platform Holly and Ellwood Beach pier leases, ending oil and gas production in state waters in the Santa Barbara Channel and returning operational control to the State Lands Commission. The Commission, together with its contractor, Beacon West Energy Group, has been ensuring the security and safe daily operations and maintenance at Platform Holly and the Ellwood Onshore Facility since that time. The plug and abandonment work on Platform Holly, a precursor to decommissioning Platform Holly, began in October 2019 following the plug and abandonment of the onshore Piers. 

Pictured: Piers 421

Coastal Commission to Review Long-Awaited Fire Station 10 Project

The City of Goleta is very pleased to report that the California Coastal Commission (CCC) will consider the long-awaited Western Goleta Fire Station 10 project at their virtual video and teleconference meeting on September 10, 2020. CCC staff have recommended that the CCC approve the City’s Coastal Development Permit (CDP) application with special conditions. The meeting begins at 9:00 a.m. and can be watched on the Live Stream. View the application and summary of the staff recommendation in the agenda, found here: www.coastal.ca.gov/meetings/agenda/#/2020/9.

Upon learning the good news, Goleta Mayor Paula Perotte said, “We are thrilled to reach another big milestone in the development of Fire Station 10. This new station will help our fire department to provide significantly better response times for fire suppression and emergency medical assistance to areas of Western Goleta and beyond.”

Goleta’s Director of Neighborhood Services & Public Safety, Vyto Adomaitis added, “Fire Station 10 is an important public safety facility that will greatly benefit the residents of Goleta and enhance the levels of fire protection for our community. We are extremely pleased with this news and look forward to the continued collaborative work with Coastal Commission staff to reach approval of the City’s CDP application.”

Following CDP approval, construction documents for Fire Station 10 will be finalized for City Council authorization to go out to bid.

The Fire Station 10 project consists of the design and construction of a new three-bay, single-story fire station, approximately 11,600 square feet in size, with associated landscaping and appurtenant facilities on a City-owned parcel located at 7952 Hollister Avenue, across from the Sandpiper Golf Course. It has long been documented that fire service in Western Goleta does not meet the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) guidelines for emergency response time and population to firefighter ratio. A new fire station is needed in Western Goleta to provide adequate fire protection services.

The Goleta City Council approved the project in December 2018. However, because the subject site is in the Coastal Zone, a Coastal Development Permit (CDP) issued by the California Coastal Commission is required. The City submitted a CDP application in January 2019, and after completing additional studies requested by CCC staff, the City learned in February 2020 that the CDP application has been deemed complete.

Learn more about the Fire Station 10 Project here: http://tinyurl.com/GoletaFS10.

Pictured: Rendering of Fire Station 10

Traditional Design Selected for the Future Goleta Train Depot

The Goleta City Council unanimously selected the “Traditional Theme” train depot building design over the “Sunrise” and “Schooner” at a Special City Council meeting held in August. The “Traditional” design takes inspiration from Goleta’s agricultural history as well as the historic nature of many of the historical train depots found throughout California, including Goleta’s historic depot that now serves as the home of the South Coast Railroad Museum.

Mayor Paula Perotte said, “This sets an important milestone for what will be a Goleta landmark project when completed. With the Council’s selection of the “Traditional Theme,” the design team can focus its efforts on one building design and really delve deeper into more of the details that will comprise the depot building and enhance the train station area.”

Vyto Adomaitis, Department of Neighborhood Services & Public Safety Director, added “Staff are very pleased with the progress being made on this important project through a collaborative public outreach effort and coordinated project team approach and look forward to returning to the City Council in October to review the proposed public improvements for La Patera Lane that will greatly enhance pedestrian, bicyclist and vehicular safety for our community.”

The Goleta Train Depot will be a full-service multi-modal train station next to the existing Amtrak platform on South La Patera Lane. By creating a full-service station, the City hopes to increase train ridership, improve connections to bus transit, accommodate transit service to/from the Santa Barbara Airport and UCSB, and add new bicycle and pedestrian facilities. This project will also allow accommodation for future additional train storage, supporting increased commuter rail needs. Learn more about the Goleta Train Depot project at https://tinyurl.com/GoletaTrainDepot.

Prior to the Special City Council Meeting, the City conducted extensive outreach to find out what the community wanted in a train depot. Outreach included a survey which more than 1,100 people completed. The community was asked to review a slide deck featuring the design concepts, site plan, building floorplan layout and three roadway designs and then provide feedback on what they saw as well as important amenities they wanted to see in the building and roadway improvements.

The survey resulted in the following percentage of 1st choice votes for the building design themes: 53.75% for the “Traditional,” 27.68% for the “Sunrise”, and 21.48% for the “Schooner.” A community meeting via Zoom was also held as part of the community outreach.

“A critical part of the Goleta Train Depot project has been, and continues to be, community engagement. City staff continues to receive phone calls and emails from the public expressing their preferences and desires for the project. The public’s input on the project is vital to ensuring we deliver a train depot that is not only functional and aesthetically pleasing, but also results in an iconic gateway structure that will stand the test of time,” said Jaime Valdez, Principal Project Manager in the Neighborhood Services and Public Safety Department.

The Train Depot will return to City Council in October to discuss the South La Patera Lane roadway improvements. View the staff report from the August 5 Special City Council meeting here: https://tinyurl.com/y48a45rm.

Background

The City of Goleta was awarded a $13 million grant for the Goleta Train Depot in partnership with Santa Barbara County Association of Governments (SBCAG) in 2018. The City and SBCAG sought grant funds from the Transit & Intercity Rail Capital Program (TIRCP) to meaningfully improve passenger experience. The project centers around the City of Goleta’s purchase of the old Direct Relief International warehouse, which allows the City to redevelop the property to create a welcoming train station for travelers to the region as well as an enhanced experience for our community members as they travel to and from Goleta.

For further information regarding this project, please contact Jaime Valdez, Principal Project Manager, at 805-961-7568 or jvaldez@cityofgoleta.org.

Pictured: Rendering of Traditional Theme Goleta Train Depot design

Fairview Avenue / US 101 Intersection Sidewalk Infill Project Breaks Ground on September 8

Pedestrian and bicyclist safety along Fairview Avenue near the US Highway 101 Intersection will soon improve following the completion of a project set to break ground on September 8, 2020. 

The Fairview Avenue / US 101 Intersection Sidewalk Infill Project will construct new sidewalk to fill the sidewalk gap along the north side of S. Fairview Avenue leading to the signalized intersection at the northbound US 101 off-ramp. The project also includes reconstruction of existing sidewalk necessary to conform to the existing bicycle and pedestrian ramp connecting Fairview Avenue and Calle Real. The City secured Measure A grant funding for the project and is excited to start construction. The City awarded the project to Lash Construction, and MNS Engineers will be providing construction oversight for the City. The project is expected to take approximately one month to complete. A map showing the location of construction is provided.

City staff will be working with the contractor to minimize impacts to the public, however a lane closure for southbound traffic on S. Fairview Avenue and re-routing pedestrians will be needed in order to construct the project improvements. We appreciate your patience with the street and sidewalk disruption while we construct these improvements.

Goleta Public Works Director Charlie Ebeling said, “When the Sidewalk Infill Project is complete, the connectivity of sidewalk access will improve safety for the over 100 pedestrians and bicyclists per day traveling along Fairview Avenue. We are pleased the community will be able to enjoy the improvements for years to come.”

If you have any questions or would like additional information please contact City Construction Manager, Debbie Talarico at dtalarico@cityofgoleta.org.

 Pictured: Fairview Avenue/US 101 Intersection Sidewalk Infill Project Location Map (above) and Fairview Avenue/US 101 Location Photo (top right)

Old Town Sidewalk Project Final Paving Work

The City’s Old Town Sidewalk Improvement Project is nearing the finish line. The final asphalt grind and pavement overlay work was recently completed. Thank you to everyone impacted by this work for their cooperation and patience. The next step is to paint the striping on the streets which is scheduled for September 8. The striping work is expected to take one day to complete.

City of Goleta Senior Project Engineer James Winslow said, “The Public Works Department is very pleased with the success of the Old Town Sidewalk Project and excited to announce that the project will be completed ahead of schedule and under budget. Completing the work early is a huge benefit to the residents and community.”

Additional project information, including a map of the asphalt grind and overlay phasing, can be found on our City website at https://tinyurl.com/GoletaOTSW.

The utilities – Southern California Edison, Cox Communications, and Frontier Communications – still need to relocate their poles and equipment in some of the project areas. The contractor will return to finish pouring the sidewalks in these utility areas. For questions, please contact sidewalks@cityofgoleta.org or call the Construction Inspector, Daniel Anderson, at 805.869.3727.

Background

The 9031 Old Town Sidewalk Improvement project includes constructing sidewalk on at least one side of each street north of Hollister Avenue between South Fairview Avenue and Mallard Avenue as well as on Pine Avenue south of Hollister Avenue. The new sidewalks will connect to existing sidewalk providing a continuous path of travel. There will also be drainage improvements, tree replacements, repaving, and the construction of 39 back-in angled parking spots on Magnolia Avenue (for a net increase of approximately 17 new parking spots). Watch this video to learn more about the project.

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.

Pictured: New paving, and paving in progress, on Mandarin Avenue in Old Town

Less than Month Left to Make Goleta Count in the 2020 Census!

Come visit us at the Farmers Market on Sunday, September 13

We have less than one month left to make sure all of Goleta is counted in the 2020 Census. The closing date has been moved up to September 30, and we still have approximately 25% of households that need to respond. We need your help to get as close as we can to 100% participation. You can complete the census online at My2020Cenus.gov or over the phone or by calling 844-330-2020.

Mayor of Goleta Paula Perotte said, “We need to do everything possible to obtain Goleta’s fair share of vital health and safety services funding from Federal, State and County governments. For the next 10 years such funding will be based on the total number of Goletans counted by the September 30, 2020 deadline!”  She continued, “Census information is not shared with any other agency and completing the form for everyone in a household takes less than 10 minutes. Please be counted.”

We are also pleased to share that every Wednesday in September from 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., Equalitech is providing computer stations for community members to complete their census online. This will be a great asset for those that do not have access to a computer or internet. Equalitech staff are Bilingual and will be available to answer questions about the census. Equalitech is located in Room 13B in the back of the Goleta Valley Community Center (5679 Hollister Avenue). If you go, please follow COVID-19 health guidelines – wear a face covering and stay six feet apart from others.

Also, come visit us at the Camino Real Farmers Market on Sunday, September 13, from 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. We will be there to answer questions about the census and pass out Make Goleta Count swag. Look for the large California Census digital truck parked at the Camino Real Marketplace.  Again, COVID-19 guidelines will be followed.

As a reminder, now that Census workers are going door to door to contact households who have not responded, the City wants to remind the community to be aware of potential scams.  Census workers, who are hired locally, all have a census ID and briefcase with the census logo, and wear a protective mask and gloves. Their ID can be verified online at www.census.gov/cgi-bin/main/email.cgi.

Learn more about the 2020 Census at www.CityofGoleta.org/Census2020. The City of Goleta is proud to be a part of the Complete Count Committee which is working together to make sure EVERYONE counts in Santa Barbara County.

Fire Hazards Reduced Along Highway 101

The City of Goleta is pleased to report that fire hazards along the US Highway 101 corridor between Los Carneros Road and Fairview Avenue are greatly reduced following a two week-long project. Caltrans crews removed more than 60 tons of underbrush and cleared paths for emergency responders to have access in case of an emergency. The work started on July 27, 2020 and wrapped up on Friday, August 7, 2020. In addition to clearing brush and dead vegetation, crews also trimmed trees and pruned remaining tree canopies. In all, ten full 40-cubic yard roll off containers were hauled off. 

The build-up of dense vegetation, trash and debris through the corridor has been a source of great concern, especially after several homeless encampment associated fires in the area last month. 

City of Goleta Mayor Paula Perotte said, “We are so grateful to Caltrans crews for the hard work they put in the last two weeks to address this important public safety concern. While much progress was made there is still more work that needs to be done. We will continue close coordination efforts with our allied agencies to do everything we can to ensure the safety of the entire community.”

The City wants to thank motorists impacted by delays on US Highway 101 for their patience during the course of the project. In addition to Caltrans, we also want to acknowledge our collaborative partners including California Highway Patrol, Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office, Santa Barbara County Fire, Marborg Industries and the California Conservation Corps.  

Pictured: Caltrans crew removing a 40-cubic yard roll off container filled with debris and vegetation.

Dos Pueblos High School Class of 2020 Resiliency Mural Now Complete

The Dos Pueblos High School Foundation recently announced the completion of the Class of 2020 Resiliency Wall. The 264 square foot mural incorporates 466 student tiles, as well as the school crest, the year, and “We are Resilient” (an homage to the “We are DP” school slogan). The plaque next to the mural reads: “Dedicated to the Class of 2020 who showed their resiliency and strength during the COVID-19 Pandemic. We are DP!”

Over Memorial weekend, graduating seniors were each given a 6”x6” tile to design like a flying graduation cap (the mural captures the mortarboard toss, a graduation tradition the Class of 2020 missed out on). Volunteers painted caps with names on them for those who couldn’t participate so all graduated would be represented.

Principal Bill Woodard stated, “Seeing the beautiful mural come to fruition was a wonderfully emotional moment – symbolizing our school coming together to overcome the challenges of last spring to celebrate the class of 2020. I want to thank the DPHS Foundation for spearheading the efforts which will be a lasting legacy to the class of 2020!”

“The Dos Pueblos community really stepped up to make this project a reality. We raised over $10,000 in less than two weeks. In addition, Tileco donated over 1,000 tiles, local artist Scott Boger painted the crest and lettering, Eliesa Bollinger, our high school ceramics teacher, spent the summer firing tiles, and local craftsmen and alumni, Clayte Robinson and Jorge Lorca, did the installation” stated Rechelle Ringer, DPHS Foundation board member and parent of a 2020 graduate, “We had staff, parents, students and community members all working on different aspects and the end result is a lasting tribute to the class, the school and the community. We couldn’t be more pleased with the results.”

The Foundation still plans to do a ribbon-cutting celebration with the graduating class when it is safe to do so. In the meantime, the mural may be viewed on the south wall of the high school gymnasium.

Dos Pueblos High School Foundation www.dphsfoundation.org.

Goleta ReStart Loans Available for Small Businesses

The City of Goleta has collaborated with Women’s Economic Ventures (WEV) to provide a loan program specifically for Goleta-based small businesses. Goleta ReStart Loans up to $25,000 are available to help Goleta-based businesses reopen and adapt to operating under proper public health guidelines due to COVID-19. 

Goleta ReStart Loans from WEV will provide capital to Goleta-based businesses who are now open or eligible to open under the most current government orders (subject to change based on updated orders) related to COVID-19. 

“Business owners consistently say community support is a key factor in sustaining their resolve through the pandemic,” shared WEV CEO Kathy Odell.  “Our ReStart Loans will provide the capital necessary to retain employees, modify business practices and acquire new equipment and/or supplies required for safe re-opening.  Additionally, ReStart Loan recipients are eligible to receive business advisory services from WEV.”

Learn more about WEV’s Goleta ReStart Loans (in English and Spanish) here: www.wevonline.org/loans-2/restart/.

COVID-19 Testing Site Now Open at Goleta Valley Community Center

A State-operated COVID-19 testing site is now open at the Goleta Valley Community Center (5679 Hollister Avenue). The State-operated testing site that was located at the Earl Warren Showgrounds has moved to the Goleta Valley Community Center. Testing services began on September 3, 2020, at the new GVCC site. Testing appointments can be made online at https://lhi.care/covidtesting or by calling (888) 634-1123.

“We are very pleased with this move to the Goleta Valley Community Center. This location offers residents of Goleta and Isla Vista expanded testing opportunity by proximity to, and ease of access by public transportation,” said Van Do-Reynoso, Santa Barbara County Public Health Director.

Goleta Valley Community Center Acting General Manager Charlie Johnson said, “We are in difficult stressful times, times where flexibility and compassion can go a long way to making things better.  The Goleta Valley Community Center Board of Directors and staff are proud to do our part. While the Center remains closed to the public, our location is in the heart of Old Town Goleta and is easily accessible. We are pleased to have the City of Goleta’s support for this important outreach.” 

The testing being conducted is intended to identify if an individual currently has the COVID-19 virus. When considering getting a test, the Santa Barbara County Public Health Department (PHD) recommends asking yourself the following questions. If the answer is yes to any of these questions, then you should get tested.

  • Do you work in a high-risk environment for the transmission of COVID-19?
  • Are you an essential worker?
  • Do you live or work in a congregate setting?
  • Have you had close contact with an individual who has been recently confirmed as having COVID-19?
    • Close contact is about 15 minutes, in a closed room less than six feet apart.
  • Have you been experiencing any symptoms of illness, different than seasonal allergies?
    • Cough, runny nose, fatigue, headaches, sore throat, loss of taste, nausea, etc.
  • Has a Public Health Department employee told you to get tested?

If you cannot answer yes to any of these questions, you are at lower risk for contracting COVID-19 and are not advised to be tested at this time.

The Goleta Valley Community Center is located at 5679 Hollister Ave, Goleta, CA 93117. Testing is by appointment only. For more information about COVID-19, please visit www.publichealthsbc.org.

Free testing for essential workers is now available in Santa Barbara County. Call 805-705-7279 for more information and to make an appointment.

Pictured: Goleta Valley Community Center