Author Archives: Jaime Shaw

Goleta Strategic Energy Plan Workshop

Join us in building Goleta’s clean energy future! The City of Goleta, in partnership with the County of Santa Barbara and the City of Carpinteria, invites you to attend our Strategic Energy Plan Workshop on May 15. We will be sharing updates on the project’s progress and reviewing the key points in Goleta’s Draft Strategic Energy Plan. The goal of this workshop is to identify community priorities and the best strategies to reach Goleta’s 100% renewable energy goal. There will also be opportunities for questions and discussion.

What: Strategic Energy Plan Workshop will explore:

  • Community goals and priorities in energy planning
  • Best fit strategies for the City of Goleta’s 100% renewable energy goals and resilient energy needs

When: Wednesday, May 15, 5:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.

Where: Goleta Valley Community Center, Room #6 (5679 Hollister Avenue)

RSVP: Space is limited, please RSVP here.

View the event flyer here.

The City of Goleta’s draft Strategic Energy Plan is available for review here. We need your valuable input to help identify the best strategies to ensure equitable community access to clean energy and its benefits. Visit the project page on the City’s website for more information.

If you have any questions about this project or the upcoming workshop, please email sep@cityofgoleta.org.

Provide Input on the City’s Historic Preservation Ordinance

The City has begun the next phase of our Historic Preservation Project – developing a Historic Preservation Ordinance. We are seeking community input on relevant topics necessary to shape the content of future regulations, such as:

  • Identification of eligibility criteria and process to list and delist a historic resource
  • Development of regulations associated with historic properties including archaeological resources

Come to an upcoming Planning Commission meeting at Goleta City Hall Council Chambers (130 Cremona Drive, Suite B) to provide input. Discussions will be part of regular Planning Commission agendas. Dates and anticipated topics are as follows:

  • May 13, 6:00 p.m.: Discussion of general provisions and those related to the built resources
  • June 24, 6:00 p.m.: Discussion of issues related to cultural and archaeological resources

Background – Historic Preservation Project

Working with a consultant team from Historic Resources Group, the Historic Preservation Project consists of the creation of a comprehensive Citywide Historic Context Statement and a Citywide Historic Resources Survey to create an inventory of historic resources in the City. The purpose of a historic context statement is to place built resources in the appropriate historic, social, and architectural context so that the relationship between area’s physical environment and its broader history can be established.

More information and materials regarding the Historic Preservation Project, including the latest version of the Context Statement, are accessible on the City’s website at www.historicgoleta.org.

 

Have a Say in Goleta’s New Train Station!

Goleta is getting a new train station and we want to hear from you! Come to an open house on the Goleta Train Station Area Master Plan May 2 or May 8 at 6:00 p.m. to find out more about proposed improvements. Join us to learn about the status and limits of the proposed Master Plan, share your insights, and help us understand your priorities and concerns. View the flyer here.

Thursday, May 2
6:00 – 7:30 p.m.
City of Goleta Council Chambers
130 Cremona Drive, Suite B

Wednesday, May 8
6:00 – 7:30 p.m.
Goleta Valley Community Center
5679 Hollister Avenue

The City is developing a new 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 new train station here. Sign up for updates via email or text here.

Fire is Everyone’s Fight: Fire Safety for Older Adults

The U.S. Fire Administration recently focused on older adult fire safety. This is important for all ages, because whether or not you are over 65, you probably know someone who is. People over age 65 are twice as likely to die in a home fire, and the risk of injury in a fire also increases with age. Watch this video and see below for fire safety tips for both older adults and their caregivers:

  • Know two ways out of each room. Keep these exits clear.
  • Make sure everyone is able to get outside if the smoke alarm sounds.
  • If you use a walker or wheelchair, check all exits to be sure that you can go through the doorways.
  • If you can’t hear your smoke alarm, consider getting one that has a different sound or one that comes with a bed shaker or strobe light.
  • Discuss your fire escape plan with family and neighbors. Contact your building manager or fire department to discuss your plan if you need extra help escaping.
  • Keep wheelchairs, eyeglasses hearing aids and a telephone next to your bed.
  • Caregivers should check the smoke alarms of those who are unable to do it themselves.
  • Never smoke around medical oxygen.
  • Use a timer to remind you that you are cooking.

Visit www.usfa.fema.gov/prevention for more information on fire prevention.

Hop on the Goleta Bunny Express!

Hop aboard the South Coast Railroad Museum’s Goleta Bunny Express! The event is Saturday, April 20, from 11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. at 300 N. Los Carneros Road. This family-friendly event includes a photo booth, craft station, Thomas the Tank Engine bounce house, real life fuzzy bunnies from Bunnies Urgently Needing Shelter (BUNS), guided tours of the Historic Goleta Depot, rides on miniature locomotives (for all ages) and more fun surprises! The Museum is also excited to announce that thanks to the community’s fundraising efforts, they have purchased a new Titan Train Engine which will debut at the event with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Tickets are $5 and include one ride on the miniature locomotive. For more updates, view the South Coast Railroad Museum’s Event Page on Facebook. 

The City of Goleta Needs You!

Looking for a new way to get involved? Join the City of Goleta’s Design Review Board or Public Tree Advisory Commission!

The Design Review Board (DRB) is looking for a Licensed Landscape Professional (Landscape Architect or Landscape Contractor). The DRB is a seven-member body whose responsibility is to encourage development exemplifying the best professional design practices in order to enhance the visual quality of the environment and prevent poor quality of design. Meetings are held the second and fourth Tuesdays of each month at 3:00 p.m., compensation is $50 per meeting.

The Public Tree Advisory Commission (PTAC) is geared towards those with an interest or experience in urban forestry and landscaping. PTAC provides advice to staff and the City Council in developing plans and goals for the Goleta Urban Forest, represents the interests of the community and informs the community of the Urban Forestry program as directed by the City Council. Applicants must live within City limits. Meetings are held as-needed and compensation is $50 per meeting.

If you are interested in one of these great opportunities, apply here by Thursday, April 11 at 5:00 p.m. For additional information, contact Deborah Lopez, City Clerk, at cityclerkgroup@cityofgoleta.org or (805) 961-7505.

Spring Library News

Have you seen the refreshed Library website? It’s the same great content but with a new look. Check it out at www.GoletaValleyLibrary.org. You can get the latest Library news by visiting the website or following the Library on Facebook (@GoletaValleyLibrary). You can also subscribe here for the Library’s e-newsletter, the Reading Corner.

The Library’s Book to Action program is happening now and centers on the book “Ocean Country” by Liz Cunningham. The author was an avid surfer who was temporarily paralyzed in a surfing accident, leading to constant illness and depression. In order to cope, Ms. Cunningham decided to travel the world, finding out what different communities were doing to combat ocean pollution. The Library is giving away free copies of the book and hosting numerous activities from now until mid-June. Get the complete activity list here.

Last year around this time, the Library began re-barcoding its collection of 78,000 items to be ready for the City of Goleta to take over management on July 1, 2018. We need your help again! On July 1, 2019, the City of Goleta and Goleta Valley Library will be taking over management of the Buellton and Solvang Libraries and their (much smaller) collections need to be re-barcoded as well. If you are interested in helping, please contact Library Director Allison Gray at 805-562-5502 or agray@cityofgoleta.org. 

Are You In the Zone?

We have been taught in this area to prepare for fires and earthquakes, now we want to talk about tsunami safety. Any coast is vulnerable and Tsunami Preparedness Week which just occurred (March 25 – 29) wants to make sure you know how to protect yourself should a tsunami occur:

  • Protect yourself during local earthquakes by doing Drop, Cover and Hold On
  • Go to high ground or inland
  • Stay there!

The Santa Barbara County Office of Emergency Management has put together a tsunami map so you can find out if you are in the zone. Even if you do not live or work in the zone, it’s important for everyone to be prepared, as parts of Santa Barbara County are in the tsunami zone.

A tsunami is one of the most powerful and destructive natural forces. It is a series of extremely long waves (multiple waves tens-to-hundreds of miles between crests) caused by a large and sudden displacement of the ocean. Tsunamis radiate outward in all directions from the point of origin and can move across entire ocean basins. When they reach the coast, they can cause dangerous coastal flooding and powerful currents that can last for several hours or days (source: NOAA / National Weather Service). Check out this short video from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) on tsunami’s and how to prepare and stay safe while one is occurring.

More information is available at The Tsunami Zone and the NOAA / National Weather Service U.S. Tsunami Warning System FAQs.

Deltopia Parking Restrictions Reminder

Deltopia, Isla Vista’s unsanctioned street party, is expected to take place this Saturday, April 6. The City’s temporary parking permit program for residents will be in affect over the weekend in the following area to minimize the impacts of the event: Hollister Avenue to the southern City limit (Whittier Drive), from Cannon Green Drive (including the cul-de-sac streets on the west side of Cannon Green Drive) to Storke Road.

Those in the neighborhoods most affected were sent two parking permits in the mail. If you live in that area and have not received your permits yet, please come to City Hall at 130 Cremona Drive, Suite B, BEFORE noon on Friday, April 5, with proof of address. Vehicles parked on the street without permits will be cited and towed at the owner’s expense. Residents are also encouraged to park in their garages or driveways, where no permit is needed. Residents with valid permits will be able to park on the streets in this area from 7:00 p.m. on Friday, April 5th to 7:00 a.m. Saturday, April 6th and 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, April 6th to 7:00 a.m. Sunday, April 7th. (Should Deltopia move to the following weekend, the restrictions will be in place from 7:00 p.m. on Friday, April 12th to 7:00 a.m. Saturday, April 13th and 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, April 13th to 7:00 a.m. Sunday, April 14th.)

View a map and frequently asked questions at: https://tinyurl.com/goletatempparking.

Award Winning Capital Improvement Projects

The City of Goleta is excited to share that two of our Capital Improvement projects have won Project of the Year Awards from the American Public Works Association (APWA) Central Coast Chapter! The Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan won the 2018-19 Project of the Year in the Special Studies <$2 million category, and the Hollister Avenue Class I Bike Path / Multi-Purpose Safe Route to School project was Project of the Year runner-up in the Transportation $2-5 million category (its third award).

The Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan is the future of biking and walking in Goleta. It aims to expand and improve the pedestrian and bicycle network in the City of Goleta making it easier to walk and bike around town. The BPMP also promotes public health by encouraging people to walk and bike, reduces automobile usage and fuel consumption, and promotes transportation equity. Learn more at https://tinyurl.com/GoletaBPMP.

The Hollister Avenue Class I Bike Path/Multi-Purpose Path is a 14-foot wide concrete path along Hollister Avenue from Pacific Oaks Road to Ellwood Elementary School. It makes travel to and from the school more accessible for students living in the area, and also serves UCSB students, recreational riders and commuters. The path promotes active and sustainable transportation for all. More information is available at https://tinyurl.com/HollisterClassI.