Author Archives: Jaime Shaw

Union Pacific Railroad Replacement Work Completed

During the month of January, Union Pacific replaced rail along railroad tracks in Goleta, Santa Barbara, Carpinteria, Ventura and Oxnard.  Work is necessary to maintain the safe operation of passenger and freight service. Approximately 40 miles of track were replaced along this corridor. 

Crews worked evenings from 9:30 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. This work could not be done during daylight hours due to passenger rail on this corridor, which could not establish bus-bridges due to the pandemic.

Union Pacific appreciates the community’s patience and support during this project. This work is critical for the continued safe operation of trains along this corridor.

Reminder about Insurance Coverage for Floods and Mudslides

With the recent storms, Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara is reminding Californians to review their current insurance policies in order to protect themselves and their assets.

Commissioner Lara urges consumers to take the following steps to prepare for the winter storm season:

  • Consider flood insurance in addition to their homeowners’ insurance policy. The Federal Flood Insurance Program currently provides the majority of flood coverage written in the state, but private flood insurance is also available.
  • Use their smart phone to perform a home inventory to create a record of their belongings and store scans of important documents that they can easily access.
  • Locate their insurance papers and put in a safe place or upload to an online location.
  • For renters, consider purchasing renters’ insurance to protect their personal belongings, which typically are not covered by their landlord’s homeowners policy.
  • Consider comprehensive auto insurance, which would protect their vehicle in the event of flood damage.
  • Visit the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (CalOES) “winter wise” web page to read more tips to prepare for winter weather.

Goleta Beach County Park Public Workshop Recording & Survey

Santa Barbara County Parks is planning for the future of Goleta Beach County Park in relation to sea level rise (SLR), coastal erosion, and the potential need to redesign, relocate, or remove Park facilities due to SLR and storm-related projected increasing damage to the Park over the long-term. Public input is essential on these changes and will help influence future decisions.

On January 28, 2021, a public workshop was held virtually and was well attended.  The project was introduced and followed by a Q&A session. The group discussed near-term and long-term options for Park planning that the County is considering. If you missed the workshop you can watch a recording here.

The Park plays an important role in recreational, environmental, and social equity values, as well as protection of essential local- and regional-serving utilities, State Route 217, regional access to UCSB, California Coastal Trail/Obern Regional Bike Path, and the Santa Barbara Airport.

The group is looking for more feedback. Please take the Goleta Beach Visitor Survey to provide input on coastal access and Park facilities you value most!

Goleta Beach County Park

UCSB Ellwood Marine Terminal Clean Up

Work to remove leftover contaminants from the Ellwood Marine Terminal tanks and associated pipelines occurred in mid-January. The Ellwood Marine Terminal is located on the University of California’s property just east of the City of Goleta’s Ellwood Mesa. The facility was part of Venoco, Inc.’s crude oil operation, but has not been used since 2012. The University has since taken the lead to ensure the facility is decommissioned and contaminants are removed. As part of this effort, the tanks were degassed and pressure washed, with all liquids removed by a vacuum truck. Contaminants were transported to a permitted disposal/recycling facility offsite.

The clean-up effort also included degassing a portion of the pipeline leading from the decommissioned tanks. Access to the pipeline took place at a vault located on City of Goleta property, at the southeastern portion of Ellwood Mesa. The project was permitted by the California Coastal Commission and included safety controls to prevent spills. The project did not involve any tree or vegetation removal and did not adversely impact any sensitive biological resources. Recent surveys determined no monarch butterflies or nesting birds are in the vicinity of the work. There was no grading, excavation, or ground disturbance to degas and remove sludge from the tanks and pipeline. Beach access and recreational trails at Ellwood Mesa remained open during the work.

Questions or concerns about this project can be directed to George Thomson, Parks and Open Space Manager at 805-961-7578 or gthomson@cityofgoleta.org.

Pictured: Ellwood Marine Terminal

Settlement Repair Work Completed on Cathedral Oaks Road

The City of Goleta is pleased to announce that the Cathedral Oaks Road Settlement Repair Project was successfully completed in January 2021, ahead of schedule. The project repaired the “dip” in the roadway located about 0.5 miles west of the Cathedral Oaks and Los Carneros intersection. Thank you to everyone for your patience during construction.

Charlie Ebeling, City of Goleta Public Works Director, said, “We are pleased that the dip on Cathedral Oaks Road has been repaired, and we are also happy to share the repair work was completed in less than a weeks’ time. The repair method was based on a thorough geotechnical investigation that ultimately showed that a relatively inexpensive method of leveling the roadway could be used. This method also had far less impacts on roadway users by shortening the construction duration.”

The Cathedral Oaks Road Settlement Repair Project consisted of injecting material treatment beneath the settled roadway to repair the “dip” and bring the roadway elevations back to level grade. The project did not include roadway asphalt surface repairs; this will be included in a future paving project after confirmation that roadway settling has been resolved.

The Cathedral Oaks Road Corridor is one of our primary roadways targeted for repair as part of our Pavement Management Program. Council recently approved construction for the section of Cathedral Oaks Road from Calle Real to Winchester Canyon and Cathedral Oaks Road from Alameda Avenue to Glen Annie Road. We hope to start construction in spring or summer of this year.

Pictured: Construction work on the Cathedral Oaks Road Settlement Repair Project

Hollister Avenue Old Town Interim Striping Project Authorized

The City of Goleta is initiating a new Capital Improvement Program (CIP) project which will take steps toward making Hollister Avenue in Old Town a “Complete Street.” At the January 19, 2021, City Council meeting, Council approved the new project and also approved using $70,000 from the Measure A fund balance to begin traffic and engineering analysis to develop the Conceptual Design for the new Hollister Avenue Old Town Interim Striping Project. Measure A funds can only be used to fund local transportation projects consisting of road repair, traffic relief and safety measures.

After hearing from staff and a considerable amount of public comment, Council directed staff to move forward with this top priority project. The Interim Striping Project includes reducing Hollister Avenue from four to two lanes in the Old Town corridor and adding Class II bike lanes. The goal is to create safe, convenient and comfortable travel and access for community members of all ages and abilities, regardless of their mode of transportation along Hollister Avenue in Old Town Goleta.

The Hollister Avenue Old Town Interim Striping Project came about due to the long timeline and lack of funding needed to construct the Hollister Avenue Complete Streets Corridor Project. The Hollister Avenue Complete Streets Corridor Project will enhance safety, access and mobility for all users (pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists and transit riders) on Hollister Avenue between Fairview Avenue and State Route 217.

The Interim Striping Project focuses on improvements to the Hollister Avenue corridor between Fairview Avenue and State Route 217 and will be used as a demonstration project looking at implementing improvements which were developed as part of the Complete Streets Corridor Study. The Interim Striping Project will focus primarily on restriping Hollister Avenue in Old Town Goleta as a two-lane roadway with bike lanes and provides an opportunity to gauge the effectiveness and safety of the identified changes before more permanent hardscape improvements are constructed. These other improvements such as sidewalk widening, new medians, landscaping, and other beautification elements also identified as part of the Complete Streets Corridor Project will be deferred to a future project.

Mayor Paula Perotte said, “We are excited to move forward with a study that will inform us on how to best proceed with The Hollister Avenue Interim Striping Project. This project would include re-striping Hollister Avenue to test the effects of reducing car lanes and gain more car parking and bike lanes.”

Charlie Ebeling, City of Goleta Director of Public Works, added, “The Interim Striping Project is a great first step in the process. This project will help us answer questions about what works and what doesn’t, when we are ready to move forward with the Hollister Avenue Complete Streets Project.”

With the action taken at the City Council meeting, Public Works will begin the analysis and scoping to develop the Conceptual Design for the Interim Striping Project. Staff will return to City Council to present a scope, budget, timeline and conceptual design for the striping changes before moving forward into the Design and Construction Phases. The City will continue to pursue the more permanent Hollister Avenue Complete Streets Corridor Project improvements and look for opportunities for funding.

The complete staff report is available here: https://tinyurl.com/yxt4a42j.

Pictured: Archive photo of Hollister Avenue in Old Town

Pedestrian Safety Improvement Project Underway

The City will soon have improved pedestrian safety at two intersections. Construction is underway and when complete there will be pedestrian activated Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons (RRFB’s) across Hollister Avenue at Chapel Street.  The installation will provide an additional visual cue to alert motorists when a pedestrian wishes to cross the street. The second location includes the installation of a pedestrian crossing signal over the Calle Real travel lanes at the intersection of Kingston Avenue, replacing the existing old style yellow flashing beacons. The project will also include new striping, signage, lighting, and the construction of new standard curb ramps.  Construction is anticipated to be completed by the end of April. 

City of Goleta Public Works Director Charlie Ebeling said, “The Department of Public Works is excited to be installing new pedestrian signalized crosswalks on Hollister Avenue near Goleta Cottage Hospital and Calle Real near the hotels, businesses, and residential areas. The City was awarded a Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) grant to improve the pedestrian safety at these two locations. We appreciate your patience during the construction period.” 

City staff is working with the contractor to minimize impacts to the public, however, the project will require the need to close travel lanes to complete the work. The contractor will be starting at the Hollister Avenue and Chapel Street location first and move to the Calle Real and Kingston Avenue location in early February. Traffic control will be in place with advance warning flashing boards. Delays are expected so please plan accordingly over the next couple of months while construction is occurring in these areas. Work will take place Monday – Friday from 7:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

If you have any questions, or would like additional information, please contact City Construction Manager Bill Callaghan, MNS Engineers, at bcallaghan@mnsengineers.com or 805.648.4840 ext. 3506.

Examples of the types of crossing signals:

Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons (RRFB) on Hollister Avenue at Orange Avenue

Pedestrian Hybrid Beacon (PHB) on Hollister Avenue at the Goleta Valley Community Center

Location Map

Thank You for Helping to Choose New LED Streetlights

Thank you to everyone who took time out to check out and choose from four different LED streetlights in western Goleta and take a survey. As part of a pilot study, the City of Goleta installed new Light-Emitting Diode (LED) streetlights in a small section of western Goleta to test different types of LED streetlights. The goal of the program is to evaluate and select one LED streetlight to be used for the City’s LED Street Lighting Project that will replace more than 1,300 High-Pressure Sodium (HPS) streetlight fixtures throughout Goleta with new energy efficient LED streetlights. The new lights will save the City money, require less maintenance, provide clearer lighting and are better for the environment.      

During the month of January, the public was invited to check out the fixtures on display in the Cannon Green Drive neighborhood along Davenport Road, Freeman Place, and Elmhurst Place and submit feedback via a survey

City staff is reviewing the survey comments and feedback, and will share them on our website here.

For questions or more information, contact City Project Manager Michael Winnewisser at mwinnewisser@cityofgoleta.org or (805) 690-5120.

Pictured: Photo of one of the  LED Streetlights installed for the pilot study.

Stow Grove Park Tree Maintenance Update & Video

Tree maintenance work at Stow Grove Park is scheduled to begin this month and will take approximately two weeks. Work was delayed from the end of January due to the recent heavy rains. As part of the City’s maintenance efforts, numerous dead trees in the redwood grove will be removed and reused for park amenities such as picnic tables and benches. City of Goleta Parks and Open Space Manager George Thomson takes you on a tour of the grove in this video https://youtu.be/WW0eO5POzCM.

“The Stow Grove Park redwoods are a unique and important part of Goleta’s urban forest and the upcoming maintenance work will ensure the grove will be enjoyed by future generations of park users,” said George Thomson.

To improve public safety and allow for new tree plantings, forty dead redwoods, one dead coral tree, and numerous dead pittosporum trees will be removed. Additional maintenance in the redwood grove will include updating the irrigation system and spreading mulch to improve water availability for the hundreds of mature redwoods originally planted in the 1930s. 

As part of the long-term maintenance plan for the grove, the City will also be planting approximately 75 young coastal redwoods and 25 incense cedars. In addition to the work planned for the redwood grove, approximately 40 trees along the eastern and southern perimeter of Stow Grove Park will be trimmed to remove dead branches and ivy. A consulting biologist will be performing wildlife surveys to ensure no impacts to wildlife occur during the work. 

The City’s Public Tree Advisory Commission reviewed the proposed work at their November 30, 2020, meeting. More details about the project are available in the staff report at https://tinyurl.com/y6v6p965.

Please contact George Thomson, Parks and Open Space Manager, at 805-961-7578 or gthomson@cityofgoleta.org with questions or concerns.

Pictured: Stow Grove Park

Watch Old Town Sidewalks Celebration Video

The City of Goleta encourages you to take time out to watch our Old Town Sidewalks Celebration Video. The $3.2 million project was recently completed on time and under budget. Typically we would have done a ribbon-cutting celebration to mark the project being finished, but due to the pandemic and restrictions on gatherings we have put together this video instead.  We hope you enjoy seeing the difference the new sidewalks and other improvements are making in Old Town Goleta.

Watch the video here: https://youtu.be/gjQNVeQ3RgM. It is also available in Spanish here: https://youtu.be/g-sGpPKs6Hg.

Pictured: (left to right) Project Manager James Winslow, Mayor Paula Perotte, and Public Works Director Charlie Ebeling celebrating the completion of the Old Town Sidewalks Improvement Project