CityofGoleta
By the City of Goleta
Excitement was in the air [Monday], June 12, as the City of Goleta broke ground on two projects in Old Town. Approximately 40 people gathered at Armitos Park to take part in the groundbreaking ceremony for the City’s first community garden.
Attendees heard about the project from the City’s Parks and Recreation Manager JoAnne Plummer and the Goleta City Council. After, the group walked together to neighboring Jonny D. Wallis Neighborhood Park to break ground on the City’s first splash pad.
In addition, the San Jose Creek Multi-Purpose Path adjacent to Jonny D. Wallis Neighborhood Park will be extended to Armitos Avenue, connecting the two parks and providing more connectivity throughout Goleta.
Mayor Pro Tempore Kyle Richards spoke about the community garden at Armitos Park and said, “I started with this project when I began on the Parks and Recreation Commission back in 2013. When completed, the community garden will provide a gathering place for people to congregate, spend time with their family, meet neighbors, and help combat food insecurity.”
District 1 Councilmember Luz Reyes- Martín added, “There is a lot of opportunity for connection here across generations and across the community.”
District 2 Councilmember James Kyriaco spoke about the splash pad at Jonny D. Wallis Neighborhood Park. He said, “This is an exciting day for Goleta. The splash pad has been in the works for a long time and fulfills our vision for a water feature to serve people of different ages and help them keep cool on hot days. I look forward to seeing this project completed this year!”
Councilmember Stuart Kasdin added, “The splash pad is a production of faith. When we were discussing what to do with the splash pad, there was no water available and nothing on the horizon. But we believed there would be water and we were willing to invest in the design and infrastructure for the splashpad, and I’m happy to say we are here today.”
The Community Garden will be constructed in the undeveloped area of Armitos park, south of the playground. There is so much to look forward to, the design includes 50 raised garden plots (10 large and 40 small), a picnic area with a pizza oven, a gathering/education area, tool sheds and more. The playground will also receive a refresh that includes the addition of swings, sand features and music elements.
The splash pad at Jonny D. Wallis Neighborhood Park will nestle between the basketball court and one of the picnic shelters. The park will also receive other upgrades, including additional fencing for basketball and pickleball, shade structures over the picnic areas by the soccer field and more. Once construction is complete, the basketball court will be resurfaced.
Construction fencing will be placed on each project site by next week. During construction, all of Armitos Park will be closed. Jonny D. Wallis Neighborhood Park will have portions of the park open as long as it is safe for the public. The portions of the park that will be closed include the basketball court, parts of the parking lot, the bocce and Bankshot courts, one of the covered picnic shelters and the chess/checker tables. Construction is anticipated to be completed in mid-October.
This sounds like a wonderful project – recreational opportunities for all!
However, has the City of Goleta addressed the needs of those who haven’t had the opportunity to learn to swim? Are all residents water safe? Does Goleta have any municipal pools? Lack of rainfall is not an excuse to neglect water safety instruction and aquatic opportunities for all, by the way.
I might have heard somewhere that the Goleta school district had provided swim lessons to all students of a certain age (something I would really like to see happen here in SB).
When my children were young, my family loved swimming at the UCSB Rec Cen, but I don’t think that this would be considered an opportunity for all. Is the Dos Pueblos Pool open to the entire community (with affordable entry), at least during the summer?
From a petition I created in 2021 regarding Ortega Park:
“The Master Plan and the status of the City’s Aquatics Facilities:
The plan fails to meet the basic needs of our community for an aquatic sports center while the City promotes splash pads where the ability to swim is not required”
Here is a link to the petition: https://www.change.org/p/sign-the-petition-for-better-aquatics-facilities-at-ortega-park-favor-de-firmar-la-petición-para-mejores-instalaciones-acuáticas-bilingüe