SHIRLEY KIMBERLIN Everything I list turns to SOLD! 805-886-0228 skimberlin@aol.com
This week’s listings on the back page
Measure U money begins to flow
The first phase of school improvement projects using the $90 million in general obligation bond funding approved by Carpinteria voters in November 2014 have been nailed down. Projects span every campus and account for the first $20 million in funding, the amount of the first issuance of the bond that went into effect on Nov. 19. “These ‘anchor projects,’ as we call them, lay the foundation for future work and include improvements required by the Division of the State Architect,” stated Carpinteria Unified School District Superintendent Micheline Miglis. “The selected projects also have an immediate impact on all campuses and can be constructed within the next three years.” Miglis also commented that the school district has received a AA rating from Standard and Poor for financing. The projects are: replacement of student lockers at Carpinteria High School, which is scheduled to be completed by January; upgraded fire alarm, voice evacuation and PA systems at each campus; the replacement of portable classrooms at Carpinteria Middle School and Rincon High School; upgraded student restrooms at Aliso, Canalino and Carpinteria Family schools; upgraded kitchen/multipurpose room at Canalino and Carpinteria Family schools; upgraded gym and locker rooms at CHS; and new science classrooms at CHS. In order to decide on the projects and oversee future
MEASURE U continued on page 26
Feel the flow
ROBIN KARLSSON
Thanksgiving morning provided an opportunity for Tai Chi/Qigong practitioners to balance their qi on the beach. Local instructor Jessica Kolbe regularly leads beach classes in the ancient Chinese arts of moving meditation for wellness. Regular classes are Friday at 10 a.m., Saturday at 9:15 a.m. and a Monday sunset class at 4:15 p.m.
Campbell retires from Community Development directorship BY PETER DUGRÉ
When the wonkiness of zoning codes and planning technicalities suck the air out of City of Carpinteria Planning Commission meetings, oftentimes over the past decade Community Development Director Jackie Campbell has stepped up to the plate. She slices through esoteric planning language and clarifies it for commissioners and interested community members. Campbell is retiring from the city after 11 years as the head of the department that oversees development, municipal code compliance and animal control. Planning Commission Chairperson Jane Benefield commented that she’ll miss Campbell’s communication skills, particularly, “her ability to simplify complex matters in a few clear sentences.” Campbell, who stepped away from her post on Nov. 25, will officially retire mid-January and has handed the baton to Acting Community Development Director Steve Goggia, formerly a Senior Planner with the city. “What I’ll miss the most will be all the people here in Carpinteria,” said Campbell. Most immediately, she’ll spend her free time finishing her home at the tip
of Baja California. When Campbell was hired by the city in 2005, the Community Development Department was undergoing a massive turnover. She had worked at Santa Barbara County since the 1980s, and she brought on Goggia, who had worked with her at the county. Shortly after she took the position, Campbell also hired planner Shanna Farley-Judkins and Nick Bobroff. The two remain in the tight-knit department. Among the accomplishments Campbell considers most critical over her time at the city are the additions to the affordable housing stock provided by the development of the Dahlia Court expansion and Casas de las Flores. “They’re really important for the community,” she said. Her driving principles have been to be an approachable and responsible public servant. “I’ve always felt that government should be responsive to the public, and I hold the responsibility in high regard,” she said.
CAMPBELL continued on page 26
Community Development Director Jackie Campbell is retiring, and planner Steve Goggia will become Acting Director.