VILLAGE BEAT (Continued from page 6) area that was heavily impacted during the 1/9 debris flow. The basin would be approximately eight acres on eight parcels, seven of which are owned by private property owners; the County has already acquired one of the parcels. The County also seeks to provide trail access, parking, and add native plantings as part of the project. The $21 million dollar project is heavily reliant on FEMA funding, which Flood Control manager Tom Fayram said is putting a fast track on approvals. Land Use Committee members brought up concerns including hazardous materials, air quality during construction, removal of fill and associated truck trips, and closures on East Valley Road/Highway 192. With 87,000 cubic yards of material being removed from the site, it will take more than 6,000 truck trips to haul material away, which could have significant impacts on local traffic. The project site will be screened on the East Valley Road side, and the project is expected to take eight months to complete, with working hours of 7 am to 4:30 pm Monday through Friday. The Land Use Committee will draft a letter with their concerns to be presented to the full Montecito Association Board of Directors next Tuesday, June 9. Representatives from the Montecito Sanitary District were also on the call to answer questions about the Mitigated Negative Declaration for their project, which includes a new essential services building and associated improvements, a recycled water facility, and solar panels to power the facility. In April, the District applied for an emergency permit to build a portion of the essential services building in response to the COVID-19 crisis, to provide better sanitation facilities for their essential workers; that permit was denied and now the District is going through the approval process for the entire project. General Manager Diane Gabriel reported that the Mitigated Negative Declaration will be voted on by the MSD Board next week, with hopes the project will be in front of the Montecito Planning Commission in the coming months. The new building will be built on a different portion of the five-acre campus, in order to abandon the access on Monte Cristo Lane and allow access on Channel Drive, and two water storage tanks will need to be built on land belonging to the Santa Barbara Cemetery, near the train tracks. These two projects, in addition to upcoming County Road repairs – 28 lane miles of road and the construction of a temporary bridge at Cold Spring Trailhead is beginning next week, paid for by settlement funds from California Edison in response to the Thomas Fire and debris flow – join other major projects slated for Montecito in the coming months and years, including 4 – 11 June 2020
Ablitt’s Fine Cleaners has partnered with the Bucket Brigade to wash and sort all donated masks; the Bucket Brigade volunteers have sewn over 16,000 masks since April
the Sheffield Drive interchange project and the roundabouts slated for Olive Mill Road and San Ysidro Road. “They are all hitting the queue at once,” said MA Executive Director Sharon Byrne, while clarifying that actual construction will likely be at different times. Fayram said preliminary site preparation on the Randall Road debris basin site could take place as early as this fall, with actual construction starting in April 2021. The roundabouts are slated for 2023-2027, with the Sheffield Drive interchange taking place in a similar timeframe. “These are six meaty, important projects that will affect Montecito infrastructure for years to come,” Byrne said. For more information, visit www.montecitoassociation.org.
Bucket Brigade Updates On Tuesday, June 2, fourth graders at Laguna Blanca Lower School held their Citizenship Event via Zoom. Usually held as a special breakfast on campus, the event is a culmination of curriculum taught in the fourth grade, focusing on good citizenship and leadership. Each year, students choose members of the community who exhibit the Six Pillars of Character, which include responsibility, respect, caring, fairness, trustworthiness, and citizenship. They then research the community member through interviews, and write a speech about them. On Tuesday, a special video was shown with the fourth graders talking about their chosen Citizens, which included Nick Riley, wildland firefighter; Dr. Brian Baumgartner, ENT specialist; Lynn Ahlberg, nurse; Lori Luhnow, Santa Barbara’s Chief of Police; Emma Gotwald-Wright, nurse; Tim Tunget, manager at Costco; and Dr. Jason Prystowsky, ER doctor. Keynote speaker at the heartwarming event was Abe Powell, founder of the Santa Barbara Bucket Brigade. Powell gave a brief presentation to the fourth graders on the Bucket Brigade, and how it came to be in 2018, following the 1/9 Debris Flow. “Our goal was to dig out one house. Just one. But then over one hundred more
neighbors started asking for help,” Powell said. “So then our goal was to help as long as we could,” he added. The organization, which is funded in part by private donation, continued its community involvement and work beyond the mudslide, in alignment with its mission statement. “We decided to keep helping, because the Bucket Brigade was created to prepare for and respond to natural disasters and community crises through volunteer training, coordination, and deployment,” he said, adding that the group of volunteers has grown to hundreds of people. During the pandemic, the Bucket Brigade has assembled a team of over 400 people who have sewed over 16,000 face masks; the Bucket Brigade’s goal is 30,000. Just last week, 15 volunteers showed up at 10 am at the Montecito Library parking lot to fill more than 100 big gift totes with food and personal-care items for the Friendship Center Adult Day Services. At noon, another dozen volunteers showed up in their vehicles to pick up the totes and deliver them to seniors who have been sheltering in place throughout the pandemic. The volunteer day was a partnership event between the Santa Barbara Bucket Brigade and the Friendship Center. After his address to the students, Powell answered several questions about the Bucket Brigade, and encouraged the fourth graders to become involved in volunteerism in their community. To learn more about the Bucket Brigade, visit www.sbbuck etbrigade.org. For more information about Laguna Blanca, visit www.lagu nablanca.org.
Teddy Bear Cancer Foundation Cancels Luncheon Teddy Bear Cancer Foundation is the only nonprofit organization in our community that provides financial, educational, and emotional support to local families who have a child with cancer. The organization also has a reputation for its signature events, as a way to raise much-needed funding. Their flagship event, the Gold Ribbon Luncheon held at Four Seasons, the Biltmore Resort Santa Barbara, historically gathers over 400 individuals to raise critical funds for families in the tri-counties battling pediatric cancer, and the event raises almost a third of their annual operating expenses. This year, however, TBCF had decided to forego the event entirely. “Our families are in dire situations right now, and we’ve made the decision to focus on serving them to our best ability right now,” said Eryn Shugart, Interim Executive Director. “Some of our families have lost their entire income, and many are in danger
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of going hungry… all while they’re caring for a very ill child. We just really need to focus on them right now, and not on planning our luncheon. Also, out of concern for the health of our supporters, we don’t believe that holding a large luncheon event would be appropriate, even if the orders are lifted.” This decision will inevitably result in an enormous budget shortfall, and TBCF is relying on support from their donor base now more than ever before. Teddy Bear Cancer Foundation will, however, continue their annual Gold Ribbon Campaign through the month of September in recognition of Pediatric Cancer Awareness Month. Gold is the official ribbon color for pediatric cancer and TBCF will be distributing gold ribbons in September to help spread awareness for their campaign. Fundraising for the campaign will focus on a USPS direct mail appeal, sponsorships, a raffle, and an online silent auction. Campaign sponsorships offer robust benefits including upgraded marketing and promotional opportunities ideal for businesses, and smaller sponsorship levels and gifts to encourage more participation from individuals and youth. Every sponsorship level will include a gift certificate to a local small business or restaurant as TBCF’s attempt to support the small businesses that have supported them over their 18-year history. “I feel really good about offering local restaurant gift cards to our campaign sponsors. We are also providing our sponsors with the option to donate the gift card directly to a TBCF family, should they prefer,” said Kirsten Stuart, Development & Communications Director. “TBCF is stable today because of the past participation of our small business community and it feels wonderful to be able to give back to them after so many years of support, especially now.” The campaign co-chairs are Eileen Dill and Brigitte Welty, who have previously served as luncheon co-chairs. Eileen and Brigitte will help oversee an online silent auction, raffle, and marketing of the campaign, and help to spread TBCF’s mission and message of hope. Last year, Teddy Bear Cancer Foundation provided critical financial aid to 55 local families and served a total of 851 individuals through their three core programs. Teddy Bear Cancer Foundation’s mission advocates for families living in the Ventura, Santa Barbara, and San Luis Obispo counties who have a child battling cancer by providing financial, emotional, and educational support. TBCF is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and has been serving the tri-counties since 2002. For information about TBCF’s mission or for sponsorship information, please contact Eryn Shugart at Eryn@ TeddyBearCancerFoundation.org. •MJ MONTECITO JOURNAL
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