Open house to detail SBA Master Plan Update

By NEIL HARTSTEIN NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER

Santa Barbara Airport (SBA) is inviting the community to join an interactive Open House on the SBA Master Plan Update.

The Open House will be held Thursday, April 20, from 4-6 p.m. at the Santa Barbara Airport Administration Building, 601 Firestone Road.

The objective of the SBA Master Plan Update is to provide the community and public officials with proper guidance for future development, which will satisfy aviation demands and be wholly compatible with the environment. This project will update the 2017 SBA Master Plan and will focus on:

• Preparing for coming air service trends

• Promoting financial resiliency

• Addressing environmental challenges

• Involving stakeholders in the process

The Open House will provide community members an opportunity to discuss the Master Plan Update process and provide input. Airport staff and members of the consultant team will be available to take comments, answer questions, and discuss points of interest.

The SBA team looks forward to meeting with the community and hearing ideas.

Airport officials will also discuss the SBA Master Plan Update at the April 18 Santa Barbara City Council meeting, which is held in council chambers at City Hall, 735 Anacapa St., starting at 2 p.m.

The next day, the Airport Commission will provide the public with another chance to learn about the SBA Master Plan Update. The meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. April 19, in the Airport Administration Conference Room, 601 Firestone Road.

And on April 20, airport officials will present their SBA Master Plan Update at the Santa Barbara Planning Commission meeting, scheduled for 1 p.m. in council chambers on Anacapa Street.

By ANNIKA BAHNSEN NEWS-PRESS CORRESPONDENT

The students and supporters of Santa Barbara High School’s Visual Arts and Design Academy (VADA) eagerly awaited the press conference for the start of construction of the new VADA building on the morning of April 12.

“It is so much more than a building, but it is how we use this to launch our kids into their amazing futures,” exclaimed Daniel Barnett, the VADA Program Director.

The project has been in the works for seven years according to Mr. Barnett.

After many years of grant writing, donation collections and community support, in November of 2022, the Santa Barbara Unified School Board gave the thumbs up for the construction to begin. Santa Barbara High School’s VADA program is a four-year, career-technical educational program serving about 220 students. The program specializes in teaching students about the intersection of education in art within their respective artistic field of interest. The program specifically builds skills in a wide range of media, including both traditional and digital media, painting, drawing, printmaking, mixed media, graphic design and photography. Additionally, the program has a commitment to equitable access to education and training for high-demand skills. About half of the program’s students

To learn more, view the current SBA Master Plan documents, and sign up for future notifications on the topic, please visit FlySBA.com/MPU.

Santa Barbara Airport served more than 1.2 million passengers in 2022 and is leading California Airports in post-pandemic commercial service recovery. American Airlines, Alaska Airlines, Southwest Airlines, and United Airlines serve the airport with 20 daily departures to 10 non-stop destinations – Dallas, Denver, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Oakland, Phoenix, Portland, Sacramento, San Francisco, and Seattle.

SBA is a self-sustaining enterprise operated by the City of Santa Barbara. email: nhartsteinnewspress@gmail.com