Elings park development

[Kelly S]

On the news tonight there was a blurb about developing a community center and permanent BMX track at Elings park. It was filmed at the current training hill and even showed a paraglider launching. They said the environmental impact study would take about nine months.
Does anyone know if this means loosing the training hill there?

[Bobbie]

Here is a link to the City Parks and Recreation Commission meeting where you can watch the presentation given by Nancy Rapp, Park Dept. Head, and Bruce Giffin, representing Elings Park. http://santabarbara.granicus.com/MediaP ... a_id=31945

I found the presentation disturbing because not once was paragliding or hang gliding mentioned as an existing and long term use of the property. There are a number of facilities proposed for both sides of the park. On the undeveloped south side the proposal includes moving the BMX facilities from the Las Positas side to the Cliff Drive side, adding a climbing wall, disc golf course, lots of lights, 18 hole putting green and another parking lot.

The presentation hit hard on the need for more recreation fields and activities and stressed that they had done a tremendous amount of community outreach. (Anybody been contacted?) On this page http://www.santabarbaraca.gov/Governmen ... gendas.htm you can scroll to Agenda item 11 and the various attachments and see the proposal and maps. I encourage everyone to get educated about the project. I expect they will start the environmental review process within 2 months, then take six months to prepare the report.

I hope the SBSA Board or its designees meet with the Parks Department and the Elings Executive Director to become active players in this process.

Bobbie Bratz

[drwheeler]

Agenda item 11 attachment 2D (sheet 1.6) shows an "access road to hang gliding area" and doesn't show any development in the training hill area.

The BMX track is going to be moved adjacent to the current paved parking lot. Looks like not too much impact to the training area.

Reading through all the proposals it seems like the other side of the park is going to get a whole bunch of development and "undesirables" like the BMXers and the RC cars are getting kicked over to the South side. If I was a BMXer as well, I'd be more worried about the new BMX track getting dropped than losing the training hill.