Parks & Rec 30-Year Master Plan in the Works

Hello, I just learned that the City of SB Parks & Rec Dept is developing a 30-Year Master Plan. There is currently a flyer posted on the bulletin board in the Los Baños locker room, and apparently the City is already conducting community outreach (?)

What concerns me is how few people in the aquatics community seem to be aware that this process is underway.

One question immediately came to mind: Could this Master Plan ultimately be used to justify eliminating plans for a pool at Ortega Park? I certainly hope not. But based on my past experience with City planning processes, I think it is a question worth asking—and worth paying attention to.

For those who may not remember, the City of Santa Barbara Aquatics Complex Feasibility Study, conducted in 2002, found that the City was providing only about 20% of the recommended pool space and identified the need for a major aquatics center. That need hasn't disappeared.

My experience dealing with Parks & Recreation from approximately 2021–2023 also left me with the impression that there was considerably more interest in expanding the community's skate park inventory than in addressing our significant shortage of aquatic facilities.

More broadly, my experience with the City of Santa Barbara is that when the City undertakes a formal planning process—particularly one that will establish an official long-term plan—they already have objectives that they will find justification to carry out.

This might be done by strongly publicizing community outreach to a select few and then going through minimal motions to create the appearance of reaching out to others (for example the aquatics community).

It is of vital importance for interested parties to be involved from the beginning. The direction of Parks & Rec will be impossible to influence once a plan has been developed.

The reality is that the only way a community can have meaningful influence over a process like this is to make sure the City hears from a large and organized number of people. A substantial, engaged special-interest community is much harder to overlook or dismiss.

And that brings me to Santa Barbara's extensive aquatics community.

Unfortunately, it is not yet clear to me how we are supposed to participate in this process. I have emailed Bronwyn Bradbury, the City's Project Planner, and am awaiting a response. I will share what I learn if I receive a response.

In the meantime, I encourage everyone who cares about aquatics in Santa Barbara to reach out as well and ask:

• How can the aquatics community participate in the Master Plan process?
• When and where will the community workshops be held?
• When will the citywide survey become available?
• How will community input be incorporated into the final Master Plan?
• Will the future of an aquatics facility at Ortega Park be specifically addressed?

Here is the information currently posted on the City's website:

Parks and Recreation Master Plan
Contact: Bronwyn Bradbury, Project Planner
BBradbury@SantaBarbaraCA.gov

The City of Santa Barbara is developing a Parks and Recreation Master Plan to shape the future of our parks, open spaces, recreation facilities, and community programs. With input from the community, the Master Plan will review our existing parks and recreation system, identify local needs, and establish a long-term vision for future projects and programming. This effort will also help ensure that park improvements are included in future budgets while strengthening opportunities to secure outside funding.

Help Shape the Master Plan
Community input will play a critical role in developing the Master Plan. Public outreach is currently underway as staff pop up in parks and at community events throughout the summer to hear from residents about their vision, needs, and priorities for Santa Barbara's parks, open spaces, recreation facilities, and community programs. 

Additional opportunities for public participation, including a citywide survey and community workshops, will be announced later this year (was this in 2025?). Sign up for email updates to stay in the know.

If aquatics matters to you, now is the time to get involved—not after the Master Plan has already been written.

Please share this with other swimmers, parents, coaches, instructors, water polo players, divers, aquatic professionals, and anyone else who believes Santa Barbara needs adequate aquatic facilities.