TOMORROW!! See Parks & Rec Pop-up at Plaza del Mar Aug 30... Deliver message "PRIORITIZE AQUATICS!"
The Parks & Rec Dept is holding their final 30-year Master Plan community outreach pop-up at Plaza del Mar on Sunday, August 30 during the Prime Time Band performance, scheduled to begin at 2pm: https://www.ptband.org/concerts-and-events/summer-pops-at-the-pershing-park-2026
This is across the street from the Los Banos Pool.
Please show up and say "Santa Barbara needs more public pools!"
***The 2002 Aquatics Complex Feasibility Study found that the City of SB was providing only about 20% of the recommended public pool space given the population***
Q & A with Parks & Rec Director Jill Zachary:
- Have Parks & Recreation staff conducted any meetings with stakeholders regarding the Master Plan? Our outreach efforts have been initially focused on pop-ups in City parks and at special events. The purpose of the pop-ups is to begin to get the word out about the project.
- Which stakeholders have been contacted or invited to participate? Stakeholder and community engagement will begin in October. It will include 7 workshops at various locations around the city. Once we have a schedule of the meetings, it will be posted in all our facilities and distributed to our contact lists of stakeholders, facility users, including anyone that receives communications from the department (including Aquatics), via social media, etc.
- Could you tell me the time and place of future pop-up events? The final pop-up will be at Plaza del Mar on August 30 during the Prime Time Band performance.
- Could you detail when/where the workshops will be held, and which stakeholders will be involved? They have not yet been scheduled. The information will be publicly available in September.
JZ also said, "Thank you for your perspective on the aquatics needs for our community. The results of the community survey will likely lead to further evaluations and the prioritization of projects."
Please note: My perspective alone will not influence the direction of the 30-Year Master Plan. If we want the City to prioritize additional aquatics facilities, We need a strong, collective outcry from the community. The City needs to hear, loud and clear, that Santa Barbara needs more public pools.