Montecito Association Meets

During community reports at this week’s MA meeting, Montecito Union School’s Anthony Ranii said the school’s largest fundraiser, the MUS Carnival, is slated for October 22. The fundraiser for the MUS Foundation raises funds to enhance the school’s academic, athletic, and arts programs; enrich the student experience with technology, curriculum, and improved classroom resources; and elevate teachers through professional development and continuing education. Ranii also reported that the $14M project currently underway on campus to address infrastructure issues is currently on schedule and on budget. 

Montecito Fire Chief Kevin Taylor reported that the fall season is the time for highest fire risk on the South Coast, and asked that residents be vigilant about wildfire safety. This weekend is the Santa Barbara County Fire Safe Council’s Wildfire Preparedness Exposition at Direct Relief in Goleta. The event will feature free pizza, speakers, exhibits, and activities to learn about living in wildfire-threatened communities. Visit sbfiresafecouncil.org and see page 40 in this issue to learn more. 

Montecito Water District’s Nick Turner reiterated a message we reported last week: MWD customers need to reduce their water usage, and need to do it now. Usage continues to be 10-15% above budget, and Turner said that if it does not rain, this type of overuse could contribute to a lack of water availability as soon as 2023. “Please do all you can to get your water use down,” he said, adding that the best action that can be taken is to reduce water irrigation by 20%. That could mean: if you water your yard for 20 minutes, cut that down to 16 minutes, Turner said. “If everyone does that, we will be back on budget,” he said. He also reported more customers are using District water as groundwater wells are producing less water or drying up completely. 

Santa Barbara County Sheriff Lieutenant Butch Arnoldi read the crime report for the last month, which included trespassing in a guest house on Lambert Road; vehicle break-in on South Jameson Lane; residential burglary on Woodley Road; stabbing of a homeless man on the railroad tracks by Montecito Sanitary District; residential burglary on Chelham Way; fireworks at Butterfly Beach; and a suicide on Danielson Road. Lieutenant Arnoldi also reported on a vehicular manslaughter that occurred on East Mountain Drive that was recorded on nearby surveillance video. The suspect is known to police, and he is currently in Mexico, with officials going through the proper channels to apprehend him. The victim was a woman residing in Oxnard. The suspect and victim were known to each other and it was a targeted attack, according to police. 

Lastly, Darcel Elliott from the County reported that the Randall Road Debris Basin ribbon-cutting ceremony will take place on October 24 at 10 am. “It really is a miracle that this debris basin was built in less than in five years,” she said. “It’s a really exciting time for the community.” 

For more information about Montecito Association, visit montecitoassociation.org. 

Save the Date for Roundabout Meeting

A public meeting to preview the Olive Mill Roundabout project is scheduled for Tuesday, October 25 at the Montecito Inn, from 4 to 5 pm. Project planners will show renderings of the roundabout design, discuss construction staging and access, review expectations for delays, and answer questions from participants. “These meetings are intended to help everyone get ready for construction of this important improvement while acknowledging that building in this area is challenging,” said project rep Kirsten Ayars. 

The Olive Mill Roundabout will improve traffic flow at the intersection at Olive Mill Road, Coast Village Road, North Jameson Lane, the northbound Highway 101 off-ramp at Olive Mill Road, and the southbound Highway 101 on-ramp at Olive Mill Road. The new roundabout is designed for 20 mph, and drivers will see signs for each roadway name at each leg of the roundabout. The center of the roundabout will be planted with olive trees and feature a sandstone retaining wall. Lighting will be improved around the roundabout.

Pedestrians will have access with crosswalks around the mountain side of the roundabout. Bicyclists can either take the lane through the roundabout or walk bikes using pedestrian sidewalks and crosswalks on the mountain side.

Construction is scheduled from mid-November 2022 through summer 2023.

The project will be built by Caltrans and is funded by SBCAG. Project preliminary design and permitting were led by the City and County of Santa Barbara, with final design and utility coordination being led by SBCAG.

For more, visit sbroads.com. We’ll have more on the upcoming construction in next week’s edition.