Tag archives: Pat McElroy

In an update from the Partnership for Resilient Communities, executive director Pat McElroy reports that work continues on the Swiss-made, steel ring nets being installed high up in San Ysidro, Buena Vista, and Cold Spring Canyons. After successful anchor tests, helicopters have been moving thousands of pounds of equipment and supplies from a staging area […]

Last week the construction on the first of six steel ring nets began in Montecito, with a helicopter delivering the components to San Ysidro canyon last Wednesday. Drilling work began on the anchors on Monday, according to Partnership for Resilient Communities Executive Director Pat McElroy.  The project, which includes the installation of six Swiss-made steel […]

At a gathering at the upper village green on Monday, March 18, the founders of the Partnership For Resilient Communities welcomed dozens of members of the community who have given funds towards the installation of Swiss-made steel ring nets slated to be installed in the coming weeks.  Six of the nets will be installed in […]

Earlier this week, the Partnership for Resilient Communities announced the international arrival of the first of six Swiss steel ring nets slated for the canyons above Cold Springs, Buena Vista, and San Ysidro Creeks. The first net will be installed in San Ysidro Creek above Randall Road and the San Ysidro Ranch; installation of the […]

Last Friday, February 1, nearly 1,500 residents were evacuated in anticipation of a predicted storm that was forecasted to exceed debris flow rain threshold rates in the foothills above Montecito. The storm, which produced the most rain in the early morning hours of Saturday, did indeed hit threshold levels estimated at 1 inch per hour, […]

On Tuesday, January 22, over 100 Montecito residents gathered at Montecito Union School to hear from the Partnership for Resilient Communities, the group of private citizens who have set out to move forward with installing environmentally-friendly Swiss-made steel nets, which catch debris as it comes down the hillsides. “When the events of last year happened, […]

If you do nothing else this week, pull out your pen and write a check to the Partnership for Resilient Communities, or go to the website (partnershipsb.org) to make a tax-deductible donation through the Santa Barbara Foundation. Contributions can be as low as $10 or as high as $250,000. The future of Montecito may depend […]

Screenwriter/Builder/Designer Les Firestein and former city fire chief Pat McElroy, founders of Partnership for Resilient Communities in Santa Barbara County, established after the Thomas Fire and the catastrophic mudslides a year ago, got priceless publicity, not to mention a $20,000 check, when they appeared on Montecito TV talk show host Ellen DeGeneres‘s eponymous Los Angeles […]

Next Wednesday, January 16, the Partnership for Resilient Communities and Montecito Union School’s superintendent Anthony Ranii will host an informational community meeting to discuss realistic opportunities to mitigate future debris flows.  In late December, the Partnership received emergency permits to proceed with the installation of 11 debris flow control nets in San Ysidro, Buena Vista, […]

While most of us in Montecito were making merry over the holiday season, former City of Santa Barbara Fire Chief, Pat McElroy, who is now Executive Director of the Partnership (Partnership for Resilient Communities), was pounding the halls of government, along with Montecito land use attorney Joe Cole, permitting guru Suzanne Elledge, and local government […]

At this month’s Montecito Association Board of Directors meeting, Pat McElroy from the Partnership for Resilient Communities reported that his group funded another lidar radar flight over Montecito, which showed 71 sites in the foothills that would be appropriate for steel-wire ring nets to slow down or stop debris from falling. McElroy said they are […]

At this month’s Montecito Association (MA) Board meeting, board members thanked the co-chairs of the Village Fourth festivities for one of the best turnouts in event history. “Every year I say, ‘This is the best year yet,’ but this time I really mean it,” said board president Charlene Nagel. Mindy Denson, Trish Davis, and Kathi […]

At this month’s Montecito Association (MA) Board meeting, Coast Village Association president Bob Ludwick addressed board members to give an update on the CVA’s initiatives and mission. Representing about 125 businesses, 85 of which are retail or restaurants, as well as nearby residents, the CVA has three active committees, including Beautification, Events & Promotion, and […]

At this month’s Montecito Association (MA) Board of Directors meeting, MUS Board chair Gwyn Lurie and former Santa Barbara Fire chief Pat McElroy reported on the work they are doing as part of the Partnership for Resilient Communities. The group of private citizens, which includes Lurie, McElroy, Brett Mathews, and Joe Cole, have formed a […]

The Thomas Wildfire and the January 9 debris flow have presented the county with the most complex disaster recovery and preparedness scenarios in California history. The confluence of events leading to the twin disasters was unprecedented, the threat of a repeat disaster is still imminent, acceptable mitigation solutions are still amorphous, and their costs uncertain. […]

Last week, an overflow crowd turned out at the Granada Theatre for a community conversation titled “Drought, Fire and Flood: The New Normal” sponsored by the UCSB Bren School of Environmental Science and Management, the Santa Barbara Museum of National History, the Santa Barbara Foundation, and the Community Environmental Council. Moderating this Town Hall event […]

New York’s legendary St. Patrick’s Day parade was a triple celebration for Santa Barbara fire chief Pat McElroy. Pat was marking his 65th birthday, his retirement after 36 years, and his 26-year-old son, Brendan, becoming a full-fledged firefighter in San Diego. “It was quite the day!” says Pat, who jetted to the Big Apple with […]

What is needed to make Montecito better?Last week my wife and I had lunch with our Congressman and former 1st District Supervisor, Salud Carbajal. Although we are on different sides of the political spectrum, Salud gets my vote and my financial support because of his sincere commitment to the Montecito community, his dedication to constituent […]