Goleta Beach Master Planning

Working Group

December 11, 2003

 

MINUTES

 

1.

Welcome and Introductions

 

Susan Rose, 2nd District Supervisor welcomed the members of the working group to the first meeting.  She introduced the two facilitators, Lynn Rodriguez and Pat Saley, and the other staff who has been working on this project: Terri Maus-Nisich (Parks Director, County of Santa Barbara), Alissa Hummer (Executive Staff Assistant, 2nd District Board of Supervisors), Rachel Couch (Administrative Assistant, 2nd District Board of Supervisors) and Jill Komoto (Staff support, Watershed Restoration Program Manager, Community Environmental Council).  She also thanked the two organizations for funding and support of the project: Goleta Valley Land Trust and the California Coastal Conservancy.

 

Lynn Rodriguez asked group members to share their expectations for the process, as they introduced themselves.  Most members indicated a strong desire for the process to be successful, to protect the environmental and recreational future of Goleta Beach County Park, to consider long-term needs for the community and to find sustainable solutions.

 

2.

Goals and Expectations of Master Planning Process

 

Lynn discussed the process. We will be building on the community visioning sessions, utilizing the Carrying Capacity report and the Erosion Management plan – two documents previously drafted and submitted to the County Parks Department and will use the help of science advisors that have demonstrated expertise in the area of beach erosion and coastal resources and management. The ultimate goal of this process is to develop a long-term plan for Goleta Beach County Park.

At the conclusion of the Working Group Process there will be a preferred project and a set of alternatives that will go to the Parks Commission and the Board of Supervisors. The Parks Commission reviews the recommendations as part of a public meeting. The recommendation will then be forwarded to the Board of Supervisors, who will certify the project(s) for environmental review.

There are a number of interested parties who are being kept informed of this process and may be available at future dates to explain policies and procedures.


The meetings are open to the public. In compliance with the intent of the Brown Act, public comment will be taken at the beginning of each meeting.

Lynn further added that this is a very diverse group of individuals. Everyone should bring their unique ideas to the process, and try to keep an open mind. We are all committed to finding a solution.

Ideally, the Working Group will be finished by the end of February 2004 with a final presentation to the Board of Supervisors by April 2004.
 

Update of current activities and events relative to Goleta Beach:

a.

Beach nourishment. They were dredging at Santa Barbara harbor, but ran out of sand- the dredger hit cobble and did not want go further as this could cause expensive damage to the equipment.  The amount of sand to be placed on Goleta Beach was based on the budget and not on the Erosion management plan.  BEACON has received several grants for the nourishment project.

b.

Flood Control is developing an opportunistic program to deliver dredged sediment from the creeks to the beach.  This has not been entirely permitted. 

c.

What is the impact of the loss of kelp offshore?  This kelp is thought to have been lost due to El Nino storms. BEACON is working with Robert Kiel from the Seattle Aquarium to look at this impact.

d.

Potential Bren project opportunity to study Goleta Beach.

e.

What is happening at the beach currently? The Parks Department is working on the pier, parking lot slurry, revetment repair, and sand berm.  There is $100,000 available for potential paving.  They are also implementing portions of the Carrying Capacity report, such as outreach, exotic plant removal and carrying on the process of reviewing plans that are in the study.  The permitting for the emergency rocks (to protect the utilities) will be before the Coastal Commission in January in Laguna Beach.

 

3.

Discussion of Consensus-Based Process

 

The Working Group will attempt to reach consensus on a preferred project and alternatives for the future of Goleta Beach. Pat Saley gave an overview of the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary process, which took two-years but involved a similar process. She said that a staff member associated with that process, Sean Hastings, stressed the importance of the working group members understanding the process. For the Goleta Beach Working Group, voting on issues will be avoided, but straw votes may be utilized to get the group moving forward.

There was some concern that the group is rather large, and it may be difficult to reach consensus. We may break into smaller groups to facilitate better discussions on some issues.

The consensus process is described in more detail in the Working Group charter.
 

4.

Meeting Logistics, Communication, Noticing

 

Pat discussed the ground rules for the group, which are contained in the group’s charter.

Pat reported that notices of our meeting will be posted on the website (www.sbparks.org/goletabeach) and will also be e-mailed to everyone prior to each meeting. The roster was circulated for members to update their contact information. This list will be send out to the members before the next meeting. The contact information will be made available only to the group. The website will have only the members’ names and the organization(s) they represent. The website will have a separate area for the Working Group process.

At each meeting there will be a report on current events at Goleta Beach - i.e. Coastal Commission hearings, berming activities, beach nourishment, erosion due to storms, etc.
 

5.

Distribute and Review Draft Charter

 

Lynn reviewed the draft Charter with the group. Working Group Members are being asked to sign the charter to show their commitment to the process. It is not a legally binding document and members do not need approval from their organization’s governing body in order to sign.

 

6.

Review Committee Binder

 

Jill Komoto, working with staff in the Parks Department, prepared a resource binder for each committee member. She reviewed the contents of the binders with the group. She will e-mail the reference list as well so that members can utilize the hyperlinks. She asked that members send any other references that should be added to the list. It is an ongoing process.

 

7.

Discuss Role of Scientific and Technical Experts

 

The science advisors have been selected to help us understand the coastal processes we are discussing and to help us evaluate the coastal impacts of the projects we develop. Most of these advisors are affiliated with the University of California and have conducted research and developed expertise at Goleta Beach. We may bring in other experts during the process, as needed.

8.

Set Future Meeting Dates/Times

The group discussed the best days/times for everyone to meet. The consensus was Thursdays from, 3-5pm. We will try to hold most of our meetings in the same room, at the SB Airport Administration Building. We appreciate their willingness to host us. The room works well for our needs.

 

 

Next regular Working Group Meeting: Thursday, January 8, 2004 at 4:00 p.m.

(NOTE: this time/date changed after the meeting)
Site visit to Goleta Beach – Thursday, January 15, 2004 at 3:00 p.m.
Science Advisors Workshop: Thursday, January 22, 2004, from 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

 

9.

Next Meeting Date and Time

 

The next meeting of the Working Group will be held at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday, January 8, 2004 in the same room at the Santa Barbara Airport Administration Building. At the next meeting, we will go over the visioning session results, sign the charter and develop questions for the science advisors.

A few items were requested for the next meeting:

  • A Goleta land use map, showing parking, restaurant, beach, etc. Terri said that the Parks department would have that available for the next meeting.

  • Copies of the tables and figures in the Erosion Management Plan.

  • Historic photos of the beach – large enough for the group to see.
  The meeting was adjourned at 5:15pm