Reef & Run in Honor of Nicholas Johnson

Many of you had met, engaged, discussed or worked with former Jr. Lifeguard Instructor Nick Johnson who unexpectedly and tragically passed away at the age of 19 during a swim practice on March 24, 2014. Nicholas Johnson was a participant in the Santa Barbara Jr. Lifeguard program beginning in 2004. He later worked as an Instructor Aide before being hired as a Jr. Lifeguard Instructor in 2010. Nicholas will forever be remembered for his hard work ethic, teamwork, and his ability to find the best in everyone he encountered.

Whether you encountered Nick dropping of or picking up your Jr. Guards from East Beach during the summer months, or through his long standing involvement with local aquatic swimming and water polo programs, Nick has been terribly missed this summer.

Weekly on Thursday evenings during the summer months the annual Reef & Run series is hosted at East Beach. This series benefits the Santa Barbara Jr. Lifeguard program and to date has donated close to $3,500 towards new equipment for program participants. It would only seem fitting that the Santa Barbara Jr. Lifeguard Program pays tribute to Nick Johnson at this week’s Reef & Run which is the last evening to fall within the Jr. Lifeguard program schedule for 2014. This evening is dedicated to Nick and the designation of this memorial fund are with the blessing and full support of the Johnson family.

There are several swim options (500 meter, 1,000 meter, and 1-Mile), but we are hoping to target the 500 meter swim to honor Nick. We have partnered with Reef & Run to waive entry/registration fees this Thursday, but we are asking for a minimum donation of $5 to go to the Nick Johnson Memorial Fund facilitated by the Santa Barbara High School Aquatic Booster Club. All donated funds will be used for shallow-water blackout education and capital improvements after consulting with the Johnson family

Registration for Reef & Run starts at 5:45 p.m. with all swims starting at 6:35 p.m. At 7:20 p.m. there will be a short 5-minute program at East Beach Grill to remember Nick and his connection to our local aquatic community.

To assist with any logistical issues arising from the end of the JG program at 2 p.m. and the swim for Nick at 6:35 p.m. we will be keeping some JG Instructors at the beach to provide a supervised and extended day option.

Please join us this Thursday evening.

Rich Hanna
Senior Recreation Supervisor
Aquatics, Sports, & Tennis
City of Santa Barbara Parks and Recreation Department
(805) 897-2591
rhanna@santabarbaraca.gov

How We're Doing Our Part During the Drought

At Parks and Rec, we’re doing all we can to cut our water use, but we’re not forgetting our mission. 

We’re still committed to safeguarding public resources and providing safe, fun recreation opportunities to enhance the health and well-being of the Santa Barbara community.

In recent months, you may have noticed that the lawns at certain Santa Barbara parks and public facilities have been turning gold as the effects of drought conditions begin to show themselves. Our department is doing its part along with the rest of the community.

Here are a few key points from the Strategic Drought Response Plan we recently finalized and presented to the Santa Barbara City Council:

We analyzed our water use and prioritized which areas really need water.

We took a number of factors into consideration, including:

1. Would we do major damage (either short- or long-term) by cutting our water use here?
2. Is this area home to historic or rare trees and plants?
3. How many people use this area for recreation on a regular basis?

Because turf (grassy areas) needs so much water to stay green, we’ve cut back on watering some of our lawns. Before deciding where to save water, we considered whether or not an area would become unsafe if we cut back or stopped irrigation (an example might be a ballfield), how much recreational use each area of turf sees, and a number of other factors.

For instance, at Santa Barbara Golf Club, the City’s municipal golf course, we considered which areas of the course could be left dry without significantly inconveniencing golfers: if an area of the golf course has gone gold, it’s likely an area most golfers don’t stray into during a game.

Read more: the complete text of our Strategic Drought Response Plan is available as a PDF here.

Let’s save together! Remember, gold is the new green.

20th Anniversary Fireworks Display
Promises Food and Fun Along West Beach

SANTA BARBARA, CA (June 11, 2014)—The City of Santa Barbara will again host the traditional beachside Independence Day fireworks show on Friday, July 4. Beginning at 9pm, the 25-minute pyrotechnic display will be accompanied by offerings from local food vendors, and all of West Beach will be open to the public for the evening’s festivities.

Social Media Updates

Please join the City’s Facebook event for the July 4th Fireworks Show to stay connected and informed, or to invite friends and family to join you at the waterfront!

Transportation

As in past years, the Santa Barbara waterfront will likely be packed with spectators by early afternoon, with further crowds heading for the beach once the 1pm the Spirit of 76 parade along State Street concludes. Parking will certainly be difficult in the downtown area, and traffic in the vicinity will be heavy as pedestrians make their way to and from the waterfront.

Alternate transportation is available to the public to make attending the fireworks more convenient: the Santa Barbara Metropolitan Transit District (MTD) will run buses and shuttles (visit sbmtd.gov or call (805) 963-3364 for the latest MTD schedule information), while Bici Centro will provide eight bike racks for those wishing to ride their bicycles to the event.

Event Safety

The City of Santa Barbara would like to remind spectators to be safe while they enjoy the festivities; no other fireworks are permitted, and alcohol, glass containers, pit digging, open fires, dogs on the beach, and parking adjacent to the railroad tracks are prohibited. There will be no parking on either side of Cabrillo Boulevard, from State Street to Castillo Street. We look forward to a fun, safe, and sane community gathering.

Other Local Events

The City of Santa Barbara is pleased to provide information regarding two Fourth of July events sponsored by local nonprofits; both of the following events are free to the public:

State Street Parade

The Annual 4th of July Parade, organized by local nonprofit the Spirit of ’76 Association, will begin at 1pm, proceeding down State Street from Micheltorena to Cota Streets. Over 175 nonprofits will participate, with this year’s parade theme focusing on safeguarding our nation’s Bill of Rights. For more information on the parade, please visit spiritof76sb.org.

Free Concert at the Courthouse Sunken Gardens

Another community favorite is the Free Annual July 4th Concert, which starts at 5pm in the County Courthouse Sunken Gardens. This year’s concert will feature a one-hour show performed by the West Coast Symphony Orchestra; the concert is made possible by the support of the Cielo Foundation for the Performing Arts.

Press Contacts

At the City of Santa Barbara
Summers Case, scase@santabarbaraca.gov
Parks and Recreation Department Marketing and Communications

How to Use Our Online Registration System (eRecreation)

Our resident screencasting expert Jason Bryan--you may know him from the Carrillo Recreation Center--put together this intensely useful video on how to get started with our online registration system (eRecreation).

Remember, everyone, you can create your account yourself, but then if you live within the Santa Barbara city limits, give us a call and tell us so we can change your settings and make sure you get the discount on classes and camps.

Our administrative office's main number is (805) 564-5418, and we're always happy to help!

Master Gardeners Set Three Events to Teach Sustainability in Times of Drought

With drought conditions causing many gardeners to re-evaluate their watering practices, UCCE Master Gardeners of Santa Barbara County has decided to focus on helping teach locals to manage their water use.

As part of Public Gardens Appreciation Month, the Master Gardeners will be offering tours and workshops with an eye to capturing the imagination of local homeowners and supporting them in their efforts to reduce water use.

“There are ways to manage water and cut your water use significantly without killing your plants," said Lesley Wiscomb, chairman of the Executive Committee for the Master Gardeners, emphasizing that the events planned for Saturdays in May will be fun but also useful for homeowners and gardening enthusiasts. “Navigating our drought is an educational process. That’s the key.”

The Master Gardens, in partnership with the City of Santa Barbara Parks & Recreation Department and the Santa Barbara Public Gardens Partnership, will host three events, one on each of the remaining Saturdays in May.

• Saturday, May 17 — Garden Tour of the Masters. Cost: $30/morning or afternoon tour sessions. Click here for tickets.

• Saturday, May 24 — Water in Your Garden: Friend or Foe? UCCE Master Gardeners Workshop with Cathie Pare, city water resources specialist. Cost: free. 10 a.m., with 9:30 a.m. registration at the Louise Lowry Davis Center. Click here for information.

• Saturday, May 31 — Beautiful Garden Designs for Drought. UCCE Master Gardeners Workshop with Billy Goodnick, author and landscape architect. Cost: free. 10 a.m., with 9:30 a.m. registration at the Louise Lowry Davis Center. Click here for information.

The UC Master Gardeners are trained certified volunteers that provide information, workshops, and programs for home gardeners. Public information resources offered by Master Gardeners include plant, pest and problem identification, and advice on sustainable landscape practices.

Link to article on Noozhawk.

Tribute to Nicholas Johnson

Photo by Ryan Kelly, Santa Barbara Harbor Patrol Officer

Friends, family, fellow lifeguards and local emergency responders recently paid tribute to Nicholas Johnson, a former City of Santa Barbara Jr. Lifeguard Instructor and Beach Lifeguard.

Johnson unexpectedly and tragically passed away at the age of 19 during a swim practice on March 24, 2014.

On Saturday, April 5, a paddle-out in honor of Nicholas drew a crowd of over 200 participants during a beautiful day off of East Beach, a beach where he spent every summer beginning in 2004.

Nicholas Johnson was a participant in the Santa Barbara Jr. Lifeguard program beginning in 2004. He later worked as an Instructor Aide before being hired as a Jr. Lifeguard Instructor in 2010. Nicholas will forever be remembered for his hard work ethic, teamwork, and his ability to find the best in everyone he encountered.

For more information about Nicholas Johnson and the impact he had on so many others within the Santa Barbara community please see the recent Santa Barbara Independent article, "UCSB Student Nicholas Johnson’s Death Ruled ‘Accidental Drowning’: Family Creates Memorial Fund Through Santa Barbara High School Aquatics Program."

Santa Barbara's Community Pool: Los Baños "is a treasure."

Today’s post is about Los Baños del Mar, Santa Barbara’s Olympic-sized community pool by the beach!

Built with a Depression-era Public Works Administration grant and opened in 1939, Los Baños is a historic landmark as well as a working public pool—the only true community pool in Santa Barbara, and one of the few Olympic-sized pools in the region.

Los Baños is visited 100,000 times per year, mainly by local residents, including participants in the Santa Barbara City College aquatics program and members of the Santa Barbara Swim Club. Both SBCC and SB Swim Club use the pool as their home base.

Regular lap swimmer Frank Wascoe with Parks
with Recreation Pool Manager Amber Workman-Hatsedakis.

One of Los Baños’ most popular uses is lap swimming; Adult Lap Swim patrons visit the pool in the mornings or at lunchtime (or, during spring and summer months, in the evenings) to get their daily exercise. A Los Baños regular, Frank Wascoe, told us in one simple phrase why he keeps coming back to the pool day after day: “It’s a treasure.”

Originally from Walnut Creek, Wascoe has lived in Santa Barbara since 1970, when he started college at UCSB. Wascoe has been one of the pool’s morning lap swimmers since 2005, counting himself among the 60–70 “regulars who just can’t do without it.”

Swimming each morning in the shorter lanes of the pool, Wascoe told us he sees his morning swim as “rhythmic meditation. I think it is [that] for a lot of people.” His wife, Jeri, also swims at Los Baños three days a week.

Praising the conscientiousness and expertise of the Los Baños staff, headed by Pool Manager Amber Workman-Hatsedakis, Wascoe told us “the water quality is great,” and said the pool’s temperature is appreciated by patrons on cold mornings.

“The standard temperature for a competitive pool is 77 to 78 degrees,” Workman-Hatsedakis added, “and for a therapy pool it’s around 82 degrees. Our pool is at 80 degrees, in between the two.”

Frank visits the pool's weight room after a swim.

“This is a treasure. Los Baños is one of Santa Barbara’s little secrets,” Wascoe continued. With a gesture encompassing the beach, palm trees, mountains, and harbor scenery, he asked, “where else do you get this?” adding that many newcomers to Santa Barbara don’t make their way to the harbor, not realizing how fun it can be. “When you start coming to the pool,” he said, “it introduces you to the waterfront," adding that when he was new to Santa Barbara, "I didn’t know it was so nice down here!”

Adult Lap Swim at Los Baños

Pool Location 401 Shoreline Drive, Santa Barbara

November through March Weekdays (M–F): 7:30–9am and Noon–2pm
Weekends and most holidays: Noon–2pm 

April through October Weekdays (M–F) 7:30–9am; Noon–2pm; 7:15–8:15pm
Weekends and most holidays: Noon–2pm 

For more information, including monthly pass rates, please visit our main swimming page. To see our aquatics programs for Spring/Summer 2014, check out our current activity guide at santabarbaraca.gov/activities