Author: Lea Boyd

Our Carpinteria City lifeguards participated in the Ben Carlson memorial paddle this week. California State lifeguards passed the relay boards on to our team of City lifeguards: Daniel Carrera, Kyle Millhollin, Anthony Weighill, and Carpinteria Summerland Firefighter Taylor Barnett. Our team passed the race boards on the City of Santa Barbara lifeguards. Ben Carlson was a Newport Beach lifeguard who lost his life during a rescue. To learn more, visit https://www.bencarlsonfoundation.org/bens-story

The City of Carpinteria Aquatics team congratulates our Standout Staff Member for the month of August, Justin Main. Justin has worked for the city since 2021 as a pool lifeguard. Justin was a Carpinteria Junior Lifeguard, and he learned how to swim at Carpinteria Community Pool. When he is not working, he enjoys spending time at the beach and playing water polo. Justin will be heading to CSUMB in the fall to study computer science.

Attention Carpinteria small businesses! A brand new partnership between the California Green Business Network and Intuit is ready to help take your business’ sustainability to the next level.

This program specifically targets small businesses that are ready to certify as a Green Business, or that are already certified, and will provide $1,000 for efficiency improvements! These funds are separate and not part of the existing $500-$1000 rebates that are already available from Green Business Programs.

Learn more at https://greenbusinessca.org/mini-grant/

The Carpinteria Architectural Review Board will hold its next regular meeting on Thursday, Aug. 31 at 5:30 p.m. The board will hold a preliminary review of a proposed three-story commercial / residential mixed-use development that includes 24 apartment units (pictured). The property is located at 4745 Carpinteria Ave. and is presently occupied by Sun Coast Rentals. Additionally, the board will hold a preliminary review of an exterior remodel of an existing commercial multi-tenant building at 5030 Carpinteria Ave. Members of the public may attend the meeting at City Hall, 5775 Carpinteria Ave. Additional details and numerous ways for the public to provide comments can be found in the agenda at https://bit.ly/44uA7wk.

The City of Carpinteria’s current City Manager, Dave Durflinger, is preparing to retire after 22 years of leading our organization. The City Council would like residents’ input as part of the process to recruit and hire Carpinteria’s next City Manager. A confidential community survey has been prepared to collect feedback for use in candidate selection and interviewing. Please take a few minutes to help us find the right person to be our next City Manager. The English version of the survey can be found here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2WD3HK8. The Spanish version is here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2TFJNV3

The Carpinteria City Council will hold its next regular meeting on Monday, Aug. 28 at 5:30 p.m. Members of the public may attend the meeting at City Hall, 5775 Carpinteria Ave., or view the meeting live at https://carpinteriaca.gov/, on Government Access Television Channel 21 or by logging into the Zoom webinar.

The following topics are highlights of the agenda. Additional details and numerous ways for the public to provide comments can be found at https://bit.ly/3OVwwSv. Comments posted on social media will not be provided to council members.

• Granting of an Easement to Southern California Edison for electric vehicle infrastructure in City Parking Lot No. 1 along the Elm Avenue frontage.
• An agreement with Santa Barbara County Flood Control and Water Conservation District to allow work to proceed on the Franklin Creek Trail Improvement Project for pedestrians and bicyclists.
• An agreement with Santa Barbara County Flood Control and Water Conservation District to move forward with the Carpinteria High School Area Crosswalk Safety Improvement Project.
• Participation in the Sustainable Community Network Program for residential solar and battery storage.
• Sending a comment letter to the County of Santa Barbara regarding its Draft 2023 – 2031 Housing Element Update
• Annual Review of Fire Protection Mitigation Fee Program.
• Initiation of amendments to the City’s Accessory Dwelling Unit and Junior Accessory Dwelling Unit Regulations in response to recent state Accessory Dwelling Unit legislation.
• Agreement between the Carpinteria Skate Foundation and the City of Carpinteria for Carpinteria skate park youth services.
• Annual Report on Law Enforcement Services.
• 2023 Work Plan Status Report.
• Together We Thrive: A Community Resource and Engagement Fair Debrief and Survey Report.
• Annual Report on implementation of the City’s Sustainable Community Policy.
• Rental of street sweeping equipment.
• Amendment to the City Manager Employment Agreement adjusting the annual base wage.

Do you have a Michael Phelps in the making or maybe just a kiddo that needs to get the wiggles out? Our swim team and water polo programs are a great way for kids to get good exercise, build confidence and have lots of fun. Tryouts are required and will be held on Aug. 29. No pre-registration is required. Learn more through the flyer above and direct questions to paiget@carpinteriaca.gov.

PLEASE BE PATIENT! The City is in the process of bringing street sweeping services in-house. While we go through this transition, there may be days that your neighborhood is missed. Having our own street sweeper will eventually allow us to have a more efficient program and expand services, but please be patient with us as we take this program over. Questions? Email sustainability@carpinteriaca.gov or call 805-880-3415.

Our next ABOP (Antifreeze, Batteries, Oil, Paint) Collection event will take place on Saturday, Sept. 9 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at City Hall, 5775 Carpinteria Ave. ABOPs are typically held on the second and fourth Saturday of each month, but this Saturday’s has been canceled. On Sept. 9, residents can bring antifreeze, batteries, oil and paint for free disposal. Additionally, the City accepts up to three small household electronics (for example, microwaves, televisions, handheld devices), compact fluorescent lightbulbs, and fluorescent light tubes (limit six) and mercury based thermostats.