Future outlay for project increased to $500,000 after a push from Buellton City Council
Eleven days after the Buellton City Council offered to increase its financial pledge to the Santa Ynez Valley aquatic center project from $450,000 to $500,000 — but only if Solvang agreed to do the same — the Solvang City Council voted to meet that challenge during its Nov. 10 regular meeting.
The aquatic center, which will be built on the Santa Ynez High School campus, is a joint undertaking involving the cities of Buellton and Solvang, the Santa Ynez Valley Aquatics Foundation, a local nonprofit organization, the Santa Ynez Valley Union High School District (SYVUHSD), and the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians.
The issue of the money pledged by each of the cities has become something of a tennis match between the two City Councils as they settle on an identical amount the two cities can pledge toward the project.
Earlier this year the Solvang City Council approved Resolution 25-1281 that expressed support for SYVAF’s effort to provide the new and improved aquatic facility on the SYHS campus. This support was further in evidence with the adoption of the FY 25/26 City budget that committed $450,000 of Measure U funds upon project groundbreaking along with a few other conditions: That the pool serve youth, adults, families and seniors on a permanent basis; that the pledge will expire on June 30, 2028, if it is unutilized; and that the pledge will be withdrawn if the project becomes unviable.
The issuing of another $450,000 pledge from the Buellton City Council was on the agenda during its regular meeting on Oct. 30.
Instead of approving that amount, Buellton councilmembers floated the idea of increasing the pledge, with Mayor David Silva suggested a $500,000 figure so that the cities’ total pledge could be for $1 million, and said the idea was contingent on Solvang agreeing to the figure.
Solvang City Manager Randy Murphy was at the Buellton meeting as an advocate for the aquatic center, and told that council he would bring it to the Solvang councilmembers, which he did for the Nov. 10 meeting.
Murphy told the councilmembers that in addition to the cities increasing the pledge to the aquatic center project, their actions could spur the other partners, and outside interests, to donate more also.
“A number of people in the community have donated, and we have a third of the money needed to get it built,” said Murphy of the $13.7 million project.
When asked by Mayor David Brown whether the head of the Measure U committee was informed of the increase, Murphy said, “I talked with the head, and he said it was consistent with their aim.” Councilmember Elizabeth Orona asked whether the entire Measure U budget was earmarked for this. Administrative Services Director Wendy Berry said there was still a surplus after the pledge, which she later disclosed was $240,000.
Lisa Palmer, board president of the Santa Ynez Valley Community Aquatics Foundation, spoke about the project during Public Comment, just as she did at the Buellton meeting.
“Thank you to the council, and Mr. Murphy, for your support of the aquatic center,” she said. “When Buellton met, that was organic on their end, and I’m grateful. We are in talks with Chumash about them increasing participation, and since the Buellton meeting, we’ve had two $50K grants come in.”
After the item went back to council, Elizabeth Orona still expressed reservations about increasing the amount and the timing of it.
“I just wonder if there’s a timeframe to the challenge [from Buellton]; I think we need to get through a couple of retail seasons to make sure we can do this, and I’m slightly concerned about pledging more
than we did to the Senior Center,” she said. “If we don’t do something now, we are still supporting the project. There’s no compelling reason to do it now—we can do it more leisurely.”
However, Councilmember Mark Infante believed this was the right time to act.
“It’s not this year’s or next year’s budget,” he said. “It’s a pledge to support, if the money’s not there at the end, nothing happens. It’s a pledge to support, it’s not something we need to worry about this year. Therefore, I would move to approve the $50K to the pledge.”
Elizabeth Orona remarked they should make sure Buellton votes to increase also, with Murphy saying he believed they would do so at a future meeting.
With Infante’s motion still on the record, Councilmember Claudia Orona seconded and the item passed 4-1 with Elizabeth Orona voting no.
The Solvang City Council will next meeting on Monday, Nov. 24, at 6:30 p.m. The council will meet for its last meeting of the calendar year on Monday, Dec. 8.
