Tag archives: Montecito Association

At this month’s Montecito Association Land Use Committee meeting, the committee heard from Flood Control Deputy Director Tom Fayram, who gave an update on the Randall Road debris basin project.  The project, which includes the acquisition of seven parcels on Randall Road and one on East Valley Road, will offer improved debris catchment from San […]

Earlier this week, the Montecito Association’s new ad hoc committee met to discuss insurance woes and debris flow zones. “We heard from our members that they really feel a need for more information about getting and keeping insurance, as many of them are being hit with non-renewals from their insurance companies,” said Sharon Byrne, the […]

Library patrons and attendees at Montecito Association meetings have surely noticed the new ADA ramp that allows for better access to Montecito Hall and Montecito Library, which was completed in March. “It’s really exciting for us,” said senior library technician Kim Crail.  The need for the ramp was prompted by a Letter to the Editor […]

In Search of Dragons I’ve just finished reading your touching (and accurate) tribute to our remarkable friend, Julian Nott (“He Landed Safely,” MJ # 25/13). In addition to being a “…physicists, thinker, inventor, and bon vivant…” Julian had a devious, some might say “twisted” sense of humor, which inspired me to write more than a […]

Craig Lewis, founder of the Clean Coalition, was in front of the Montecito Association’s Land Use Committee earlier this week discussing the Montecito Community Microgrid Initiative, which is a project designed to provide indefinite renewable back up power for critical facilities in Montecito during emergencies.  The Montecito Community Microgrid Initiative aims to build multiple community […]

Locals dreaming of warm summer weather have a chance to do so while viewing new local art, and at the same time help the Montecito Association get a jump on planning the popular July 4 parade, where I have become a regular participant as King George III. The benefit art show Postcards from the Beach, […]

At this month’s Montecito Association monthly board meeting, SB County Water Resources Deputy Director Tom Fayram reported on Montecito’s debris basins following the strong storms over the last several weeks. “We’ve been going full throttle since January,” Fayram said, adding that hundreds of trucks have been in Montecito clearing debris basins, sometimes 24 hours a […]

“I’ve been waiting twelve years to tell you that the Miramar is completed,” said Caruso Senior Vice President of Corporate Relations Rick Lemmo to a packed audience at the Montecito Association board meeting earlier this week. Lemmo shared some details about the Resort, which had its soft opening on Monday, February 11. “Thank you for […]

Tuesday, January 8, 2019 was the 71st annual Montecito Association meeting, marking the retirement of directors Frank Abatemarco, Frank Blue, Barbara Matthews, and Michelle Saltoun.  Outgoing president Charlene Nagel thanked the board for their service during her two-year tenure as president, noting the achievements of the Association in the last year, including several successful events, […]

It is more than obvious that 2018 was a pivotal year for Montecito and its residents. The first week of the year, we were recovering from the Thomas Fire, which weeks earlier had suffocated Montecito and Santa Barbara in smoke and ash while scorching nearly 282,000 acres from Ventura to Santa Barbara, including ten structures […]

The Montecito Association is hosting a new event this Saturday, December 15: Holiday Magic in Montecito Village. The first annual event will offer family friendly fun and activities, with upper village merchants offering special treats and shopping incentives.  “We’re excited that we can bring some holiday cheer to our community, and encourage everyone to come […]

“The saddest part about these fires in California is that they are self-inflicted. Californians should not allow such mismanagement to continue. At what point will common-sense forest management practices win out over the ideologically driven environmental lobby? Soon, I hope, or Paradise might not be the only thing lost.”– Krystina Skurk (The Federalist) (Ms Skurk […]

Also at last week’s MA meeting, Montecito Fire’s Division chief of operations Kevin Taylor urged the audience to register for our local notification system, Aware & Prepare, following the release of discouraging notification statistics from the County Office of Emergency Management. According to the County, only 12 percent of residents countywide are signed up for […]

At last week’s Montecito Association (MA) board meeting, Brett Matthews with the Partnership for Resilient Communities reported that his group has filed an emergency permit to install 15 temporary steel nets for five canyons in Montecito; the MA board voted unanimously to support the group’s permit application, agreeing to send a letter to the director […]

Montecito Association (MA) Beautification Day was a great success, drawing more than 100 volunteers who came out to help beautify several areas of Montecito. With breakfast sponsored by the Rosewood Miramar Resort, lunch donated by Montecito Village Grocery and San Ysidro Ranch (and prepared by Montecito firefighters), the event was a collaborative effort. Multiple groups […]

This Saturday, November 3, marks Montecito Association’s 33rd annual Beautification Day! “This year is obviously different than years past,” said co-chair of the event Houghton Hyatt. “It will be a day of coming together and celebrating our community, as the theme is ‘Better Together,’” she said.  The family-friendly event will begin as usual, with a […]

On October 25, more than 100 Montecito residents attended a community meeting at Montecito Union School regarding storm readiness, hosted by the County of Santa Barbara and the Montecito Association. “We’re bracing ourselves for another post-fire winter season, and the most effective defense we have is to work together as a community,” said director of […]

Also at the Montecito Association Board meeting, Montecito Union School superintendent Dr. Anthony Ranii announced that he is recommending to the MUS Board of Trustees that necessary facilities improvem vhu7yents needed on campus be done with in-house funds instead of a tax bond, with November marking four years since the failure of Measure Q, the […]

At last week’s Montecito Association Board meeting, the board heard from Rob Lewin, director of the County’s Office of Emergency Management, who gave a preview of a presentation that he will be giving to the larger community at a special meeting on Thursday, October 25.  “As we approach the rainy season, it’s vital that we […]

At their meeting last week, the Montecito Association (MA) Land Use Committee received a status update on the expansion of Highway 101. Matt Dobberteen, Alternative Transportation manager with Public Works, said that a design team has been hard at work refining the design of the highway widening through landscaping, hardscaping, and signage. “Because it is […]