The community is invited to attend a ribbon cutting ceremony for the New Cuyama Greenway at Richardson Park on Friday, Dec. 10.
The ceremony will be hosted by the Sustainability and Parks division of the Santa Barbara County Community Services Department.
Richardson Park is located off of Highway 166 between Hubbard Avenue and Escuela Street in New Cuyama. The park is one of the only active recreational green spaces in the Cuyama Valley.
The greenway includes a 0.65 mile pedestrian pathway connecting existing community buildings and park facilities via multiple public access points. As part of the project, 175 drought-tolerant trees have been planted throughout Richardson Park, the Family Resource Center, library, Community Health Center, and Sheriff’s Station. The trees were chosen to maximize carbon sequestration within local climate and soil constraints as well as to minimize water use and maintenance needs.
“The Cuyama Valley community is directly impacted by drought and climate change, as evidenced by a ‘critically overdrafted’ Cuyama Basin according to state water resource leaders. Long-term sustainability was a key component for planning this community asset. This project has been an incredible collaboration between the County, Cuyama Valley Recreation District, and multiple local nonprofit and citizen groups that provide critical services to this isolated section of the county. I am thrilled to see a sustainable project such as this is being done in a region of the county with such need and excited for the many milestones this area will be used to celebrate in the future of its public use,” said First District Supervisor Das Williams, who is scheduled to speak at the ceremony.
Once the newly planted trees mature, the shade they provide will enable the park to be able to be used year-round. This will enhance and encourage access to physical activity, socialization and community gatherings. Trees have been strategically planted around buildings to reduce future cooling needs as well as increase the comfort of the occupants.
A local landscape architect, PlenAire Design Group, designed the New Cuyama Greenway with community input, notably from the Cuyama Valley Community Association. Construction was completed by Bruno Landscape Management & Construction, Inc. The project cost of $716,863 was funded by the California Climate Investments through the California Natural Resources Agency’s Urban Greening Program.
email: kzehnder@newspress.com
