Is the annual Rose Run in jeopardy of losing its permit?
That was the suggestion leading up to Friday’s event.
The annual student run around the Mission Rose Garden, considered to be Roosevelt Elementary’s biggest fundraising occasion, raises money for various programs, field trips and positions, according to its website.
However, some supporters worried complaints by residents on adjacent Plaza Rubio had caused the revocation of the Rose Run’s permit for future events.
But Rich Hanna, Santa Barbara’s recreation manager, said that’s not the case.
Instead, Mr. Hanna said, the event has grown and requires a different special events permit in future years than what has previously been issued.
Mr. Hanna noted the Parks and Recreation Department doesn’t generally grant special event permits at the Rose Garden in order not to “take away opportunities for the public to use that space” or cause ire in the neighborhood.
“Our intention is to go ahead and permit it for years to come,” Mr. Hanna told the News-Press of the Rose Run. “A better layer of communication is needed. As the event has grown, obviously the goal is to make the event better and better every year. We just want to manage the impact to the park and other users.”
The 39th annual run will happen Friday as scheduled. It’s set for 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Roosevelt students participate in the event by running laps around the Rose Garden and receive pledges from family, friends and others in the community, according to the elementary school’s website.
Frederic Golden, one neighbor in the area, said the Rose Run is a “very worthy activity” because it promotes educational opportunities for young people in Santa Barbara.
“Our parks play an important role in community well-being,” Mr. Golden told the News-Press in an email. “They shouldn’t be used to block equally important players in Santa Barbara’s public life. If fellow neighbors of the Rose Garden are irritated by the growing use of the park, let them wear earplugs.”
email: kschallhorn@newspress.com
