It was as if the stars aligned when Leadership Santa Maria Valley (SMV) first pitched its community observatory concept to the Santa Maria Recreation and Parks Department, which is currently in the process of modifying its mobile nature trailer to include said observatory. Emily Kitts, co-chair of the program’s Observatory Committee, described the project’s early stages as refreshingly providential.
“The Recreation and Parks Department just so happened to obtain a trailer for their mobile Nature Center around the same time we pitched the idea to them, so it was all just very fortuitous,” Kitts said. “The idea for the observatory just seemed to line up pretty well.”
Before being brought to the Parks Department though, the project was one of several proposals competing for approval within Leadership SMV. Steve Williams, Kitts’ partner as fellow co-chair of the committee, first proposed the observatory as a potential Legacy 2020 project—Leadership SMV’s annual effort to provide a creative new service or resource to benefit the community.
While more than 20 different proposals were discussed this year, the program decided to move forward with two projects: an illustration contest geared toward a new bilingual children’s book (“Leadership SMV holds illustration contest for its 2020 Legacy Project, an upcoming biligual children’s book,” June 18) and Williams’ community-accessible observatory.
“I believe the idea stuck because it filled both a community need and a community interest,” Williams said.
A local astronomy enthusiast, Williams has participated in bimonthly stargazing events at Los Flores Ranch Park in Santa Maria regularly since 2016, which partly inspired his proposal. Volunteers from various astronomy clubs, including the Astronomical Society of Lompoc and the Santa Barbara Astronomical Unit, contribute telescopes and other tools to each event.
Williams hopes the observatory’s offering of similar resources will encourage visitors, especially youth, to gain an appreciation for astronomy and other sciences.
“I hope the observatory will inspire people, both young and old, to look up more often and begin to understand that we are connected through a common curiosity that dates back to the beginning of civilization,” Williams said. “I hope young people will be motivated by the ‘wow’ factor of looking through the eyepiece of a telescope and begin the quest for an education in STEAM [Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math].”
Williams first envisioned the observatory as one with a permanent home, most likely, Los Flores Ranch Park. But Kitts proposed the mobility aspect.
“One of the potential roadblocks to building the observatory would probably be the planning and permitting process, so we thought making the observatory mobile could eliminate some of those hurdles,” Kitts said.
Construction of the mobile observatory was originally delayed due to COVID-19 shutdowns earlier this year but is currently underway with an estimated completion date of Nov. 7. Kitts, Williams, and their peers in the Leadership SMV program will be working on installing the observatory’s dome to its trailer over the next few weeks.
“We have worked through a lot of the main planning concepts for the observatory and are now beginning construction,” said Kitts, who also serves in the group’s bilingual book committee.
Through word of mouth, she decided to join the nearly year-long Leadership SMV program, which is hosted by the Santa Maria Valley Chamber of Commerce and designed to foster community leadership and networking.
“I decided to apply for the Leadership class after hearing about it through a few friends who had completed the program. Everyone spoke so highly of it. It sounded like a great opportunity,” Kitts said. “First and foremost, I’m a student, here to learn about our community and all it has to offer.”
Members of the 2020 program celebrated their class graduation on Friday, June 26, with a special moon observation session. It was one of the first times members were able to use the observatory’s newly acquired telescope. One reason Kitts believes Leadership SMV decided in favor of the observatory is that it’s expected to have a lasting impact, she explained.
“I think our class decided to proceed with this project because it was a tangible experience that we can gift to the community, which can be used for years and years,” Kitts said. “Its legacy can live on and be enjoyed by many, long after our class graduates.”
Arts Editor Caleb Wiseblood is reaching for the stars. Send comments to cwiseblood@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Jul 2-9, 2020.