Santa Maria’s Waller Park could look very different after the next few years, thanks to a recent decision by the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors to conceptually approve construction of a sports complex in the 163-acre county park.
The board voted unanimously on Aug. 9 to allocate $125,000 for an environmental review of the project’s master plan, which proposes transforming approximately 60 acres of the park into soccer and baseball fields. The plan also calls for the construction of a new entryway via Skyway Drive, approximately 600 parking spots, a playground, and three traffic roundabouts. If approved, it would preserve open space in the Don Potter Grove and Woof PAC Dog Park.
Funds for the project would come from the Orcutt Quimby Fee Fund and the Orcutt Development Fee Fund, in the amount of $62,500 each.
In 2009, 4th District Supervisor Joni Gray and the rest of the board established the seven-
member Orcutt Sports Commission to address the demand for sports fields and recreational areas in Orcutt.
According to a letter to the board, the commission was asked to specifically consider “the recent and pending growth of the [Orcutt] community” and the “changing dynamics of the Orcutt Union School District space needs.”
The Orcutt Sports Commission met several times with various community members, including the Santa Maria Valley YMCA, Friends of Waller Park, and other interested parties, to discuss the project. Both the Santa Barbara County Parks Commission and the Santa Barbara County Planning Commission have approved the project’s master plan.
Project manager Juan Beltranena said funds for operation and maintenance of the complex would most likely come from user fees.
The sports complex master plan can be viewed online at countyofsb.org.
This article appears in Aug 18-25, 2011.