Regional leaders for PG&E awarded a $50,000 grant to the Santa Maria Recreation and Parks Department’s nonprofit partner, People for Leisure And Youth (PLAY, Inc.). On Dec. 16 (from left to right), Mayor Larry Lavagnino and City Manager Tim Ness accepted the grant from PG&E representatives Tom Jones and Patricia Wilmore at a ceremony at Paul Nelson Aquatics Center.
Recreation supervisor Dennis Smitherman said the money will go toward developing a solar lighting system, and possibly additional heating, for the pool. “We’re going to suck as much energy as we can out of those solar panels,” Smitherman said.
This article appears in Jan 22-29, 2009.
