Our Santa Barbara beaches are among our most valuable assets. They define our city and our lifestyle.
Sometimes cities go ahead with a project without truly understanding the needs of the primary users. To serve the community is to listen to its needs. I appreciate the opportunity to be heard and to contribute to making the Leadbetter Restroom Renovation a better solution for everyone.
Please know that the currently proposed Leadbetter Beach facility renovations would take away more than they would give. Please do not relegate the enjoyment of this public space by narrowly responding to the few engaging in lawless behavior.
There are other ways of addressing the need to be in conformity with required ADA additional changes, and ways to try to minimize the harm done by a few in the way of littering; defacing; alcohol, drug use, and other criminal activity. The proposed changes throw the proverbial beach babies out with the tainted ocean water.
As a longtime community member and and almost daily user of this facility, I hope that by underscoring the significance of this very functional place and the superiority of the existing design, that the proposed renovation ought to be reexamined and changes made so that the structures on the south, east, and west side of building remain in place.
Specifically, the south side’s angled wind walls and six showers and foot wash; a central seating area, and the east and west sides’ outdoor changing areas enable the diverse groups who use the beach to shower, change, and socialize with a sense of warmth, protection, and semi-privacy.
As was mentioned at the public discussion of the proposed project, other less drastic measures than abolishing the changing areas would be to add locking gates like the current ones to the bathrooms, which would prevent unwanted night activities in the changing areas. Spikes or another layer of brick could make climbing the walls untenable.
Sure, make the ADA compliant bathroom stall and pole shower installation, but leave the existing changing areas and protective walls with its spaced shower heads in place for the rest of us!