To commemorate the newest addition to the Carina Dee Velazquez Memorial Path along Refugio Road, there will be a ribbon-cutting, 11 a.m. Wednesday Oct. 28 in front of Santa Ynez Valley Christian School, 891 N. Refugio Road, Santa Ynez.
The event marks the third phase of a community trail restoration project that broke ground in 2022. The goal is to restore pedestrian, bicycle and equestrian access along the “existing roadside trail” route between Los Olivos and the Santa Ynez River, organizers said.
The newly completed section of trail connects Mission Drive (Highway 226) to Homestead Lane.
The trail was created through a community partnership project between the Santa Barbara County Public Works Department, the Santa Barbara Bucket Brigade and Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians.
In 2020, Third District County Supervisor Joan Hartman recruited the Santa Barbara Bucket Brigade to help organize a grassroots trail restoration on Refugio Road in support of a local pedestrian safety campaign launched by Faith Deeter and Jessica Schley.
In 2022, Hartman announced that $250,000 had been allocated by Santa Barbara County to restore the first section of trail from Santa Ynez Valley Union High School (SYVUHS) to Deer Trail Lane along North Refugio Road.
In 2025, the Bucket Brigade received $50,000 from the Chumash Foundation and $100,000 from a County Air Pollution Control District Supplemental Environmental Project agreement.
In September 2026, trail construction began and the project was completed on Oct. 15.
The Refugio Road Trails Restoration Project is working toward a multi-modal trail restoration along Refugio Road between Los Olivos and the Santa Ynez River.
On Oct. 3, 2023, Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to name this segment of the trail in honor of Carina Dee Velazquez, a SYVUHS student, who in 2015 was struck and killed by a vehicle while walking across Highway 246 near Refugio Road following an after-school activity.
Carina was just one day shy of her 16th birthday.
Carina’s father Jose wrote in a letter to the Board of Supervisors: “My hope is that the path will be a safe place for people to walk and ride bikes away from traffic and that no other families have to suffer the loss of a family member in this way.”
“I am pleased to continue this project on behalf of the community and neighbors who identified this as a priory-project for the Valley,” said Hartmann. “Creating safe pathways for pedestrians, cyclists, and equestrians for commuting and recreation is a high-priority for me.”
“When people work together to improve safety in their own neighborhood, it builds connection and a sense of community pride,” said Abe Powell, co-founder and CEO of the Santa Barbara Bucket Brigade.
“Trails connect people, neighborhoods and communities, and connection is something that we could all use a little more of these days,” he said.
The construction of the pedestrian path for the project included the grading of the road shoulder, clearing of obstructions, installing trail edging, road base and a special new Santa Ynez shale trail surface.
The Refugio Road trail restoration is supported by neighboring schools and organizations including Santa Ynez Valley Union High School, the Dunn School, the YMCA, WeWatch, and the County Riding and Hiking Trails advisory committee.
More about the project and a sign-up for these work days are available at https://sbco.mysocialpinpoint.com/refugiotrail/.