Goleta City Council members continued their tough-love talks about the Goleta Valley Community Center operations and capital improvement needs this week with a workshop, during which most members said they wanted a change in management.
The city has owned the property since 2013, and has acted as the GVCC’s landlord since incorporating in 2002.
The center is home to senior programs as well as nonprofit and for-profit groups, which lease rooms and host events there.
Built in 1927, the building and parking lot at 5679 Hollister Ave. are in desperate need of repairs and long-term renovations — in the $5 million to $7 million range, according to city reports.
Keeping senior center services at the site is a priority, and council members mentioned other potential programming priorities, including a computer lab, a community garden and teen center services.
City Council members reviewed the community center’s financials in two meetings last year, and talked about taking over the center’s operations.
Goleta also talked about turning the center into a Civic Center and City Hall, but the $37 million price tag prompted the council put those plans on hold.
The city has forgiven $470,000 in lease payments since 2002 and gives $25,000 toward the senior center each year, as well as doing minor maintenance work, finance director Genie Wilson said.
At this week’s workshop, City Manager Michelle Greene presented three of the options for management in the future: keep the status quo, contract with another nonprofit group or third party to run it, or have the city hire staff to manage and maintain the space.
Scroll down to read the full staff report for the five-hour meeting.
City leaders want to limit liability and have more control over operations and services provided at the site, which Councilman Roger Aceves called the city’s biggest and most historic asset.
If the city were to take over, the center would be under the purview of the yet-to-be-created parks and recreation manager position.
Staying with the Goleta Valley Community Center management wouldn’t disrupt services, and the city could do a new, longer-term lease agreement to replace the month-to-month arrangement, Greene said.
Council members seemed more interested in pursuing management by another nonprofit organization, but the impending construction could complicate things.
Aceves and Councilwoman Paula Perotte supported the idea of city control during the transition, while Councilman Michael Bennet vehemently opposed using city staff to manage the space, pointing out the cost of using public employees.
He suggested having the center continue running the space in the interim, and then handing control to another organization or third party.
Mayor Jim Farr and Councilman Tony Vallejo, who is on the GVCC board, supported the nonprofit option as well.
The status quo lease isn’t working because the property is not being maintained, Vallejo said.
He suggested the city get input from nonprofit groups now so future work and remodeling could be done to optimize the space for community services.
The center is also welcome to apply for any request for proposals for future management, he noted.
Studies on the facility improvements will be coming back to the City Council, and in the meantime, the city will do water- and air-quality testing to make sure there are no hazards that can be identified and addressed now.
The City Council took no action and gave staff direction to come back with more information at a future meeting.
— Noozhawk managing editor Giana Magnoli can be reached at gmagnoli@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
Goleta Valley Community Center Facility Needs and Management Options
