Instead of fixing the West Beach wading pool or turning it into a splash pad, the Santa Barbara Harbor Commission last week supported turning the space into a Chumash cultural center and tomol house.
The commission’s suggestion for what to do with the wading pool — which is located next to the Los Baños del Mar swimming pool — will be considered by the Santa Barbara City Council in early 2027.
The wading pool was originally constructed in 1939. It was rebuilt in the 1970s before it closed in 2014 due to a major leak. To reopen the space as a wading pool, the city would have to find the source of the leak and then determine if repairing it is feasible.
New restrooms, changing rooms and accessibility improvements would also be required, according to Holly Garson, project planner.
The city did pursue a plan for a $3 million splash pad in its place in 2018, but that project was placed on hold in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Commissioner Spenser Jaimes said last Thursday that with the United Nations warning of a severe drought by 2050, a water feature right by the beach doesn’t necessarily make sense.
Jaimes is the first Chumash representative to serve on the commission.
“Having a tomol house, somewhere to store Chumash canoes, is essential,” Jaimes said. “… Having a cultural center would be great for the city. It would be great for tourism.”
As the commission discussed what to do with the space, several community members and members of the Chumash community expressed their support for a Chumash cultural center or a place to store tomols — traditional handcrafted canoes.
John Khus, a local Chumash artist, felt that most people in Santa Barbara aren’t familiar with Chumash culture.
“I think having a focus on the Chumash part of this area would be great,” Khus said. “I think education of the public is a good way to use this area. I think it would be a wonderful way to help people understand the Chumash.”
Selena Smith, director of science and dive safety for Ocean Origins, said she works closely with the Chumash community.
She spoke in favor of dedicating the space for Chumash use and education.
“I think it would be such a great idea to develop this property into an educational space,” Smith said. “Not only for the public, but a space for the Chumash to come and share and develop all these projects that we have going on within the area and marine spaces.”
Vanessa Hernandez, a member of the Chumash community, proposed repurposing the space into a Chumash tomol house, cultural gathering space or a cultural center.
“Our people have maintained a deep relationship with these coastal waters for generations and having a dedicated space near the harbor would provide an opportunity to honor, preserve, and share that connection,” Hernandez said.
Jaimes said it was time for the city to honor Chumash history beyond a land acknowledgement, sign or posters.
Jill Zachary, director of the Parks and Recreation Department, said the department had wanted to explore a wading pool or splash idea first since those two ideas had been discussed in the past. But she said the department also welcomes public input.
She also noted that the city is working to reenvision Ambassador Park to honor the heritage of the Chumash. The park is located between Hotel Milo and the Sandy Beach Inn on Cabrillo Boulevard.
That project is set to go to the Park and Recreation Commission on Oct. 28.
“That wouldn’t necessarily preclude us doing something more, but I do want everyone to know that we’ve been working on cultural recognition for some time,” she said. “That doesn’t mean that’s the only thing we would do.”
Jaimes said many didn’t want the park to happen and that they wanted the land to build something.
“You guys asked what we wanted, and we told you we wanted the land to build something that we actually wanted instead of the parks department essentially using our culture to build this park that we didn’t want,” Jaimes said.
