GOOD NEWS. REAL NEWS. HOMETOWN NEWS.
SINCE 1916 Making Communities Better Through Print.™ VOL. CV, NO. VII
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2021
GOVERNMENT
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DEDICATION
The Stoddard Center for the Arts
City Council Approves Fire Area Map, Updates to Zoning Amendments Council adopts a resolution that recognizes the importance of Galaxy Theaters and Colony Square to downtown By CONNOR ALLEN connor@atascaderonews.com ATASCADERO — The Atascadero City Council came together on Tuesday night for a lengthy meeting covering three main topics, the adoption of the Atascadero Wildland Urban Interface Fire Map Area, updating the clarifications in the Title 9 Planning and Zoning Amendments and adopting a resolution recognizing the importance of Galaxy Theaters and Colony Square. The meeting began with a few updates from the City Manager before bringing on Atascadero Fire Captain Casey Bryson to present the updated fire maps. The State has mandated that a fire severity map be adopted by the City that requires structures built-in “Very High Severity” or “High Severity” be built to the more fire resilient Wildland Building Code standards. The City of Atascadero had never officially adopted a map that meets the State requirements and has instead used a much older San Luis Obispo County Fire Hazard Severity Zone Map. The new map is a combination of the old county map and the new State map spliced together to make the most sensible map for the City. “We really felt that this was the time to implement our own map that really does what we have already been doing,” Bryson said. “It does increase the building standards for that one small piece, but it really meets the intent of the State mandate to adopt a map which we have never done. We are adopting a map that we feel is the best for Atascadero.” Next, the Council dove into a long discussion about Title 9 Planning and Zoning Amendments that began with Community Development Director Phil Dunsmore’s presentation. In 2020, the State passed a list of new laws that affect portions of the City’s zoning ordinance, including updates to density bonus regulations, accessory dwelling unit standards and fence and wall height standards. Altogether, the Council reviewed 15 total items, adjusting some, for CONTINUED ON PAGE A15
YOUTH SPORTS
Stu Stoddard with his wife JoAnne and son Cam (Cameron) stand in front of Stu’s Studio: The Stoddard Center for the Arts. Not pictured daughter Gwen who is an ICU Nurse in San Luis Obispo and their son Cy who passed away in 2007 but there in spirit. Photos by Hayley Mattson
It appears the only person in the county not sure Stoddard is deserving of the honor is the man himself By CONNOR ALLEN connor@atascaderonews.com
T
he naming of new public facilities, especially in a public school district, is generally met with some conversation and at least a little discussion over many different options. However, when the name “Stu Stoddard” was mentioned a few months ago in Atascadero, all conversations about the building’s name ceased and were instead replaced by story after story of Stoddard’s grace, knowledge, and uncommon kindness. The citizens’ advisory committee and the Atascadero Unified School District Board of Trustees were in unanimous agreement. On Feb. 2, the Black Box Theater officially
changed its name, in its new home, to Stu’s Studio: The Stoddard Center for the Arts. It is rare to hear of someone spoken about with such reverence by all, but after just a few seconds absorbing his preacher’s cadence and basking in his glowing warmth, it becomes clear why every face at the Board of Trustees meeting donned a smile while presenting the prestigious honor to a man that worked in the District for 29 years. Stoddard began his illustrious career for the Atascadero Unified School District in 1989 as a maintenance and trades worker, mostly building cabinets, after finding himself out of a job in Geology due to the oil crisis. For the next eight years, Stoddard
worked around the District, wherever he was needed, with expanding levels of responsibility. In 1997, Stoddard was named the Director of Facilities and officially became the man in charge of fixing a school going through some very tight financial years. Over the next 20, Stoddard would hold a couple of different titles, including the Director of Support Services in 2007 and eventually Executive Director of Bond Projects in 2016. For most of Stoddard’s tenure, he was forced to be the harbinger of bad news regarding leaky roofs and decaying facilities. Yet, everyone left his office feeling better than they did when entering it, even if they didn’t receive the answer they were looking for.
“For years, we just struggled to get through, and that’s a great training session, you know, hardship develops knowledge, and we should be blessed for the hardships we go through, and we have plenty in Atascadero,” Stoddard said. “But there was always this kind of goal in the back of our heads that this place could look like a college campus when we were done, something that we could be proud of. I think we got there to some degree, and I think that a testament to what a whole lot of people were able to accomplish.” In 2010, the Atascadero voters overwhelmingly passed Measure I-10, a 117-million dollar bond allowing the CONTINUED ON PAGE A15
A HEALTHY COMMUNITY
EDUCATION
Templeton Hills Community Farm Impacting Their Community One Seed at a Time What started as a simple idea has grown into a flourishing community farm that builds strong relationships
AUSD Board of Trustees Discuss In-Person and Distance Learning
By CAMILLE DEVAUL camille@atascaderonews.com TEMPLETON — On Apr. 18, the Templeton Hills Community Farm will be celebrating their one-year anniversary! You would never know it was there from the street, but between the Templeton Hills Seventh-Day Adventist Church and school sits a little farm on what used to be a soccer field. What started as a way to produce healthy and affordable vegetables for their community has grown into a place where people can learn how to grow and harvest their food while building memories and strong relationships. In 2019, church members wanted a place where people could gather, a community center or maybe a garden, they thought. Matt Giese, the part-time groundskeeper for the school and church, suggested, why not build a farm? With the help of a grant from the Pacific Union Conference of Seventh-Day Adventists, the farm started with one hoop house,
AGRICULTURE
Superintendent Tom Butler Delivers State of District Presentation By CONNOR ALLEN connor@atascaderonews.com
money, this is not a commercial operation. This is a community operation.” Giese, who now manages the farm, happened to have a passion for gardening already. For the past ten years, he, his wife, and children have loved gardening together as a family hobby. “We love being outside and harvesting, getting your hands dirty. It’s an awesome
ATASCADERO — The Atascadero School Board of Trustees came together Tuesday, Feb. 16, for a robust meeting full of information, including superintendent Tom Butler’s State of the District presentation. Over the course of the evening, the Trustees were joined on the zoom broadcast by a few elementary principals and an Atascadero High School student representative who also provided
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Between the Templeton Hills Seventh-Day Adventist Church and school sits a little farm on what used to be a soccer field which is now known as Templeton Hills Community Farm. Contributed Photo
a small greenhouse, and some outdoor row crops. In 2020 the farm was ready to open to the public, just a month before the pandemic shutdowns. But amid pandemic lockdowns and woes, the Templeton Hills Farm became a place of peace for many people. Steve Mulder, a regular at the farm (and avid lover of microgreens), said, “God has blessed this place--this is not here to make
COVID-19 UPDATE
SENIOR LIVING
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WEATHER
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CALIFORNIA STARTS TO OPEN the doors and allows outdoor sports to resume with looser guidelines | A3
HOLLOWAY & AGSOILWORKS PROGRESSING TO THE RED TIER teamup to launch ‘Soils First’ solutions for could be expedited by increasing the Ag Development | A4 number of administered tests | A5
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