APR. 5-12, 2018
Arts Festivals Still Reeling from Floods and Fire
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PAU L WELLM AN F I LE PHOTOS
rts promoter Mitchell Kriegman could not have picked a worse time to schedule this year’s PuppetPalooza puppet fest if he tried. The day his festival was scheduled to start, March 1, mass evacuations were ordered from Goleta to Carpinteria in anticipation of mudslides and debris flows triggered by heavy rains. It would be Santa Barbara’s Robin Elander (left) and Mitchell Kriegman fourth major evacuation since the Thomas Fire erupted December wanted to double down, to do something 4. Making matters worse, temperatures good that would bring the community out,” tanked. he said. The kids and families Kriegman hoped to Kriegman is not alone. Fundraising for attract may not have stayed away in droves, this year’s Summer Solstice celebration is but attendance was significantly less than about $200,000 below what it needs to be. projected. Kriegman had to discount ticket Festival organizer Robin Elander sent out prices — giving some seats away for free a social media appeal via GoFundMe two — to get what crowds he got. The festival weeks ago warning that without significant may have been an artistic success, Krieg- infusions of cash, this year’s show might man said, but it was a financial nightmare. not go on. To date, her appeal has generTen days after the festival finished, Krieg- ated $3,000. man sent out an SOS to those holding IOUs. In the wake of this winter’s natural disasHe offered vendors and creditors 25 cents ters, Santa Barbara philanthropic winds on every dollar he owed them. So far, some have shifted dramatically; high-art puppet have accepted, some have said no, and oth- shows and flash mobs of Brazilian dancers are still mulling over their options. No ers have less priority on the community’s collective purse strings. Solstice typically one, to date, has sued. Kriegman said he’d thought about can- attracts about 90,000 observers and about celing the festival, but opted against it. 1,000 participants. This year’s Solstice Santa Barbara’s Fiesta parade and Earth would be its 44th. When asked how dire the Day celebrations, he noted, both emerged circumstances really were, Elander replied, in the wake of their own disasters — the 1925 “It’s somewhere between somewhat and sigearthquake and the oil spill of 1969. “We nificantly dire.” —Nick Welsh
Target Traffic, Parking a Problem?
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THE INDEPENDENT
APRIL 12, 2018
INDEPENDENT.COM
ust about everyone who spoke at the Target meeting on Monday started out by saying, “I’m really glad a Target store is coming to Santa Barbara, but …” Then, concerns about street snarl-ups, traffic tangles, intersection impasses, exit imbroglios, and parking perdition were expressed. John Dewes, from Target headquarters in Minnesota, had a response to most questions, assuring the 32 people at Hope School Auditorium that his corporate managers were even more concerned than they that the store succeed without any hitch to the community. City traffic engineer Derrick Bailey answered most congestion questions, explaining that Public Works could modify the traffic signals and sequence of movements at the intersection “to a more efficient pattern which will result in shorter queue lengths and less delay.” Though Target was not required to make any changes, because the new retail store, which occupies an old retail space, meets zoning rules, the corporation was receptive to “suggested changes to the adjacent streets to improve traffic flow, safety, and site access,” Bailey said. At the meeting, he described a shorter left-turn lane on La Cumbre opposite Target that would provide space for a turn-pocket (headed south) to give shop-
pers access to the parking lot, helped by a wider driveway. Broader aprons on State would allow more visibility around the bus pocket, he said. But those attending were unconvinced, and doubtful questions and statements flowed. Residents were relieved, however, that Target would be softening the “bunker” look of the former Galleria with large windows on the second floor, neutral paint, and landscaping. One resident worried that, as at Chickfil-A at noon, the line to park could extend into the street. Bailey shared that concern, as well as that of insufficient parking circulation in the lot, but both the site configuration and the grandfathering of the retail space precluded a requirement for solutions. According to Dewes, for a small Target like this one, half the parking lot would be occupied at a time, and shoppers were likely to leave after 20 minutes. Bailey’s hope was that people would have figured out alternate ways to the store by the time Christmas rolled around. The meeting was convened by City Councilmember Eric Friedman, whose constituents were vocally concerned. Target was still scouting properties in the area, Dewes said, hoping to be able to make a business deal, as it had on the Galleria spot. —Jean Yamamura