Botanic Gardens 9-24

Smooth sailing turned to rough waters for the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden’s Vital Mission Plan-the project to further develop and enhance the garden that’s been jumping through hoops for nearly five years. At the 9/16 meeting, the County Planning Commission-which had already conceptually approved the project on 9/2-highlighted concerns ranging from stricter limits on attendance of special events to fencing, erosion control, and the use of concrete pavers on the dirt trails. Those concerns, which echo what neighbors have been complaining about, will be discussed once again at a 10/26 special hearing.

The Botanic Garden’s board of trustees voted 9/17 to change a number of bylaws that govern the nonprofit entity. Specifically, the board wants to reduce the number of required trustees from 15 to 10; extend trustee term limits from two three-year terms to until “a replacement is identified”; extend the term limit of the chair to 10 years; create a “compensation committee”; and raise the minimum number of trustees needed to call an emergency meeting. Also, trustee Karen Davidson, who supports the striking volunteers and who threatened to resign last week, did resign on 9/22 after initially deciding to stay.