City 11-19
The Santa Barbara Bowl Foundation Board of Directors announced earlier this month that, at the request of an anonymous donor who contributed $250,000 to the American Classic Campaign, the venue’s West Road will be renamed Rex Marchbanks Way in memory of the Bowl’s late, beloved operations manager. A dedication ceremony will take place on 11/18, prior to the annual end-of-the-season “Hang” party, during which an engraved boulder will be placed at the entrance gate.
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The Channel Islands Sanctuary Advisory Council invites the public to attend a meeting on 11/20 to discuss the recent discovery of an Asian seaweed species, Sargassum horneri, at West Anacapa Island. Presentations will address potential impacts the aquatic plant may have on area interests, including commercial and recreational fishing, tourism, research, and conservation. The meeting takes place 9 a.m.-3:15 p.m. at the Channel Islands National Park Headquarters at 1901 Spinnaker Drive in the Ventura Harbor.
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The deal that a group of area investors made with Capital Bankcorp Limited of Michigan to buy Bank of Santa Barbara officially closed on 11/11, bringing the bank under local control. The group, headed by Santa Barbara banking veteran Eloy Ortega, bought the $55 million asset bank in July and plans to add an additional $2.9 million in capital. This will bring the bank’s tier-one leverage ratio (its free cash divided by loans and other assets) up to 13.5 percent, well above the ratio of 4 percent below which banks risk drawing regulators’ attention.
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A “comprehensive rehabilitation” construction project, awarded to Camarillo-based Tasco Construction, Inc., began on 11/16 on the Carrillo Recreation Center, located at 100 East Carrillo Street. The improvements to the facility will include structural upgrades as well as a new elevator, wheelchair lifts, and remodeled restrooms that comply with Americans with Disability Act requirements. Originally built in 1913, the Rec Center is a designated historic landmark and receives roughly 100,000 visits per year. The project’s estimated total cost is $5.6 million and is being funded by the city’s redevelopment agency.
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Officials announced this week that, after recounting all ballots because of a glitch in one of the voting machines leased by the city, election results remain unaltered. The recount was conducted late last week after city election workers discovered that one of the voting machines failed to register some votes cast for candidates and initiatives that were labeled on the back of the two-sided ballots. Typically, the problematic ballots were marked too faintly.
