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SANTA YNEZ, CA – February 17, 2026 — The Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians has presented the Santa Ynez Valley Community Aquatics Foundation with a $250,000 donation to help the nonprofit reach its goal of bringing a state-of-the-art pool facility to students and the local community. The recent check presentation brought together members of the tribe, SYV Community Aquatics Foundation and Santa Ynez Valley Union High School, symbolizing a major step forward in bringing the ambitious, collaborative project to the valley.
“Our tribe is proud to support projects that focus on promoting wellness, helping student-athletes or benefitting the community,” said Kenneth Kahn, Tribal Chairman for the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians. “This one project does all the above. We’ve been longtime supporters of this effort to create an elite aquatics complex in Santa Ynez because we believe it would be a valuable resource for the entire community.”
Since the SYV Community Aquatics Foundation’s fundraising campaign began, the goal has been to build a modern aquatic facility to replace the deteriorating 50‑year‑old pool, which is beyond repair and no longer meets disability‑access standards or sanctioned competition requirements.
The future Santa Ynez Valley Community Aquatics Complex, an outdoor, two‑pool facility planned for the Santa Ynez Valley Union High School campus, will expand access to swim lessons, competitive aquatics, recreation and wellness programs for students and residents across the valley, addressing a long‑standing regional need for safe, modern aquatic facilities. The complex will feature a 35‑meter competition pool, a 25‑yard active‑living pool, changing rooms, a splash pad and a multipurpose classroom and recreation area.
“We want to thank the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians for their continued support of their local community and schools,” said Kim Sheehan, Superintendent for Santa Ynez Valley Union High School. “When schools have high-quality facilities, success follows, including athletic success, and in turn, we see those involved students achieving academically at the highest levels. One of our goals is to ensure 100% of our students are involved in an activity outside the classroom, by connecting to our school and contributing to our strong culture. That translates to lifelong learning and a healthy lifestyle, both mentally and physically.”
This latest contribution brings the tribe’s total donation amount for this project to $350,000. In 2016, the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians partnered with Santa Ynez Valley Youth Recreation to donate $100,000 apiece to help secure a Myrtha warm-up pool for the high school, which had been used during the U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials. The campaign for the two-pool community aquatics complex has raised just over $5 million, marking major progress with more than one-third of the project’s $13.7 million campaign goal reached to replace the aging pool and serve both students and residents.
Lisa Palmer, Board President and Campaign Chair for the SYV Community Aquatics Foundation, says the tribe’s support reflects a shared belief that this project will have lasting benefits for students, families, seniors and the broader community.
“We are deeply grateful to the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians for their continued leadership and generosity,” Palmer said. “We are honored to recognize their partnership through the scoreboard naming rights and grateful for their role in helping make this vision a reality. This commitment not only helps move the project forward but also sends a powerful message about the importance of investing in a shared community space that will serve all residents for generations to come.”
The Santa Ynez Valley Community Aquatics Foundation continues to advance fundraising, design and public-private partnerships in support of the project, with construction targeted for 2027 once full funding is secured. For more information about the SYV Community Aquatics Complex or to learn how to get involved, visit syvaquatics.org.
The Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians has donated more than $30 million to hundreds of groups, organizations and schools in the community and across the nation as part of the tribe’s long-standing tradition of giving. To find out more about the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians Foundation and its giving programs, visit http://www.chumash.gov.
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