The
12.5 acre Hidden Valley school property at the end of Palermo Drive has
benefited people and wildlife alike for many years by providing peaceful open
space. The Santa Barbara Unified School District (SBUSD), which owns the
property, plans to build a farm with the addition of classrooms, paved roads,
and other infrastructure that will disrupt the ecological integrity of the
site.
I
am a board member of the Santa Barbara Urban Creeks Council, a 501(c)3 public
benefit nonprofit, and also a 2019 graduate of a local high school and incoming
UCSB environmental studies student. I believe that the Hidden Valley site would
not be an appropriate location for a farm project. Specifically, I hope to see
the space restored to its natural state. It could then be used as part of a
curriculum on nature and local wildlife, starting with the restoration project
itself, which students could get involved in.
There
are several reasons why the proposed farm would not be the best use of this
valuable property. One reason is the high cost of planning, building, and
managing it. Just the initial plans, environmental study, and installation of
underground utilities to the building site are expected to cost approximately
$1 million in public funds. In addition, small-scale urban farming is labor and
water intensive. According to experienced farmers, it would require two
full-time employees per acre, year round, even though SBUSD’s budget has
planned for only one employee for the entire farm. The use of city water would
also be a high, ongoing cost, and the alternative of drilling a new well would
be not only expensive but would have negative environmental consequences.