What Happened to Alice Keck Park Memorial Gardens?
By Stephen
I am shocked how disgusting the pond at Alice Keck Park has become. It looks like a toxic dump. No turtles, and the beautiful Koi disappeared years ago. I'd like t know what is going on? Locals like myself and visitors visit the park daily. Something needs to be done to fix the problem! I'd like to know what the city plans to do about this once beautiful pond? So sad, nothing can survive in this toxic mess!
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39 Comments
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Jun 10, 2018 09:31 AMThe city did a survey and parks do not meet the criteria for them to spend their much needed for unused bike way funds. They found that parks are used by local peds and families with children not bicyclists so just like downtown no need to clean them up.
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Jun 10, 2018 11:15 AMAre you serious TAGDES?
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Jun 10, 2018 09:32 AMYuk!
We used to love visitng here with our son when he was small. It was also a great place to photograph all the wildlife that lived there.
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Jun 10, 2018 09:35 AMMaybe the City in is the process of cleaning out the pond. I was there a month ago and it was filled with thick-looking water but lots of turtles.
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Jun 10, 2018 10:24 AMWe just need to raise taxes again. How can the city survive without exponential tax increases? Surely it cannot! Also, city government is so stressed out by the poor pay they receive, they are spending more time with their therapists than job duties.
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Jun 10, 2018 02:29 PMAtta boy Mattyboy. I agree 100%! And perhaps add a few more bonds to really make the property owners suffer. I simply could not believe the ever increasing bond toll on our property taxes. This is what happens when property owners become the minority among the electorate. Renters do not seem to understand that the landlord will pass these costs on, they simply vote yes.
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Jun 10, 2018 10:34 AMthis is from people feeding the turtles and birds bread and EVERYTHING else. See the trash in there? honestly, if it bothers you so much do something about it personally. Parks and open space are going to become more and more rare, ESPECIALLY if we shout to the heavens when they are dirty and the city has to use money to fix them. When in the end, its the public that caused the "toxic" mess.
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Jun 10, 2018 10:42 AMWe used to love to spend time at Alice Keck Park, and it was one of our favorite places to visit with out of town friends and family. The place has become a mess and is a disgrace to our city. There's no reason that the pond should be so filthy. Pond scum? Really? Of course there will be a bit, but not like we have now: filth, contamination, disease, and garbage. And after the Solstice celebration in a couple of weeks, probably a thick diseased crust will form that we can walk across.
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Jun 10, 2018 11:52 AMAh yes, everyone cringing at the lack of maintenance in the public spaces but no one lifting a finger to do anything about it except to point and demand someone do something about it. What an age we live in!! How about getting some friends and neighbours together and organizing a bucket brigade to pick up the trash? How difficult is that?
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Jun 10, 2018 12:22 PMIt's not very hard but where is the money going that someone gets paid to maintain the park in the first place?
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Jun 10, 2018 02:35 PMOceandrew, I appreciate the sentiment, but when two incomes are required to simply survive in SB, little time is left for such noble civic volunteerism. It is actually quite difficult unless your trust-fund/bank is large.
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Jun 11, 2018 01:14 PMSure, CHANNELFOG, you're too busy collecting rent to volunteer for anything.
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Jun 10, 2018 12:40 PMIf concerned about a park in the City attend the next Parks and Recreation commission and request to speak at the beginning of the meeting. Your comments will be heard and attended to. Talk with Park staff. Get involved. The way our community improves is heavily dependent on citizen involvement. The City may already have a plan to clean up the pond, but if not, they will listen to your complaints and do something about it.
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Jun 11, 2018 07:58 AMPlease note that most people who live in SB work full time + and cannot attend meetings of this sort whenever they wish. Which is a big issue with how our city is run. The city respond to the wishes of the loudest voices however those are only the voices in the room, on a work day, during normal working hours... So the majority of people do not ever get heard or even notified, only those who do not work full time or have normal responsibilities of a modern life.
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Jun 10, 2018 02:37 PMMaintenance of AKPMG is paid for from an endowment left by Ms. Park. Most, if not all, of the grounds keepers are volunteers. If you feel that they aren't doing enough, then please consider contributing your time.
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Jun 11, 2018 07:47 PMIf there was money left as an endowment for maintenance of the park, what is it being used for? And, Koi do a good job of helping to keep water clean, as well as adding beauty. They would also help keep down a turtle population, by eating some of the eggs.
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Jun 12, 2018 12:24 AMExcept for the fact that turtles lay their eggs on land.
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Jun 10, 2018 04:13 PMThe city has fallen to hell. Stores downtown shuttered, an army of homeless, aggressive pan handlers, a resident gang population and a huge deficit of available and affordable housing.
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Jun 10, 2018 10:24 PMYet we contribute $68,000 to the degeneracy that is the solstice parade every year. Much rather see that go to parks than scantily clad grandmas dancing down State.
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Jun 11, 2018 08:02 AMTee-hee! My laugh of the morning. Thanks!
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Jun 11, 2018 09:04 AMThe grumps are out in full force on this one. Dang those kids.
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Jun 11, 2018 01:10 PMI suggest that those who think that city has gone to hell should leave it. Please.
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Jun 11, 2018 01:12 PMSo you watch the parade just to complain about it ... classic.
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Jun 11, 2018 04:09 PMYou have to see it once to know you never want to see it again, and then learn you're paying for it to throw salt in your eyes...
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Jun 10, 2018 05:42 PMFirst, the public can not just start cleaning up ponds- it must be done the way the city approves we know of several attempts from the private sector offering help and many local wildlife groups wanting to provide their assistance and knowledge, nothing ever comes of it- the city just ignored the offers.
and second, we pay enough taxes, even if the city received more money they can not budget anyway! Unfortunately the turtles have been starving there for many years and there has been no feasible conservation attempts.
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Jun 10, 2018 08:10 PMGod forbid anyone state a FACT.
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Jun 11, 2018 01:49 AMFeeding bread to the ducks not only mucks up the water, but is unhealthy for the ducks. It's a double whammy because the bread messes up the water and also the chemicals contained in the bread-----it's always cheap white bread, right?----- ( Potassium Bromate. ...
Azodicarbonamide. ...
Partially Hydrogenated Oil. ...
Sugar. ...
Monoglycerides and Diglycerides. ...
Butylated Hydroxyanisole (BHA) ...
Sodium. ...
Caramel Coloring) which are ingested by the ducks is then pooped into the pond, too, adding to the imbalance of nutrients in the water.
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Jun 11, 2018 07:34 AMI can't believe there isn't one 'comment' to answer the question. There are signs there now informing the public that the pond is to be drained and cleaned out. Koi are going to Chase Palm Park, turtles are temporarily moved to another location. It is all being done with a careful plan.
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Jun 11, 2018 07:55 AMI don't know the calendar for cleaning it hopefully they wont put everything back ! The pond and the life in it have been a serious issue for years, locals dumping unwanted turtles causing a sever over population as well as adding sickness to the waters. There are way too many trying to live off very little food- We also understand there is money from the AKPMG however due to the fact is it a "public place" the city is in involved- I know so many people that offered solutions yet nothing has been done-
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Jun 11, 2018 05:21 PMno one could answer a question that was stated with so many variables.
but thanks for the awesome info about the sign stating that cleaning was being done.
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Jun 11, 2018 01:31 PMCome on. folks...it takes 5 minutes to check the Parks&Rec site on City website to see that the cleanup project is scheduled for June 11-24, and all the details you need are there. I sent City P&R an email thanking them, suggesting they add a comment here, and to tell us how volunteers can plug in. OK? https://www.santabarbaraca.gov/gov/depts/parksrec/news/details.asp?
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Jun 11, 2018 01:45 PMThank you very much for the update. Do you have their mailing address as well? I would like to send them a note to thank them for all of their hard work.
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Jun 12, 2018 06:59 AMCity of Santa Barbara, P O Box 1990, S. B. , CA 93102
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Jun 11, 2018 01:54 PMThirty years ago a panicked Mommy thought she saw a piranha in that pond so it was drained. They found two pacu, and the then Harbormaster Paul Nefsted had one taxidermied for display on his desk, his $10,000 trophy fish.
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Jun 11, 2018 02:23 PMPacu look exactly like piranha to the lay person, so not too unreasonable to be a little panicked if you see one. Would you be able to tell the difference between the two fish....?
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Jun 11, 2018 03:21 PMThey are related to Piranha. Besides, Pacu can also become an invasive species. They were probably released by someone who either didn't want them anymore, or found they outgrew their aquarium.
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Jun 11, 2018 07:04 PMIf the city was in the process of planning the pond cleanup, they chose not to share it with the public. After the "What happened" post on 6/10, the city scurried to include the news story in their Friday newsletter. See City post dated 6/11. Note the start date of the project is 6/11 even though the work started prior to that.
https://www.santabarbaraca.gov/gov/depts/parksrec/news/details.asp?NewsID=1481&TargetID=53
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Jun 11, 2018 07:42 PM.I wonder when they are planning to clean up the bird refuge?
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Jun 12, 2018 06:52 AMAs some of the workers are contracted, the city must have been “in the process of planning” before this was posted on Edhat......