Buellton Mayor ‘Throws Down The Gauntlet’ To Solvang To Fund Community Aquatics Complex
Jarrod Zinn
BUELLTON, Calif. (KEYT) – The cities of Buellton and Solvang are engaging in a friendly rivalry to raise money for the proposed Santa Ynez Valley Aquatic Complex.
The pool at Santa Ynez Valley High School has been closed to the public for years due to its age, but now Solvang and Buellton are making a big splash in changing that.
“The pool was built in 1965 with Community fund raising by Santa Ynez Valley Youth Recreation,” says Kyle Abello, spokesman for the Santa Ynez Valley Aquatics Foundation. “It had only been opened in the summers to the public, but now since 2020, it’s been it’s been closed to the public and just used for school events.”
In a $13.7 million campaign to build a two-pool complex, Buellton has just matched Solvang’s $450,000 commitment from June with their own $450 thousand, which was announced at its council meeting on Thursday.
“As Buellton continues to want to lead the way with investment in youth programing, which has been something every community member has said, whether you live in Buellton, Solvang, Santa Ynez, Los Olivos, anywhere in the valley, we need more children activities,” says Buellton’s mayor David Silva.
Along with $250,000 from the county, this brings the total funds raised for the complex to $4.5 million.
“We are just so appreciative of Mayor Silva and the Buellton City Council for their support,” says Abello.
Additionally, Buellton mayor David Silva is ratcheting up the friendly competition with their neighbor Solvang, “throwing down the gauntlet” for an additional $50,000 match.
“Solvang, we really hope you’ll meet that $50,000 challenge,” says mayor Silva. “So let’s go ahead and get that going and let’s show the people that we’re going to make this pool happen.”
If the complex continues to gain momentum, private donors may help fill the remaining gaps in funding.
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