Long-planned Orcutt senior center moves closer to getting built after county land purchase
Dave Alley
ORCUTT, Calif. (KEYT) – The long-planned goal to build a new OASIS senior center in Orcutt has taken a major step with a purchase made this week by Santa Barbara County.
On Tuesday, the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors voted to approve purchasing 5.3 acres of land along Clark Avenue in Old Town Orcutt where the planned senior center will be built.
The purchase is part of an agreement Santa Barbara County made with OASIS (Orcutt Area Seniors In Service) to help build the senior center and to also help facilitate the construction of a new Orcutt Library.
Along with the 5.3 acres of land which was donated to OASIS 10 years by local resident Steve LeBard, the non-profit organization has also been gifted 10 acres of land from local businessman Len Knight.
According to OASIS Board of Directors President Trevor Lauridsen, Santa Barbara County has agreed to purchase the adjoining 10 acres from OASIS that will be a similar to deal approved this week.
“This will benefit OASIS in many ways, saving on annual maintenance and landscaping so we can concentrate on keeping our programming as robust as possible,” said Michelle Southwick, OASIS Center Executive Director said in a statement. “The County is also expected to cover much of the sitework, immediately saving OASIS thousands and thousands of dollars.”
Together, the two properties will total just over 15 acres and will become the future site for both the new senior center, new community library, as well as open space and walking trails.
In return for the two land purchases, Santa Barbara County will lease the land back to Oasis for a nominal fee.
OASIS will later use the money to help with the construction costs for the planned 14,000 square foot, two-story building.
Lauridsen estimates costs for the senior center will land between $3 million-to-$4 million.
He added that along with the money from sale of the land, OASIS will have about $1.2 million in funds collected, so there’s still a large funding gap that will need to be filled.
“We have a few more in pledges,” said Lauridsen. “I know that Dignity Health has pledged $200,000 towards our project and then we’re hoping to get the community more involved and get some larger donors from from the influential people in our in our area.”
He added OASIS is hoping to break ground on the project that has been ongoing for decade to hopefully take place sometime in 2026.
“Once construction starts, construction is actually the fastest part,” said Lauridsen. “All of the permitting and all the work behind the scenes, that takes what felt like forever, but once building and it starts going vertical, it goes pretty quick, so we’re hoping to to get the funds we need next year and break ground and start building.”