Santa Barbara Trapeze Co. Lands Long-Term Contract for Vera Cruz Park
Vera Cruz Park on Santa Barbara's Eastside is now the permanent home to the Santa Barbara Trapeze Co.
The Parks and Recreation Commission on Wednesday unanimously supported a one-year contract, with an option for up to three years.
About 60% of the park will be occupied by the trapeze company and the rest will be open space.
Vera Cruz Park on Santa Barbara's Eastside is now the permanent home to the Santa Barbara Trapeze Co.
The Parks and Recreation Commission on Wednesday unanimously supported a one-year contract, with an option for up to three years.
About 60% of the park will be occupied by the trapeze company and the rest will be open space.
The city made a dramatic turn in how it manages the park by going into business with the trapeze company. The park, which used to have a playground, earned the nickname "needle park" because drug use and loitering regularly took place.
In 2018, attorney Barry Cappello sent a letter to the city demanding a public hearing to address the issue. He was representing a family whose 4-year-old boy was pricked by a discarded hypodermic needle that he found on the park's play structure. The child had to undergo a series of drug treatments to prevent HIV and hepatitis, and the incident sparked local outrage.
Parks & Recreation Director Jill Zachary responded by clearing the playground and seeking suitors for the site to disrupt the activity.
The Santa Barbara Trapeze Co. had set up at the Earl Warren Showgrounds for years, but moved to near downtown to be closer to people and passersby.
The park is fenced off, but people are supposed to be able to enter the fence through an unlocked door during business hours, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. On Monday at 11 a.m., the park was closed and locked and there were no trapeze activities.
The trapeze company has been using the space on a short-term contract already and won favor with the city by providing scholarships. In the past 10 months, the company served 279 youth summer camp participants and 700 youths and adults.
It also pays the city a portion of its revenue — about $9,765 in net revenue so far, and another $17,503 for contracted landscape maintenance, which enabled the Parks Division to reallocate staff resources to other city parks. The Santa Barbara Trapeze Co. was the only business to respond to the city's request for proposals.
"For the city, it looks like a win-win," Commissioner Sebastian Aldana said. "Hopefully it will be a success. It looks like it will be. It looks like a good plan."
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