A hoped-for walking and jogging track at Oceano Elementary School became a hot topic for the Oceano Community Services District (OCSD) board of directors.Ā
Wanting to build a project that will ensure healthy habits, OCSD President Charles Varni told New Times that this will be a lasting legacy for the community. Ā
āI think itās a legacy project for the community that will serve everybody no matter what your social class is or your ethnicity,ā he said. āUntil we have a complete system of sidewalksācurbs, gutters, and sidewalksāthis will be a wonderful asset and the kids are stoked about the idea.ā
In order to make this project possible, the OCSD needs to raise funds and decided the easiest way to do that is by partnering with a 501c3 while asking community members to pitch in.Ā
Originally hoping to partner with Ecologistics, a local nonprofit that works to create resilient and healthy communities that are environmentally and economically sustainable, according to its website, some Oceano board members, including Shirley Gibson, didnāt think they would be the best partner because she claims they are a political entity.Ā
āAs far as Ecologisitics, they with that 6 percent have spent money fighting the Dana [Reserve] and that was a very contentious and now thereās a lawsuit. Now are they involved with that lawsuit? I donāt know,ā she said. āI know they battled with the Coastal Commission, so all we need is like some dune rider to see the name Ecologistics and the perception is … that weāre contributing to that.ā
Ecologistics told New Times that Gibson’s claims during the meeting were incorrect. The organization isn’t a political entity, it isn’t involved in the Nipomo Action Committee’s lawsuit against SLO County over the Dana Reserve, and it hadn’t battled the California Coastal Commission.Ā
According to a July 10 OCSD staff report, Ecologisitics would charge the Community Services District a 6 percent administrative fee to manage the fundraising, and some board members such as Allene Villa think they should hold off on partnering with that group and examine the boardās other options.
āIf thereās other nonprofits that will do it for the same or less, we should look into it,ā Villa said.Ā
However, OCSD Vice President Beverly Joyce-Suneson said that the Parks and Recreation Committee has been looking at other options, and Ecologistics continues to be the best.Ā
āWe did look at Lucia Mar, we looked at Boys and Girls Club, we looked at all these things, and we ended up back at Ecologistics,ā she said. āYou know 6 percent is 6 percent, and nobody does anything for free.ā
Given that the track will be built on Lucia Mar Unified School District property, board member Linda Austin asked why the schoolās Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) canāt take responsibility of the fundraising since itās at the school and she doesnāt think the āOCSD should be in the business of fundraising for a project on the school.āĀ
Varni said that Lucia Mar is in complete support of this project, and they have a meeting on July 19 to discuss possible fundraising strategies.Ā
While the OCSD is discussing asking for donations from community members or having the school district take charge on this fundraising effort, Varni previously told New Times that they were seeking a $50,000 grant from the Community Development Block Grant Program to help build that track at Oceano Elementary School.Ā
āIt was confirmed by [county Supervisor] Jimmy Paulding that we are receiving a $25,000 grant from the Community Development Block Grant preventative health fund, and weāll be using that to seed money to do the design and engineering and the cost estimates,ā Varni said. āThen after we have that in place, weāll be formally launching our community fundraising effort.ā
Clarification: This article was updated to include a response from Ecologistics pushing back against OCSD board member Shirley Gibson’s claims about the nonprofit at a recent meeting. ā
This article appears in Jul 18-28, 2024.