This article was underwritten in part by the Mickey Flacks Journalism Fund for Social Justice, a proud, innovative supporter of local news. To make a contribution go to sbcan.org/journalism_fund.
Two blue tents on Pardall Road on Thursday afternoon marked the Isla Vista Recreation and Park District’s opening ceremony of “Peaceful” Pardall Gardens, a newly renovated pocket of green space on Isla Vista’s busy thoroughfare.
Students stopped on their way from campus to check out the renovated park, learn about the native plants it supports, and grab a treat. Long-term residents socialized and checked out the space as the Bad Neighbors, a local band, played on the new park stage. Derrick Dunten, better known as the S.B. Bubble Guy, created giant, shimmering bubbles that floated down Pardall as people passed.
The planning and process to renovate the park took about six years.
“The park previously was kind of just a plot of soil with a couple benches and some shrubs,” said Luis Valerio, the I.V. Recreation and Park District’s assistant general manager. “It didn’t have any actual trails or pathways.”
The newly opened Peaceful Pardall Park on January 29. | Credit Christina McDermott
In August, 2021, the district’s board of directors formally adopted a project list that made Pardall Gardens a top priority for renovations. The district had already worked to secure state grant funding to help fund projects in November 2020.
Derrick Dunten, better known as the SB Bubble Guy, on Pardall at the park opening on January 29. | Credit: Christina McDermott
Now, the garden is full of drought-tolerant, native plants: succulents, bunch grasses, coyote bush, purple needle grass, sage bushes, and more. It’s a dry garden or xeriscape landscaping, meaning it doesn’t require irrigation. A catch basin in the middle of the park will capture rainfall and distribute it to the park’s plants.
“So there actually is no water meter here,” Valerio said. “We had a water tank out here for three months to establish all of the plants, and then from there on, we’re depending on Mother Nature and rain.”
Bright yellow California poppies sprang up along a path through the park. Valerio said these poppies thrive in I.V.’s climate, with its sometimes-cool, marine-layer-wet mornings.
Kimberly Kieffer, the district’s general manager said in a press release the park provides a space to get off busy Paradall and enjoy a moment of peace, or catch up with friends. Picnic tables dot the park, and a large light allows people to use it after dark for events. A stage with an electric outlet for music means folks can use the space for concerts.
All told, the park cost more than $787,000 to build. Funding came from two primary sources: grant funding ($427,000) and a tax levied on property owners, including landlords and commercial property owners ($268,000). The district also drew from funding the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors approved to improve lighting in Isla Vista and spending contingency funds.
The Isla Vista Recreation and Park District maintains more than 55 acres of green space within the dense community, including parks, gardens, natural open spaces, and beach access points.
The newly opened Peaceful Pardall Park on January 29. | Credit Christina McDermott
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