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To enhance the quality of life for residents, the City of Lompoc has several projects that are currently being rolled out or are "in the works," including:
Old Town Pocket Park will be located at 119 South H Street. It will be a formal park, the first of its kind in Lompoc. Designed at a charrette to be a gathering spot in the Old Town, the park will feature decorative paving, small lawn area with benches, formal planters with benches and roses and public restrooms. A grand gated entrance will be closed at night. Trees will be planted on a grid pattern so that as you walk through the park the view is constantly changing. A building with public restrooms will provide wind protection. Once completed, the park will offer checkers, chess, art, music, weddings and gatherings for all. This new park will be a wonderful addition for everyone of any age and potentially a daily destination. The Wastewater Division's 27-month, $79 million plant upgrade project is underway. Lompoc's Wastewater Treatment Upgrade Project is the largest capital improvement project ever undertaken by the city. Currently being constructed under the direction of the Wastewater Division, the project will provide additional treatment to remove nutrients from wastewater, something the current plant cannot do. The upgraded plant will serve the City of Lompoc, the Vandenberg Village Community Service District and Vandenberg Air Force Base.
As of December 2008, the city's prime contractor, Parsons RCI, had completed over 50 percent of construction activities. The upgraded plant will employ ultraviolet (UV) light disinfection as a replacement for the current chemical disinfection system. The new UV disinfection will remove disease-causing organisms from the wastewater before it is discharged to the environment, without adding undesirable chemical by-products. The project, now beginning its test phase, has an expected construction completion date for August. Lompoc's first green public building, Charlotte's Web Children's Library, has been approved by the planning commission and city council. The building will feature straw bale wall construction and other green practices, such as daylighting, radiant floor heating, photovoltaic panels, low-VOC paint and recycled content materials. The library will serve as a demonstration facility for sustainable architecture by meeting the prestigious Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standard level Silver.
This new branch of the Lompoc Public Library System, now in the design development phase, will offer a homework center, storytime area and materials for children up to age 14 in a variety of formats. The City of Lompoc is working with library staff and trustees to make former Lompoc Mayor Charlotte Benton's dream of a children's library in her neighborhood a reality. The facility will be located at 211 S. I Street, formerly Benton's residence, which she donated to the city in 1997.
Reflecting the demographics of the service area, library materials will be available in Spanish and English in a variety of formats. Benton's bequest will allow the library to operate for 30 years independent of city funding. The Lompoc District Libraries Foundation has worked on this extraordinary project since 1997 and continues to take the lead in fundraising for construction. Community Development Block Grant and Redevelopment Agency funds have been committed to the project.
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