Isla Vista residents will likely see permanent fencing this year along the bluffs that have long been a danger for those living in the area.
Plans for this fencing have been in the works for more than a year. As a temporary measure, orange mesh fencing was put up along the cliffs in Isla Vista in June of last year.
To finance a permanent solution, the university and the county agreed that UCSB would pay for building the permanent fencing and the County would take on the long-term maintenance.
Third District Supervisor Doreen Farr oversees Isla Vista and said that the cost of long-term maintenance will eventually exceed the cost of building fencing.
"As we know with other infrastructure in Isla Vista, when you have that large and that densely populated of an area, the infrastructure needs to be pretty robust and sometimes it needs to be prepared more often than it might in other parts of the County," Farr said.
A memorandum of understanding for the use of the funds from the university is moving forward and Farr says she anticipates it will be approved.
The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors will decide Tuesday, March 3 whether to approve the $70,000 from UCSB for the project.
Both the County of Santa Barbara and Isla Vista Parks and Recreation own the open space where the fencing will be installed.