New Clean Air Center to be established at Soledad Community Center.

During wildfire prevention month, May, the City of Soledad is announcing the establishment of a new Clean Air Center at the Soledad Community Center. City leaders plan to gather at 3:30pm on Thursday, May 28 to announce the designation and to discuss the importance of clean air centers in protecting public health, the role of the Soledad Community Center as a neighborhood resilience hub, regional partnerships supporting wildfire smoke preparedness and resources available to residents during smoke emergencies.

“Soledad is surrounded by high-risk hillsides and mountains on both sides, allowing smoke to become trapped in the valley and increasing the risk of prolonged smoke exposure,” Soledad City Manager Megan Hunter said in a statement. “The Community Center often serves as a refuge not only for city residents, but also for nearby unincorporated county residents who may face extreme smoke conditions while living in high-or very-high-risk wildfire areas. Over time, Monterey County’s wildfire season has grown longer and more severe, creating greater public health risks for our community.”

The City of Soledad was selected for investment in this project based on environmental and public health criteria identifying historically underserved communities with elevated smoke exposure burdens. It is being established through a partnership between Breathe California, the Monterey Bay Air Resources District (MBARD), the California Air Pollution Control Officers Association (CAPCOA) and the California Air Resources Board (CARB).

The project is funded through California’s Budget Act of 2020 (Assembly Bill 836), part of a statewide initiative created to help communities mitigate the adverse health impacts of wildfire smoke. CAPCOA, CARB, MBARD and Breathe California jointly administer the program throughout Monterey, Santa Cruz and San Benito counties.

“As a disadvantaged community with limited discretionary funding, Soledad would not have been able to invest in air purifiers without these partnerships. The new air filtration systems now provide residents, especially vulnerable populations, with access to clean indoor air during unhealthy smoke events,” Hunter says. 

The city receives no direct funding but will get air purifiers at no cost, which city officials can then operate in the community center. In the event of poor air quality during a fire or another event, community members will be invited to gather in the public space to avoid unhealthy air quality, which officials say is particularly meaningful for seniors, children and anybody with cardiovascular issues. 

The community center is currently open Monday through Friday from 6am-9pm and Saturdays from 8am-noon. 

“The City is continuing efforts to establish the Community Center as a climate resiliency hub for South County, and the Clean Air Center is an important part of that vision,” Hunter says.