Hollister
– City Council members, some grudgingly, committed funds from
Hollister’s North Street Extension project to the Highway 25 bypass
this week – a move that closed the multi-million dollar budget gap
for the long-awaited project.
Hollister – City Council members, some grudgingly, committed funds from Hollister’s North Street Extension project to the Highway 25 bypass this week – a move that closed the multi-million dollar budget gap for the long-awaited project.
The council voted unanimously Monday to, if necessary, divert the $5 million dedicated to the North Street extension to the bypass project. The council also committed $6 million in city traffic impact fees that had not yet been dedicated to a project. The money pledged by the council, along with an additional $6.5 in impact fees from San Benito County, will more than make up the $15.5 million budget shortfall for the bypass.
Early this year when he announced the budget deficit, San Benito County Council of Governments Executive Director Tom Quigley said that the deficit was caused by rising costs of fuel, construction and land.
Councilman Brad Pike said that it was a matter of choosing which project was more important to get done first.
“You have to prioritize what’s best at this point,” he said. “And what has the most benefit for everybody is to finish the bypass.”
The North Street extension – which has been on the books, but dormant, for three decades – will connect North Street to Buena Vista Road, providing an alternative east/west route for motorists coming to or going from Hollister. Construction of the project is slated to start in spring.
The bypass will create a new leg of Highway 25 that circumvents downtown Hollister and connects to Airline Highway. Once the bypass is complete, Caltrans will cede control of San Benito Street, which is currently the same road as Highway 25, to Hollister. The city’s general plan calls for making San Benito Street more pedestrian friendly once the street is under Hollister’s control. Construction on the bypass is slated to begin in August and take less than two years.
Councilman Robert Scattini, who ultimately voted to commit the North Street money to the bypass, said that it was an unpleasant decision because he doesn’t like the idea of delaying a project.
“It’s the right thing to do, to commit (the money),” he said. “But I don’t like that.”
When it became apparent that either Hollister or the county would have to likely delay a project to fund the bypass, neither jurisdiction was eager to volunteer. County leaders said that the bypass will benefit Hollister more, so the city should offer up a project. City leaders, on the other hand, said that the project would benefit the entire county, so maybe it should be a county project that is delayed.
County Supervisors Anthony Botelho Wednesday commended the City Council for taking the hit and committing funds from the North Street project to the bypass.
“I think they did the right thing and hopefully the city and county can continue to work together to finish this project,” he said.
The funding shortfall was just the latest bump in the road for the bypass project, which has been around for decades. Originally slated for June of 2005, construction of the bypass was delayed more than a year when COG chose to get new appraisals on property needed for the project. Land owners said that they weren’t offered enough, and some threatened legal action. Though COG directors say that they believe the new offers – which, according to Quigley account for a large portion of the increased cost of the project – were fair, several property owners still say that they are getting a bad deal. In an effort keep the project moving up the road, COG directors voted Feb. 16 to start eminent domain proceedings on 13 parcels needed for the bypass. The COG offers are confidential.
Luke Roney covers local government and the environment for the Free Lance. Reach him at 831-637-5566 ext. 335 or at
lr****@fr***********.com
