Outdoor gym equipment and handball courts may be in the pipeline for McCarthy Street Park thanks to a nearly $700,000 grant the City of Hollister was recently awarded by the state.
While the process is expected to take up to three years to complete, the monies will go towards renovating the mostly turf-covered 1.5 acre park located next to San Andreas High School.
Facilities being considered for the park include a refurbished basketball court, new bathrooms with showers, a splash pad water feature similar to the blue whale at Valley View Park, and a raised stage for community concerts and events.
A conceptual design of the improved park has been drafted by city staff.
“I based the features on community feedback from several sources,” said Mike Chambless, the city’s management services director.
The city received community suggestions on social media, at various public meetings and through direct interaction with citizens.
The revitalization could take between two to three years, Chambless explained.
“This is just the beginning of a long process I am afraid,” he said, as he outlined a series of tasks, from getting the designs approved by the Hollister City Council to selecting a landscape architect. All tasks need to be complete before construction can even begin.
Chambless expects the city council to have an initial meeting on the McCarthy Street Park revitalization in two to three months.
The city received the $667,370 grant from the California Department of Housing and Community Development through the state’s Housing-Related Parks program, which aims to increase the overall supply of affordable housing to lower-income households by offering financial incentives for the creation, expansion or renovation of community park and recreation amenities.
