12-person vehicle will be used to get members to
competitions
A local boxing gym received a donation from the Council of San
Benito County Governments that will enable its members to travel to
shows and competitions and
”
put these kids to the test.
”
12-person vehicle will be used to get members to competitions
A local boxing gym received a donation from the Council of San Benito County Governments that will enable its members to travel to shows and competitions and “put these kids to the test.”
“We have a lot of kids in our gym and we were trying to go to boxing shows and things like that,” said Zeke Lopez, one of the co-founders of the Bull Dog Boxing Gym. “We didn’t have any transportation. It makes it a lot harder to get anywhere.”
The local transit authority donated the surplus, 12-passenger van to the gym that aims to help keep area kids away from drugs, gangs and alcohol.
Previously, the 1992 Ford van was part of the vanpool program that was marked as surplus in September, said COG Transportation Planner Betty LiOwen. She added the van was leased by people to commute together for long distances.
COG donated the van to the nonprofit gym at the Oct. 15 Board of Supervisors meeting, according to a release from the transit agency.
Lopez said that in order to go to different locations with members, the gym would have to rent or borrow cars. But now that he and his students can travel to other towns and shows, Lopez is “excited” about having the van.
“It’s going to be a big asset to the gym,” he said.
Supervisor Jaime De La Cruz as a COG Director was involved in the donation.
“I would like to take this opportunity to thank staff, County Counsel and fellow members for taking the initiative to move forward on this,” he said in a press release.
When vehicles from the county fleet reach the end of their usable life, COG can declare vehicles as surplus and sell or donate them with authorization from COG board members.
LiOwen said the donation of the van was “a good idea.”
“The van is not being used, and it’s helping kids out to participate in [boxing,]” she said. “It’s a good activity so they are not in gangs and that type of stuff.”
