An opportunity like Pinnacles National Park doesn’t come along too often for such a relatively unknown, isolated county like ours, so local business and government leaders must get moving on a plan to claim the “gateway” title and develop strategies to gain the utmost economic benefits from the change.
President Obama last week signed the bill naming Pinnacles as the 59th national park. National parks can spur economic growth in surrounding areas, particularly those that are most linked to the national park brand.
Fortunately for San Benito County, we don’t have to rely solely on Pinnacles as the only draw for tourists because there are so many other outdoor activities here. The national park status, though, can give this area a leg up for those other local attractions because it places San Benito County on a lot of otherwise unattainable maps.
Outsiders who would not have noticed this area might now recognize San Benito County’s draw as a place where people can experience the back roads of “Old California”; a place that is flush with first-class wineries; the home of the popular Hollister Hills Vehicular Recreation Area, Clear Creek Management Area, Fremont Peak, Old Mission San Juan Bautista and great golf courses; and an area where recreation lovers and outdoor enthusiasts, as a whole, can experience a well-rounded weekend, or the best day trip they could imagine.
The key will be putting together a marketing plan and finding the right leadership to execute those strategies. That plan would have to involve narrowing down the most desirable tourist attractions, then selling San Benito County as the “Gateway to Pinnacles National Park” and the home of many incredible outdoor and recreational opportunities.
The most essential ingredient, money, remains in short supply. Community leaders would have to invest funding – and they should – toward the goal of linking San Benito County to the newest national park.
Leaders from the county, cities and private sector would have to find that money. Some of it should come from the Measure E sales tax approved by Hollister voters in November – it generates about $3.5 million annually – while newly elected Mayor Ignacio Velazquez has committed to using some of that money toward economic development.
Linking Hollister to Pinnacles is the perfect job for the new mayor, and spending money on a Pinnacles plan would be a wise investment with Measure E dollars, too. Hollister, as other cities already do, should also consider using some of its transit occupancy tax funds toward such efforts to market the area and gain returns on those dollars. If more people come, there would be a greater consumer demand for additional lodging – which, of course, generates an additional layer of tax revenue.
Still, funding aside, there are serious challenges standing in the county’s way. For one, there is much greater political influence on the Monterey County side of Pinnacles. It is also the side of Pinnacles where Carmel Congressman Sam Farr – who backed the national park bill in the House – pushed to build the new, multimillion-dollar visitor center using federal stimulus funds.
Such a political challenge is why local leaders must get started now before other communities beat us to it. There will be many difficult hurdles ahead, but they are more than worth the effort and risk.
