We’re glad to see Gavilan College belatedly doing the right
thing in inviting the public to discuss the proposed site for a
college campus in Hollister.
We’re glad to see Gavilan College belatedly doing the right thing in inviting the public to discuss the proposed site for a college campus in Hollister.
We hope the meeting trustees held last week to discuss the site is not too little too late. We also hope that the college sticks to it’s word to form an ad hoc committee to work closely with residents in determining the future of the college in Hollister. Most importantly, though, we hope that the Gavilan Board of Trustees reopens the process to finding the local site best suited for the college because it should be clear that many people are not satisfied with the choice of 85 acres near the Hollister Airport for a campus.
Though Gavilan did what was legally required to inform the public that it was discussing buying the land, it did not invite the public to discuss what they wanted to see for a campus in San Benito County. And the backlash has been significant. Many are worried that the site is too far from downtown and that it could induce the city to sprawl toward Highway 156. Those are fair arguments and ideas that should have been debated before the school voted to buy the airport property – making it a nearly-done deal.
Last week’s meeting, and the words from the trustees, however, are a very positive step in resolving this issue.
“I’m really sorry we didn’t have this earlier. If a better site were to come up for both the campus and the community, we’d look at it – though I don’t know what our attorneys would say about that,” Trustee Laura Perry told the 50 or so concerned citizens who attended the meeting. “But it’s not going to be the consultant’s decision, it’s not going to be (Gavilan College) President (Steve) Kinsella’s decision, it’s going to be the board’s decision, because that’s what we were elected to do, and we want to keep that faith.”
To keep the faith, the trustees need to thoroughly evaluate all possible sites, including ones closer to town, and it should look at creative partnerships – perhaps with the YMCA – that could present solutions. A college in the right place could not only bring economic vitality to our community, it could boost arts, culture and civic pride. It could be a resource that transforms our community.
The community, however, has to do its part too. During the meeting, Kinsella issued a challenge: “People are always saying ‘Oh, I know so-and-so has some land that might work,'” he said. “Well, now is the time for So-and-so to step forward and identify themselves, because frankly we’ve been looking for a long time.”
He’s right. If the airport site is not suitable, the community should help find another one. It is a disturbing reality that people don’t get involved in these types of situations until they become a crisis. Though Gavilan could and should have done more to reach out on this issue, the community too should have been paying attention to the campus search before the offer to buy the land was made.
Now all sides have an opportunity to correct their mistakes. Gavilan must reach out to residents to talk about where they would like to see a community college. And the community, in turn, must respond and get involved. Hollister will be better off if both things happen.
