The Gavilan College Board of Trustees will be holding a special
meeting in Hollister this Thursday to discuss the proposed San
Benito County satellite campus site, largely in response to recent
debate over zoning issues and the site’s impact on the future
growth of the community.
Hollister – The Gavilan College Board of Trustees will be holding a special meeting in Hollister this Thursday to discuss the proposed San Benito County satellite campus site, largely in response to recent debate over zoning issues and the site’s impact on the future growth of the community.
“It’s obvious that more direct communication like this would have been beneficial to everyone six months ago,” said trustee Kent Child. “But we wanted to make sure that anyone with strong feelings about the new campus or with questions was able to talk about them in an open setting.”
Since the board voted to go ahead with the purchase of an 85-acre parcel of land situated adjacent to the Hollister Municipal Airport in January, a slew of arguments have been presented against the proposed site. Concerns range from noise and safety issues due to the land’s proximity to the airport, possible incongruities with the city’s general plan and lost benefits to the downtown business and cultural scene if a campus is not located closer to the heart of the city.
“We really need to have conversations on an even level like this, not standing up for two minutes at a board meeting just to be forgotten as soon as we sit down,” said Joe Morris, an opponent of the current site proposal and member of Vision San Benito, a local group attempting to formulate a written plan for the future of the community. “When people get together and share, that’s how creativity is unlocked. That’s how you get the best possible ideas.”
Gavilan officials determined at last week’s board meeting that a discussion in Hollister was necessary, but are not convinced they will see a large turn-out. No one from Hollister came to speak about the campus at last week’s meeting, despite the fact that it was the first meeting held since the board voted to purchase the property.
“I’m not at all sure that very many people will show up, but what we’re doing is still a good thing,” said board President Tom Breen. “It’s good for our institution… Years from now after I’m long gone the college might be working with another bond measure, and it’s important to start a tradition like this for them to follow.”
In addition to discussing the future site of the Hollister campus, the meeting will also address renovations of the main Gavilan campus in Gilroy and the site of the proposed Coyote Valley satellite campus, all of which are projects funded by the 2004 bond Measure E. The Hollister property was purchased for just over $4 million, leaving roughly $8.7 of the $12.7 million earmarked for a Hollister campus left to begin developing the land.
“There’s a lot of misinformation out there, and I think there might be some plain misunderstanding about Measure E,” Child said. “So hopefully being able to give a progress report concerning the measure and what we’re doing with the funds will help people see where we’re coming from, and they can ask questions and offer suggestions from there.”
Opponents of the proposed campus are hoping attendance at the meeting will exceed the college’s expectations.
“I hope we see a lot of people there,” said Gordon Machado of the city’s Airport Commission, which recently voted to oppose the site due to zoning concerns. “Unfortunately, with community planning few people get involved until they realize ‘Oh, they’re putting this in my backyard…’ But hopefully people will come out.”
While opponents of the site are adamant that land near an airport is an inappropriate location for a campus, many are encouraged by the board’s willingness to meet in San Benito County.
“I rearranged my vacation time so I could be at the meeting, I e-mailed over 50 people I know telling them to go. This is really important,” Morris said. “It just seems right to be calling a meeting in the community and with the community, as opposed to somewhere deep within the bowels of Gavilan College.”
