Hollister
– City and county officials say they are working diligently on
state grant applications that could eventually lead to the creation
of a 400-acre park running along the San Benito River from Bolado
Park to San Juan Bautista.
Hollister – City and county officials say they are working diligently on state grant applications that could eventually lead to the creation of a 400-acre park running along the San Benito River from Bolado Park to San Juan Bautista.
The City of Hollister plans to apply for funds to build a trail and other amenities along the east side of the river, while San Benito County will be asking for money to acquire lands adjacent to the city’s project.
Applications to the River Parkways Grant Program are due Oct. 17. David Rubcic, the city’s associate civil engineer, said his department’s application will probably go before the City Council on Oct. 16, and according to County Public Works Director Jerry Lo, the county is facing a similar time crunch.
“Because of the short timeline, we’re going to be pushing until the last minute,” Lo said.
Today, the County Board of Supervisors will vote on a letter supporting the city’s grant application; the City Council voted last night on a similar letter supporting the county. Lo said these letters aren’t just niceties – they’re actually an important part of the application.
“One requirement is to make sure there’s community support,” Lo said. “These letters show that the government entities support each other.”
The grants come from $100 million of funding made available under Proposition 50, which the state’s voters passed in 2002. This year, $32.5 million will be up for grabs and Lo and Rubcic said the county and city plan to apply for between $2 million and $2.5 million each.
When asked about the county’s chances for success, Lo declined to make any predictions.
“It’s a competitive application process,” he said. “It depends on who else is submitting.”
Rubcic emphasized that the projects described under the current applications are just part of larger goals. He said the first phase will be devoted to building a paved trail on the river’s east side from Apricot Lane to Fourth Street, with additional funding requested for a trailhead on Apricot Lane, landscaping, a parking lot, a playground and the conversion of an existing building into an interpretive center.
“It has the potential to be a really good project,” Rubcic said. “If we received the grant, we’d have community meetings to help come up with the design and to define the improvements that we’d like to see.”
The County Public Works Department already held one public meeting to discuss the project, where community members suggested outdoor education programs, school-maintained science labs, overnight camping facilities, a public amphitheater, barbecue and picnic areas, wildlife viewing areas, interpretive hiking trails and physical fitness trails.
The state is expected to announce grant recipients in May or June 2007; those recipients will have until March 2011 to finish their projects.
“If we get the grant, we’ll be very busy next year,” Lo said.
