Project moves forward as positive activities are planned for
coming months
A handful of residents gathered at the Dunne Park Clubhouse
March 18 despite rainy weather to hear an update on the Dunne Park
Restoration Project.
With the Hollister Youth Alliance as a lead agency, several
stakeholders have been working together since August with a
$100,000 grant from the Health Trust to change the perception of
the park to make it a place families and children want to be. The
community partners include First 5 San Benito, the Hollister city
council, the Hollister parks department, San Benito County
supervisors, the Gang Prevention Task Force and the Community Food
Bank.
Project moves forward as positive activities are planned for coming months
A handful of residents gathered at the Dunne Park Clubhouse March 18 despite rainy weather to hear an update on the Dunne Park Restoration Project.
With the Hollister Youth Alliance as a lead agency, several stakeholders have been working together since August with a $100,000 grant from the Health Trust to change the perception of the park to make it a place families and children want to be. The community partners include First 5 San Benito, the Hollister city council, the Hollister parks department, San Benito County supervisors, the Gang Prevention Task Force and the Community Food Bank.
The Health Trust, a Silicon Valley-based nonprofit, selected three local organizations as part of the Healthy People Healthy Places grant through the Convergence Partnership Fund of Tides Foundation.
“The purpose of the grant is to resolve issues keeping people from being physically active,” said Lisa Faulkner, the project manager and change team leader.
At a recent meeting, she and the change team members – teens who are working on the project – invited some of the community partners to speak to residents about their role in the project as well as plans for future activities in the park.
Pauline Valdivia, the Hollister mayor, said she recalled taking her children to Dunne Park when they were young.
“It’s wonderful to provide different activities for youth,” she said.
She added that the city has tried to be proactive about the number of vacant homes in the area. Some of what the city has down is partner with agencies that are renovating homes for affordable housing. They have also worked with the Hollister Police Department to deal with criminal activities.
Police Chief Jeff Miller attended the meeting and talked about the importance of community members notifying officers of crimes in the area. He discussed the WeTip program, an 800-number that residents can call to anonymously report a crime.
“We can work together,” Miller said. “We are not asking you to confront bad guys.”
He said residents can help by reporting when they witness a crime. They can report directly to the police department or through WeTip, at 1-800-78-CRIME (1-800-782-7463.
Faulkner explained that the initial grant from the Health Trust is focused on advocacy and policy changes – it does not include funding for renovations to the park or equipment. The city has swapped out sand for rubber material at the park, through a grant from Integrated Waste Management, and there are plans to renovate the bathrooms at Dunne Park.
“We are looking at a larger grant,” Faulkner said, of applying for a grant available through the federal Housing and Urban Development department. “But we are missing a key component. We have to include an assisted living partner.”
Faulkner added that when she and the teens first started observing the park and interviewing residents, they found that Dunne Park had a deep set of problems. One of the early issues she realized is that the park is used during the day by homeless residents or by residents who drink alcohol in the park. Working with Al DeVos, the gang prevention coordinator, they came up with a plan for San Benito County Probation Department staff to eat lunch at the park. The presence of the probation department employees quickly drove out the negative element.
The change team members also spend one Saturday a month doing project at the park, such as painting the railing near the club house.
The next step is to offer more positive activities to bring people back to the park. Mary Anne Hughes, the executive director of the Community Food Bank, is working on a plan to offer a “farmers market” of sorts the first and third Saturday of the month. The plan is to bring a refrigerated truck with fresh fruits and vegetables that residents can pick up for free. The goal is to offer healthy foods and tips for the community on healthy cooking.
“I haven’t been to the park in years,” said Hughes, who visited the park for the first time in years when planning last year’s Kids in the Park. “It was a special place for my kids. What I realized when I came in here to figure out (the logistics of Kids in the Park) was that I was surprised by what I saw around and walked through…It seemed a shame that kids aren’t playing in the park.”
Shawn Novack, of the Water Resources Association of San Benito County, talked about the demonstration garden his office installed at one corner of the park in an area that used to be a horse shoe pit. The garden shows drought-resistant plants and is an opportunity for Novack to offer classes to residents.
“We put it in a year ago and I haven’t had any problems,” Novack said. “It’s probably to do with the (Dunne Park Restoration) project.”
Upcoming events include a composting class in April as well as artists’ displays as part of the San Benito Arts Council Open Studios Tour April 16 and 17, Dog Days of Hollister in May, and Kids in the Park in June. Elaine Frey, a tai chi instructor, is working with other yoga instructors to offer some sessions in the park. Other activities to be scheduled include summer concerts and outdoor movies. Faulkner said she is working with the Hollister Downtown Association to put on the summer movies at Dunne Park rather than the vacant lot on Fourth Street, where they have been held in the past.
“I’m excited the community is embracing this project,” said Diane Ortiz, the executive director of the Hollister Youth Alliance.
