Despite rainy weather, a handful of residents gathered at the
Dunne Park Clubhouse March 18 to hear an update on its restoration
project.
Despite rainy weather, a handful of residents gathered at the Dunne Park Clubhouse March 18 to hear an update on its 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.”
See the full story in the Pinnacle on Friday.
