San Juan Bautista
– San Juan Bautista’s residents have long believed their city is
a special place with historic importance. Now they know the federal
government agrees.
San Juan Bautista – San Juan Bautista’s residents have long believed their city is a special place with historic importance. Now they know the federal government agrees.
The Mission City was recently selected to be a “Preserve America” community, a designation that recognizes the town’s efforts to protect its heritage, to use its historic resources for economic development and to educate people about local history.
City Manager Jan McClintock and Chamber of Commerce Director Denise Cauthen-Wright submitted an application to Preserve America last year.
After learning of San Juan Bautista’s new designation, Cauthen-Wright said, “I have tears in my eyes and goosebumps on my elbows. That is fantastic.”
Now that it’s a Preserve America community, San Juan Bautista will receive a certificate of recognition and a Preserve America road sign, and will be listed on the national program’s Web site.
The recognition is important, but there’s more, McClintock said.
“There are some real dollars associated with this,” she said.
The city can now apply for Preserve America grants. McClintock said that means there could be federal funding for restoration of some of the town’s historic buildings. These include the Juan de Anza Adobe building, which housed a cantina in the 1850s, and the Rozas House, which was built in 1856.
The Preserve America initiative was created by President Bush in 2003.
There are 11 Preserve America communities and neighborhoods in California, including Monterey, Santa Rosa and Fresno.
Kim Cole, a senior planner with the city of Monterey, said the designation has played an important part in the city’s efforts to become a destination for “heritage tourism.”
“It’s one piece of the whole,” Cole said.
Last year, Monterey received a grant to restore its “Path of History” signs downtown. In addition to the funding, Cole said, Monterey has benefited from the opportunity to connect with historic organizations throughout the state.
Historic preservation is definitely a big issue in San Juan Bautista, where any threats to what residents see as the town’s unique, historic character are hotly contested.
Many see the town’s past as the key to its future.
“San Juan Bautista feels like a step back in time,” Cauthen-Wright said. “That’s what makes us more interesting to come to than other communities.”
Lately, however, that historic character hasn’t led to huge financial dividends. A number of business owners have said tourist traffic through town has dropped off in recent years. And some believe that franchises like Subway or Starbucks are necessary to draw drivers and their money off Highway 156. Such stores were forbidden by a 2004 ordinance, an ordinance which the City Council will consider reinstating in looser form at its next meeting.
McClintock said the town’s emphasis on protecting its history was probably one of the most important parts of its Preserve America application.
“We’ve preserved our historic buildings and our historic character in such a way that people say, ‘This takes me back in time,'” McClintock said.
McClintock said a number of groups have contributed to that preservation, including the City Council, the planning commission, the historical society and the historical resources board.
“And, frankly, most of our residents,” McClintock said. “They really care about the flavor of the town.”
Mission City resident Ted Thoeny serves on the HRB. The board was created in the late 1990s and works with the planning commission to make sure the integrity of historic structures is protected, a role in which it has drawn both praise and criticism.
Thoeny said his family first came to California in the 1840s, and although he believes there are others who have worked harder to protect the Mission City’s history, the town’s heritage is something he also takes very seriously.
“We’ve got to preserve our history before it’s all torn down,” he said.
Anthony Ha covers local government for the Free Lance. Reach him at 831-637-5566 ext. 330 or [email protected].
