Hollister
– The Board of Supervisors has created a new Parks and
Recreation Commission that supervisors said will be key to
improving activity and maintenance in county parks.
Hollister – The Board of Supervisors has created a new Parks and Recreation Commission that supervisors said will be key to improving activity and maintenance in county parks.
“I’m really excited about this,” Supervisor Anthony Botelho said. “We have some wonderful assets in San Benito County that are underutilized.”
He added, “(Supervisor) Reb Monaco deserves a lot of credit for pushing this through.”
Monaco told the Free Lance he’s been committed to creating a parks commission since he took office four years ago. But the county had to resolve some staffing issues – namely, finding a new administrative officer and public works director – before making the commission a priority.
“It’s the right time for a better management model,” Monaco said. “I look at other counties, and the ones with the most variety of activity and the most well-maintained parks have invested in a parks commission.”
Currently, Monaco said, parks issues go straight to the Board of Supervisors, and there’s no central agency to oversee and address park concerns.
Jim West, public affairs director at Graniterock, said the mining company has land it would like to turn into a county park. He said the land has been mined, and since the company has to reclaim the land anyway, it might as well create something that will benefit the community. With the creation of a county parks commission, West said, the idea has become much more feasible.
“This gives us a central agency, a central person we can talk to,” he said. “Before, parks were kind of like everyone’s stepchild.”
West speculated that Graniterock will not be the only private entity interested in working with the new commission.
“There are lots of people in the same situation,” he said. “They have resources that can be used for the public good, as long as they have someone to talk to and work through.”
According to the county documents, the commission – which will advise the supervisors – should have nine members. One will be selected from each of the supervisors’ districts, one recommended by the Veterans Memorial Park Commission, one recommended by the county historical society and two will be county residents who are 18 or younger.
Commission members will be unpaid, but the county will cover related travel, lodging and meal expenses. Internal Services Director Rich Inman estimated that with expenses and staff support, the commission will cost the county between $50,000 and $100,000 annually.
One of the first tasks for the commission will be the creation of a parks and recreation master plan. Monaco said the plan should create an overall vision for existing county parks – including Bolado Park and portions of the Juan Bautista de Anza trail – and for future park projects.
The commission will not address parks within the city limits of Hollister or San Juan Bautista. Veterans Memorial Park is already overseen by an existing commission.
Anthony Ha covers local government for the Free Lance. Reach him at (831) 637-5566 ext. 330 or [email protected].
