The construction of an athletic field in San Juan Bautista has
stirred debate due to the presence of potentially historic
artifacts just under the field’s surface. Division has arose
between those who feel that too much time investigating could
hinder the project and those who feel that not enough is being done
to protect historic resources in the Mission City.
Hollister – The construction of an athletic field in San Juan Bautista has stirred debate due to the presence of potentially historic artifacts just under the field’s surface.
Division has arose between those who feel that too much time investigating could hinder the project and those who feel that not enough is being done to protect historic resources in the Mission City.
County Supervisor Anthony Botelho this week defended district officials’ handling of the project. While an archeologist, who is also now advising the Aromas/San Juan School District on the project, has criticized local officials for what he believes was inadequate examination of the site before construction began.
That construction started in late August on a six-acre property next to San Juan School on The Alameda. The district plans to turn it into two baseball fields and two soccer fields. Some questions arose, however, when a few community members called the district, concerned that the construction was taking place on historically sensitive ground.
The question still remains whether there are archeological artifacts on the site, and the district is moving forward on the project, tentatively, under the advisement of Ruben Mendoza, an archeology professor at California State University, Monterey Bay.
Botelho, whose district includes San Juan Bautista, said the athletic fields are important not only to the city, but also to the entire county.
Botelho first brought the project to the Board of Supervisors, which agreed to pay $67,769 for the fields.
“All of us take very, very seriously the historical nature of our community and want to preserve it because that’s what makes it unique – but there certainly are boundaries,” Botelho said. “I believe that all the historic sites have been identified already. Of any importance, anyway.”
Botelho said he was confident the school wanted to find out if there were any artifacts on the site to preserve. He said they are taking Mendoza’s advice seriously.
But Botelho said he wanted to make sure that concentrating on the historic element of the property doesn’t detract from the project – financially or by changing the focus.
“My thing is I hope it doesn’t take away from the project. The money that I got, I want to make sure it’s used for the fields, not to line the pocket of a consultant for studies,” he said.
Mendoza said he believes bulldozers already had damaged a historic building at the outset of construction.
He said he understands the importance of the project, but in too many instances the city’s artifacts had not been protected.
“There has been so much desecration of the historical district that if it’s permitted to go on, then that’s terrible,” Mendoza said.
Mendoza agreed to be on site when the district does any trenching to prevent any future damage. He said he wouldn’t volunteer his services for the school district if he didn’t support their objective.
“Not only do we want to save the past, we want to think about our children’s future,” Mendoza said. “But if they break the law in the process of trying to build for our children, what kind of an example does that set?”
Botelho said while he supports protecting the historical artifacts in San Juan Bautista, he does not want to do it at the expense of a project that would benefit the community.
“We can’t have everything both ways. Either we have some progress and move forward with projects that help the youth and community or we remain stagnant,” Botelho said. “Sometimes when you get into these oversensitive studies and examinations, you take away money from the project, and it’s just not right.”
Steve Mikesell, deputy state historic preservation officer with the California Office of Historic Preservation, said that in a city like San Juan Bautista, with its rich history, it’s important to be careful before any kind of digging.
“San Juan Bautista is a mission town, and those are notoriously difficult places to do any kind of construction because you’re just going to find stuff,” Mikesell said.
If historic artifacts – especially human remains – are uncovered or destroyed, then the group digging could be forced to halt construction, Mikesell said.
If the agency building does a “grievously inadequate job of assessing the site,” then someone could take them to court under the California Environmental Quality Act, Mikesell said, and they would likely win the case.
