The Hollister City Council on Monday unanimously approved a capital improvements project program that over the next nine months includes funding for projects such as street rehab, sidewalk replacement, Dunne Park tennis court rehabilitiation and expansion of the local skateboard park.
The $8.2 million program includes nearly $5 million already appropriated for Hollister Airport runway rehabilitation, $78,000 for the skate park expansion and nearly $1 million in other projects. The council’s action Monday authorized an additional $2.2 million for 15 new projects in various stages of completion. Some will be completed this fiscal year — which ends June 30 — while others will begin this year and continue in future fiscal years.
Interim Engineering Manager David Rubcic noted that approximately a half million dollars is included for road work that will be prioritized ahead of expected construction work next summer. Council members then pointed out their frustration with the condition of local roads.
Mayor Ignacio Velasquez said, “we’ve been suffering with roads for some time” and called their condition “unacceptable.” He also said it was unacceptable to use the argument of being short-staffed as a reason for local roadways’ condition.
Outgoing Councilwoman Pauline Valdivia said streets are in the same condition or worse than when she came into office 16 years ago.
“We still have roads that are really bad, people are getting hurt (and) the sidewalks are just as bad,” she said. “I know we have limited dollars, but something needs to come to pass before it gets more expensive” to fix local roads. “If you have a bad back, do not go down West or Fifth Street because it’s bad; it’s really bad,” she added. “People are falling, they’re tripping.”
Other facility improvements include $21,000 for the resurfacing of the Dunne Park tennis courts, $100,000 for flooring and bathroom updgrades as well as parking lot resurfacing at the Hollister Community Center on West Street, and $52,000 for installation of video cameras downtown. Five local parks will get new signs at a cost of $23,000 and the police department will get a new evidence processing and storage facility and an expansion of its parking lot.
Two projects on the list, upgrades to the disposal beds at the domestic wastewater treatment plant and an energy efficiency project at the industrial treatment plant, were held pending further discussions about environmentally-friendly options.
To see the list of capital improvement projects, click here and scroll to Page 109.
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