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Extensive renovation of Bolado Park nears completion just in time for the 90th Annual San Benito County Saddle Horse Show & Rodeo. Visitors will be greeted by new front gates leading to a resurfaced patio, a newly paved and covered exhibition area, redesigned livestock barns, a new children’s area and a cleaned-up and repainted U Barn.
Perhaps the biggest improvement rodeo regulars will notice is the completely refurbished arena and grandstand with improved lighting, repainted seating and a newly constructed announcer’s booth, all dedicated to the man who made it possible: Joseph Tripiano.
“He was a cutting horseman and a polo player who had a ranch out by Flynn Road,” said Saddle Horse Show board member Rebecca Wolf. “He was always involved with horses, and when he died five years ago, he left money to the Community Foundation for equine-related projects.”
Besides her involvement with the Saddle Horse Show, Wolf is on the board of the Community Foundation for San Benito County and has been helping the San Benito Heritage Foundation, which is charged with the upkeep and general maintenance of Bolado Park. While other possible uses for the donations were considered, Bolado Park seemed a good choice for the funds.
“We had a couple of projects in mind,” she said. “We thought we could build another covered arena, but the price was outrageous. We went back to the family and said, ‘Let’s just try to update and redo what we already have.’”
Work began in October with renovation of the grandstands, which included improving wheelchair access, adding a sponsorship deck, renovating the bathrooms and concession stands, repainting railings and seats, and building a new announcer’s stand.
The project began with $2 million, which included matching funds from the Heritage Foundation. The Tripiano funds went into the work done at the arena and the Heritage funds were used for the areas for horses.
“We gutted out the barns and put pipe fencing down the middle,” Wolf said. “We have added portable stalls that can be moved around depending on planned events so we can accommodate every need.”
A second matching donation went to repair and restore the patio next to the Exhibition Hall. Other areas of the grounds also got substantial facelifts.
Community Foundation CEO Gary Byrne credited Tripiano’s family with seeing how much their donation could do for the park.
“We brought Frank and Tom, Joseph’s brothers, out to the park and we explained the master plan,” he said. “They loved the ideas and appreciated that we were keeping their brother’s name alive. They really wanted to make a big difference here and when you look around, this place has been transformed!”
Byrne said an additional $500,000 in cash and materials came from community members and local businesses, including McKinnon’s Lumber. But according to Wolf there is still a lot of work to be done. To help raise the needed funds, the Heritage Foundation is selling naming rights to nine barns on the grounds at $55,000 apiece, and more donations are being sought to keep up with maintenance.
“This park is a jewel,” Byrne said. “It was donated 100 years ago by the Bolado family to the community, and now we have another family coming in to help. I hope there are other people in our community who are also willing to step in to preserve this place for the future.”
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