Lea este artículo en español aquí.
Construction of Riverview Regional Park, the 46-acre recreation zone planned for the area between the Hollister High School campus and the San Benito River, will begin this fall, a year later than originally expected. It was supposed to start in October but was delayed over environmental concerns.
County officials told BenitoLink that the California Department of Fish and Wildlife added a native owl and a variety of bumblebee to its endangered species list, which slowed down the project.
“As a result of those additions, the anticipated date to receive the final environmental permits has been extended,” Rosemerry Dere, the county’s public information officer, told BenitoLink. “We’re hopeful that mitigation costs for any impacts to those species will be minimal.”
Riverview Regional Park has been in the works for more than 11 years. In 2022, the county won a $2.4 million grant from California State Parks to start building it, and the project was divided into two phases.
Phase 1 includes ball fields, an amphitheater, restrooms, playgrounds, pickleball and basketball courts. The park will also feature botanical and community gardens, astronomy zones, fitness areas, cross-country trails, and a disc golf course.
County staff hope to have the revised design plan in place in the spring, then receive the necessary environmental permits and begin construction in the fall.
In November, the county’s Resource Management Agency partnered with the community-based organizations REACH San Benito Parks Foundation and Youth Alliance to apply for a $15 million federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) grant. Known as the Environmental and Climate Justice Community Change Grant, it’s dispersing approximately $2 billion from the Inflation Reduction Act to invest in environmental and climate justice activities benefiting disadvantaged communities.
To complete the park, the county is now in search of more funding.
“In San Benito County we have great views, but they are all behind a fence,” said Valerie Egland, president of REACH. “Very few people have the means to go out of town to Hollister Hills and Pinnacles National Park. This is a huge opportunity for people that don’t have the capacity to experience nature.”
The county will know by March if it has received the EPA grant. In addition, county staff told BenitoLink they are considering two upcoming grant applications that open this spring. Staff said they expect to finish building the entire park by spring 2027.
We need your help. Support local, nonprofit news! BenitoLink is a nonprofit news website that reports on San Benito County. Our team is committed to this community and providing essential, accurate information to our fellow residents. Producing local news is expensive, and community support keeps the news flowing. Please consider supporting BenitoLink, San Benito County’s public service nonprofit news.
The post Construction of Riverview Regional Park begins in fall appeared first on BenitoLink.