By ARABELLA SERRATA
editor@sbnewspaper.com
The parking area at San Benito’s Stookey Park recently received a noticeable upgrade, complements of the City’s public works maintenance crew and grant funding.
Stookey Park, also known as the City of San Benito Municipal Park, is a recreational site located in the heart of the City and is home to many sporting events and local youth sports leagues. The Boys & Girls Club of San Benito building is also situated on park grounds.
According to San Benito Mayor Ricardo “Rick” Guerra, the park’s parking lot has been long in need of repairs. Park-goers and parents had also taken note of the lot’s dilapidated state, which was dotted with size small and large-sized potholes.
In a recent interview with the NEWS which touched on other subjects, Guerra mentioned that some of his constituents questioned why the Boys & Girls Club couldn’t share in the project’s costs, but Guerra was quick to say that the facilities are technically the City’s property and the Club runs on a shoestring budget as it is.
The project’s completion comes at an ideal time, as it was in considerably poor condition, according to San Benito citizen Estela De La Garza. “That parking lot was in dire need for all the children and families. I’m glad it’s been addressed because the conditions were inexcusable,” stated Garza, addressing the City’s post on its Facebook page announcing the project’s completion.
Elizabeth Chavez, Chief Executive Officer [CEO] of the Boys and Girls Club of San Benito, offered her insight on the project, saying that the parking lot was in the same state for most of her time in San Benito before the re-pavement. “Besides safety reasons, we service so many kids in the area. It was definitely an area in dire need of repair for these kids,” said Chavez.
The parking lot and the park are “considered” shared spaces, meaning that they entertain traffic generated by the Boys & Girls Club, the youth baseball/softball league, and the City’s parks and recreation department. In essence, the park is utilized year-round.
“When you put effort into beautifying or taking care of an area, it comes with natural traction to the area,” said Chavez.
David Favila, City of San Benito Public Relations Director, said that the project was funded by a bond that the City acquired some time back and that the project took about two weeks to complete. It was also completed in stages, he explained, adding that the weather interfered with the project’s progress, slightly delaying its completion.
Favila continued by crediting the City’s “new administration” as to why the City decided to act on refurbishing the parking lot, explaining that the administration had reviewed the potential projects that funds could go towards, and that City leadership decided to focus on the parking lot. Favila estimated that the lot had not been refurbished since its construction sometime in the late 80s or early 90s.
The Boys & Girls Club is a nonprofit organization committed to creating “a safe place to learn and grow ongoing relationships with caring adult professionals,” according to its profile on volunteersotx.org. The San Benito Boys & Girls Club’s Facebook page shows the numerous programs and benefits children in the program receive, including after-school programs, free meals, field trips, and many other activities that contribute to the enrichment of San Benito youth.
The City says that the crew is working to improve the town and community, “One street or, in this case, one parking lot at a time.”
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