Public Works Administrator Steve Loop told the San Benito County Parks and Recreation Commission that several park projects are moving forward but hinge on permit timelines, grant deadlines and a contract decision involving the on-site cell tower at Veterans Park.

"Good evening, commissioners. Steve Loop, public works administrator, and I'll be providing an update to various capital improvement projects that are ongoing for the parks in our county," Loop said, outlining work from Veterans Park to Riverview Regional Park and San Juan Oaks.

Loop said final repairs, interior and exterior lighting and painting remain for an existing restroom building at Veterans Park and a contract for that work is currently under review by county administration and county counsel. He said staff expect contractor work to take three to four weeks after contract approval.

The county recently received an option from Verizon — the cell-tower owner on the Veterans Park site — to prepay the lease with a lump-sum payment of $429,000 instead of continuing a month-to-month arrangement Loop described as roughly $1,600 per month. Loop said staff will present the funding/contract options to the Board of Supervisors because it is both a funding and contract decision, and, if the board approves the prepayment, the county park commission would later consider allocating the money to a parking-lot and lighting project for Veterans Park.

"I forwarded the contract from Verizon to the Vets Park commissioners," Loop said. "I forwarded the contract to county council, our senior county counsel, and the assistant county counsel, so they have the contract." He added that, from his understanding, the prepayment does not change the lease terms.

Commission Chair (name not specified) responded that commissioners want to review the contract before making any allocation decisions and reiterated concerns about possible visual changes or additional equipment on the tower. "Give us $400,000, and then they can do whatever they want in the area?" the chair asked, noting prior additions of repeaters that raised trust concerns; Loop said the contract has been sent to counsel and commissioners.

Loop reviewed several other park items:

- Riverview/Ruby Regional Park: California Department of Fish and Wildlife reduced a previously estimated off-site mitigation requirement for California tiger salamanders from about $2.2 million to $655,000 after further site review. Loop said CDFW will allow phased permit payments; phase A (a gravel parking lot with ADA stalls) previously had contractor bids near $1.1 million and could proceed once permits are acquired. Loop estimated a four-month permitting window after submission and about four months to build the parking lot; the larger park build could take roughly 14 months.

- Grants and deadlines: Loop said the parking-lot portion has a $750,000 grant that expires in 2028 and that an additional $2.4 million toward the larger $6 million phase-A package also expires in 2028. He said park-impact fees of about $3.6 million would combine with the grants to reach the $6 million estimate for phase A.

- Sunnyside Park: Phase 1 (a wood fence) was installed in May but a section was cut for fire-department access; staff are seeking three proposals to install a gate approved by the fire department. Loop said a full scope for the park is in county review with an estimated cost slightly above $1 million and a targeted spring construction start.

- Historical Park: staff received a vendor proposal for a narrated walking tour accessible via visitors' cell phones and small mounted devices, estimated at about $6,000–$7,000 per year; the contract was scheduled to be presented to the Board of Supervisors on Dec. 16. Loop also said the State Water Board advised the county to convert the park's well to a public water system because of visitor volumes; a draft water-hazard assessment was expected Nov. 20, and potential work could include backflow devices, sediment filters and a meter, with cost estimates around $40,000–$50,000.

- REACH shade structure: REACH, the local parks nonprofit, received about $60,000 and the county committed roughly $50,000 to a $110,000 shade-structure project near a playground; REACH is soliciting contractors for construction.

- San Juan Oaks: The park's maintenance will be supported in part by a community facilities district (CFD) assessment on homeowners; Loop said park construction is expected to complete in May 2026 and staff will coordinate an ad hoc for wayfinding and interpretive signage with the developer's design team.

Loop and commissioners also discussed maintenance capacity. Loop said staff had requested an additional maintenance position to back up the current worker (Lupe), but that the request was not approved for the coming budget cycle; staff plan to re-ask during the next budget season. "We truly will need at least one more maintenance person for that park specifically because it has no other maintenance funding," Loop said.

Votes at a glance:
- Consent agenda: motion to approve consent agenda passed by voice vote (ayes recorded).
- 2026 meeting calendar: motion to adopt quarterly meeting dates (Feb. 11, May 13, Aug. 12 and Nov. 4 at 5:30 p.m.) passed by voice vote.
- Motion to adjourn: passed by voice vote.

What’s next: staff will present the Verizon contract and funding options to the Board of Supervisors; if the board approves a prepayment option the commission would later decide whether to allocate funds to the Veterans Park parking-lot and lighting project. Permitting and grant deadlines mean the county aims to complete phase-A work at Riverview/Ruby by 2028 to preserve grant eligibility.

All quotes and project status above are from staff updates provided during the Parks and Recreation Commission meeting.