Henry W. Coe State Park, the state’s second-largest park which
sits in Morgan Hill and Gilroy’s backyard, will remain open despite
recent budget cuts that would have closed it next year.
Henry W. Coe State Park, the state’s second-largest park which sits in Morgan Hill and Gilroy’s backyard, will remain open despite recent budget cuts that would have closed it next year.
The state and the Coe Park Preservation Fund – a foundation created earlier this year – are on the verge of signing an agreement that will keep Henry W. Coe Park open for at least three years with private donations and the park’s regular revenue, according to Mathew Fuzie, acting chief of the northern division of the California Department of Parks and Recreation.
Given that Coe Park was on a list of 70 of the state’s 278 parks to be shuttered in order to cut $33 million from the ailing state budget over the next three years, Fuzie said the CPPF’s offer is a “fantastic deal” for the state, taxpayers and the park’s patrons.
“It helps us meet our goals of cost reduction, but at the same time keeping the park open through generous donations,” Fuzie said.
The CPPF agreed to donate $300,000 annually to the state for the next three years, according to the CPPF web site. The CPPF will raise the money privately.
That annual donation will pay for Coe Park’s current staff, and the state will make sure that revenue generated by the park will remain at the park for its operation and maintenance, according to the CPPF.
The agreement will likely be signed by both parties within the next few weeks, Fuzie said. It will be a three-year agreement with annual donations from the CPPF.
Coe Park was scheduled to be closed indefinitely in July 2012 along with the other state parks on the closure list. The closures were part an overall effort to cut costs from the $86-billion state budget.
The CPPF formed earlier this year in response to Governor Jerry Brown and the legislature’s decision to close Coe Park. The foundation’s web site cites the park’s “unique” features that justify its continued use, such as its vast expanse of rolling hills and oak forests, more than 250 miles of hiking and equestrian trails, “rugged mountains, steep valleys and wildflower-filled meadows.”
Coe Park is about 87,000 acres, making it the largest state park in northern California.
Despite its size, the park ranks near the bottom of the state’s list in terms of annual revenue – $100,000 in camping and day use fees – and visitors – about 40,000 per year.
The CPPF web site gives “special acknowledgment” to Dan McCranie, a Gilroy resident, chairman of the board of ON Semiconductors, and co-owner of the Morgan Hill restaurant Ladera Grill.
