Dowdy Ranch Visitor’s Center up and running soon
Morgan Hill – Construction on the $2.5-million Dowdy Ranch Visitor’s Center – a seven mile drive from the park’s Highway 152 entrance – began in 2004. However, it may not be staffed due to a lack of funding in the state budget. Although a brand new building sitting empty is a problem, rangers have used this to point out a much larger problem.
“We’ve gotten to the point where we can’t even keep the park open. It just wouldn’t be safe for the public,” said Henry Coe State Park Ranger Barry Breckling. “We’ve been in pretty poor shape.”
At 87,000 acres, Henry Coe is the second largest state park in California. The park is patrolled by two full-time rangers with their supervising ranger splitting his time between other parks. Even with the help of about 140 volunteers each year, Breckling said they barely have enough people to keep the main visitor’s center at Pine Ridge open.
“In a way it’s good, but we don’t have the staff (for the new center) and that’s bad,” said Breckling. “It doesn’t do any good to have it sitting there unstaffed.”
The visitor’s center sits on about two acres of land and contains an equestrian and picnic area and restrooms for travelers. The building contains a front office where visitors can pick up information they made need. In the back of the building is studio apartment that will be left for a camp aid if one is found, said Ranger Cameron Bowers.
Ranger C.L. Price, superintendent of the Gavilan sector of the Monterey Parks District, which oversees Henry Coe, said he will be looking into creative solutions to put someone at the Dowdy Ranch site. He said the position could be filled by a camp aid, which would be a paid position, or a camp host which is unpaid. He also added that the rangers could be switched around to put someone at the site at least part of the time.
Price also pointed out parks around the state have been hurting and Henry Coe is no exception. Price said there is millions of dollars needed for deferred maintenance, which is work needed to be done around the park for which there is no funding. With the 2006-2007 state budget allocating $250 million dollars to parks for deferred maintenance, Price said there will be many hands trying to grab a slice of the pie.
“It’s one of those things where you raise your hand and say, ‘Hey, we need money to fix this,’ and hope someone pays attention and says, ‘Oh yeah, we have the money for that,’ ” he said.
Price said the parks were allocated $36,000 last year for seasonal, or temporary, help for both maintenance and visitor services in the entire sector, consisting of Henry Coe, Fremont Peak and San Juan Bautista Parks. With a more favorable budget this year he said he will ask for additional funds to assist in meeting growing needs this year. He added that he is hopeful they will be able to catch up on some projects that are overdue as well as increase the hours for the visitor stations.
But, increasing the hours for the visitor’s stations could be a problem. The $250 million dollars is strictly for maintenance projects and another $16.4 million that was added to the budget would not be used on rangers if the priorities outlined by the California State Parks are not switched.
“This funding will be sent to where it can do the most good to improve visitor services,” State Parks Director Ruth Coleman said in the press release.
The top priorities outlined in the statement mentioned the need for more lifeguards on state owned beaches, maintenance workers across the state parks system and ability to operate other state park property.
So Price could find himself waving his hand for more money and coming up empty, meaning the new visitor’s center could remain unstaffed for the foreseeable future.
