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Residents of Boron and East Kern press county for park repairs, deputies and health services
Summary
Residents of Boron and other East Kern communities told the Kern County Board of Supervisors that long‑running park repairs, the absence of promised deputy coverage and limited local health‑care capacity are harming small towns in the eastern portion of the county.
Residents from Boron and other East Kern communities told the Board of Supervisors that community recreation facilities, law enforcement presence and health care access remain serious local concerns.
Several speakers described long‑standing infrastructure needs at Boron’s Bowen Park and its Little League facilities, and asked the county to locate funds they believed had been promised for a splash pad and other park repairs. “So my question was, what happened to the $600,000?” Boron resident Mitchell Nakahiki asked during public comment.
Others described dilapidated snack‑bar and equipment rooms, damaged roofs, fencing and ball‑field surfaces. James Lyon, who said he coaches in Boron, said the community wants improvements comparable to other county ball fields.
Local resident and former Rio Tinto employee Jerry Gallegos added that Boron has not received promised law‑enforcement staffing: he said a one‑cent sales tax passed to support incorporated areas had not produced a full‑time deputy presence in Boron and that the local substation remains closed.
East Kern County Community Foundation executive director Megan Pater said health‑care capacity is limited in Boron and neighboring towns. Pater said clinics are losing staff and residents lack local pharmacy access; she asked the board to help facilitate health‑care services for workers and families.
Supervisors responded with immediate operational updates and follow‑up commitments. Supervisor Parlier said county General Services recently repaired a plugged sewer line at the Boron community center to make the facility rentable, and he said walk‑throughs are scheduled to plan ball‑field and snack‑bar repairs. He also said the county is working with the county administrative office on the facility rental contract to reduce user cost barriers and that he hopes field work will be completed before the next season.
On law enforcement, Parlier said he had met recently with the sheriff and under‑sheriff to discuss East Kern law enforcement needs and said the board is funding 15 Flock cameras for East Kern as a force multiplier; he also said he is working on potential drone capability for fire and sheriff units. When residents pressed about the missing $600,000, Supervisor Crowley stated, “There is no 600,000, madam chair,” and Parlier said the amount had not been in county accounts when he took office; the board indicated the $600,000 may have been a prior administration’s promise rather than a current appropriation.
Several speakers thanked the board for prior help on Boron projects, including a recent pool fundraising effort that reached a reported $500,000 toward a new pool and private donations from Rio Tinto.
Staff and supervisors invited residents to provide contact information and said staff and the district supervisor’s office will follow up with more detailed timelines and next steps.
No formal board action was taken on the public requests; supervisors recorded commitments to site walk‑throughs, contract review and follow‑up meetings.
