County details $1M plan to finish Veterans Park restrooms, resurface parking and add new lighting

San Benito County Public Works updated the Parks and Recreation Commission on plans to finish remodeled restrooms and to resurface and re‑light the parking area at Veterans Memorial Park, a heavily used youth sports complex in Hollister.

Steve Loop, a Public Works project manager, told the commission the parking‑lot construction estimate is roughly $1.1 million and that the county has about $250,000 in ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) funds available to apply to the project. Loop said the lighting component—about $300,000 in the hard‑wired estimate—was the single largest line item and that staff had solicited a solar‑lighting quote that could cut lighting costs roughly in half.

The timing matters because youth leagues, including Babe Ruth, Little League and Hollister Heat, regularly stage practices and games at the park. League leaders and volunteers described frequent weekend usage and repeated problems with restrooms, vandalized porta‑potties and congested parking.

Loop said the restroom near the skate park is “98% done” but remains closed…