Almaden Resident

News

$965,000 in backlogged projects delays repairs for local parks

By Eli Segall

With city funds running low and a budget skidding into a six-year crash, the city of San Jose has a laundry list of backlogged neighborhood projects.

In District 10, these projects add up to nearly $1 million worth of unmet maintenance, additions and enhancements.

Projects stuck in the pipeline range from upkeep at 16 Almaden Valley parks to new parking lot handrails, said Art Rosales, South San Jose parks manager for the San Jose Department of Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services.

These and other postponed infrastructure needs were part of a San Jose Finance Department report discussed at a city budget study session Nov. 28.

TJ Martin Park, located on Fleet Street between Coleman Road and Meridian Avenue, is one of those 16 parks. It needs new equipment to prevent clogged pipes, as well as irrigation controllers, six new benches and renovated sports turf, Rosales said.

"The field gets torn up all the time from people doing doughnuts," said Evelyn Brown, who lives across the street from the park, when made aware of the report. "My family goes there every day, so for us any kind of upgrade would be huge."

Unmet renovations for the park total nearly $93,000, said Selena Ubando, a finance department budget analyst.

The city is about to enter a six-year financial squeeze. San Jose will plunge almost $20 million into the red for fiscal year 2007-2008, and until 2012 will face an annual shortfall that ranges between $9.5 million and $38.6 million, according to a city finance report.

A byproduct of these dry wells is the deferred neighborhood projects, which citywide total nearly $400 million.

The finance department report broke down that amount by district, showing District 10 in need of an estimated $965,000 in projects. The numbers are based on an annual parks department infrastructure assessment, Rosales said.

"The report is a reflection of what we need to do to maintain what we have," he said. "If it's on the list, it's dropped below our acceptable level."

Though not part of the finance report, another deferred project is the historic Almaden Winery Cellar at 1530 Blossom Hill Road. Built in 1852, this city landmark is currently locked up and fenced off. The city plans to hold neighborhood meetings to hear ideas on possible future uses, Rosales said. No specific dates have been set.

Michael Kubiniec, president of the Almaden Winery Neighborhood Association, said residents have informally discussed possibilities--such as a museum with antique wine-making equipment--but talks have not moved beyond that.

In addition to TJ Martin Park, other tied-up projects include completing the second floor of the Almaden Winery Community Center, $100,000 worth of sports turf and irrigation repairs at Vista Park, and improved irrigation for Almaden Winery Park.

The city hopes to complete the delayed projects by June 30, Ubando said.