Hollister OK’s McCarthy Park overhaul for $2.8m

Hollister City Council members recently approved a nearly $2.8 million improvement project for McCarthy Park that includes $500,000 more than originally expected due to some additional needs.
Council members approved the project 4-1 with Mayor Ignacio Velazquez dissenting, while citing the extra half-million as his reason for opposing the item on the Oct. 15 agenda.
The item has been on the table for more than a year after community meetings and dialogue over renovations for the park behind the local Lucky supermarket shopping center. At last week’s council meeting, members approved accepting of the submitted bids and executing a contract with Perma-Green Hydro seeding Inc., for a total cost of $2,778,894, according to the agenda report.

At a September 2017 Hollister City Council meeting, officials directed staff to initiate the process for selecting a design firm for the McCarthy Park improvement project. The City Council selected BFS Landscape design from six applicants at a December meeting and appropriated $235,000 from park impact fees to fund the design.

See video from a McCarthy Park community meeting from 2017 below this story.

At an August 2018 meeting, the council accepted the plans and specifications and directed staff to seek bids for the construction of the park. On Oct. 4, the bids were opened, and Perma-Green Hydro Seeding Inc. was the lowest responsive bidder, according to a council agenda report.
Funding for the project will include a nearly $660,000 state grant as well, while other funds will come from park impact fees.
Bid documents on the project described the project including the demolition of existing facilities; the clearing and grubbing of existing vegetation and shrubs; furnishing and installation of park equipment; furniture and facilities; a handball court; playground; splashpad; picnic area; and a state/skate spot.