Commission develops a yearly work plan that supports City Council’s goals
Published in the June 11-24, 2014 issue of Morgan Hill Life
By Kimberly Leiser
Kimberly Leiser
The Parks and Recreation Commission is a group of seven Morgan Hill citizens who care about the quality of life in our community and are actively involved in finding ways to improve our city’s public parks and multitude of recreation opportunities. We meet bi-monthly on the third Tuesday of odd numbered months and discuss various issues of public concern and make recommendations to the City Council to help them in deciding on the path our city might take with the future of our parks and recreation.
I’m proud of Morgan Hill and how our community has focused on maintaining our many outdoor and recreational activities as it has grown over the last two decades. Our family has lived here since 1996 and I have been involved in many community groups and projects over the years. I became a PRC commissioner while participating in the Leadership Morgan Hill program in 2006 and recently took on the position of commission chair. I decided to join the PRC because I thought I could provide quality citizen input regarding our parks and recreation facilities in our town.
Morgan Hill has a lot to offer the people who reside here and visit our city. But there is always room for improvement.
Our commission develops a work plan once a year that is set up to support the City Council’s goals and priorities. This year’s work plan was developed to support the council’s ongoing priorities of “supporting youth in our community, maintaining fiscal responsibility, protecting the environment and enhancing public safety.” The new work plan is expected to be finalized at the next PRC meeting July 15. If you would like more information about what we will address at any PRC meeting, you can find information posted on the city’s website at www.morgan-hill.ca.gov . When you are on that website, go to Commission and Boards then Parks and Recreation Commission for more details.
At the May PRC meeting, the commission heard from a representative of the County of Santa Clara Roads and Airports Department about its Expressway Plan 2040. The plan looks at projected traffic growth and street planning and identify new challenges and development opportunities. Commissioners also heard discussion about improving bicycle routes throughout our area and improving bicycle trails to Gilroy. Suggestions were made by commission members to make the county roads around Morgan Hill safer for pedestrians and bicyclists.
For information about the proposed changes to county roads, or if you would like to offer input and suggestions, the department’s website is www.countyroads.org. On the website, go to Planning Studies, then Circulation and Mobility Planning. There will be community meetings held in our area for public input. If you would like to provide comments, or receive more information about upcoming community input meetings, the contact information is 408-573-2417 or e-mail: [email protected].
As development of the downtown ramps up, the city of Morgan Hill has started planning the creation of two new downtown parks and a trail. Details were discussed at the May meeting. Community Services Director Chris Ghione is the contact with the City of Morgan Hill for these projects.
If you would like to become more involved in our parks throughout town, go to www.morgan-hill.ca.gov and in the search box type “help your parks, trails and creeks.” When the webpage comes up, you will find a list of volunteer requests, Adopt-A-Park opportunities, and wish lists for our parks. Members of our community over the last year have planted trees at the parks, built a shade arbor for an Eagle Scout project and donated materials for park use. Any help for our parks is appreciated and benefits our community.
I warmly invite all members of our community to attend our regularly-scheduled PRC meetings and provide comments and input to our commissioners to help us to maintain and enhance the quality of Morgan Hill’s parks and recreation opportunities.
Kimberly Leiser is the chair of the Morgan Hill Parks and Recreation Commission. She can be reached by emailing her at leiserkimberly@gmail.
