Published in the Jan. 22, 2014 issue of Morgan Hill Life
Morgan Hill residents have until the end of this month to share their ideas and opinions on what they would like to see planned for the city’s recreation facilities to serve the needs of the community in the near and long-term future. Morgan Hill’s city council members and city staff want to hear from citizens about what they desire to see in new facility construction, additions to the current facilities, and changes to existing facilities.
Based on the community input, the city staff will present a report to the Morgan Hill City Council in March highlighting what was learned in the process of planning the future of our recreational facilities. The council members will use this information to determine whether or not to implement a recreation impact fee on new construction in Morgan Hill.
Since last month, the city has been taking input from citizens through an online survey (www.mhrecreation.com) as well as surveys done on paper. About 20 Morgan Hill and Gilroy residents attended the Jan. 7 workshop meeting at the Community and Cultural Center to share their ideas for the city’s recreation centers.
Many people from Gilroy, San Martin, San Jose and other nearby communities come to Morgan Hill to enjoy our various recreation facilities – including the Centennial Recreation Center, the Outdoor Sports Center, the Skateboard/BMX Park, the Community Playhouse, the nonprofit Friendly Inn center and the Aquatics Center. These centers help the local economy by bringing visitors to the region. But more importantly, they enhance the quality of life of Morgan Hill residents by adding to the opportunities to exercise our bodies and minds.
One of the major reasons Morgan Hill is blessed with such world-class facilities is because the people of our city in the 1990s shared their views of what they would like to see provided for their recreational needs. The plans based on their opinions have now come together. Now is the time to share your ideas with the city for what recreational facilities might add to the future Morgan Hill experience for visitors and residents.
People are thinking big in sharing their thoughts about new and existing facilities. The potential of baseball/softball sports fields in the Southeast Quadrant of our town has especially received a tremendous amount of input from concerned citizens. Other ideas that have been presented so far to the city include a community ice-skating rink, extended hours at the Aquatics Center and the installation of hot-tubs and dry sauna rooms in the Centennial Recreation Center. To serve the residents who live in the Galvan Park area, the idea was presented of constructing a court-sports facility at the city park which could be operated by the Mt. Madonna YMCA and provide a place for basketball, volleyball and other physical activities – and could generate revenue for the city from renting it for proms, quinceañeras, weddings and other festive events. To build on Morgan Hill’s reputation in the Bay Area as a sports destination for bicyclists and mountain bikers, an idea was presented of building a “bike center” at the downtown depot station where people can lock up their bicycles – or even rent bikes for a few hours with the swipe of a credit card. A shuttle from the facility could take people and their bikes from the center to Henry W. Coe State Park’s headquarters for a day’s ride through one of California’s most challenging mountain biking terrains.
Morgan Hill residents, it’s time to present your ideas on what you want for the future of our recreational facilities. Share them now so that they can be presented to the city council in March.
