Standard, CA — Tuolumne County District Three Supervisor Anaiah Kirk is hosting two town hall meetings on Thursday evening, and the second is focused on a single topic.
Both will be in the Board of Supervisors meeting room at 2 South Green Street in Sonora. The first will be a general town hall at 5 pm about issues facing the county. He has hosted three other similar events over recent weeks at other locations. Then, at 6:30 pm will be a town hall (Kirk’s final in the series) focused just on Standard Park.
Supervisor Kirk recently wrote about the park’s future in a myMotherLode.com blog, where he stated that he has been open to exploring the possibility of leasing or selling the property to an outside group, with strict deed restrictions, so that it would still be used for its intended purpose of recreational sports.
He stated, “Here’s the truth: Standard Park is a liability. The whole park has issues, just drive by, or walk in. Broken irrigation, broken fencing, scoreboards that don’t work, aged infrastructure, etc. The park runs at a financial loss of more than $300,000 each year. Even after we raised user fees, we’re only bringing in an additional $75,000 annually. That doesn’t come close to solving the problem. Major capital improvements will likely require millions. So, here’s the real question: Can we do better for our kids? I believe we can and should at least find out if we can.”
Kirk is hoping that interested community members and families who have kids who utilize the park will come to the 6:30 pm town hall. No decisions will be made on Thursday, as any actions would need to be taken by the full board of supervisors at a future meeting. But it is a chance to gather information and give input.
Both town halls are open to the public. Kirk represents District Three, which covers Tuolumne, Twain Harte, and several communities up the Highway 108 corridor.
