Agenda Item # 14.1 - Jessica Tseng | Received 01/22/2024CAUTION: This email originated from an External Source. Please use proper judgment and caution when opening
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From:Jessica Tseng
To:Public Comments
Subject:EXTERNAL - Public Comment Item #14.1 Property: City-Owned 536 Acres at Hecker Pass (Including Gilroy
Gardens Theme Park)
Date:Monday, January 22, 2024 1:57:35 PM
Hello,
Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the proposed Gilroy Adventure Park.
I have reviewed the proposal and this would be such a great site for the City of Gilroy for the
following reasons:
As a mother of a 12 year old, I know that most kids spend too much time on the screen
and are addicted to video games. All parents struggle to find outdoor activities away
from the computer that would interest their children. The Gilroy Adventure Park would
offer a great variety of activities to appeal to a broad range of interests.
I have been an avid mountain biker for over 20 years and I am a mountain biking coach.
In the past five years, there has been a tremendous increase in interest in the sport of
mountain biking. The pandemic has only increased the interest in outdoor activities,
especially mountain biking. I am a Board member of a non-profit organization called
Girls Rock which services the Santa Cruz area. Five years ago, we would attract a
modest group of ~50 women for our monthly rides. Since the pandemic, we are
attracting +100 women riders at our monthly rides. This is because the interest in
mountain biking has grown, not just among men, but women and families as well. The
ladies that attend Girls Rock rides are from all over the Bay Area, sometimes as far
away as Sacramento. There are no chairlift accessible trails in the greater Bay Area.
Families drive all the way to Lake Tahoe to enjoy chairlift accessible trails at Northstar
there. A lift assisted park in Gilroy would attract all of these families that normally
make the long trek to Lake Tahoe.
The proposed Gilroy Adventure Park would bring lots of people & families to the
Gilroy area which would be a great benefit for the local businesses.
Best,
Jessica