[Noozhawk’s note: One in a series on the honorees at the Goleta Chamber of Commerce’s 70th annual Goleta’s Finest Community Awards Gala, to be held Nov. 23 at The Ritz-Carlton Bacara.]
It was the vision of Viola and Lester Girsh to develop a marketplace, but with a permanent Little League location. Seemed easy enough.
Camino Real Marketplace came first, with a requirement to include an eight-acre open space in then-unincorporated Goleta. Marketplace developer Mark Linehan and the Girsh family took that opportunity and put in a 12-acre park, including space for baseball and soccer.
The group offered it first to the County of Santa Barbara, which turned it down. So Linehan and the Girshes created a foundation.
Over the next several years, the foundation developed a plan, and the park grew. First, 13 acres to the west slated for condos were purchased by the foundation, creating a permanent home for Dos Pueblos Little League.
The park, which has since grown to 25 acres, will be honored by the Goleta Chamber of Commerce on Saturday with the Goleta’s Nonprofit Organization of the Year Award.
Purchasing land for park use is one thing, operating a park is quite another. Fourteen years ago, Ryan Harrington was hired as executive director, implementing a business model to only manage the facilities and be a host for nonprofit organizations and community groups.
Girsh Park, at 7050 Phelps Road, is a wonderful example of a nonprofit park funded by community support, including from the City of Goleta. A $500,000 budget covers operations, with help from four additional revenue streams: user fees, fundraising, the city and a responsible endowment draw.
Capital campaigns have come into play for bigger projects, like building a synthetic turf soccer field, ensuring year-round play. Girsh Park also recently built more restrooms, a snack shack, batting cages and a new playground.
Here’s a plug: if you’d like an easy way to invest in Girsh Park, talk to Harrington, who launched a “Buy a Brick” program. For $500, your name will be on a brick in the park forever!
Now celebrating its 20th anniversary, Girsh Park has proven that it can sustain a unique recreation facility as a nonprofit, and can do it well. The park hosts annual events such as the Goleta Chamber of Commerce’s Goleta Lemon Festival and the Goleta Fireworks Festival, along with 700 Little League kids and 1,500 AYSO kids each year, plus multiple adult soccer leagues year-round.
“The community of Goleta really supports this park,” Harrington said. “We couldn’t do it without them.”
The Board of Directors has a simple vision: continue to maintain and improve the park. The organization has long-term agreements with Little League, AYSO Soccer and the Santa Barbara Soccer Club.
“Anytime we do major improvements, we get more people here,” Harrington said.
Harrington has his own wish list for park improvements: more synthetic turf, field lighting, picnic areas, ping-pong tables, a skateboard park, bocce ball, horseshoes. There’s plenty of space in the park for these smaller improvements.
“I wake up every morning and say, ‘Hey, I’m going to the park,’” Harrington said. “ I never say ‘I’m going to work.’
“Our goal is to keep improving Girsh Park for the community. If you like what we’ve done in the first 20 years, get ready for an exciting 20 more.”
The Goleta Chamber of Commerce’s 70th annual Goleta’s Finest Community Awards Gala will begin at 6 p.m. Saturday at The Ritz-Carlton Bacara, 8301 Hollister Ave. in Goleta. Click here for more information, or to purchase tickets.
— Kate Schwab represents the Goleta Chamber of Commerce.