Once again, Bonfante Gardens is in the midst of what’s being
billed as a
”
make or break
”
season. This year, again, we’re being told by park officials
that they’re having a good season. But they don’t want to tell us
more than that.
Once again, Bonfante Gardens is in the midst of what’s being billed as a “make or break” season. This year, again, we’re being told by park officials that they’re having a good season. But they don’t want to tell us more than that.
“Overall we’re having a very good season that’s meeting our expectations,” Bonfante Gardens Board President Bob Kraemer recently told a reporter. “That’s probably as specific as we’re ever going to want to get.”
That’s not good enough. And it’s hardly the open attitude one would expect given how far this community has bent over backwards to accommodate Bonfante Gardens. That it comes from a community leader who serves not only on the non-profit Bonfante Board, but also on the Gilroy Unified School District board is deeply troubling.
The community – from lending the city’s backing to a bond sale to support a land-use change allowing a substantial addition to the Eagle Ridge housing development – has done a great deal to assist Bonfante Gardens to fiscal health.
But the Board apparently doesn’t believe that Gilroy deserves a clear and understandable answer to the question: How is Bonfante Gardens doing financially?
Without that knowledge, the community is left in the dark. Park directors have repeatedly asked for and received preferential treatment from the City of Gilroy based on the promise that a financially healthy park will be good for the city’s economy.
Well and good. But the relationship should cut both ways. Otherwise, we have exposure without disclosure.
It’s amazing thus far how much has been given by the city and its residents without such disclosure. The city has approved out-of-the-ordinary housing permit allocations, has brokered bond deals, and is now considering approving a controversial expansion of Eagle Ridge, all because “it’s good for Bonfante Gardens.”
Bonfante Gardens needs to open its books and be straight with the community. It should be a requirement of the Economic Impact Report before the deal to build more homes in Eagle Ridge is finalized.
Gilroyans have a right to make an informed judgment about the park’s future. A look at the troubled amusement park’s books could answer some important questions:
• Park officials claim Bonfante Gardens turned a profit last year. How much of a profit? One dollar? One hundred thousand?
• Park officials have touted Paramount’s management of the park. How much is Paramount paid?
• What, exactly was park attendance for every month and season it has been open? Is it trending up, down or flat?
• What, exactly, were park revenues for each year of the park’s existence? Are they trending up, down or flat?
• What, exactly were park expenses for each year of the park’s existence? Are they trending up, down or flat?
Providing answers to these questions, and many more, is a critical step for Gilroy leaders and citizens to demand of the park before any more rules are bent, any more favors granted, any more lines moved, any more housing permits allocated, or any more zoning decisions changed at Bonfante Gardens’ request.
Opening the books would be a show of respect for the officials and citizens who have done so much for the theme park. Anything less is an insult to this city’s residents.
