GILROY—Citizens seeking to save and rehabilitate an old barn in Christmas Hill Park requested approval this week from city officials to hold two volunteer-led cleanup days in November.
Members of the Save the Red Barn Committee asked city administration for access on Nov. 14 and 21.
The Red Barn, estimated at more than 100 years old, has been boarded up since the mid-1990s and is home to feral cats, bats and birds. Supporters on Monday requested access on both dates to dispose of debris inside the structure with the aim of rehabilitating it.
Barn supporters also received praise from commissioners with the city’s all-volunteer Parks and Recreation Commission at its Tuesday night meeting. The committee gave a presentation outlining their progress so far and emphasized its structural integrity, based on recent engineering studies.
But when committee member Gary Walton requested an informal vote of support from the seven-member Parks and Recreation Commission, Gilroy Parks and Recreation director Maria DeLeon said she wasn’t sure the commission could make such a move, and that she’d have to look into the matter because it’s not a city-led project. She said she would check to see “if this is something the commission can take a stance on” and get back to the commission.
Walton’s request came after multiple Parks and Recreation commissioners expressed support of the committee’s efforts. Commissioner Terrie Berry, addressing barn supporters, said, “It’s volunteers like you who make Gilroy special.”
Commissioner John Almash, who said he used to do renovations of historic buildings, even offered some tips on removing old paint. Another commissioner, Ermelindo Puente, said it would “be a shame” if Gilroy lost the Red Barn.
“Once it’s gone, it’s gone,” Puente added. “Keep up the good work.”
Commissioner Rebecca Scheel told barn supporters she is in favor of saving the barn. She then asked committee members that the commission help their efforts.
“I know there’s a lot of controversy, but what we can do?” she asked.
It was then Walton suggested they take an informal vote, “a simple thumbs up or down,” to see if the commission agreed it should be saved.
Outside of council chambers after the meeting, Walton was alarmed. A presentation on the Red Barn was listed on Tuesday night’s agenda, and included a portion set aside for public comment.
“How can they deny the right to take a vote on it?” Walton asked, wondering aloud why city officials wouldn’t want input from their own citizen volunteers. He acknowledged the vote itself wasn’t on the agenda, but said it wouldn’t be binding on part of the city.
Save the Red Bard Committee member Richard Perino offered his view. “They’re shooting from the hip,” he said, referring to the city.
While Perino said fundraising to save the barn has been challenging, they’ve raised enough money to secure the barn’s deteriorating metal roof. They want to get the job done by Dec. 1.
On Nov. 14 and 21, both Saturdays, members of the Save the Red Barn Committee hope to have a platoon of volunteers to help clean out the structure.
“There is an urgent need to complete prior to Dec. 1 with the predicted heavier storms this winter. Further damage to the barn must be avoided,” wrote committee member Kathy Chavez in an Oct. 19 email to city officials. “It is our understanding that the mating/nesting season is complete for the bats, owls and other critters with wintering of the bats not yet begun; therefore these obstacles should not be an issue at this time of year.”
All participants must wear personal protective equipment per city instructions, as the barn is currently not fit for human habitation.
For more information, email the committee at Sa***************@gm***.com.
