GILROY
– A vacant Bonfante Gardens board of directors seat has been
filled by a well-known veterinarian, a former Chamber of Commerce
Man of the Year and a self-described
”
tree-hugger with business sense.
”
GILROY – A vacant Bonfante Gardens board of directors seat has been filled by a well-known veterinarian, a former Chamber of Commerce Man of the Year and a self-described “tree-hugger with business sense.”
Longtime Gilroyan Greg Martinez is the newest member of the horticultural theme park’s seven-member governing body. Given the many issues facing Bonfante Gardens – such as a mountainous debt and less-than-stellar attendance figures – Martinez will be expected immediately to bring to the board a blend of business savvy and educational advocacy, qualities board directors say landed him the volunteer job.
“There was kind of a punch list of things we were looking for,” Director Patti Hale said. “We wanted someone with a strong finance and business background, someone with time, someone who could be dependable and flexible. We were not looking for an individual star, we were looking for someone with the right chemistry. Greg fit all of that.”
Bob Kraemer, the current president of the board, said Martinez’ ability to challenge certain notions held by the current directors helped them decide that the 23-year Gilroyan was the right person for the board.
“With all the mechanical issues we are facing, like the property tax issue, it would be easy to select the candidate with financial expertise,” Kraemer said. “What drives Greg is his love for kids, education and nature.
“Greg challenged us to take the vision of Michael Bonfante (the park’s founder)and raise it to another plateau. We’ve been so locked up in survival mode, and he said, frankly, ‘There’s more to the park than what you folks are doing.’ ”
Martinez, who co-owns and operates Gilroy Veterinary Hospital, says the park’s mission of being a horticultural and educational theme park is only half met right now.
“What I’d like to see at the park is what you see now at Monterey Bay Aquarium,” Martinez said. “That is an educational place, and this park should mirror that a little bit more. We can put in more (informational) signage, we can explain the ecosystems in the large greenhouse and I think local colleges can be helpful in doing those projects with us.”
If Martinez’ ideas come to fruition, they potentially could help Bonfante Gardens save hundreds of thousands of dollars in property taxes.
Since the park is eligible for some tax relief because it is a nonprofit corporation serving educational purposes, Bonfante Gardens directors applied for tax exemptions with the county assessor’s office.
A few portions of the park were deemed tax exempt by the county, but much of the park was considered purely amusement and commercial driven. Increased educational signage and programs at Bonfante Gardens may convince the county to deem more park acreage as tax exempt.
The Hecker Pass horticultural amusement park is facing a nearly $1 million annual property tax bill for 2003-04, plus a nearly $50,000 late fee. The park owes at least another $1 million in property taxes for the previous year.
Although the park turned a slight profit – its first – in the 2003 season, Bonfante Gardens still faces a multimillion debt that cannot be wiped out with just one season of operating in the black. Also, differing interpretations over the property tax issues could lead to a potential legal fray with the county.
Kraemer said the board of directors thoroughly explained the park’s predicament to the finalists.
“Any of the four finalists could have done the job, so that allowed the board to really focus on making sure the person we selected understood where we were on issues,” said Kraemer. “We wanted someone educated on the issues facing Bonfante Gardens.”
The incumbent directors selected Martinez over three other finalists and nine total applicants who vied for the post over the last several weeks. It is unknown who all Martinez beat out for the position. Kraemer and Hale declined to say who the applicants and finalists were, citing privacy rights.
However, The Dispatch learned that one of the finalists was James Roosevelt, the executive director of the Saint Louise Regional Hospital Foundation.
A community-based committee whittled the nine applicants to a final four which were interviewed by the board. The committee consisted of Gilroy Economic Development Corporation Executive Director Bill Lindsteadt, Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Susan Valenta, Joanne Kessler from the Garlic Festival Association, Dispatch Editor-in-Chief Mark Derry and LeeAnne McPhillips, the human resources director for the City of Gilroy.
Martinez will join a Bonfante Gardens board with Kraemer, Hale, Mayor Al Pinheiro, Joel Goldsmith and Michael Bonfante. A seventh seat to be determined by Michael Bonfante should be filled within a few weeks.
Originally, the park was run at the behest of Bonfante. But after a floundering first year, the former Nob Hill Foods owner agreed to establish a new board of directors.
The board consists of four directors at large, one director from City Council and two directors appointed solely by Bonfante. The arrangement was made between the park and the City of Gilroy after the city granted housing permits to Bonfante on excess park acreage. Bonfante was able to use those housing permits as collateral for loans he needed to keep the park operating.
Martinez replaces attorney Steve Lowney who could no longer serve as a director due to work obligations with the district attorney’s office. The other director’s seat is being vacated by Alan Owens who also had to resign because of work obligations.
Martinez is an active member of the Gilroy Rotary Club and a former Chamber of Commerce director. In 2000, he was named Gilroy’s Man of the Year, a high-profile recognition by the chamber for outstanding and usually decades-long volunteering. He is married to educator Lonna Martinez, a former Gilroy Unified School District trustee.
For 15 years he has co-owned Gilroy Veterinary Hospital, which he said gives him the business sense and know-how to be an effective director for the cash-strapped theme park.
Martinez said the board’s decision to make him a director was a “pleasant surprise, but he said he knew he had “a good chance.” He said he wanted to be on the park’s board despite all the problems because he always appreciated Michael Bonfante’s vision for the park.
“He had the goal of educating the public in the area of the environment and trees,” Maritnez said. “He knew the park made Gilroy a special place and that it could one day be a great asset to Gilroy.”
