El Rio Community Gymnasium
* Re “Work Begins on Long-Awaited Gym,” Feb. 26.
On Feb. 25 the community of El Rio broke ground for the long-awaited El Rio Community Gymnasium. This article quotes school Supt. Yolanda Benitez but only peripherally refers to the hard work that community members and Supervisor John K. Flynn put into this dream.
Our dream began 20 years ago but the true work did not begin until 1992, when Ernie Almanza, Flynn, Ray Amaro, Florence Young, Trinidad Mendoza, Kenton Rainey, Gilbert Regalado, Nancy Gill, Mary Elena Aldana, Mary Baretto, Frank Godinez, Manny Delgado, the late Vince Ordonez Jr. and then-Supt. Peter Rogalsky began fund-raising.
We organized benefit rodeos, T-shirt sales and basketball tournaments between the Sheriff’s Department and Fire Department. We also had a movie [screening] of “Mi Familia,” with actor Jimmy Smits and director Gregory Nava in attendance.
For the record, the $2.7 million the school district is contributing to the facility includes funds that many people worked hard to get. Here’s a partial breakdown:
* The state joint use funds that Flynn and Almanza lobbied for. The district would never have received the funds if Flynn did not have the matching funds and bridge loan from the county in hand. Almanza spent hours of his own time lobbying people in Sacramento for these funds.
* The legislative line item of $100,000 that former Assemblyman Nao Takasugi sponsored in the 1997 state budget.
* Add to that the city of Oxnard’s projected financial help of $167,760 for recreational fees.
* And, most important, $680,000 in Measure R bond funds that we, the people of El Rio, chose to invest in our children and our schools.
When a project of this magnitude becomes a reality it is important to recognize everyone’s collective efforts. I hope I have not missed anyone but if I did, you know that without your help this project would never have been a reality. Thank you!
A. HERNANDEZ
El Rio
