SJ Points To Facilities Openings As Turning Point Following Cuts
SAN JOSE (CBS SF) - A number of new city facilities in San Jose have been shuttered, in some cases for years, because of a lack of funds. But, it appears that list is about to get a little shorter.
The Bascom Community Center is slated to open within the next few weeks.
"It includes a fitness room, an enclosed, full gymnasium for basketball, volleyball, badminton, it also contains rooms for classes," said councilman Pierluigi Oliverio, who represents the area. "It will be mostly geared towards youth ,and there will be some classroom environment. We're really gauging it based on what the community is interested in signing up for."
City leaders point to the Bascom Community Center as a milestone step in restoring city services that fell victim to the budget axe.
"And that's part of the good news out of this year's budget," declared Mayor Chuck Reed. "We have a very small cushion, thanks to the very tough decisions we made a year ago. We cut our payroll by 24%. That's created a little bit of a cushion and we just don't want to have to do that again."
Things are looking just as good for summer swimming.
"This summer we're going to have all six of the city-owned facilities open," said the City's Recreation Supervisor, Jeremy Shoffner, who added that negotiations were underway to open a number of high school pools for summer swimming.
"Those are still to be determined," he explained.
KCBS' Mike Colgan Reports:
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