The Mariposa County Board of Supervisors has decided to fully fund the first phase of the Grizzly Stadium project. The board approved a little over $29,000 from tobacco settlement funds for the project on Tuesday.

County Administrative Officer Rick Benson said $47,000 for the project could come from Proposition 40 funds, if approved by the state. The $29,000 rounds out the balance of what the County has committed to get the facility up and running this fall.

Even though he recommended the action, Benson was cautious. “We’re not in budget development time. It’s going to be a difficult budget year,” he said. “So I don’t recommend using using general fund dollars for this project.”

The board has previously used tobacco settlement funds for capital improvement projects. Benson said that using this money for the stadium will not interfere with those projects, including the fire stations.

“Still, we are tapping it down,” Benson continued. “There’s not going to be a lot of money left in that pot.”

Ruth Catalan made the only public comment on the matter. “We’re kind of scraping the bottom of the barrell,” she said. “I think we’ve got to stop spending money.”

Supervisor Brad Aborn had concerns. “I’m uncomfortable with where we are today,” he said. “This is not the end of the money,” for the project, he said. “It’s just the beginning.”

Aborn said he had questions about parking, although Grizzly Stadium Committee members addressed the issue at the board’s last meeting. Mariposa County High School and the lots surrounding the stadium actually have more parking available than the fairgrounds. Aborn said he had not seen a plot map that shows the available parking. “Without that, I cannot approve it,” he said.

Board Chairman Kevin Cann said that there is nothing planned during the first phase that would be wasted, no matter what happens later. “The investment is solid,” he said.

Supervisor Janet Bibby offered the motion to approve the expenditure, pending California Enviromental Quality Act (CEQA) exemption approval and progress reports from the committee. The CEQA exemption was filed on Tuesday.

Even though Aborn had said he couldn’t support the project early in the discussion, he apparently changed his mind. The motion passed unanimously.

Work has already begun on the project. California Department of Corrections crews have cleared some of the hillsides, and members of the Mariposa County Contractors Association worked last Saturday to begin the preparation for the entrance and fencing. A community workday is planned for Saturday, July 24, as well. All interested volunteers are invited to help.