About Girsh Park
The Lester A. and Viola S. Girsh Park is a cooperative community effort that is owned and operated by The Foundation for Girsh Park a 501(c)(3) nonprofit foundation. It is our mission to develop, maintain and enhance Lester A. Viola S. Girsh Park to provide all community members with affordable, high quality park and recreational facilities in a safe, attractive and healthy environment.
The Foundation for Girsh Park is a private non-profit organization that operates on four major sources of funding. These sources include user fees, fundraising, our endowment, and a strong partnership with the City of Goleta. The City subsidizes our maintenance budget by providing financial support each year. This unique non-profit, public/private partnership remains a model for successful community recreation in Santa Barbara County.
Girsh Park has served the community’s active recreational needs since 1999. The Park was built by Wynmark Company in conjunction with the Camino Real Marketplace construction. After the County of Santa Barbara respectfully declined the donation offer to own and operate the Park, the Camino Real Park Foundation, a non-profit 501 (c) (3) foundation, was created. The first Board of Directors was assembled with several community minded citizens that had extensive experience in recreation, sports, and non-profits. The original twelve-acre park was opened in May of 1999. Shortly after the opening, the Park was renamed The Lester A. and Viola S. Girsh Park, and the organization became The Foundation for Girsh Park in honor of the Park’s generous lead benefactors.
In 2005, the Foundation for Girsh Park purchased the 13-acre parcel to the west of the original park by raising over $5.6 million in the Fields Forever Capital Campaign. This created a permanent home for two of Goleta’s most popular youth sports programs, Dos Pueblos Little League and AYSO Region 122. The facility was named Elings Fields in honor of Virgil Elings’ large donation to the campaign.
In March of 2009, we opened our synthetic turf Girsh-Hochman Soccer Field. The Foundation raised $1.2 million in the three-year Fields Forever 2 Capital Campaign. The field is equipped with FieldTurf, the best synthetic turf on the market. Girsh Park patrons have been thrilled to play on the most quality soccer field in Santa Barbara County.
Our most recent capital improvement project built the new Marborg Industries Fieldhouse in the Elings Fields Complex. The building holds restrooms, a concession stand, and storage. The project also upgraded our batting cages, built the new Camino Real Playground, and improved accessibility with new walkways. These improvements were funded by our $700,000 Fields Forever 3 Capital Campaign.
We continue to own, operate and improve Girsh Park as a unique public/private partnership, ensuring that the park will be available for the community to enjoy.
Board of Directors
Brooke Armstrong
Daniel E. Hochman
Leslie Lund
Kimberly Mitchell, Secretary
Joe O'Flaherty
Larry Parsons, VP
Alisa Pepper
Jordan Price
Kimberly Schizas
Matthew Taylor
Dan Terry, President
Advisory Board
Anthony Borgatello
David Borgatello
Virgil Elings
Chris Hahn
Mark Ingalls
Everett Kirkelie
Robert Kooyman
Diana Jessup Lee
Mark Linehan
John Maloney
Melissa Patrino
Del Rudeen
Derek A. Westen
Guy Wood
City of Goleta Representatives
JoAnne Plummer
Kyle Richards
Girsh Park Staff
Ryan Harrington,
Executive Director