(05-31) 15:13 PDT Santa Cruz, Calif. (AP) —
Hewlett-Packard Co. announced Thursday the sale of hundreds of acres of redwoods, which have served as a getaway for the computer giant’s employees, to two nonprofits that plan to turn the property into a state park.
Little Basin, a 534-acre property in the Santa Cruz Mountains, has hosted HP picnics, camping trips and Easter egg hunts. Bought in 1963 by company founders Bill Hewlett and David Packard, the getaway helped boost employee morale.
It was sold for $4 million to the Sempervirens Fund, based in Mountain View, and the Peninsula Open Space Trust, based in Palo Alto. The nonprofit land trusts plan to work with the Schwarzenegger administration to eventually open the property to the public.
“It has the nicest facilities you’ll ever see at a campground,” said Brian Steen, executive director of Sempervirens Fund. “This is better than most state parks campgrounds.”
Company officials said they decided to sell the property, appraised at $13 million, because the company’s employees are now living all over the world.
“It’s not a cost issue. Basically we had a minority of employees who were getting a benefit that wasn’t consistent across the company,” said Steve Brashear, HP’s vice president for real estate and workplace services.
HP employees will still be able to use the site, but many had mixed emotions about the sale.
“For people in this area, for people who knew Dave and Bill, they kind of see the place as a gift from Dave and Bill Д because it was,” said Gary Ruppel, 66, of Palo Alto. “Any change is difficult.”
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Information from: San Jose Mercury News,