Lethargy Prevails At Fairview Committee Meeting

A "MEASURED" PACE
Guided by Chairman Dr. Richard Mehren and Vice Chair Steve Smith, and moving at a pace that would make a snail appear to be a Forumula 1 race car by comparison, the Fairview Park Citizens Advisory Committee crawled through the agenda, HERE, of their meeting Wednesday night.

FINALLY, SOME FIELD USE NUMBERS!

The diminished committee - member Brett Eckles was absent and member David Stiller passed away recently and has not yet been replaced - began by hearing a presentation on Field Use Allocation by members of the Costa Mesa Recreation Department.  Assistant Recreation Supervisor Cecily Renteria led the discussion, assisted by Recreation Supervisor Lisa McPherson.


SOME QUESTIONS NOT ANSWERED
The discussion was fairly straightforward, with clear descriptions of the various user group designations and headcounts from the previous years players.  Member Anna Vrska inquired about the recent dislocation of long-time group 1 users from the TeWinkle Park Sports Complex in favor of Matt Leinart's Flag Football program.  The response was that the decision was made by the "administrative staff" and the existing party line - they were not displaced, just given other fields and times - was played back for them.  Member Ron Amburgey attempted to somehow defend the Leinart football program, indicating that they didn't even know they would be given a field this year.  Lame excuse.

DODGED THE TOUGH ONE
Questions were asked about the departure of Recreation Manager Bob Knapp earlier this year.  McPherson dodged that one, as she should.  This is a very sticky wicket (sorry for the pun) and it was not her place to answer.  More on a related story at the end*.

SMALL CROWD
A half-dozen members of the small - 30 people - crowd spoke.  Kim Hendricks wondered why the meeting began with a discussion of youth sports fields;  A local mother and daughter praised the tranquility of nature at Fairview Park; two young men from out-of-town (Fountain Valley and Westminster) spoke about the value of the open space at Fairview Park.  Several of them also spoke during the discussions of the items below, too.  (Member Lee Ramos could be seen texting away during this segment, obviously more interested in messages on his phone than what the speakers had to say.)

TWO ITEMS MADE THE CUT
At 6:45 the committee began discussing the dozen remaining items to be potentially considered for the Southwest Quadrant of the park.  At the previous meeting they discussed the first dozen.  After an hour of discussion only two items were given a "yes" vote, to have the staff analyze and return at the next meeting with possible solutions.  Those two were #4 on the list, "Improve/Designate Bike Paths" and #6, "Plant Native Drought Resistant Plants Center of SW Quadrant".  The second one was actually an extension of the work recently performed by Eagle Scout Christian Redman last month.  All the remaining 10 items on the list for consideration were rejected by the committee as inappropriate for this particular quadrant of the park.

OCME DAMAGE STORIES RECOUNTED
During the Committee Member Comments segment at the end member Terry Cummings told the group of the ongoing damage and theft at the Orange County Model Engineers location on the East side of Placentia within Fairview Park.  He was very grateful for the huge public support following the first wave of damage.  The police have been notified and, we were told, more incidents of vandalism occurred Tuesday Night.  Cummings attributed at least some of the damage on kids, mentioning that it seems to increase near the end of the school year.

STILL LOOKING FOR FIELDS
Ron Amburgey commented on the Field Allocation information and observed that most of the playing fields being used belonged to the Newport-Mesa Unified School District.  Only six of the 27 are actually City sites and he opined that we needed more and hoped to find support from his colleagues for fields on the East side of Placentia when that section is discussed.

ALL BLUSTER AND PUFFERY
Member Dennis Popp, grumpy most of the evening to this point, said he received several telephone calls - it turned out to be three - from people with suggestions but - he said - refused to come to the meetings because of the "hostile atmosphere".  Well, I've been to all but one of these meetings and Mr. Popp is just plain full of manure on this issue.  This reeks of stuff Steve Mensinger and Jim Righeimer used to pull at council meetings a couple years ago when angry residents spoke out about some of the things they were doing.  Yes, people are passionate about retaining open space, and speak out accordingly, but there has never been any hostility.  Popp also alluded to the packet of letters distributed with the information available that evening, saying that there were 50 letters and they should be considered.  Well, I read through those letters and most look nearly identical.  They look like someone in a parent group told their fellow rugby parents to send off form letters to the city about the shortage of fields.  In fact, one letter in the mix appeared to include a guidance sentence about preparing the letters.  It appeared that this was simply an attempt to stack the deck - roboletters, as it were.

WHAT DID HE SAY?
Member, and council candidate, Lee Ramos was next, following his campaign manager, Popp, and he promptly went into a defensive mode, alluding to having been referred to as "one of the guys" - whatever that means - then did a revised version of his stump speech, talking about growing up on the Eastside and emphasized that he enjoyed hearing from the public.  Thank goodness he didn't talk about his coffees at Panera!  He said something confusing about the committee shouldn't feel short-changed, but then, we were moving closer to his bed time, so I shouldn't really expect him to make sense.

MEHREN GRATEFUL FOR RECREATION INFORMATION
Dr. Mehren, who had a pretty shaky evening as Chairman, addressed the information provided by the Recreation Department team, opining that it was important for the committee because it had previously asked for that information but was not provided with it.  The meeting adjourned very near 8:00 p.m., with the next meeting scheduled in May.

NO MORE "COSTA MESA BRIEF" COVERAGE
Unfortunately, Barry Friedland and his Costa Mesa Brief cameras were not at this meeting.  Apparently he told the City Staff that he cannot continue providing a video record of the meetings - they don't get enough views to justify his time and expense producing them.  That's a shame, since he did a good job with it.  I tried to do my part by plugging his productions - the hit counter jumped when I did so - but he apparently only has a very few regular viewers for his YouTube Channel.

*ZINT: BOWLEY RESIGNS TWO POSITIONS
As mentioned above, there was big news in the Daily Pilot last night, HERE.  Bradley Zint broke the story that Gordon Bowley, former President of Costa Mesa United and Chairman of the Costa Mesa Youth Sports Foundation, had resigned both those positions last month in the wake of his son-in-law, Bob Knapp, resigning and following the whole Leinart Football mess.  In Zint's article Bowley makes some pretty scathing comments about City of Costa Mesa leadership.  This is a VERY BIG story - one that will likely resonate throughout the community, and particularly in the youth sports community, where his family has been an integral part of improving sports opportunities for many years.

Fairview Park Citizens Advisory Committee Meets Wednesday

 ONCE MORE TIME...
The Fairview Park Citizens Advisory Committee, under the guidance of Chairman Dr. Richard Mehren and Vice Chair Steve Smith, will meet again on Wednesday, March 5, 2014 in the Victoria Room at the Costa Mesa Neighborhood Community Center, 1845 Park Avenue (Lions Park) from 6-8 p.m.  Personally, I think that two hours is optimistic since they have an agenda, HERE, that looks to be action-packed.

OF "BONES" AND "BIRDS"
At this meeting the committee will hear presentations from the Staff on an Archeological Survey Update and also from the Harbor Soaring Society.

SORTING OUT A DOZEN POTENTIAL USES
The meat of the agenda will deal with possible uses of the Southwest Quadrant of Fairview Park.  Scheduled for discussion are a dozen items that had been culled from the original 35 items the committee compiled last July that MIGHT be appropriate for this quadrant of the park.  Those items are:

1. Additional Picnic Structures
2. Baseball/Softball Facilities
3. Expand Train Routes
4. Improve Information Kiosk SW Quadrant
5. Vernal Pools Preservation with Cables/Signage and Delineation
6. Soccer/Football Fields
7. Retain the Elements of the Master Plan as it Reads now
8. Install a Two-Tier Building That Includes an Interpretive Center and Terrace/Viewing Deck
9. Westside Grass Area/Sprinkler System Improvements
10. Basketball/Handball Courts
11. Eroding Bluffs: Install Staircase SW Quadrant
12. Install Information Kiosks with Pamphlets

A "HAND-OFF" PENDING?
I don't know if any discussion will take place regarding the recently-released Field Use information, nor do I know what kind of "hand-off" will take place from the Public Services Department to the recently-created Assistant CEO position now occupied by former long-term consultant Tammy Letourneau that is supposed to have purview over City Parks.

WILL THE COMMITTEE BE PLACED ON HIATUS?
I also don't know about the future of this committee, since the City Council has recently approved spending money on a consultant for a review of the entire Open Space Master Plan in the city.  That document would seem to take precedence over the activities of the Fairview Park Committee.  Will they be asked to take a breather while the consultant does his job?  We'll see.

Fairview Park Committee Moves Forward Tentatively

ONCE AGAIN...
Last night the Costa Mesa Fairview Park Citizens Advisory Committee met again and, under the guidance of Chairman Dr. Richard Mehren, took some cautious steps forward.  More on that later...

FLAGLESS FLAG SALUTE, THEN SCOUTING
Following the unusual act of saying the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag when there was no flag present (flag etiquette says it's OK to do that), the Public Comments segment was launched by the introduction of young Boy Scout Christian Redman, who announced his Eagle Scout project - the rehabilitation of an acre of land within Fairview Park, which apparently will take place in one day - March 16, 2014.  He told the committee and approximately 30 members of the public in the audience at that time of his plans and is soliciting assistance and funds to rent equipment to perform the job in the time allotted.  As you can tell from all the badges, he's a very accomplished Scout.

BLANK - WAIT FOR UPDATE OF OPEN SPACE MASTER PLAN
Long time resident Chris Blank spoke to the committee and expressed his view - that he had apparently sent in a letter to Public Services Director Ernesto Munoz recently - that the committee was making decisions on issues for which they had insufficient current information.  He told us that the City Council, the previous night, had approved the creation of a Request For Proposal (RFP) for a consultant to perform an update on the Master Plan of Open Spaces, which has not been updated for a decade.  He postulated that this update should be accomplished BEFORE the committee attempts to complete its mission.

CARVE UP GOLF COURSES FOR SOCCER FIELDS
Harold Weitzberg concurred with committee member Brett Eckles that the city likely needs more sports fields, but feels that Fairview Park should NOT be the venue for any of them.  He suggested, quite seriously, that space for at least seven (7) soccer fields could be carved out of half of one of the two golf courses that form the links of the Costa Mesa Country Club.  He suggested reducing one of the 18-hole courses to a 9-hole Executive Course and use the remaining space for the fields.

CART BEFORE THE HORSE
Many of the rest of the 13 speakers agreed that the park should be left in its natural state, and that the committee had the cart before the horse - trying to make decisions without sufficient information. That certainly has been the case with current data on field use, which has been difficult to get and will likely be even more so with the abrupt departure of Recreation Manager Bob Knapp last week.

PARK NOT FOR SALE!
Munoz quashed a rumor that Fairview Park is for sale, then told the committee that documents showing deed restrictions for the park will be on the City website this week.  He expanded on the RFP for a consultant to do the update of the Master Plan of Open Spaces.

NORTHWEST QUADRANT
When they finally got down to the real business at 6:30 - voting on which "enhancements", if any, should be considered for the Northwest Quadrant.  Parks Project Manager Bart Mejia led the discussion of the data provided by Staff.  Based on previous discussions there were four items to be considered:
1 - Retain the elements of the Master Plan as it reads now.
2 - A Community Garden in a small sliver in the northern edge of the quadrant.
3 - Installation of Information Kiosks with Pamphlets
4 - Establishment of a Nature Center with Bird Watching Platforms.

THIS SHOULD HAVE ENDED THE DISCUSSION - BUT DIDN'T
The discussion and vote on the first item - Retaining the elements of the current Master Plan as-is -  should have foreclosed discussion on the remainder since it passed on a 6-1 vote - Ron Amburgey voted NO.  But, the committee decided to discuss and vote on the remaining three anyhow... very curious and a prodigious waste of time.

COMMUNITY GARDEN REJECTED
Seven members of the public chimed in on the suggestion that a Community Garden be placed in that tiny sliver at the northwest edge of this quadrant.  None thought it was a good idea for many practical reasons - location, difficulty accessing it, lack of nearby parking, etc.  Only Ron Amburgey voted for it - the other six members present voted NO.  Amburgey's argument for the inclusion of a Community Garden was because, "the Mexicans on the Westside don't have any land and they like to grow their own food."  This comes right out of the same song book that he brought to us when, during the discussion of a possible Archery venue, he said, "Where are the Indians when you need them?"

INFORMATIONAL KIOSKS GET SUPPORT
The idea of informational kiosks received a thorough vetting and the final vote was to recommend inclusion, but without pamphlets, which several speakers suggested would end up being trash in the park.  Only Vice Chair Steve Smith voted NO.

NATURE CENTER REJECTED
The final item - the establishment of a Nature Center with Bird Watching Platforms - failed to get enough support on a thin 4-3 vote.  Amburgey, Eckles and Lee Ramos supported the concept.

SOUTHWEST QUADRANT NEXT
The next area to be considered is the Southwest Quadrant - location of the Harbor Soaring Society site, many vernal pools and the site of the now-infamous decomposed granite paths.  The business last night was to take the original list of 35 possible changes to the current Master Plan and eliminate several as inappropriate for this particular quadrant - in this case eleven (11) items suggested by the staff.  The remaining 24 will be evaluated by the staff, who will make a presentation on each at the next meeting, where the committee will discuss, take public comments and vote on each one.

 24 ITEMS FOR DISCUSSION
I've included the list of the two dozen items that will be considered at the meeting on March 5th.  As you will see, some seem to be slam-dunks for inclusion, while others will certainly generate lively discussion.  If you wish to make your opinion known, please communicate directly to the Public Services Department at City Hall at 714-754-5335 or send letters or emails.  The addresses for Mejia, Munoz and City Engineer Fariba Fazeli are on the City web site.

THE LIST
The numbers shown below are the original numbers from the original list:
1 - Additional picnic structures SW and NW Quadrants.
3 - Baseball/Softball Facilities SE or SW Quadrant.
5 - Expand train routes NW or SW Quadrant.
6 - Improve information kiosk SW Quadrant.
7 - Vernal Pools preservation with cables, signage, and delineation.
9 - Soccer/football fields.
12 - Retain the elements of the Master Plan as it reads now.
13 - Install a two-tier building that includes an interpretive center and terrace/viewing deck.
16 - Westside grass area/sprinkler system improvements.
17 - Basketball/Handball courts.
19 - Eroding bluffs: install staircase SW Quadrant.
20 - Install information kiosks with pamphlets NW and SW Quadrants.
21 - Trail exercise stations.
23 - Roller hockey surface.
24 - Expand Orange County Model Engineers tracks across bridge.
25 - Improve/designate bike paths.
26 - Plant native/drought resistant plants Center of SW Quadrant.
29 - Dog Park.
30 - Expanded concert area.
31 - Skate Park.
32 - Build train track around SW Quadrant.
33 - Nature Center - Bird Watching Platforms.
34 - Archery area.
35 - Marked running courses.

WAITING FOR THE OTHER SHOE TO DROP
As you can see, some of these will require very significant amounts of staff time - from a very diminished staff.  And, to further add to the futility of this exercise is the other shoe waiting to drop - the decision by U.S. Fish and Wildlife on what we will be able to do, if anything, in the aftermath of the decomposed granite path debacle.  On that subject, Mayor Pro Tem Steve Mensinger - a City Council liaison to this committee - was absent from the meeting.  He was probably at home, boning up on what he will say to the agents from USFW when he speaks with them soon.

MEMBER COMMENTS
During their wrap-up comments the committee members offered the following:

David Stiller inquired of Munoz of the current status of the USFW investigation.  He was told that we are still awaiting a response to the city's letter.  USFW is waiting on a report from our biologist.

Brett Eckles expressed satisfaction that there was such a good turnout from the community, and that Weitzberg brought a potential solution to the lack of sports fields, and indicated that this committee was creating a vision.

Ron Amburgey opined that he thought we needed a Community Garden somewhere in the park - for the reason I indicated above.

Lee Ramos "echoed" Amburgey, then launched into what apparently was the Cliff Notes version of his stump speech for his run for City Council this year.  It had a kind of a Rodney King "Can't we all just get along" vibe.

Anna Vrska told us she was meeting with all the sports teams in the city, attending games, meeting coaches, and was about half-way through that process.

Steve Smith had nothing to say.

Chairman Richard Mehren got our attention when, after he said the committee is doing the best job it can, he concurred with several speakers who expressed the need for a "needs assessment" BEFORE going forward.  He said, "I don't know how we can continue with this process until we have a needs assessment."  BINGO!  Without a needs assessment the exercise is just a wish list - which is precisely how the list of 35 items was conceived.

 MUCH LIKE THE CHARTER COMMITTEE
You know, this has a very familiar ring to it.  The Charter Committee was sent out to create a Charter without ANY study of whether we actually NEED one.  In fact, in one of his now-too-frequent "misspeaks", Mayor Jim Righeimer told the world that the Charter Committee would determine if we needed one - a statement he later recanted.

NO FACTS OR GUIDANCE
This committee, too, was unleashed without sufficient information or guidance.  They've moved forward with good intentions - and some strong pre-conceived opinions - without enough facts to guide their deliberations.  It will be very interesting to see where they go from here.

COSTA MESA BRIEF RECORDED IT
By the way, Old Barry Friedman was on the job with his Costa Mesa Brief cameras and microphones all set to record the event.  I imagine it will be posted on his YouTube site, HERE, within the next few days so you can watch the event yourselves.

ANOTHER "ORGANICS" RECYCLING TOWN HALL
So, another day, another meeting.  Tonight, Thursday, February 6th, the Costa Mesa Sanitary District will hold the third in their series of town hall meetings to introduce the public to their plan for handling so-called Organic Waste.  This one will be held at the Halecrest Community Center, 3107 Killybrooke Lane beginning at 5:30 p.m.  You can watch the video of the second town hall on the Costa Mesa Brief site.  See you tonight...