CFM Great Park Feasibility Study

Great Park CFM Feasibility Study Update


Things are finally kicking into high gear for our Fire Museum & Safety Learning Center at the Orange County Great Park. After our January 28th Feasibility Study Presentation to the Great Park Board was continued to a future GP Board meeting, things had been moving a little slow.
Our Feasibility Study needed to be reworked with more emphasis on the phasing of our building to cut down on the 30,000 Sq Ft size and the need for millions in funding. The reworked Feasibility Study will feature a more modest 5,000 to 10,000 Sq. Ft. first phase building that will put our project more in line with today’s weak economy and available funds.
After several months we were concerned over the lack of any rescheduling of our feasibility study meetings and nothing on the GP Board meeting agendas about the funding of our continued feasibility study.
On Thursday, May 7, a meeting was held at the Great Park Corporate offices with the Great Park CEO, Deputy CEO and Design Studio.
The discussion started with the subject of our feasibility study being brought up at the April GP Board meeting and went on to say they agree something needs to be done to get our feasibility study finished and presented to the GP Board. They also wanted to make sure we did not head in the wrong direction and get involved in any bad politics or misunderstandings regarding our project with the Great Park. They wanted to assure us they were absolutely on our side and will be making sure our feasibility study would be finished in a timely manner. They explained the delay in finishing up our feasibility study was due to the ending of the contract with the Design Studio and the transitioning of all the feasibility studies, including finishing ours, to the new company, WRNS Studio. WRNS is the company which will be responsible for the construction phase of the Great Park, as well as the existing and future feasibility studies. They wanted to reassure us the delay in no way was because they had lost interest in our project. The transition also required new contracts and realigning the funding to cover the cost of all the feasibility studies and lining up the new team with which studies they would be working on.
They then asked if we had anything to say on the matter of our feasibility study. We told them how hard it was to keep our following interested year after year as we progress through this very lengthy process. We explained how long we had been involved dating back the closing of the base in the late ‘90s and our first attempt with the Orange County Redevelopment Agency, our first presentation to the Great Park Conservancy. We felt there could have been a little more information given to us as to what was going on after the Feasibility Presentation was continued to a future GP Board meeting. The lack of information led us to think there may be other reasons for not continuing our study. Such as, we did not fit the political image or not having the funding needed to finance our high-end project. We also explained how we were waiting for something from the Great Park to show we were accepted as a viable project with space set aside for our building. Something we could give to corporate sponsors or to include in our grant writing.
They assured us they have been working on our feasibility study and have a partial draft in the works on our phasing of the building. They are looking at two or three phases depending on what we feel would work. A suggested 5,000 Sq Ft first phase with a follow-up phase of maybe 10,000, depending how the first phase works out funding-wise. We mentioned we are willing to start out with the 5,000 Sq Ft as long as we are guaranteed the same land space to allow future expansion up to the original 30,000 Sq Ft. We just wanted to make sure we have the space for future expansion, plus space for outside events and exhibits.
We also discussed with them our need for more information regarding fund-raising aspects on Great Park property. IE, if a corporate sponsor wanted to donate $10 million towards our building and in return wanted their name displayed on the outside of the building, much like the corporate world does for the sports stadiums (Staple Center, Honda Center) Their answer to this was they are working with CHORA, the company they hired to come up with funding opportunities for the Great Park. CHORA is putting together guidelines dealing with this very item. They are about 75% complete on the guidelines. There was a lot of discussion on this item as it has come up for many of the other groups and their feasibility studies. It was also suggested we have a meeting with CHORA to discuss our funding possibilities. This may happen next week as CHORA will be in town to meet with the Great Park people. We need more positive input from them so we can further our fund-raising plans. They felt some of the answers we are looking for could come from our meeting with CHORA and the CHORA guidelines once completed.
They wanted to make sure we still put a positive foot forward and not cut back too much because of the feasibility study not being accepted at the January GP Board meeting.
We asked what our next step is after our feasibility study is approved. Do we need to provide a master plan or a proposal for the land and how we plan to raise the funds or what? They said because this is a public project, we need to move forward cautiously and they must be carful what they commit to. They felt we should concentrate on getting our feasibility study approved. With this we will have a better opportunity to move forward and other opportunities will open as a result of our feasibility study being approved by the GP Board.
They also felt that we may have entered into our bid for a place in the Great Park too early in the game. We responded with us being a grass roots organization it was difficult to know when was the right time. So we had followed this project from even before the Great Park was a reality and was under the control of the County.
We did not want to wait and then enter too late as there was a huge interest by many groups from around the county wanting in on the ground floor at the Great Park. We feel our persistence, determination and perseverance has paid off in the long run. Those with a huge endowment can afford to take a different approach and still get in at the last minute.
They did say the time is right now as great things are beginning to happen at the Great Park with the beginning of the construction phase. So much so, many organizations who stepped back in the beginning are now coming back looking to be included in the park.
They look at us as a project they very much want to see become a part of the Great Park and we are in a very good position to make this happen. They see us as one of the groups (fire, police and military) which people look favorable towards, therefore want to make sure these groups are represented in the Great Park.

In closing, they want to set up several meetings with us and WRNS Studio, the new group facilitating the feasibility studies, in the next several weeks to finish up our feasibility study in preparation for the June 17 Great Park Board meeting. They emphasized, the most important item right now is to get this feasibility study completed and approved by the GP Board. Then we can move on to bigger and better things.

Mark your calendar for June 17, 10 AM for our Great Park Board Meeting Presentation at Irvine City Hall.

Great Park Feasibility Update

Great Park Fire Museum – Safety Center Feasibility Study

Here is an update on how we are doing with our Feasibility Study for the Orange County Great Park.

Since our Feasibility Study Presentation to the Great Park Board on January 28, where it was recommended the matter be continued to a meeting in March, nothing has taken place as of yet.

We have had one meeting with the Great Park Design Studio after the presentation which was not very productive. At this meeting a discussion was held regarding a new approach which included a phasing of the building plans. A future meeting was scheduled to further discuss this phasing plan. Also the presentation of our reworked plan was tentatively set for the May 20 Great Park Board meeting.

We were then notified that our next Design Studio meeting would be canceled and the May 20 date for our presentation would have to be postponed to a future Great Park Board meeting.

The reason given for no further GP Design Studio meetings and the postponement of our May 20 presentation was because the GP Design Studio had run out of funds to work on our feasibility study. This meant they would have to return to the Great Park Board to request addition funds to complete our unfinished Fire Museum – Safety Center Feasibility Study.

To date we have seen no item in the Great Park Board Meeting Agendas to indicate this request for additional funds for our study was forth coming??

Last week I had a meeting with a GP Board member to see if I could gain any insight on our feasibility study. Nothing has been discussed at any past board briefings or from any other board members regarding our future return to the board. I asked if this could be brought up at the April 22 GP Board meeting. It is felt the Board and Design Studio is overwhelmed with all the feasibility studies and the change from design to construction phase at the Great Park. Most of the board is unaware of our “no funds available” aspect regarding our feasibility study. Some board members have not seen a copy of our 265 page feasibility study book.

I attended the April 22 Great Park Board meeting and did hear some discussion regarding our feasibility study and why it had not been rescheduled. Chair Agran commented that we were over due for our return and hoped it could be scheduled for the May board meeting.

After the meeting was adjourned I spoke with several board members who were surprised and unaware of the insufficient funds to continue our feasibility study and suggested I talk to Assist. CEO Cliff Wallace. I did talked to Cliff Wallace and he indicated he would see what he can do to get this back on track.

Yesterday I sent a e-mail to the GP Design Studio to see if they had any updated information on our study. There reply stated, “ we are working on another strategy, will have to get back to you at a later date. We want to assure you your project is forefront in our plans.

Stay tuned for any further updates also on Twitter and Facebook.

Great Park Board Meeting Jan. 28, 2010

CFM Great Park Board meeting Feasibility Study Presentation:

The Great Park Board meeting, where our long awaited Fire Museum Feasibility Study was presented to the GP Board, was held last Thursday, January 28, 2010 at 10 AM. After a long morning of listing to other presentations to the board, our presentation was last on the agenda, we finally heard the GP Design Studio present our Priority Program Feasibility Study (PPFS) Fire Museum & Safety Learning Center: Findings from second level analysis; and next phase recommendations.

The presentation to the GP Board was only a short overview of the 290 page Feasibility Study report given to each board member a week ago.The outcome of this meeting was not what we were expecting. After a long dissertation by each GP Board member, some a little confusing in my opinion and some off the subject at hand, the board voted to bring this item back to the board after 60 days.

To view the GP Board meeting video,with our CFM presentation, on the Great Park web site follow the instructions below.

***************************************************************************************Here Here is the path to the Priority Programs Feasibility Study (PPFS)- Fire Museum & Safety Learning Center.

1. click on: http://www.ocgp.org/

2. Locate and click on the top, brown tab named "ABOUT" and pull downand select Board Meetings

3. Once on the Board meeting site, scroll down to January 28, 2010 and scroll over to far right and click on VIDEO (orange)

4. Once the video starts, Click on the black 'down' arrow in the box "Jump To..." and choose#10 (Priority Programs Feasibility Study)

5. The video will move to our Priority Program Feasibility Presentation. (Minute counter at right should read 1:23:19)

This will allow you to view the entire GP Design Studio presentation for our fire museum safety center, each GP Board member comments, Public comments by Ronny Coleman, Dan Coffman and Don Croucher, Chair Agran discussion, my ending clarification comments and the final vote.

Don Forsyth could not attend the board meeting, but did send in a letter of support from the Orange County Fire Historical Society.

This entire fire museum segment of the Great Park Board meeting takes 1 hour, 31 minutes.

The next GP board meeting, when we will be heard again, will be in March (60 days).

We will go over the board comments, and our next step in this process, at our January 25 CFM Board meeting.

If you have any questions contact:

Don Croucher, President
California Fire Museum Public Safety Education Center
Orange County Fire Historical Society
crowncoach@aol.com

www.californiafiremuseum.com

OUR BIG Day

Tomorrow, Thursday, Jan 28th is our BIG DAY at the Great Park Board meeting, 10 AM, at the Irvine City Hall. The Great Park Design studio will present our Feasibility Study to the GP Board. We need everyone to come and show support for our Fire Museum Safety Center project. Please bring an old fire helmet to show your support. We have been working at this for over 5 years!! A positive vote from the GP Board will set aside space at the Great Park for our fire museum safety center.

Important date change

The California Fire Museum Feasibility Study presentation to the Great Park has been changed from Thursday, January 21 to Thursday, January 28. GP Board meeting starts at 10 AM in the Irvine City Hall Council Chambers. Please come and show support for our fire museum to be built at the Orange County Great Park. All who are supporting the fire museum are asked to please bring an old fire helmet to ware during our agenda item.

Ant questions call Don Croucher at: 949-493-8718

CFM at the Great Park (note date change)

The California Fire Museum (CFM) is on our way to a long awaited Feasibility Study presentation to the Great Park Board at their January 21 (Change to January 28) Board meeting at Irvine City Hall. CFM has been working towards this presentation for years!!! I want to especially thank Dave Hubert and Barbara Hubert for their timeless effort and support towards this huge project.

This Priority Program Feasibility Study has been a unbelievable in depth study that has meant many many meetings and information gathering to provide all the information needed to complete this high level study. We now have in our hands the draft copy of this report, 265 pages of information, maps, drawings, photos and figures. Dave, Barbara and myself have gone over this report and made a few corrections, changes and suggestions for the final copy. On January 15 we will meet with the Great Park Design Studio staff and go over the final report and how it will be presented to the Orange County Great Park Board on January 21, 2010. (Change to January 28) This will be a deciding moment for CFM and the culmination of eight years of hard work by our board of directors, many GP board meetings, GP Stakeholder meetings, CFM Board meetings, Great Park events, GP Staff one on one meetings, piles of correspondence, meeting with possible sponsor groups and endless behind the scenes research and work.

We started with hopes of an existing building at the old El Toro Base and are now looking at a possible multi million dollar 31,600 sq ft building in the future.

If the Great Park Board votes in our favor on January 21, (Change to January 28) we will be in line for something really Great.

If you would like to hear the feedback and the final outcome of the vote by the Great Park Board we encourage everyone to attend this most important meeting for CFM.

We are now joined by the Orange County Fire Historical Society (OCFHS) in our endeavor to build this Fire Museum Public Safety Learning Center at the Great Park. CFM & OCFHS are in the last stages of a merger which will join our two organizations together into one.

CFM - Great Park Feasibility Study Preasenation

The Calif. Fire Museum - Great Park Feasibility Study Presentation to the GP Board has been moved to Thursday, January 21, 2010. This change is due to the Christmas Holiday being so close to the December 17 date originally scheduled for our Feasibility Study Presentation. If you were planing to attend this presentation, please change the date on your calendar.

This is a very important day for CFM. This is the culmination of over 6 years of hard work to include CFM to be a part of the Orange County Great Park and a possible existing building for The Calif Fire Museum - Public Safety Education Center.

We are asking as many of you as possible to attend this January 21 CFM Feasibility Study Presentation at the Great Park Board meeting for a show of support for our fire museum at the Great Park. We will also need some of you to speak during the public comments segment of the GP board meeting.

Once we are closer to the Jan. 21 date we will keep you informed on location and time our presentation will be presented.

So PLEASE put the date on your calendar;

Thursday, January 21, 2010 at 10:00 AM

Any Questions please call Don Croucher 949-493-8718

CFM at the Great Park Update

The California Fire Museum - Public Safety Education Center is moving forward with our Great Park Feasibility Study which should be presented to the Great Park Board on December 17 at their board meeting. Put Dec. 17 on your calendar and attend this meeting in support of our long awaited fire museum at the Great Park. We need to show the GP Board we have the support of the community for this project.

Following is the latest projects approved for the Great Park.

Great Park Approves Western Sector Development

This month the Orange County Great Park Board of Directors approved $65 million in funding for the first round of construction at the Great Park. The approved development plan will create agricultural space, several sports fields, infrastructure and community gardens. The plan focuses on building out 200 acres of the western portion of the park (closest to the preview park). While 200 acres maybe a fraction of the entire Great Park, this development sets the ground work for larger Great Park construction down the road.
Plans to Expand Arts and Cultural Programing In a hope to expand arts and cultural programming at the Orange County Great Park, the OCGP Board of Directors approved $250,000 to create a master plan for the arts at the park while also setting aside 121,000 square feet for an arts exhibition space, meeting rooms, and a theater. The proposal allocates 48,000 square feet for a galley where visitors can interact with artists and a 200-seat Black Box Theater and screening room. Plans for future expansion of the theater include a 1,500 seat theater which would be double the size of the Irvine Barclay Theater.

For more information on the Orange County Great Park please their our website at: www.ocgp.org

1948 GMC Donated to Calif Fire Museum

Yesterday, Sunday Oct. 25, we finally completed a two year process of acquiring one of Orange County Fire Department's old engines. It is a 1948 GMC ORCO-CDF shop built fire engine. This engine has a long history with the Orange County FD serving at a number of location in it's early years, including ORCO Sta. 21 (Red Hill), the Orange County Airport, Sta. 27, Sta. 6 (South Laguna) Sta. 29 (Doheny) reserve engine, and then donated to the Holy Jim Vol FD in Trabuco Canyon in the 70s. We will be putting together a complete history and photos of this rig to go with it when on display. This rig served the Holy Jim very well from the 70s till just a few days ago when they received a newer surplus OCFA GMC brush engine. Most of the Holy Jim folks were excited about their new engine, while at the same time, sad to see old "Gertrude" leave the canyon for the last time. But they were happy to know she will be preserved in a fire museum with recognition of their time with the old gal.

Gertrude is now safe at her new home in Big Bear, California and will reside their for a time while Brian Grimes does some work on the motor and running gear. Brain has volunteered do this and store it for as long as it will take to complete his restoration of the rig. He has a soft spot in his heart for this rig as he was a part of the Holy Jim VFD for a time and took care of the rig during his time with the HJVFD. Brain brought his Ford duly pick-up truck and trailer to pick up the 48 GMC and had a safe uneventful trip up the mountain yesterday. A big thanks to Brain for all his hard work on this project

Ready for the trip to Big Bear.

Left, 48 GMC donated to CFM.

Center, GMC up for sale.

Right, New GMC brush engine.

CFM Great Park Feasibility Study Update

Great Park Update, The First 3 Feasibility Studies

These first feasibility studies will give us a good idea of what ours will look like and what to expect from the Great Park Board for CFM

This month the Board of Directors for the Orange County Great Park voted to move forward with several potential park projects such as an amphitheater, nature education garden, community organization center, and heritage and aviation museum. The following are details pertaining to the board's decisions regarding:

Amphitheater: the OCGP Board approved a $93,000 agreement with Live Nation to study building an amphitheater at the Great Park. The exact details regarding the size and location of the amphitheater have not been specified but as demonstrated by the great success of the park's summer performances there is a great interest in bringing a performing arts venue to the Great Park.

Nature Education Garden: the OCGP Board designated 11.6 aces for a Nature Education Garden which will be created in partnership with the Discovery Science Museum in Santa Ana. This Nature Education Garden hopes to provide guests with a sample of the park's botanical gardens and science museum which have yet to be built.

Community Organization Center: the OCGP Board set aside 3.5 acres for a community center. This center will provide a regional, multi-tenant, non-profit center for public meetings and administrative offices. The center's close proximity to the Irvine transportation center make it an accessible location for local non-profit organizations to operate.

Museum of Heritage and Aviation: the OCGP Board approved plans for a 40-60,000 square foot Museum of Heritage and Aviation (MOHA). The MOHA will be located near the Great Park Balloon and Sports Park.

For more information on the Orange County Great Park please visit their website at: www.ocgp.org

Last Call

Just a reminder, Sept 4 is the last day to order your 2010 Orange County Fire Services Commemorative Historical Year Book. They are only available by pre order. Don't be left out!! The 2010 book is said to be the best yet, lots of color pages. They make a great gift.
Order NOW before it is to late!! Order at: WWW.OCFSA.COM

OCFSA 2010 YEARBOOK

Orange County Fire Services Association has produced a Commemorative Historical Yearbook every ten years. The past yearbooks were published in 1980, 1990 and 2000. These books are produced in a limited edition and only available in the year published through pre orders. I know of many who did not order the past books, only to search the Internet to try to find the year copy desired. If the book was located, they found themselves paying twice what the book originally sold for. These books are an historical keepsake, especially to the service firefighters who are pictured in the book in their respective Orange County Fire Service section. All city, county and federal or related fire services within Orange County are represented in these books. Every fire station, every fire person, plus many newsworthy events are listed, along with special fire service groups. These books are an invaluable historical research source for many years in the future. I can’t tell you how many times I have taken one of these books off the shelf to look up a firefighter’s name, a former chief, a fire event, a piece of apparatus, or even a fire department which no longer exists.

I urge you to please order your book today, before it is too late. The deadline for the 2010 Commemorative Historical Yearbook is September 4th, 2009. You may order by check or credit card. To order and get all the details on the 2010 book, go to the Orange County Fire Services Association web site at: www.ocfsa.com click on the 2010 book thumbnail.

Great Park Event July 11

Great Park Event July 11, 2009, our CFM booth and engine exhibit.

The Great Park Event was a great success, Thousands of people stopped by our booth to learn about our Fire Museum - Safety Center. The kids loved getting the little red fire helmets, while the parents were giver a flyer and told about our plans for a fire museum at the Great Park. Our booth contained a historical photo display and fire prevention hand outs. We had our 1941 White Vanpelt "Little John" fire engin for kids to have a photo taken by their parents.

Above are several photos taken at the Saturday, July 11 event:

Great Park Design Studio Update

The Calif Fire Museum is progressing very well with the Great Park Design Studio Feasibility Study. We have given them 8 president studies of other fire museums. These will be used to create a matrix for our fire museum. This will give us a look at how much space we need and what the Great Park is willing to give us. Once all of the essentials are put together our feasibility study will be presented to the Great Park Corporation, hopefully at the October GP Board meeting.

Calif. Fire Museum, Donated Fire Apparatus

From time to time, on this blog, I will feature some of the fire apparatus which has been donated to our fire museum over the past few years. To date we have 12 fire engines and 3 hose carts donated for our future fire museum / safety center. The apparatus will be used for a number of different exhibits and the teaching of fire history related to California & Orange County fire services.

The first fire engine featured is this 1957 Dodge/Howe wildland unit. It is four-wheel drive with a 500 gallon water tank, 500 GPM front mount pump, open cab. It originally served the Fallbrook Fire Dept., now called the North County Fire District in San Diego County, CA. It was donated to CFM in June of 2004 and since then has been stored and maintained by Mike McDonald in Valley Center, CA. It has appeared in many special events and parades in the local area including some events in it's home town of Falbrook, CA. It is a unusual rig and one we will be proud to display in our fire museum / safety center, once we have our building, hopefully at the Orange County Great Park.

OCFHS & CFM Merger Underway

OCFHS & CFM Merger Underway

On May 14 the Orange County Fire Historical Society and the California Fire Museum sat down with an attorney to begin the process of merging the two organizations into one. The attorney laid out the proposed timeline for the merger. It is expected to take about three months if all goes well. Some of the items the two organizations need to decide on will include: A new combined board, President, Vice Pres., Secretary and CFO, number of directors, which bank to keep, new name, Logo, type of membership and dues levels, bylaws and other aspects of an organization. Next merger meeting will be held in mid June and the boards will approve the material terms of the merger. After yesterday's joint merger meeting, a workshop was held and the two boards worked through most of the list of items, making good progress. Both boards are very excited about the merger because it will bring less duplication of work, one fund-raising effort, combining of assets and a larger, more focused work force. All have agreed this is a good thing!! Stay tuned for more on our progress.

CFM & OCFHS Merger

The California Fire Museum (CFM) and the Orange County Fire Historical Society (OCFHS) are working on a possible merger of the two organizations. Both have the same goals, which is to build a fire museum & safety center here in Orange County.

The push at present is to build the fire museum - safety center at the Orange County Great Park. CFM is presently in the process of putting together a feasibility study managed by the Great Park Design Studio.

By CFM & OCFHS joining forces this will give us a much better work force and also better for our fund raising. Stay in touch through this blog for updates on the merger and the feasibility study with the Great Park.

We also are now on Twitter for quick updates at www.Twitter.com/CalifFireMuseum

April, meetings continue with the Great Park Design Studio.

Our use of a temporary building is on hold until the Great Park finishes our feasibility study.

Fire museum in the OC

I would like to see a fire museum in the OC.