Great Park News: Vintage Plane Delivery, Pictures from Lennar, Free Activites including Day and Night Balloon Flights

It’s time for an updat on what is going on at the Orange County Great Park.

To begin, the first vintage plane for the planned air museum has arrived. As with many features planned for the Great Park, the air museum is ment to be a reminder of Irvine’s past (and we need those reminders in Irvine). he plan is for the plane to be restored and eventually take a spot in the air museum. Great Park boardmember Bill Kogerman is in talks with military officials at the Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola. The officials have expressed to Kogerman some willing to turn over the plans for building and maintaining an aircraft museum. In addition to being a member of the Orange County Great Park board, Kogerman is a retired aviator (Lieutenant Colonel USMC) who served at El Toro.

Next, Lennar has made available some pictures of the July 12 Great Park festivities. This event was a celebration of the third anniversary of the Navy’s transfer of the Great Park land to the City of Irvine and Lennar. To see these pictures and get a sense of what is planned for the Great Park, click here.

And finally, the free activities are continuing. These include summer Friday night dances and Saturday night concerts. Nearby is the tethered balloon site, which is also free and now includes day and night flights. (Also nearby is hangar 211, which has been converted into a cafe.)

Ways to stay informed:

• The next Great Park board meeting will be held at 10 am on September 18 at Irvine’s City hall. If a trip to city hall is not possible, you can watch on ICTV or on demand through the City’s website.
• If you are interested in following the sustainability aspects planned for the Great Park, the Environmental Coalition is hosting a talk at 7 pm on Friday, September 12, at the Irvine Water Ranch District headquarters (15600 Sand Canyon, Irvine).William Morrison, Senior Project Manager for the Great Park, will discuss sustainable elements planned for the park’s early construction projects as well as those planned for the whole park. Also, Great Park directors Larry Agran and  Sukhee Kang will talk about the City of Irvine’s sustainability programs. For more information, contact Stephanie Pacheco at stephaniepa@socal.rr.com or 714-963-1658.
• And, of course, you can read my Redfin blog. I will provide updates about once a month.

PHOTO COURTESY THE ORANGE COUNTY GREAT PARK CORPORATION
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