Great Park Board Meeting (9/24/19) – Surprises and Concerns

Great Park Board Members Present:
Chair Farrah Khan
Mayor Christina Shea
Mayor Pro Tem Anthony Kuo
Council-member Michael Carroll
Council-member Melissa Fox

The Great Park Board met on Tuesday, September 24, 2019. Here are the highlights:

Permanent Location for FivePoint Amphitheatre

A representative from Live Nation was invited to address the Great Park Board and provide an update on the Amphitheatre. The Board discussed the item and unanimously passed a motion to start the process of finding a permanent location. Mayor Pro Tem Kuo requested to have a fast, streamlined negotiation process.

FivePoint is Live Nation’s partner on the project. The Amphitheatre is currently operating on private property owned by FivePoint, adjacent to the Great Park.

Note: The discussion to relocate the FivePoint Amphitheatre, an impactful decision for many residents, was not listed on the agenda. Therefore, the Board should not have discussed or voted on this item which was brought up by a member of the public, in this case a Live Nation representative. Yet, a vote was held and a decision was made without public notice.

Only items posted on meeting agendas can be discussed and voted on during
Great Park Board, City Council, or Commission meetings.
Meeting agendas must be posted with related documents prior to the meeting and
the public must be given the opportunity to comment. 

Great Park Master Plan

The Master Plan will be on next month’s agenda. Chair Khan directed the Great Park staff to prepare a Great Park Master Plan and provide ongoing updates at each meeting.

Note: A Memo dated August 6, 2019, to Great Park Executive Director John Russo stated, “OC Great Park Chair Khan and Mayor Shea would like to bring forth a series of public discussions on the development of the OC Great Park. Specifically, where we are now and where we are going, to create transparency with Irvine community members about all upcoming projects and proposals.”

This item was sent to GP Executive Director Russo seven weeks ago. However, at the meeting, there were no staff reports, no staff presentations — nothing was prepared for this meeting except a brief, unrevealing update.

Great Park Operations Building Approved

The Council unanimously approved to increase the budget for “Design and Engineering Services” for this Capital Improvement Project to $1.9M based on the space needs assessment and expansion of services. The previous contract value was $636k. For more info click HERE.

Great Park Balloon Rides Continue

The Board unanimously approved to extend the contract for the balloon operation for an additional month, ending at the end of October, at the cost of $33,175. The Board indicated they are very close to a sponsorship deal with private funding for the ongoing operation of the balloon.

Co-Authored by Susan Sayre and Jeanne Baran