Fairview’s first phase a go

Model train engineer Bob Brooks has lived in Costa Mesa since before the end of World War II, and in all those decades he has never seen a full-grown tree or a pond in Fairview Park.

Ecologists say the area used to be wetlands before the Santa Ana River was bolstered with concrete, but it’s hard to believe these days when all you see are dry, brown shrubs.

Yet the area will look a lot lusher in a few months, when the first phase of the Fairview Park Wetlands and Riparian Habitat restoration project comes to fruition, project coordinators say.

A groundbreaking ceremony on the bluff overlooking the Fairview Park lowlands drew more than 50 people Wednesday afternoon to commemorate the beginning of the multimillion-dollar project coordinators say will eventually bring ponds, streams and trees to the flat arid expanse.

Brooks is excited about the possibility of having a place to recreate in nature-walking distance from many houses, and he thinks that riders of the model trains will also be appreciative.

“We get a lot of viewing of the wildlife in the train area. Kids love to see the raptors flying around and the rabbits,” Brooks said.

During the ceremony, the crowd observed a moment of silence for Girish Desai, a member of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers who took the initial steps to make the project a reality.

Desai died of heart failure before he could see the fruits of his labor, but the project might not have become a reality without his assertive yet kind leadership.

“He did all the preliminary ground work to get us where we are now,” said Lt. Col. Anthony Reed of the Army Corps of Engineers.

The only dirt that was moved Wednesday was dug up by ceremonial golden shovels wielded by city and county dignitaries and those who contributed to the effort. Heavy machinery will roll in soon, though, to start the real work.

The project’s first phase should be done by February, officials estimate, but while it’s in progress a lot of the lowland area may not be accessible.

Costa Mesa is still seeking an additional $4 million in funding to supplement the $1 million it received from the Army Corps of Engineers and the $500,000 combined from city and grant funding to complete the entire project.

ALAN BLANK may be reached at (714) 966-4623 or at [email protected].