Archive for the ‘Dreams Project’ Category

With Council Approval, Football Project Moves to Designs and Sacramento Deal-making

DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES — A lot could go wrong in the next 10 months, but if everything goes right, Anschutz Entertainment Group will break ground on the Downtown football stadium/convention center expansion on June 1, 2012.

That was what AEG President and CEO Tim Leiweke said this afternoon following the City Council’s unanimous vote to approve a non-binding memorandum of understanding on the deal between the city and the developer.

The council’s 12-0 vote marked a significant, if not defining point, in AEG’s effort to erect a $1.1 billion, 64,000-seat stadium where the site of the Convention Center’s West Hall now stands. The deal calls for the West Hall to be razed and replaced with a new hall contiguous to the main convention building.

The agreement with the council calls for the city to float $275 million in bonds. Nearly three quarters of that would be covered by AEG, with the remainder coming from revenues generated by the project.

“No one thought we’d get this far,” Leiweke stated. “Here we are today.”

Leiweke previously said that AEG has been meeting regularly with the NFL and has had conversations with about a half dozen teams regarding moving to Los Angeles. Today, he said that he expects a team will be playing here in a temporary facility — either the Rose Bowl or the Coliseum — within two years, but possibly sooner. Franchises including the San Diego Chargers, Jacksonville Jaguars and Buffalo Bills are seen as the most likely candidates to come to Los Angeles.

In any deal, Leiweke said, Phil Anschutz would have partial ownership of the franchise. He said the deal does not work financially without that.

Leiweke said an announcement about a franchise in Los Angeles would not occur until, at the soonest, the end of the upcoming NFL season. Although an environmental impact report is expected to be completed early next year and the city and AEG could sign a binding deal soon after, Leiweke said no construction will occur until there is an agreement with a franchise.

“We’re not going to push dirt until we have a team in place,” he said.

Leiweke classified the council vote as a game changer, predicting that it would transform Los Angeles from a city pursuing a franchise to a location desired by multiple teams. Despite his enthusiasm, the league has not publicly endorsed the Downtown stadium proposal, and has also talked openly about a competing plan in the City of Industry being propelled by Ed Roski, who was Phil Anschutz’s partner in Staples Center.

Leiweke said the focus now shifts to multiple fronts, including creating designs. AEG has hired Gensler to be the architect for Farmers Field, while Populous will handle the convention work; the convention replacement would be the first element of the project to break ground.

Additionally, he said the company is working with lawmakers in Sacramento regarding challenges to the project. An unlikely opponent to the stadium has come in the form of Texas businessman Billy Bob Barnett, who convinced some state lawmakers to introduce legislation that could be a hurdle to the project. Barnett has had conflicts with AEG in that state.

AEG, said, Leiweke, needs “some protection from the crazies.”

Leiweke said AEG intends to do a full environmental impact report and is not seeking an exemption from California Environmental Quality Act standards. Instead, he said, the discussions with state lawmakers are intended to “make sure people can’t stop this project with a frivolous lawsuit.”

Leiweke said that AEG has spent about $15 million on the project. In June, he said that the company expects to spend $45 million on the effort by next spring.

Written by:

Jon Regardie

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DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES – When residents of the El Dorado and The Rowan lofts look out their windows, they see an L-shaped slab of pavement that, until recently, served as a parking lot between the two condominium buildings.

In the next year or so, they’re likely to see a lot more dust and a few construction vehicles. That will be followed, hopefully in late 2012, by the much anticipated greenery of the Spring Street park.

Paul Tseng, a project manager with the city’s Bureau of Engineering, said work on the site could begin by early September. The year-long effort will turn the pavement into nearly an acre of walking paths, with a promenade plaza, benches, a fountain, dozens of trees and artwork.

“We’re trying to make it happen as soon as we can,” he said.

The city purchased the site, on the east side of Spring Street between Fourth and Fifth streets, in 2009. The parking lot was closed on July 29 in preparation for work to begin on the $8 million project.

The cost includes $5 million the city spent on purchasing the parcel from Downtown Properties (developer of the condo buildings on either side of the park) and $3 million for development. The fully funded project is being financed with Quimby funds.

Community meetings have been held since September 2009 to iron out designs. While the park plans have been well received by the neighborhood, there remain concerns about maintenance. Quimby money can only legally be used for acquisition and creation of city parks.

“The city is very short on cash so we want to make sure it’s properly maintained,” said Bill Stevenson of Downtown Properties.

The slack will be picked up by the private sector. Stevenson and a group of local stakeholders, including developer Tom Gilmore, DLANC members and homeowners association representatives from the two buildings, have formed a nonprofit called the Friends of the Old Bank District Gardens. The group has presented the city Department of Recreations and Parks with a partnership proposal that would allow them to run the park.

“As a private group we think we could provide the assets to run and operate the park for the city,” Stevenson said.

The Partnership

Under the proposal, the park would remain a public facility owned by the city and open to all. The Recreation and Parks department would set the guidelines as to how the park is operated but all costs, including repairs and maintenance, would fall on the nonprofit. Stevenson estimates the annual cost of running the park at $250,000.

While the group waits to hear back from the city regarding the partnership agreement, its members are confident a deal will be approved. One supporter of the partnership proposal is Ninth District Councilwoman Jan Perry, who has helped spearhead the project.

“This operating agreement will help Recreation and Parks reduce their costs of maintaining the site,” Perry said. “Given the way our budgets have gone over the last several years, it is a good thing for the city to build better and stronger relationships with the community.”

Cid Macaraeg, director of real estate for Recreation and Parks, said the department is currently preparing a draft partnership agreement, but there is no timeline yet on when it will be completed. If an accord can be reached, he said it would benefit both the city and the neighborhood.

“It would provide an opportunity for the community itself to have a sense of ownership,” he said. “For the city the cost to the department would be reduced. We could divert the resources to other sites.”

Funding

The proposal to privately run the park raises questions as to how the nonprofit will get the money. Stevenson said the group would seek out grants and ask local stakeholders for donations.

Josh Gray-Emmer, president of the El Dorado Homeowners’ Association, said the group already has enough pledges from residents of the buildings, as well as from Gilmore, to run the park for about two years. He noted that the pledges are voluntary and are not legally bound or part of mandatory homeowners’ association fees.

“I feel very confident they won’t go back [on those pledges],” he said.

Gray-Emmer said other plans to gather income for the park include events like outdoor movie nights or a trading post. He also said they could ask philanthropists for funds.

“I think this park can be one of the landmark community meeting points for the historic Downtown area,” he said. “It has the potential to bond us together over something the neighborhood can take care of together.”

The proposal would not completely remove the city from responsibility. Macaraeg said the agreement will likely include a termination clause if the contract is not fulfilled. If that were to occur, the city would take over the park and look for funds to operate it or possibly search for a new partner.

“Ultimately, it’s still our responsibility,” he said.

Meanwhile, there could be yet another issue the nonprofit will have to deal with if they operate the park. With Downtown’s welcoming pet policy and limited grassy area, the Spring Street park could become a popular destination for pet owners to let dogs do their business.

While Gray-Emmer said dogs will likely be allowed at the park, it’s an issue they may have to specifically address.

“We’re still going back and forth about dogs,” he said. “We can’t allow that to take over the park.”

Written by:

Richard Guzmán

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Cause CinemaHopes & Dreams Project offers kids an alternativeBy John EstherSince the dawn of cinema children around the world dreamt of becoming movies stars, basking under the public light of adornment, one day making that Oscar speech, and taking in the big bucks, but for some kids right here and now in California, cinema means something far more transcendental than fame. Faced with such unfortunate circumstances as a life-threatening illness or parental loss, making movies is a way to overcome obstacles no child should ever encounter.Thanks to the Hopes & Dreams Project under The United States Entertainment Force, children who suffer from disease or family strife due to military service find solace and a renewed sense of self worth and larger purpose by making movies.“Besides providing a positive distraction doctors say is so needed, the children gain leadership, research, organization, public speaking skills, confidence and developing informative presentations by being involved in the Hopes & Dreams Project,” said Jerry Payne, Founder of the United States Entertainment Force and the Hopes & Dreams Project. “Counseling is a very important part of our project and we are able to build trust by using art and film. In doing so we are able to ease suffering and provide comfort in those individuals whose lives are convoluted with disappointment and despair.”Working with youth between ages 7-18, the Hopes & Dreams Project has already made nine G-Rated films in Central Valley, Ca., with Filmic Storyworks, Inc., of Fresno and is now making its way to Los Angeles to make more movies for more children in crisis.“Being in Hollywood allows us to take the Hopes & Dreams Project to the next level and position ourselves for our national roll out,” said Payne. “We already have Tino Struckmann Productions, a movie production company in Los Angeles, and we are now working on raising money to start shooting on location in Los Angeles.”For these children in crisis, the Hopes & Dreams Project is a four-week process. First there is the casting call and then participation in the Hopes and Dreams Actors Workshop where professionals coach the budding thespians. Then they go to wardrobe and makeup where they receive personal attention toward creating the character they will be playing in the film. Next is a photography segment where they will receive attention in shooting a professional headshot the child gets to keep. After this the young, aspiring actors are ready for the counseling sessions, which commence at the beginning of the fourth week. Once ready to make the movie the kids are escorted a lá limousine to location for a two day-shoot with professional filmmakers.“We will embrace their creativity, hope, enrichment, and social interaction and personal growth,” said Payne. “Let the magic of moviemaking be absorbed by the young actor and provide a memory that will last for a lifetime.”For each film, along with eight professional actors, 10 kids are given speaking parts written just for them. The feature film is then edited into six episodes, running approximately 10-minutes long each, where it will then appear on YouTube.As fun as making a movie may appear, it is important to emphasize the project’s goal is not necessarily to create future actors — although a few have now been bitten by the bug — but open one’s eyes to her or his own potential in life vis-à-vis the many aspects of moviemaking/art.“Once the movie has been shot and goes into post-production the children now know that they have the talents and confidence to go forward with a positive attitude,” said Payne.The longer plan is to extend the Hopes & Dreams Project throughout California and beyond.“As we grow and raise more money we will expand to all states and all children throughout the United States will have an opportunity to attend a casting call of the Hopes & Dreams Project,” said Payne. “We then want to fly them to Hollywood to be cast in a film shooting at a movie studio and receive all the magic of moviemaking, similar to American Idol, with a slip of paper from us they then can yell: ‘I am going to Hollywood!’ We then will have celebrities aboard to increase the excitement that is found in moviemaking.”Beyond his general concern for children, the Hopes & Dreams Project hits close to home for Payne.At the age of 18, Payne was the youngest commissioned army officer during the Vietnam conflict. He spent 18 years in service to our members of the Armed Forces. After that Payne served as the Producer of USO Entertainment for 11 years and on the board of directors. As the Iraq and Afghanistan campaigns intensified, the needs and sacrifice of the military family had increased and the children were becoming the victims — racked with confusion, hurt and stress due to the death of a parent, divorce, multiple deployments of parents and parents with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.The Afghanistan and Iraq occupations have “increased the need of this project by 100 percent,” said Payne. “We have so many dependent children who are in need and waiting for the help we can give them. Without our help the kids are turning to crime, sex, and drugs instead of a positive plan for their future. We must get them onto the right road to success for themselves and their families.”Of course, like most worthwhile filmmaking endeavors, the great obstacle is finding the money — especially for a nonprofit organization in these times.“It cost us $15,000 to produce each movie which then will affect hundreds of children who see what we are doing for their brothers and sisters,” said Payne. “We need to attract major donors who would love to put their time and money into the Hopes & Dreams Project.”For those who would like to make a tax deductible contribution, please visit: https://www.paypal.com/us/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_flow&SESSION=3Ev8hT9LQAHQB-YMJ2mMT3oeGu8kvIjuwI7Ju7Tn62bXM35vnbLbiZkI5Cu&dispatch=5885d80a13c0db1f8e263663d3faee8d4b3d02051cb40a5393d96fec50118c72For more information, please visit: www.theusef.org