CLIPBOARD : DISCOVERY : FAIRVIEW REGIONAL PARK

Fairview Regional Park’s undeveloped, historic parkland is home to remote-control gliders, miniature train rides and a multipurpose trail. As a recreational area, the bluff-top park along the Santa Ana River in Costa Mesa is spacious and uncluttered, offering plenty of room to try out all the new toys received over the holidays.

Listed in the National Registry of Historic Places, Fairview is thought to be one of the most valuable archeological sites in Orange County. Over the past 30 years, archeologists have uncovered tools, house floors, hearths and cogged stones from the site that date back 3,000 years. (Cogged stones are associated with an Indian religious cult that flourished along the Santa Ana River.)

“Fairview was developed as a ‘passive’ park, which means that the land is not developed for any one specific use,” said Dave Alkema, superintendent of Costa Mesa’s Parks and Recreation Department. “The first phase of the park, including some revegetation, is completed and we’re reviewing the park’s Master Plan to determine the priority needs of the community.”

Proposals requesting permission to install athletic fields will be raised at meetings after the first of the year. Representatives of youth soccer leagues, Little League and Pop Warner Football have all expressed a desire to develop a sports complex on the site.

“We’re in the throes of (deciding) what we want to do at Fairview Park,” Alkema said. “At first, we ran into money problems, but this year we got a little funding from the state. As soon as the city decides the best use of the land, we’ll get going on the Phase II.”

While it appears that the second phase will involve turning undeveloped land into grass-covered sports fields, one group will not be affected by the changing landscape.

More interested in the air above the park rather than the ground, remote-control plane pilots flock to Fairview Park to loop-the-loop, lured by afternoon thermals blowing off the shoreline. The park site is quickly becoming one of the most frequented mini-airports for the county’s avid model plane aviators.

Another group dedicated to playing in the park is the Orange County Model Engineers. Located on the east side of Placentia Avenue, the nonprofit club is building the miniature Mackerel Flats and Goat Hill Junction Railroad, named to honor historical monikers for Newport Beach and Costa Mesa. About 700 feet of temporary track have been laid to carry live steamers--working scale models of full-sized steam locomotives.

The club offers free rides to the public on every third full weekend of the month. Upon completion, the railroad will include 2,800 feet of track that will cross a 96-foot-long bridge. Members hope to have the project completed by February.

“Within the next few years,” said Ben Viola, a Midway City resident whose Santa Fe locomotive pulls about 90% of the passengers, “Fairview Park will have one of the finest sites in the county for live steamers.”

If new bicycles or running shoes are the toys of choice, a trail cuts through the raw parkland, crossing a man-made bridge and connecting with the Santa Ana River Trail two miles east of Huntington State Beach.

Fairview Regional Park offers adults and children alike ample space to frolic with Fido or to take a ride on the Mackerel Flats and Goat Hill Junction Railroad.

Hours: Park is open from sunrise to sunset.

Address: 2500 block of Placentia Avenue

Telephone: (714) 754-5300

Miscellaneous information: Train rides are held on the third full weekend of each month from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. only. For more information on the Orange County Model Engineers, contact Ben Viola at (714) 894-4318.