COSTA MESA : Group to Reconnect Sister-City Link

Residents interested in rekindling a sister-city relationship with Werribee, Australia, are invited to a meeting today at City Hall.

“We are going to be formulating and reviewing our mission statement and get some kickoff projects going,” Parks Commissioner John De Witt said.

The meeting comes more than three years after the Werribee sister-city link fell apart. In 1988, Costa Mesa officials invited residents of the Melbourne suburb to forge the relationship. The Aussies accepted and the cultural exchange began. Both adults and schoolchildren began corresponding.

There was just one problem: Costa Mesa officials never formalized the agreement, and within months the relationship unraveled.

Today, a group of residents headed by De Witt is trying to rekindle the sister-city flame. De Witt said their Australian counterparts were surprised to hear that Costa Mesa wanted to give it a second try.

“Some of these people that were involved were like, ‘We were wondering what happened,’ ” De Witt said. “I think everybody is coming fresh to this meeting. We are going to start pooling our ideas and get a good program that mutually benefits both cities.”

To get things going, several suggestions will be considered, including starting a pen-pal and art exchange program for local schoolchildren, a lawn-bowling tournament to raise money and the production of a video essay on Costa Mesa.

The meeting is slated for 6:30 p.m. in the fifth-floor conference room at City Hall, 77 Fair Drive.