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Kroc Center Needs $20 Million
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| VISION OF OPENING. This artist’s rendering shows the main entrance of the Kroc Center. —Courtesy Salvation Army |
By Kurt Helin
Editor
Raising nearly $20 million in the current economic climate is a daunting challenge, but it has to happen by the end of the May to get things moving forward for the Kroc Center in Long Beach.
Run by the Salvation Army, the Kroc Center would be a much-needed community center serving one of the most dense and poor neighborhoods of central Long Beach. It would a gym and fitness center, an education building with classes, a pool and more.
When that plan was first shown off in late 2007, it came with a generous gift from Joan Kroc (widow of Ray Kroc, founder of McDonald’s). But plans still called for a 20-month campaign to supplement that money.
“We need to raise approximately $20 million by May of this year to meet our deadline,” said Salvation Army Major Glen Madsen, who is spearheading the program.
The problem has been that in the last 20 months, the economy has deteriorated dramatically.
“The economy has definitely hit us hard,” Madsen said. “Many of the folks who had foundations and had money in the stock market don’t have the resources they used to.”
While May is a deadline, missing it doesn’t necessarily mean the project is dead, Madsen said.
“I think we will evaluate things as we go,” he said. “It’s going to be a fluid situation.”
The Salvation Army has been working hard on getting both corporate and large private donors, Madsen said.
One local company that has stepped up is Signal Hill Petroleum, Madsen said. They have both made a multi-million-dollar gift and tried to get other people and companies involved, he said.
While there has been considerable interest in the project, that has not always translated into cash yet, said Evan Lamont, a spokesman for the project.
“The good thing is there are a lot of donors in the pipeline,” Lamont said. “It’s just getting them to make the pledge. Then every day the economic news seems to get worse and people just are reluctant to give. If the corporations and businesses don’t have money, they don’t have money to give the Salvation Army.”
Soon the fund-raising campaign will also reach out to the general public and the smaller donors. That will help, Lamont said. Still, more large donors are needed.
While the money remains an issue, everything else needed to make the Kroc Center happen continues to move forward.
The Environmental Impact Report on the plans has just been completed and will be made public in the coming weeks, Lamont said.
The proposed center would be east of the Pacific Coast campus of Long Beach City College, encompassing about 19 acres. Most of the facility would be on and around the Los Angeles County flood control basin known as Chittick Field or Hamilton Bowl. It is bounded on the south by Pacific Coast Highway and on the east by Cherry Avenue.
There are 74,000 people living within one-mile of that location, and 64% of the households make less than $35,000 a year, with 46% of the people not in the workforce. In that area, 30% of the people live below the federal poverty line, according to the last census, although Madsen said he thinks that may be more like 40% now.
“There are a lot of working poor there and we have a lot of working poor coming to (the Salvation Army) right now for staples to help them make it through,” Madsen said.
The project will include a two-story, 84,000-square-foot recreation center including a gymnasium, a fitness center, an indoor therapy pool and locker rooms. There also would be a chapel and auditorium building and a four-story education building housing a daycare center, art studios, classrooms, a library, computer labs and administrative offices. There also would be a two-level parking garage with 1,060 parking spaces.
Outside, there will be two acres of gardens, play yards and gardening areas. An aquatic area would include three pools — a recreation pool with fountains, slides and a children’s area; a 50-meter competition and lap pool; and a warm-up pool. A 10,000-square-foot amphitheater will seat up to 750 people, and there will be walking trails, a climbing wall, a challenge course and a patio area.
One thing underway on behalf of the center is a community awareness campaign. That means having a booth showing off designs for the Kroc Center at community events (for example, they will be at an upcoming Long Beach State men’s basketball game).
There also is now a Web site up about the center, with design illustrations and what it could mean to the community (www.longbeachkroc.org). Also, there are weekly e-mail newsletters sent out updating progress.
Run by the Salvation Army, the Kroc Center would be a much-needed community center serving one of the most dense and poor neighborhoods of central Long Beach. It would a gym and fitness center, an education building with classes, a pool and more.
When that plan was first shown off in late 2007, it came with a generous gift from Joan Kroc (widow of Ray Kroc, founder of McDonald’s). But plans still called for a 20-month campaign to supplement that money.
“We need to raise approximately $20 million by May of this year to meet our deadline,” said Salvation Army Major Glen Madsen, who is spearheading the program.
The problem has been that in the last 20 months, the economy has deteriorated dramatically.
“The economy has definitely hit us hard,” Madsen said. “Many of the folks who had foundations and had money in the stock market don’t have the resources they used to.”
While May is a deadline, missing it doesn’t necessarily mean the project is dead, Madsen said.
“I think we will evaluate things as we go,” he said. “It’s going to be a fluid situation.”
The Salvation Army has been working hard on getting both corporate and large private donors, Madsen said.
One local company that has stepped up is Signal Hill Petroleum, Madsen said. They have both made a multi-million-dollar gift and tried to get other people and companies involved, he said.
While there has been considerable interest in the project, that has not always translated into cash yet, said Evan Lamont, a spokesman for the project.
“The good thing is there are a lot of donors in the pipeline,” Lamont said. “It’s just getting them to make the pledge. Then every day the economic news seems to get worse and people just are reluctant to give. If the corporations and businesses don’t have money, they don’t have money to give the Salvation Army.”
Soon the fund-raising campaign will also reach out to the general public and the smaller donors. That will help, Lamont said. Still, more large donors are needed.
While the money remains an issue, everything else needed to make the Kroc Center happen continues to move forward.
The Environmental Impact Report on the plans has just been completed and will be made public in the coming weeks, Lamont said.
The proposed center would be east of the Pacific Coast campus of Long Beach City College, encompassing about 19 acres. Most of the facility would be on and around the Los Angeles County flood control basin known as Chittick Field or Hamilton Bowl. It is bounded on the south by Pacific Coast Highway and on the east by Cherry Avenue.
There are 74,000 people living within one-mile of that location, and 64% of the households make less than $35,000 a year, with 46% of the people not in the workforce. In that area, 30% of the people live below the federal poverty line, according to the last census, although Madsen said he thinks that may be more like 40% now.
“There are a lot of working poor there and we have a lot of working poor coming to (the Salvation Army) right now for staples to help them make it through,” Madsen said.
The project will include a two-story, 84,000-square-foot recreation center including a gymnasium, a fitness center, an indoor therapy pool and locker rooms. There also would be a chapel and auditorium building and a four-story education building housing a daycare center, art studios, classrooms, a library, computer labs and administrative offices. There also would be a two-level parking garage with 1,060 parking spaces.
Outside, there will be two acres of gardens, play yards and gardening areas. An aquatic area would include three pools — a recreation pool with fountains, slides and a children’s area; a 50-meter competition and lap pool; and a warm-up pool. A 10,000-square-foot amphitheater will seat up to 750 people, and there will be walking trails, a climbing wall, a challenge course and a patio area.
One thing underway on behalf of the center is a community awareness campaign. That means having a booth showing off designs for the Kroc Center at community events (for example, they will be at an upcoming Long Beach State men’s basketball game).
There also is now a Web site up about the center, with design illustrations and what it could mean to the community (www.longbeachkroc.org). Also, there are weekly e-mail newsletters sent out updating progress.
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