Great Park Director Appointed by Governor Schwarzenegger to State Park and Recreation Commission

OCTOBER 31, 2008 – IRVINE, California – The Orange County Great Park Corporation Board of Directors is delighted to announce the appointment of Great Park Director Lieutenant Colonel William G. Kogerman USMC (ret.) to the State Park and Recreation Commission. Colonel Kogerman was appointed to the Commission yesterday by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. The Commission is responsible for approving long range general plans for the 279 Parks in the State Park System, naming rights and establishing general policies for the Director of State Parks.

Colonel Kogerman has served on the Great Park Board since 2006. He is a decorated combat pilot who once flew fighter planes out of El Toro Marine Corps Air Station, the site of the Orange County Great Park.

“I am thrilled to be appointed to the California State Parks and Recreation Commission,” said Kogerman. “I will do all I can to improve the State Park System, utilizing the knowledge I gained serving on the Great Park Board. I am especially interested in promoting the ideas of historical preservation and ecological and economic sustainability throughout our State Park System.”

The Orange County Great Park is one of the largest public works projects in the United States. It will be a major metropolitan park and the focal point of the redevelopment of the 4,700-acre former Marine Corps Air Station at El Toro. The Great Park will include extensive natural areas and open space in addition to recreational and cultural uses.

Visitors to the Orange County Great Park can now enjoy free balloon flights and the 27.5-acre Preview Park.

For more information, go to www.ocgp.org.

Press Contacts:
Steve Larsen
Clerk of the Board / Interim PIO
Orange County Great Park Corporation
(949) 724-7414