Fifty years after astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first humans to land on the moon, the city of Lompoc continues to pursue its own sort of space exploration.
Over the last decade, numerous people have unsuccessfully tried to build a space-themed park on an 82-acre parcel of land in Lompoc with views of Vandenberg Air Force Base’s rocket and satellite launch sites. The last failed bid ended in 2015 when the city issued a notice of default to Eva Blaisdell, who led the previous project, after she failed to meet deadlines laid out in an agreement with Lompoc.
Despite previous attempts fizzling out, city officials feel optimistic about the latest pitch. In March, Pale Blue Dot Ventures, led by investment banker Steve Franck, approached the city with a rough idea of its plans for a space-themed park and convention center. At the time, City Council directed staff to draft a memorandum of understanding for the city and the company to review.
City Council unanimously approved signing the 18-month long agreement at its July 16 meeting. The agreement requires the city to hold the 82 acres open while Pale Blue Dot Ventures attempts to raise funds and further analyze the project. According to the agreement, within a year the company must raise $750,000 and complete and submit a concept and feasibility study, along with an experience design plan.
“[The study] is really a key component of the project,” Franck said. “It kind of tells you what you can put up there: What will people find appealing? What will they find interesting? What will they pay for? How much will they pay for it? All those pieces.”
Franck, who is from upstate New York, said he first found out about this opportunity after Blaisdell reached out and asked him to invest in the 2015 iteration of the project she was leading. After that attempt fell through, Franck said, he continued to think about the concept before pursuing and pitching the idea to City Council in March.
Although he declined to speculate on why he thinks the 2015 attempt failed, Franck said he is confident that the concept he’s leading will be more successful, primarily because the team behind Pale Blue Dot Ventures has experience with these types of projects.
Bob Allen is leading the creative side of the proposal. He’s the founder of the Orlando-based company IDEAS, which has worked on various themed projects, including space centers, throughout the country and overseas. He was attracted to the project for various reasons, chief among them is that rockets launched from Vandenberg are viewable at the site, Allen said.
With experienced team members like Allen, Franck said Pale Blue Dot will be able to identify a realistic estimate for how much this project will cost. While he said it’s too early to estimate a total, the group will have an idea after conducting the concept and feasibility study. Blaisdell’s proposal was estimated to cost $460 million.
Lompoc Mayor Jenelle Osborne, who researched previous space park proposals while serving on the city’s Economic Development Committee from 2012 to 2016, said she has opposed previous pitches. However, given Pale Blue Dot Ventures’ experience, she’s cautiously optimistic this group can make the park a reality.
For the proposal to be successful, there need to be tangible benefits for the city and its residents. Lompoc City Manager Jim Throop said the project could bring in additional revenue through park visitors staying at hotels and spending money at local businesses, which would help the city deal with its current budget constraints.
Equally important to consider, Osborne said, is whether the project helps the city’s youth.
“I really look for it to be an opportunity for children and young people in our community to identify with the history of space and opportunities to have a career in it,” Osborne said.
It’s too soon to identify or discuss what sorts of attractions the project will include, but if the park becomes a reality, it will be anchored by educational components that are also entertaining, Allen said.
A focus on learning is important to meet the restrictions that the federal government placed on the land, which encompasses Ken Adam Park near Allan Hancock College’s campus, when it was deeded to the city in the 1980s. Throop said the 82 acres can only be used for open space, recreation, or education.
Residents who spoke during the public comment period at the July 16 meeting made it clear that the primary goal of this project should be educating and providing opportunities for the city’s youth. Resident Joe Garcia pointed out that the project would also help Lompoc look the part of a town located next to an Air Force base where rocket and satellite launches take place throughout the year.
“We are known as ‘rocket town,’” Garcia said at the meeting, “and we do not have a rocket, let alone anything else that resembles the space industry that lives right next door to us.”
Staff Writer Zac Ezzone can be reached at zezzone@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Jul 25 – Aug 1, 2019.