Two major parts of the Orange County Fair & Exposition Center's Master Plan will start taking shape over the next 12 months as the process to upgrade and broaden the fairgrounds' outreach to the community gathers momentum.

The largest undertaking will be the $10.3 million, two-year remodeling/ renovation of Pacific Amphitheatre. Doug Lofstrom, director of planning and project management, called it "a unique project" that will turn the Amphitheatre into "a multi-purpose facility" capable of staging popular music concerts, symphonies, opera, intimate theater events and other stage experiences.

Construction will begin at the Amphitheatre this October, and pause next June, in time for the 2005 Summer Concert Series. Phase I will include construction of an enclosed three-story stagehouse containing dressing rooms and kitchen, concession stand upgrades, concourse improvements plus improvements in access and seating to comply with the federal Americans with Disabilities Act.

Phase II of the Amphitheatre project includes construction of a rehearsal hall and chorus rooms, improvements to the first and second floors of the stagehouse, and remodeling the stage to create a "black box theater" for audiences of up to 500. Phase II will begin in August 2005 and is scheduled for completion that December.

The second major Master Plan project is replacement of the 11,200-square foot Youth Building (Building 17) on the Main Mall with a $6 million multi-use, two-story structure covering a 30,000- square foot "footprint." This job also will give a new look to the Main Mall because it includes remodeling of existing building facades and new landscaping.

Architectural design of the Exhibit Hall project is scheduled to begin this October and actual construction in August next year after the 2005 Fair closes. Construction should be complete in June 2006, Lofstrom said.

The new building's flexible 30,000- square foot exhibit hall will be capable of partitioning into smaller spaces, as needed, but can also become exhibit space for trade and consumer shows, as well as banquet space. Designed for adaptable uses, the new building will have ample power for multi-purpose use and lighting. It will be fully heated, ventilated and air conditioned.

For banquet purposes, the building will have a commercial kitchen that will serve other Fair events. Administrative offices and conference rooms will occupy the second floor of this new building, plus an outdoor space to view the Fair complex.

Building 17 replaced a 60-year-old World War II building. The current all-metal building will be moved to a new site on the fairgrounds and may be used for a variety of purposes.

In the beginning phases of the Master Plan, $600,000 in improvements and expansion of Parking Lot G are nearly complete, and a $500,000 Newport Blvd. bike path and landscape project funded by the City of Costa Mesa have been finished.

Pending parts of the Master Plan awaiting further study and review are a new storm drain on Arlington Ave., removal of the berm around Pacific Amphitheatre, creating a dual right-hand turn lane at Newport Blvd. and Fair Dr., and building a covering between Buildings 14 and 16 to create a breezeway similar to the Parade of Products between Buildings 10 and 12.

Fair officials have declared that they expect the Master Plan improvements to generate enough additional business to pay for the work.