2 Well-Timed Examples of Public Spirit : * Builder, Businessman Give Welcome Gifts of Land to Improve Street, Build Firehouse

In Santa Ana, the developer of a mall has donated 60 feet of property to the city for a street widening. In Costa Mesa, a businessman donated a chunk of his farm to the city for a new firehouse. Such public spirit would be applauded at any time; in this tough economic spell, the gifts are even more welcome.

The county has a long history of private gifts to the public good, resulting in institutions like the Orange County Performing Arts Center and Orangewood, the home for abandoned and abused children.

Extending that tradition are Hyun Mo Youn and Roy Sakioka. Youn provided the land to widen Bristol Street in Santa Ana, which runs next to the mall he opened in a neighborhood that, until recently, was better known for drug trafficking than for restaurants and shops. Sakioka provided the land for the fire station, which city officials said was needed to serve an area of explosive growth near the Performing Arts Center and South Coast Plaza.

Unfortunately, there are still some problems at both sites. Police say the mall neighborhood still has more people loitering and drinking in public than they would like. Youn is gambling that merchants have enough confidence in the economy that they will open shops at his mall, and that consumers will find the money to start spending there.

In Costa Mesa, planning for the new fire station began when times were good and the city did not need to scrutinize every nickel and dime. By the time the new facility opened, lean city budgets made it appear that there might not be enough firefighters to staff the building. The city managed to reshuffle personnel to let the building open.

Both projects are welcome. And they were marked by nice touches of diversity: The mall opened with mariachi music and a feast of Korean food; the fire station site was blessed by a Buddhist monk and a Catholic priest.