Though GKN Aerospace officials had said the company was planning for its Garden Grove facility to resume “full manufacturing operations” on Monday, Sept. 28, Garden Grove City leaders instead held an early-morning meeting saying that cannot yet happen and asked the company to follow through on promises made.
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GKN Aerospace announced in early September its plans to restart operations, with the notice coming nearly five months after one of the company’s pressurized chemical tanks at its Garden Grove plant storing methyl methacrylate, or MMA, failed and triggered some 50,000 evacuations for residents spanning six cities as first responders worked to prevent a chemical release.
“Since the incident, GKN has not been permitted to resume the MMA production process involved in the May incident. And I want our community to know GKN cannot resume this process by simply announcing a reopening date,” Garden Grove Mayor Stephanie Klopfenstein said during a morning livestream, where she was surrounded by city councilmembers and staffers.
“There are still significant safety, regulatory and compliance issues that must be addressed,” she said.
GKN Aerospace, headquartered in the United Kingdom, manufactures components for civil and military aircraft. Its plant in West Garden Grove employs more than 500 people and specializes in producing cockpit windshields, jet canopies and aviation windows.
“GKN is targeting a phased resumption of operations over the days and weeks ahead, subject to all necessary permits, and working with relevant officials and experts to do so. The gradual return to full production beyond this will be done with safety as top priority and in accordance with a court-approved safety plan,” a spokesperson for GKN Aerospace said Monday, Sept. 28.
Before GKN Aerospace can resume operations, it must get approval from Orange County Superior Court for a “comprehensive safety plan” that could include ongoing independent monitoring of that Garden Grove site.
During the morning livestream, Garden Grove officials also asked for a launch date for a promised up-to-$100 million claims program that was announced in August following an investigation into the company by the Orange County District Attorney’s Office. The claims program is expected to help businesses and residents recoup costs associated with the May evacuations, including for hotel stays, loss of wages, meals and transportation.
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The DA’s Office has ended its investigation and did not file any charges, officials previously said.
“We are working diligently toward a full resolution of the Orange County District Attorney’s Office civil investigation regarding the May incident,” the company said in a Sept. 25 statement posted to its website.
“Once we reach that resolution, of which the claims program and enhanced safety plan will be significant components, we will promptly submit it to the Superior Court jointly with the District Attorney’s Office. We will open the claims program for submissions as soon as possible after receiving the court’s approval,” it said.
City leaders also asked GKN Aerospace to follow through on a town hall, promised shortly after the chemical scare, to hear ongoing community questions and concerns.
The company intends to hold a community event “shortly after the court’s approval, in connection with the opening of the claims program, where attendees will have an opportunity to learn more about the program and ask questions.”
“We continue to expect the event to take place in October,” the company statement said.
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