CORRESPONDENCE

I would like to respond to the letter from [Carolee] Focht regarding

the planned gymnasiums-auditoriums for the middle schools in the Ocean

View School District (“New gymnasiums to be ‘Junior Staples Centers”’

Sept. 28).

The board did not turn “deaf ears” as she states.

As a result of community input, we voted to form a Community Advisory

Committee to provide a forum where concerns can be addressed. The final

count of speakers was seven against and 20 for the gyms.

Each site will benefit from additional parking, which will reduce the

amount of on-street parking during and after school hours. The only

“night lighting” involved is minimal lighting for the parking lots and,

since this is an indoor facility, any “public address systems” will be

inside the building. The design of the buildings is very attractive, and

the color scheme is designed to harmonize with the existing school

buildings.

The youth sports that will use these facilities after school hours

have fewer players on each team than outdoor sports tend to. This is not

quite the 1,750 people every night that she quotes, nor are these

“stadiums.” They are true multipurpose facilities. The times that they

will be most crowded are during school-sponsored evening events such as

open house, awards assemblies and school band concerts, all of which

already take place during the school year.

When these buildings are completed, however, there will only have to

be one band performance or one awards assembly because we will finally

have a room where all the parents can come together to celebrate their

children, instead of having to do it in shifts because of lack of space.

They will serve the community in the evenings and on weekends.

Joint-use agreements are used every day by the city, sports leagues and

school districts as a way of pooling resources for the benefit of the

residents.

PAM WALKER

President

Ocean View School District Board of Trustees

Honor ceremony controlled by mayor

I agree with almost everything said by Leslie Wood, a Huntington Beach

police officer’s spouse in her letter (“Surf City police deserve

recognition,” Oct. 5).

The officers honored by Mothers Against Drunk Driving at a recent City

Council meeting deserve the highest praise for the work in arresting

drunk drivers.

Wood points out that in the ceremony just prior to the MADD ceremony,

all the City Council got out of their chairs, joined in the awards and

shook hands with players and coaches of the Ocean View Little League

championships. She notes that she was disgusted that the council members

didn’t do the same for the police officer honorees.

What Wood does not realize is that the awards ceremonies at City

Council meetings are controlled by the mayor. The mayor directs the

council as to what they should do. The mayor asked the council to join in

the Ocean View ceremony; he did not invite us to join in the police

ceremony.

I’m afraid Wood’s complaint is not with the council, but with Mayor

[Dave] Garofalo.

Wood’s letter is followed by an editor’s note stating that our police

officers currently rank low in the county in salary pay. It does not say

that the City Council has offered the police a contract with a 10.57%

salary increase and an expensive new benefit that allows an officer to

retire at age 50 and receive of his or her salary for life.

Accepting this contract offer would place the Huntington Beach Police

fourth in salary and second in the county in benefits among cities that

have their own police departments.

DAVE SULLIVAN

Councilman

Huntington Beach