REBUTTAL
In response to Angelique Flores’ gym committee article (“Gym
committees listen to residents’ concerns,” Jan. 18) and Karen Martin’s
letter (“Meeting did not let all voices be heard,” Jan. 18), I think the Spring View community has been inaccurately and wrongly portrayed.
The article and the letter only present one side of the events that
happened that evening. Like the other three middle school Community
Advisory Committee meetings, there were a large number of participants
who assembled in the room in an orderly and peaceful manner.
The only thing that set the Spring View evening apart from the others
was the rain many neighbors had to walk through to attend the meeting.
The statement that the “residents stormed their area meeting” is
misleading. While the representatives’ agenda was to facilitate a
discussion with the assumption that some type of gymnasium will be built,
the community was not willing to accept that as a given.
The community’s concerns with the Ocean View School District go beyond
the gymnasium-auditorium projects. Many of the neighbors are concerned
about the appropriateness of constructing these gymnasiums when there
appears to be so much work that needs to be done to modernize the school.
This subject was discussed at length between the community and Spring
View Principal Cameron Mallote and Supt. James Tarwater. There were other
concerns, such as the district’s past history in securing state grant
money, such as that offered by Proposition 1A. It was requested by
Tarwater and the advisory committee that this subject not be addressed in
the meeting so as not to distract from the subject of the
gymnasium-auditorium.
Our Community Advisory Committee representatives were put in the
difficult position of facilitating a meeting on an emotional subject.
There were exchanges from the facilitators and the audience that
undoubtedly stepped on people’s toes.
But to call the group a “mob” is a gross exaggeration.
To say nothing was accomplished at the meetings is not true and is
saddening. The majority of the community members feel they were able to
voice their concerns directly to the superintendent and principal.
I would also like to add the purpose of these meetings are not only to
identify and record the concerns of the community, but also to define the
magnitude and depth of these concerns within the community.
Apparently, Karen Martin did not share these views and decided instead
to provide misleading and recriminating comments in her interview and
letter to the editor. The community felt these comments were insulting,
and they have been betrayed, which will in no doubt reduce her
effectiveness in her role as a committee member.
STEFAN RUBENDALL
Huntington Beach
* STEFAN RUBENDALL heads a Spring View neighborhood homeowners group.
I am a resident of the Spring View neighborhood. I attended the
meeting and observed everything that took place that night. I believe
that your reporter inaccurately described some of the night’s events.
This facilitator did absolutely nothing to control the flow of the
meeting. He remained silent for most of the meeting. When he did speak
up, he immediately elicited a negative response from substantially all of
the residents. I found myself wondering who is this person, all of a
sudden attempting to take control of the floor, like a bull in a china
shop. He walked briskly around the room evidently attempting to muster
every available technique for crowd control that he learned in his Dale
Carnegie classes.
If he had been any good at what he was paid to do, the residents would
not have been portrayed as “rude, impolite and disrespectful” because we
would have all participated in a much more controlled, productive
meeting.
Mr. Facilitator, insulting a person is never a good form of meeting
leadership. Because the meeting lacked facilitator control at the outset,
members of the Spring View Middle School Community Advisory Committee
attempted to assist.
Unfortunately, objectivity and Roberts Rules of Order took a back seat
to emotion and personal defense.
Karen Martin, in her letter, states that the Community Advisory
Committee “will attempt to make recommendation to the school board
lacking any specific concerns the neighborhood may have had.” Please
refresh your memory. There was 6-foot-by-12-foot wall chart being created
by a scribe. Each time a suggestion was made, that person was
expeditiously memorializing the details of the discussion. In fact, Supt.
James Tarwater at times acknowledged and verified with the scribe the
information was being documented.
If there is a next time for another meeting, I suggest that a
professional facilitator be appointed that has training to facilitate a
meeting with a high degree of sensitivity.
LESLIE WANNALL
Huntington Beach
Karen Martin’s role is to be a o7 Communityf7 Advisory Committee
member, listening to the o7 community’s f7 concerns and desires and
assisting ouro7 communityf7 in making our recommendations heard to
the school board.
I hope you can see why we were so deeply hurt and angered over her
recent comments that she voiced independently about the very community
that she was there to serve.
Our own neighborhood completed their own survey. We walked door to
door polling our neighbors about the gymnasium. We wanted to include as
many people as possible in our survey results.
Of the approximately 250 households that were contacted, 91% did not
want a high-rise, college-size gymnasium-auditorium for rental as
proposed by the school district.
The article did not speak correctly when it stated that our
residential area “stormed” the school, or as Karen said, “It was like a
mob.”
I wondered if I was in the same meeting. Karen said there was little
progress -- as our community representative, how dare she make that
comment!
We were able to tell Supt. James Tarwater the following:
* We voiced our concerns about the increase in traffic the gymnasium
rental would bring, as well as a safety risk for the neighbors and the
children.
* Many in our community feel that these funds for a huge gymnasium
would be better served for the children by placing the money into
renovation projects that would be specific to the school, teachers and
students.
* Many neighbors voiced a possible compromise with projects, such as a
cafetorium -- a one- or two-story addition for auditorium and cafeteria
use.
* Some neighbors suggested a small gymnasium and locker rooms for our
own Spring View school students.
By building such a proposed size, this could allow for the potential
rental abuse in future school board or superintendent’s plans.
To our neighbors and community that fought the wind and rainstorm to
come to speak up, I thank you. Please continue to voice your concerns to
the Ocean View school board by your presence and comments.
To Karen Martin, I wonder if her own agenda might be better served by
stepping down as an advisory person for our community, as our best
interests are not being served.
SHERRILL DICK
Huntington Beach
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