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