Mailbag - Feb. 6, 2001

Being a former surfer and skateboarder while growing up in Huntington

Beach and now a Newport-Mesa resident for 15 years, I do see the need for

a skate park or two in our communities.

Now a mother of two boys that enjoy the sport of skateboarding, I very

often have to tell them they cannot skate in front of our own home. They

are always asking to be taken to Huntington Beach to skate, which isn’t

always possible.

In our neighborhood, some residents have yelled at the children for

skateboarding and others have actually driven through the neighborhood,

got out of their cars and tried to grab the skateboards from them. I also

have seen a neighbor taking pictures of children playing.

I am not sure if any other neighborhoods have a similar problem, but

there isn’t anything else for them to do in our particular neighborhood.

There are at least 15 children who skateboard in our area, and they

would welcome a skate park tomorrow. And that doesn’t include those

children who in a year or two will be skateboarding as well.

I’m sure I’m not alone in saying that some adults have forgotten what

it is like to be young. Skateboarding has been around for at least 35

years, and it keeps getting more popular every year.

These are not just “the kids down the street.” These are your

neighbors who you’ve lived next to for years and watched their children

grow to be productive members of our communities, or they may even be

your grandchildren who live in a different part of our city.

Whatever the circumstances are for each of us, we should set a

positive example for our children. The Charle and Hamilton streets

location in Costa Mesa may or may not be the right place; I don’t know

for sure.

What I do know is that a skate park is needed. Let’s give our children

a safe place to skate within our own communities and where they no longer

will be harassed.

Thank you for allowing an older skateboarder to be heard.

D. DiFRANCESCO

Newport Beach

Annexation is all about city’s name

The residents of Santa Ana Heights want to be part of Newport Beach

rather than Costa Mesa because a Newport Beach address is more

prestigious than a Costa Mesa address.

The people who live on the southern border of Costa Mesa, around 15th

and 16th streets, refer to themselves as Newport Beach residents rather

than Costa Mesa residents.

Just like the old Planet Hollywood had Costa Mesa on everything

instead of Santa Ana, where they were really located. A Newport Beach

address brings the price of a home up.

The residents can say what they want to about Newport Beach fighting

the airport, but I believe it’s really all about what city name goes on

the envelope.

SUSAN SPIEGELMAN

Fountain Valley

Let senior center get back to work

I have been following the story of Mabel Knowles (“Senior center bans

Christian poet from newsletter,” Jan. 6).

After reading the latest article, and with the knowledge of the rules

set by the board of directors and of our constitution, it is clear to me

that Aviva Goelman is being unfairly attacked in her role as director of

the Costa Mesa Senior Center.

I have contacted her regarding this matter and think she has gone

beyond her duties to find Mable Knowles access to a publication that

would love to publish her poems.

This organization is called the National Society of Christian and

Jews, which is the proper publication for Knowles’ poetry.

It is time to let Goelman and her staff go on with the work of

fund-raising, grant-writing and implementing programs to keep the 400

seniors that attend the center daily stimulated and happy.

A policy has been made, and it’s time to move on.

NEDDY VIGMAN

Corona del Mar