MAILBAG - April 5, 2001

I was puzzled by Pam Walker’s claim in her recent commentary that my

initial request to the city attorney’s office was for legal ways to stop

the building of gymnasiums at middle school sites in the Ocean View

School District (“What doesn’t have merit is columnist’s attack,” March

15).

The only request I have made to the city attorney’s office is to

clarify the role the city may play in the planning process for these

gymnasiums.

I am unsure about the source of the rumor reported as fact by Walker,

and find it unfortunate that she chose to publish this rumor in the press

without first checking with me.

CONNIE BOARDMAN

Huntington Beach

* Connie Boardman is a Huntington Beach City Council member.

Reader says report states sewage not harmful

I don’t know why everyone is so upset about the millions of gallons of

sewage leaked in Huntington Beach (“Surf City hit with sewer leak fine,”

March 29). When it first happened, I understand officials paid for an

environmental report that said the sewage would not harm dogs, birds,

trees or any living animal or plant in Bolsa Chica.

The only things left were people and who from the city is concerned

about that?

MIKE WILLIAMS

Huntington Beach

County’s system to treat sewage ‘repulsive’

Let me try to understand the sewage system in Orange County.

Each year, the Orange County Sanitation District is allowed to spew

87.6 trillion gallons of partially treated sewage into the ocean four

miles off Huntington Beach without criminal penalties because they have a

“waiver.” They do this at the astonishing rate of 240 million gallons

each and every day.

Meanwhile, the city of Huntington Beach is forced to plead guilty to

criminal charges for discovering -- and then fixing -- broken sewer pipes

that (in a worse case scenario) might have leaked six million gallons.

Apparently, the more “stuff” you dump into the environment, the less

likely you are to be held accountable.

The irony of the situation is repulsive in every sense of the word.

JOHN FISHER

Huntington Beach

* Editor’s note: John Fisher is the husband of Huntington Beach City

Councilwoman Debbie Cook.

Writers misunderstood Kanode’s actions

A question for Bill and Pat Matzke who wrote, “only Carol Kanode and

Barbara Boskovich are asking the right questions about priorities; the

rest of the board is brushing those questions aside (‘Residents voices

are loud and clear on gym issue,’ March 22).”

Wait a minute, you must have misunderstood. The gymnasium/auditoriums

were approved by a unanimous vote by the school board Sept. 19, 2000,

including Kanode’s vote of approval.

How can you say now that she is questioning the priorities? And

Barbara Boskovich? The entire community knows that her real issue is all

about Wal-Mart.

To be accurate, Carol Kanode is the only remaining sitting board

member who voted in support of the middle school configuration in 1992

that included the curriculum and facilities component of that

reconfiguration. How can trustee Kanode now not support her own plan?

How can the current board be held responsible for what Kanode voted on

nine years ago? Give me a break. Get real. The children and our community

deserve a whole plan for reconfiguration and the gyms/auditoriums at the

four middle schools will make the reconfiguration complete. It may be

suggested that the Matzke family do their homework.

KATHLEEN CUTT

Huntington Beach