Readers Respond -- Would Great Park make decent airport

alternative?

Most of the advocates of a park at the El Toro site know that a park

will never be built there. That is why they do not discuss the cost of

such a park. The cost would be prohibitive. The only reason people are

proposing a park is because they are against the building of an airport

on that site.

BEA HEESCHEN

Newport Beach

With all the expensive and wasteful back-biting taking place among the

pro- and anti-airport forces, and the utter contempt for reality among

the “pro-park for El Toro” pipe-dreamers, may I offer a third

alternative: engage private entities to construct a 50,000-Megawatt

nuclear-powered, electric-generating facility on the property. It would

take care of California’s energy needs for many years into the future. We

would all be beneficiaries.

All in favor, say, “I.”

BILL HODGES

Costa Mesa

I think the park is a great idea. I do live in Newport Beach, and I

know that the political system here probably won’t make a lot of money if

that goes in. And the aristocracy of this area is looking at profit. But

this would be something for the people and for all of us in Orange

County, instead of somebody sitting there saying, “Well, I’ll make more

money if we have an airport.”

DONALD RAY

Newport Beach

A “Great Park?” Great idea. We can build one at John Wayne Airport.

South County people say El Toro isn’t needed. They say we should use

Ontario, Long Beach, LAX and any other convenient airport we can find. So

we say John Wayne isn’t needed either.

We can rip out the runways, taxiways and hangers like they want to do

at El Toro. Then we will plant grass and trees and build a pretty lake

north of the San Diego Freeway where the shuttle parking is. Won’t that

be nice? The new terminal building? What a great shopping mall it will

be, with all that parking in those parking structures. We will call it

the Great Park Mall.

If South County can block an airport at EL Toro for environmental

reasons, with that huge buffer zone surrounding it, John Wayne should be

shut down. And they want to enlarge John Wayne and/or increase the number

of flights?

If safety at El Toro is the concern, ask the pilots that fly out of

John Wayne about the perilous steep climb-out and throttle-back departure

that is required for noise abatement. Our friends down south seem to like

lawsuits, perhaps we need to have a lawyer determine if this is unfair

and discriminatory.

JOHN A. GARDINER

Costa Mesa

I do not want a park at El Toro; I want an airport at El Toro.

MARGUERITE KARNICK

Corona del Mar

I certainly do not believe that this Orange County central park solve

any problems.

DR. JAMES T. JOHNSON, JR.

Newport Beach

I’m absolutely opposed to having a park in Orange County. They already

have the Mile Square Park and it’s only used by ethnic people. Every area

that has a housing development, like Turtle Rock in Irvine and those

areas, has a very nice park, and if you go to it on a daily basis, people

do not use it. So, it’s the weight of many. We need the airport. We must

have an airport in Orange County, an international airport.

TERRY TEPPER

Costa Mesa

We do not need a park; we need an airport at El Toro. We must have

this. I’ve been working on this for years and years and years. And yet,

this is our time to have a wonderful airport in El Toro. And yes, we

could have a park, but we certainly don’t need a county central park. My

vote is to definitely have the El Toro airport and perhaps a park too, to

serve everyone.

NORA JORGENSEN

Newport Beach

Turning El Toro into an international airport and Orange County into a

buzzing metropolis is a total turn-off. To turn this still beautiful area

into Los Angeles makes no sense to me. If the movers and shakers want

L.A.’s atmosphere, they should move there.

Imagine having 4,700 blessed acres fortuitously reserved by God in the

guise of a military base of all things, and then to have them vacate it

after nearly 3,000,000 people had settled in around it. How many other

major urban areas have received such a gift, to have daily contact with

nature as a part of your life? Some minds can only think in terms of

dollars I’m afraid.

ART STANLOW

Costa Mesa