MAILBAG - June 28, 2001
I am writing you in hopes of gaining some attention to our
neighborhood. Realtors have informed our neighborhood the city is
responsible for repaving the alleyways and our streets.
In turn, we have written the city numerous times in hopes of gaining
their attention. Several years back, the streets of our neighborhood were
repaved. However, we all waited for the city to return and repave the
alleys. The city never came back and our alleys have not been repaved
since our development was built in 1973.
In addition, since our alleys are our driveways, our children run,
play, develop and grow up on them. Furthermore, they are in such poor
condition it has become dangerous and disastrous.
Because of holes, general wear and tear and huge gaps, adults and
children have fallen. It is an alarming concern for us all, since more
and more families are experiencing injury and safety concerns.
As a neighborhood, we do our best to keep it clean of debris, glass,
trash and anything else that may cause harm.
Our property taxes have risen and risen, and newer home developments’
alleys are well-groomed. Our sidewalks are constantly being ripped up and
worked on, but why hasn’t anything been done to improve our alleys? And
now they are beautifying Beach Boulevard center islands with large trees
-- where does it end and our needs begin?
Also, are we asking too much to have the street sweeper come down
through the alley on their way to clean the street? We all see they come
down the street to turn around and clean, but how about if they come down
the alley first to clean on their way there or on their way back.
(Depending on what side of the day it is) We care about our homes and
community and hope that you do, too.
This holiday weekend, I will be circulating a petition in the
neighborhood to address the above issue. I will be forwarding it once
again to the city. But is it going to be enough?
NOELLE HIPKE
La Cuesta Homes of Huntington Beach
Playhouse situation unfair and unreasonable
Regarding the Huntington Beach Playhouse, I am very concerned about
what I see.
If we as a city assess the playhouse with a square-foot rate
calculated on the entire overhead of the library services department or
base it on the full cost for loss of imagined income if the theater could
be rented full-time to “profit” groups, we would have to calculate the
art center on its square footage of the entire overhead of the Community
Services Department.
Also, we would have to assess our beaches on the square footage and
overhead of its department, and all groups and services would have to be
assessed likewise.
If this theory is accepted, our community centers would never bring in
enough revenue to cover their expenses, the library itself would not
exist, nor would any other community service our city chooses to offer,
and we would not pay taxes. (Could this be true?)
These kinds of situations should be assessed based on the “relevant
cost” -- the cost to the city that would go away if the service or event
went away. We cannot charge community services and nonprofit groups with
irrelevant costs.
To do so would eliminate all community services and groups.
The playhouse has been a successful and solvent group for more than 35
years in our community. This group of volunteers wants nothing more than
to continue to bring our community quality entertainment and education at
a reasonable price. We cannot turn them into fund-raisers for the city.
This is not fair, and it is not reasonable.
DAWN STANTON
Huntington Beach
Bond failure hurts the future
As longtime residents who put our now-grown sons happily through the
Huntington Beach schools, we are ashamed of the apparent greed and
selfishness of the citizens of this community for twice now rejecting the
reasonable and realistic Huntington Beach City School District’s
propositions for rehabilitating and upgrading the physical plants of
these aging facilities.
In Duane Dishno, we have been fortunate to have had one of the truly
outstanding educational administrators in the state --skills and results
we closely observed. And while his early (and frankly unfortunate)
retirement apparently has nothing to do with these defeated propositions,
if we continue to ignore his educational achievements despite these
facilities, the negative, long-term implications will become clear for
our children, particularly as the population mix continues to change.
While we generally support few bond issues -- for heaven’s sake and
Dishno’s legacy -- when this proposition comes to a vote again as it
surely must, don’t fail our children. They are our future.
DEE AND RICK TAYLOR
Huntington Beach
All the latest on Orange County from Orange County.
Get our free TimesOC newsletter.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Daily Pilot.