I’ll take the new lagoon any day

EDITOR’S NOTEBOOK

From oily lagoons to lagoon-style pools -- I’ve taken some

interesting tours in this city with reporter Paul Clinton.

When Clinton, who also works for our sister paper in Newport Beach

and Costa Mesa, was here covering Surf City about a year ago, he dug

into the Ascon toxic dump story.

The story drew him in like the quagmire it is.

During his investigation, he got us a peak behind the looming

fence that surrounds the wasteland. It was fascinating ... and a sad,

disgusting mess. That such a blatant hazard can exist shows how much

public thinking has changed over the years.

For just last week, as Clinton reports, an agreement was finally

signed by some of the major offenders to clean up the toxic lagoons.

Only one contributor, Exxon Mobil, refused to sign and pitch-in for

the cleanup.

I don’t know the company’s reasoning, but I can’t help hoping they

get tripped up in their own goo. The time has come to take

responsibility for years of negligence.

Last week, Clinton and I visited another type of lagoon

altogether.

We took a tour of the newly-built Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach

Resort and Spa, which opens for business on Sunday. Another momentous

occasion for Surf City.

Although it has had its opposition, it is here and it has its

perks.

For one, those Newport neighbors are going to be green with envy

and lose plenty of business and tax dollars to it.

As it began to rise out of the dirt it looked big. But then it

stopped growing in height.

Then it just looked like a long cream-colored facade. But as the

finishing touches are made it is really quite stunning -- a sight to

behold.

And for those like me whose only regret is that I’ll never be able

to afford to stay or play there, it seems there will be a “Surf

City-style” bar in there for us.

So as the new year gets underway and life returns to business as

usual after the holidays, it seems Surf City is headed in the right

direction.

Trust me -- I’ve seen both lagoons and the new one is far better

than the old.

* DANETTE GOULET is the city editor. Reach her at (714) 965-7170

or danette.goulet@latimes.com.