CenterLine appears to be half a solution...

CenterLine appears

to be half a solution

The Orange County Transportation Authority and South Coast Metro

business owners are planning in failure for the CenterLine. The

proposed route for CenterLine will not have stops at South Coast

Plaza or John Wayne Airport. If the transportation authority and the

cities are determined to implement CenterLine over better bus

options, then it should be easy to reach major destinations using

CenterLine. Transportation research shows that a transit stop for a

mall or destination should be within 300 feet of the destination in

order to maximize rider use.

Instead, riders will have to walk significant distances and cross

major streets to reach South Coast Plaza and John Wayne. Has no one

looked to the debacle at Los Angeles International Airport, where the

Green Line stops short of the airport, requiring a change to a bus or

a cab?

Two reasons for this shortsightedness come to mind:

1. County and city officials do not want to accept that South

Orange County is an urbanized county needing convenient

transportation options. Ironically, Chris Norby, a North County

supervisor, is calling for the lines to go directly to their

destinations.

2. The South Coast Plaza merchants do not believe that their

target customers with disposal income will take the CenterLine so it

does not need to extend to South Coast Plaza. On the contrary, many

Orange County residents have traveled widely and used public

transportation and would do so here if it were easy to use. Think how

many visitors would go to South Coast Plaza to John Wayne from a last

shopping trip, with a convenient valet check-in process.

Unfortunately, it appears that our money will again be spent on a

partial solution that serves very few and does little to improve our

transit network.

LAURA CURRAN

Newport Beach

The sculpture is fine,

just not the process

While I applaud the idea of a sculpture celebrating the centennial

of Corona del Mar, I do not agree with the process for choosing same.

A sculpture as important as this needs to be chosen via a jury of

experts. This is done for all solicited and donated art in cities

across America. The procedure for choosing public art follows a

prescribed sequence in which deserving local artists could compete:

1. The need for a proposed sculpture is advertised.

2. Eligible artists respond with a proposal in the form of a

drawing.

3. From what is submitted, the top drawing in both subject matter

and design are chosen.

4. These finalists submit a maquette (a scale model of the

sculpture) along with details of its placement.

5. The jury of experts makes its final decision.

6. The commission is awarded to a single artist.

7. The sculpture is completed and installed.

Artists in and around Corona del Mar need to be given the

opportunity to compete for this significant assignment via a process

that is fairly judged by a panel that is deemed to have a certain

level of expertise. I would like our sculpture to be unique to its

site. Rushing in to have “a Wyland” may not be the best way to

achieve something worthy of our unique town’s character.

Neither Wyland (Laguna Beach and Hawaii) nor a dolphin represent

Corona del Mar. Let’s get beyond a symbolic image that could

represent any seaside town on our coast. Let’s opt for a sculpture

that is representative of what the village of Corona del Mar truly is

-- a highly desirable place to live inhabited with great people who

make it so.

LILA CRESPIN

Corona del Mar

Dornan’s reasons to run don’t make sense

Bob Dornan says that in the moments following the World Trade

Center attack that he knew that he must run for Congress again

(“Terror, security compel Dornan,” Dec. 25.) But his explanation

doesn’t hold up. Sept. 11, 2001, was well before the candidate filing

deadline for the 2002 election.

As a veteran congressman, Dornan was no stranger to the filing

requirements and how to verify the schedule. If he was so galvanized

to run on that day, it is not credible that he did not take action to

file in a more timely fashion. As those watching have come to expect,

Dornan’s talk doesn’t match well with reality.

MARK SHELDON

Huntington Beach