A ‘way-to-go’ for the fields committee Congratulations...

A ‘way-to-go’ for

the fields committee

Congratulations to the Costa Mesa City Council on its recent

decision to form a committee to look at ways to better maintain our

athletic fields (“Field-focused group to sport answers,” Sept. 29).

The Newport-Mesa Unified School District should be applauded for

their active participation in this effort, as well.

This has been an issue for some time, and the courage of our local

leaders to step up and do the right thing is commendable. It is also

important to note that the focus will not be on the joint-use

agreement, but rather on the improvement of field maintenance. The

joint-use agreement is a necessary evil at this point, due to the

lack of adequate fields for all of our youth sports. That is an

intertwined, but separate issue that can be dealt with later. The

immediate need is to improve our playing fields, primarily for safety

reasons, but also to beautify the fields and attract more kids to our

athletic programs.

Those of us involved in the Costa Mesa American Little League are

dedicated to these principles. We are committed to bringing more

recreational opportunities to our local youth. I will certainly make

the effort to offer my input to the committee, and I encourage other

residents of Costa Mesa to do the same.

BILL PARDUE

Costa Mesa

Pilot editorial goes

down the wrong street

As a 42-year resident of College Park, I take issue to the Pilot’s

Oct. 3 editorial, “Habitat project is right fit for area,” on the

proposed Habitat for Humanity project in the east side of the Harbor

Center.

Your editorial is irritating, yet amusing. The first three

paragraphs proclaim how both sides of any issue should be looked at

fairly and with understanding of both sides. I wonder if all this

tolerance and understanding is supposed to apply to newspaper

editorial boards, because the editorial then comes down 100% in favor

of the proposed project.

Let’s look at a few facts.

The apartments south of the proposed project do not directly

access the College Park neighborhood (as stated in the editorial),

but access Wilson. ICI Development considered putting homes in that

area, but decided against it. Could this be because nobody would want

to buy a half-million-dollar home in this small cramped area, next to

the noisy Home Depot loading dock?

The city staff recommended against putting the proposed Habitat

for Humanity project in this area, saying it was unsuitable for

homes.

The Planning Commission rejected the proposed Habitat for Humanity

project, but did approve rezoning the area to low-density multiple

dwellings. The final decision will be with the City Council.

The residents of College Park have nothing against Habitat for

Humanity, but do not think the homes should be up against the noisy

Home Depot loading dock. Our main concern is parking. We fear that

the parking will spill out onto Wake Forest Road and College Drive.

If this project has access from the west end of Wake Forest, then it

will become part of College Park and should follow the same

standards.

The function of journalists should be to report the facts

accurately and not to promote an agenda of “feel good” propaganda to

“make the world a better place”.

JESSE N. BEQUETTE

Costa Mesa