Owner appreciates useful criticism Thank you for...

Owner appreciates useful criticism

Thank you for your comments and endorsement in “Why don’t they dig

parking plan.”

I obviously share your enthusiasm and thank Councilperson Iseman,

Mayor Pearson-Schneider, other council members, the chamber of

commerce and merchants who all provided urging to search for an

economically feasible way to provide increased parking for the

historical Pottery Shack site renovation and for nearby merchants.

A critical point: The only way the additional parking will occur

is if construction of the parking structure gets underway quickly.

The City Council concept approval recognizes this need and includes a

provision directing the City Manager to expedite the process.

Clearly, the required approvals and reviews need to be secured.

However, Mr. Frank and city staff will have a difficult time

following this directive if the same small group of vocal residents

throw roadblocks up every step of the way as they did during the

renovation hearings.

If this happens, parking construction would begin just when

renovation of the Coast Highway site is completed. The result would

be extending construction by another six months. Beyond the burden to

nearby businesses and residents, the financial impact of the longer

construction cycle would simply cause the doubling of parking to not

be feasible.

I therefore encourage the few people that repeatedly have tried to

block this renovation to provide me with their constructive input so

together we can accomplish something extremely positive. Now is the

time to show statesman-like leadership and work together toward

positive solutions.

JOE HANAUER

Laguna Beach

Pottery Shack remarks hit the mark

Congratulations on your June 17 editorial, “Why don’t they dig

parking plan.” You highlight the mindset of the developer who is

flexible and generous enough to meet the parking and historical needs

of the community and the continuing dislike for any development in

the neighborhood by local neighborhood groups.

I find it strange for the neighborhood to complain about the lack

of necessary parking (underground) and then when it’s provided it’s

looked on as a horrible thing. It sounds like the same attacks on Ms.

Toni Iseman, who has always been extremely thoughtful with her

Coastal Commission votes, but is now being maligned by those who are

“never happy,” even after years of protection by Toni of our

environment.

It is also much appreciated that you applauded our City Council,

which is working in a very positive way for the good of this city and

keeping the community heritage alive.

Keep up the great work!

SAM GOLDSTEIN

Laguna Beach

Tsunami warning

not taken seriously

The Laguna Beach Police did not seem to feel that the tsunami

warning to Orange County that was flashed repeatedly (and in red) on

the TV presented any danger to our city. Our local experts must have

known something that the Cal Tech, and N.O.A.A. experts did not

reflect in their warnings.

My family took the threat as being serious and awaited some word

from the local authorities. Coming after the terrible Indonesia

tsunami, I’d say our local safety officials were a bit too laid-back.

We citizens deserved to know if this threat was nothing for us to be

concerned about. I wonder just what our local tsunami alert plan is,

or is there one?

DON KNAPP

Laguna Beach

Research should include activists

It has come to the attention of several prominent and

well-respected environmental/ conservation organizations in Orange

County that the Montage/Athens Group has contracted Joan Gladstone,

an Orange County public relations consultant, to conduct “market

research studies” as they continue their plans for expansion and

development in the South Laguna area.

As a long-standing supporter of Friends of Harbors, Beaches and

Parks and this group’s representative for VOW (Voices of Wilderness),

I would like to publicly ask the Montage/ Athens Group why so many

environmental/conservation organizations have been omitted from your

“market research studies” and interviews.

To date, Friends of Harbors, Beaches and Parks, Sierra Club, the

Audubon Society, SHARE, South Laguna Civic Association, California

Native Plant Society and many other well-respected organizations have

not been contacted.

Is the Montage/Athens Group only interviewing those organizations

and individuals that give them the answers they want to their

questions?

Hasn’t it been made brutally apparent that the major

environmental/conservation organizations oppose development of not

only our wilderness park, but also our treasured open space?

What does the Montage/Athens Group have to gain by not securing

the input of some of the major environmental/conservation

organizations in Orange County?

For the sake of our dwindling natural resources, we ask that the

Montage/Athens Group bring these meetings and interviews to the

forefront. Don’t pick and choose the individuals and/or organizations

that are going to give you only what you want to hear. Be a good

neighbor as you promised you would be and reach out to those that

have important information to share with you.

PATSEE OBER

Laguna Beach

Friends of Harbors, Beaches and Parks

Resident weighs in on cove, safety, slide

First, in answer to last week’s question, if the trailers at

Crystal Cove are empty, why not let our neighbors who are victims of

the slide use them until such time as the park authorities are ready

to actually demolish them?

Sure, it’s not city property but all the government agencies and

employees are supported by us taxpayers and they should work together

our behalf. And yes, the city should be responsible for the

demolition of the mess made by the slide in Bluebird Canyon.

It would be far more practical and economical for the city to do

it while they are restoring roads and utilities than for a bunch of

different contractors to be struggling with the area and with the

countless rules, regulations and inspections of the city bureaucracy.

The recent publicity on earthquakes and tsunamis highlights again

the natural dangers inherent to much of California and the entire

Pacific Ocean region.

An earthquake-generated tsunami halfway around the world could be

as dangerous to us as one just 100 miles away. Tsunamis can travel at

400 mph across vast distances depending on the nature of the

generating earthquake.

For this reason we now have tsunami-detecting buoys over much of

the Pacific to give coastal regions as much advance warning as

possible.

However, for the police to decide to give out evacuation orders

for downtown and the beaches every time an earthquake occurs

somewhere is not practical and could create economic chaos.

At least one of our senior police officers has been trained in

tsunami technology, so I for one will trust that our police are

reasonably able to decide when and if a tsunami warning or evacuation

alert is required.

Personally, if I were downtown or at the beach and felt a big

earthquake or heard about one, I would think it might be wise to move

myself and car to higher ground.

DAVE CONNELL

Laguna Beach

Thank you, Irvine, for landslide help

On behalf of the Laguna Beach City Council, city staff and

residents of Laguna Beach, I’d like to take special time out to thank

Irvine Mayor Beth Krom and Great Park board member “Walkie” Ray for

the major immediate assistance provided to our landslide victims just

a few days after the event.

One of the biggest concerns our devastated families had after the

landslide was how to retrieve and store their belongings from their

homes as fast as they could. Beth Krom and Mr. Ray immediately

contacted us and offered 30 free storage units for a year to the

victims, putting to immediate rest “where” they could turn for this

much-needed help.

Thanks so much for being sensitive to the needs of the families

whose lives have been so negatively impacted as a result of this

disaster.

ELIZABETH PEARSON-SCHNEIDER

Mayor, city of Laguna Beach

Diamond deserves journalism credit

In Barbara’s outstanding write-up honoring Mary Fegraus and the

tremendous work she has done in our community and for the Laguna

Beach High School Scholarship Foundation, Barbara mentioned many of

the generous scholarships the Laguna community gives to graduating

seniors.

But she forgot to mention “The Barbara Diamond Excellence in

Journalism Award” award. She created the award to honor students who

have written for the Brush & Palette, the student newspaper. Barbara

Diamond deserves a big thanks.

CATHY KRINSKY

Laguna Beach