LETTER TO THE EDITORNo paved paradise

” They paved paradise and put in a parking lot.”

OK, it’s a city hall, not a parking lot; and open space, not paradise. But in Orange County, open space is a feast for the eyes. This park may seem like paradise for the native California flora and fauna that will call it home. When I jog the trails through open space surrounding Turtle Rock in nearby Irvine, killdeer and other birds call out. California quail scurry into the shrubs. Sometimes a roadrunner hops up the path in front of my feet. I’ve stopped to watch a tarantula plod over rocks and disappear down a hole. Rabbits bound; lizards sneak. The air is fragrant with sage. An owl calls out in the dusk, and hawks circle at midday.

This park above the library will be much used as intended and as gifted by the Irvine Co. to Newport Beach for open space. Library patrons can relax here with a book. Children can discover real “critters” after hearing stories about fictional characters. Unpaved paths are easier on the joints for walkers and joggers. We just cannot be too impatient for the native plants to become mature. I recall that it took several seasons for the plantings at Crystal Cove to mature after the stable/horse trails were removed.

Rebuild the City Hall at its original site. It’s the center of historic Newport Beach. Or, if the Irvine Co. has a change of heart about land swaps, consider locating City Hall near the police station. (Didn’t the Orange County Museum of Art want to move closer to the Orange County Performing Arts Center?) An interim relocation is inconvenient and costly, but the loss of open space is priceless!

DIANE BAKER

Corona del Mar