Advertisement

Mailbag:

Share via

Your article on the Newport Beach City Hall in the Park Measure B appeals court ruling (“Measure on city hall will stand, court rules,” June 25), which upheld the election, was very informative.

However, some clarification is needed regarding the project description. The project as it is evolving is much more than a city hall in a park. Included in the current planning is a needed expansion of the Central Library, which will also create a strong connection to the city hall.

Additional long-time needed parking of 100 cars for the library is being added. A limited café is included. A badly needed emergency operations center is being added in the city hall along with a community room. The park extension on the several acres north of San Miguel (land recently given to the city by the Irvine Co.) is now included in the proposed design along with a pedestrian bridge connection over San Miguel Drive. The park with the city hall will probably be the largest passive public park in Newport Beach.

Advertisement

Also, we all need to be reminded that Measure B only dealt with the location of a new city hall, should one be built, and the voters (53% to 47%) determined that the site next to the Central Library would be the location. With building costs having come down, the City Council has made a wise decision to move ahead with the project design at this time. They have assembled a fine team consisting of council members, professional consultants, staff and citizen representatives pursuing a very exciting project.

RON HENDRICKSON

Newport Beach 

Principal has odd behavior with sports

I can’t begin to know the politics and agenda behind the Eric Tweit’s strange firing, but I do know Tweit (“Sailors’ Tweit, Chalmers ousted,” June 16).

Coach Tweit has been a well-respected and invaluable member of the Newport Harbor High School staff through many and varied changes in administrations. My children liked and admired him, and I found him to be a teacher/coach/athletic director who cared about the teams and the individual students on those teams.

Obviously he is liked and admired by his coaches, some of whom so disagree with the decision to fire him that they have said they would not go on coaching. In addition, Coach Fletcher Olson has quit, leaving Newport Harbor without an athletic director (“Olson steps down,” June 18).

Clearly, this principal’s problems go beyond this odd behavior regarding the P.E. department, in that the majority of teachers have given him a resounding “no confidence” vote. This vote is fairly unprecedented in this district, and should be considered seriously by the district administrators. Newport Harbor appears to be in a world of hurt, and I can’t even imagine how Tweit feels, even with the support of his peers. Our family hopes that this is resolved soon and Tweit is returned to the job he has held for 20 years, and that the obvious problems within the school can be solved.

SANDY ASPER

Newport Beach


Advertisement