Mailbag: School district should adhere to View Ordinance
The Laguna Beach Unified School District has done it again. They created changes within the village on high school property, which affect our views without input from neighbors prior to planting the bank surrounding the baseball field with 80 trees. Half of the trees will grow to be 60 feet-plus.
The ocean view is important to all of us but many residents will be affected by the blockage of views with the use of coastal oak and eucalyptus trees. In addition, the eucalyptus is also a major fire hazard and of concern to many of us.
The baseballs continue to pummel our neighborhoods on St. Ann’s Drive, Browncroft Road, Fen Way and Wilson Street, with more than 800 baseballs collected since the field was reoriented.
It is just a matter of time before someone gets hit by a baseball flying over the fence at an alarming rate of speed. We can only imagine what the consequences will be.
There is a scheduled workshop with school board members and the public at 5:30 p.m. March 5 at the school district offices, 550 Blumont St. We urge anyone who is concerned about our public safety from baseballs and blockage of our treasured views to attend this meeting of upmost of importance to us all.
Stephen and Jamie Crawford
Laguna Beach
*
Laguna could be even more dog-friendly
We rescued our cairn westie mix Porter about a year and a half ago, and get a big kick out of taking the little guy with us to Laguna’s nice dog park in the canyon.
In town, he loves the many terrific dog-friendly restaurants and hotels, including Brussels Bistro, Ocean Brewery and Casa del Camino, with its cozy and welcoming lobby bar and fireplace. We also enjoy going to the beach on winter weekends, thanks to our unseasonably warm weather.
Visit Laguna Beach, the operators of our official Visitors Center, has a section on its website showing dog-friendly hotels. The site tells readers right away: “Laguna Beach loves its dogs.”
Unfortunately, come June 15, Laguna will love its dogs a little less. Our daytime beach fun with Porter will end, as the city closes the beach to dogs from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. until Sept. 10. Our world-famous arts festivals are closed to dogs unless you get a service exemption. The summer music series at Bluebird Park id off limits to dogs as well.
It’s too soon to tell how the new canyon traffic light will affect summer traffic to and from the dog park, but it’s not looking promising.
Former City Council candidate Michelle Hall promoted the idea of a dog beach without leash requirements, but I’d be perfectly happy to have a section where we can bring Porter on his leash, just like we do now. How many more visitors might we attract who are instead going to Huntington Beach’s dog beach?
Why not try a pilot program to keep a section of our beach dog-friendly in summer? It would need to be large enough to minimize dog density, but it might work from Oak Street south to the beach rocks, which provide a natural barrier. The north entrance could be roped off with signage keeping people from leaving the area with their dogs.
The recently reported parking and hotel bed tax surplus could cover the signage costs. With a controlled pilot program, we could restrict dog access on Memorial Day, July Fourth and Labor Day, until we get an idea of what kind of turnout to expect.
What do you say Laguna Beach?
Tim Templeton
Laguna Beach