READERS RESPOND -- Opinions differ on Crystal Cove project

I, too, am interested in preserving Crystal Cove State Park. The

dictionary’s definition of preserve: to keep in perfect or unaltered

condition; maintain unchanged; to keep or maintain intact.

Apparently, “preserved” takes on a whole new meaning with the author of

the Oct. 5 article, “Let’s work together to preserve Crystal Cove.”

The author, state Parks Director Rusty Areias, suggests that we alter and

change Crystal Cove to provide more public beach access, to improve

trails and walkways, for educational purposes and to save the taxpayers’

money. Is the coast really in need of more public beach access?

And as an aside, isn’t this beach already open to the public with

walkways that were recently upgraded? Education is wonderful, but do we

want Crystal Cove to end up like Little Corona, where the tide pools are

diminishing because of the educational opportunities that exist there? If

Crystal Cove is left unaltered, will the taxpayers be harmed? Can we not

leave one piece of open space as it is? The homes that are already built

into the cliffs at Crystal Cove are a piece of history that should be

maintained as they are.

If a need exists for a beachfront hotel, we have a perfect opportunity

brewing at the Newport Dunes Resort. No history will be destroyed. The

proposed site is an empty lot located in the Back Bay on the Dunes

property. No taxpayer money will be spent to improve this site, and, in

fact, over the years it will bring in millions of tourism dollars for

Newport Beach and the surrounding cities.

Personally I have always enjoyed the wonders of the Back Bay. Maybe it’s

time we share it with others. How many people have a chance to stay at a

first-class hotel on the bay? Imagine the history we can make there with

our own families.

A hotel will be built at the Newport Dunes, and, in fact, a smaller

version of what is hoped to be built has already been approved. Do we

really need more rooms available down the road? Leave Crystal Cove State

Park as it is: A park with a great beach open to anyone who may venture

its way with a little bit of history stuck in for good measure. Let’s

move our focus to something that makes sense and will be a great

commodity for the cities of Newport Beach and Costa Mesa -- a hotel where

there’s already been one approved.

C. STEWART

Costa Mesa

I have long felt the people who live at Crystal Cove should be moved out

and those shacks torn down. It is a state park and the public should have

access to the area and the beach. The “residents only” parking really

makes me angry. The rest of us have to park far away and walk in order to

have access to the tide pools, etc. At least with a commercial venture

there, we could pay and enter. I would prefer that you put in public

restrooms, perhaps a snack bar and nothing else.

JOYCE WOOD

Costa Mesa

State Parks Director Rusty Areias, in his forthright article about

Crystal Cove, clears up the misconceptions about the plans for the

Crystal Cove Historic District. Contrary to previous articles that have

appeared in the Daily Pilot (Fred Martin’s “A bogus deal for Crystal

Cove,” Sept. 22, and “Eye on saving the Cove,” Sept. 13), Areias gives us

the facts surrounding this controversy.

With the new plan, as described by Areias, the public will have more

access to Crystal Cove than ever before. The cottages will be open to the

public for the first time, and there will be an end to the 60 years of

private access by the 40 families that have leases on the cottages.

The people of California have owned the cottages for the last 20 years as

part of the Crystal Cove State Park. With the new plan, the beach will be

entirely open to the public with easy access for everyone, including the

disabled, and there will be a cultural center for the enjoyment and

enlightenment of the public on the history of the area.

Director Areias has assured us there will be no luxury hotel built in the

historic district and that there will be no housing developments there as

reported in previous articles. He has assured us that the cottages will

be rehabilitated to make them safe for overnight guests.

At last, the whole historic district will be more open to the public than

it has ever been, and it will no longer be the exclusive domain of the 40

families.

GARY BOOTH

Corona Del Mar