MAILBAG - Sept. 1, 2006

Too few windows in senior center design

We are responding to the Sounding Off (“Time for senior, community center,” Coastline Pilot, Aug. 25) on the proposed senior/community center.

We live on Loma Terrace, overlooking the proposed project, and are members of the Downtown Neighborhood Assn. We have actively participated in public meetings concerning this project and have continually given our input.

While we agreed with the neighbors regarding having a building that avoids air, light and noise pollution, we feel no windows along three sides of the building is not the architectural response we envisioned.

At a June 25, 2002 meeting, Barbara Hoag requested that the windows overlooking Loma Terrace have soundproofing. In other words, we envisioned highly rated acoustical windows that could be open during quiet activities (yoga, Pilates, senior lunches) and closed during activities that would not be in keeping with our current noise ordinance.

During a Nov. 19, 2005 meeting with LPA, Michael Hoag expressed strong opposition to having a blank wall facing Loma Terrace.

Since that time, [City Manager] Ken Frank met with two neighbors. We would have preferred that this meeting include a wider sampling of neighbors, recreational students and instructors.

It appears that the senior board is willing to move forward with the present design. We know, however, that other users of the building — namely many of the current and potential recreation students and instructors — find windowless exercise studios unacceptable — not only aesthetically but also in terms of energy usage.

While skylights are a suggested alternative to windows, they have drawbacks. We want the two exercise studios to be good for the people on the inside and the people on the outside.

We urge concerned citizens to view the current plans at the recreation department as soon as possible. Contact the City Council members and the planning commissioners with your feedback. Time is of the essence.

This project will appear before the Planning Commission on Oct. 25 and Nov. 15. It will then go to City Council for a vote on Dec. 12. The future is in your hands.

MICHAEL HOAG

BARBARA HOAG

Laguna Beach

Rescuers should be recognized

I would like to thank the two anonymous surfers who rescued a boy who was calling for help and appeared to be caught in a riptide about 7:30 p.m. on Aug. 25.

The boy was about 50 to 75 yards off shore near the St. Anne’s stairs when he began waving and calling for help.

The lifeguards were gone. A few people on the beach alerted two surfers who immediately jumped back in the water and reached the boy quickly, put him on one of the boards, and safely towed him in. They deserve to be recognized.

JULIE ROSS

Laguna Beach

Some of his favorite things this summer

For me, four things have made this summer special.

Take a free trolley ride south to the hospital and ride back into town at sunset, if possible, before this Sunday, when the free trolleys end. It’s fun.

Stop at Wesley and walk through Treasure Island Park to the lookout and down a dirt trail at the north end of the park.

Treasure Island Park has wonderful beaches, showers, dog watering bowls and picnic benches, and at night the ocean is lit up with flood lights.

Our lifeguard service is the best, and it is energizing to watch the junior guard program.

The Boardwalk reflects who we are and have been for more than 100 years — a welcome place for all races, languages, sexual preferences and pets. It would seem, if you wanted to meet people, one quick way would be to ask your dog to take you for a walk. People all along the way ask questions. What kind of a dog is it? It’s so cute.

And besides the trolleys, lifeguards and the boardwalk, T- shirts are fun, too. Some I’ve seen this summer include: NYPD; Hecho en Mexico; Happy Camper; Buddha’s Inside; Thalia St. Surf Shop; Budweiser; Prayer Changes Things; Hustler; Isla Mujeres; Harley-Davidson; Hawk; Polo; I Love Mom; King and the Clown; and one I made up in my mind: Laguna Is Beautiful.

ROGER CARTER

Laguna Beach

Remembering Irene as peacemaker, teacher

I remember Irene Bland as a friend, neighbor, my kids’ teacher and a community treasure. She used music and movement to empower children to trust and explore the space around them. This is where she practiced peace, with music and dance, care and trust. There are generations of kids who were introduced to loving relationship through Irene’s classes.

Many a day I came early to pick my four children up, just to be in the vibrant atmosphere that Bland created. Movement, music, giggling, laughing and singing were all bouncing off the walls in the harmony of trust. Musical notes weaved a hammock, and Irene’s carrying and supportive voice invited you into the next moment of participation.

Bland practiced her form of peace stewardship by getting the kids early and surrounding them with music and movement. Young children came away with auditory literacy, singing, dancing and recognizing musical notes. Most of all, I think about the smiles and commitment that radiated from children as they waited to be picked up by their parents. Pretty good for a few hours a week that she saw the children. Irene was a master teacher.

Kids met kids for the first time in the trusting space of her instruments and musical notes. Expression of emotions filled the room like flowers in a florist shop, all different colors of emotions, bright and eager, ready for the future. It was commendable that my family grew up surrounded by her extraordinary use of sound to heal and bind us to one another. This is her true gift to peace activism. She got them earlier and showed them joyful ways to go and grow. Her three daughters are carrying her radiant smile.

Bland filled our hearts with her hope and love through movement and song. Her eyes radiated a light that gave others hope and support to venture into the next moment charged with warmth.

BILL ROLEY

Laguna Beach

Her gloves are off and running

I see that we are already entering the negative campaign mode. Two local papers carried quotes by Frank Ricchiazzi, of the Laguna Beach Taxpayers Assn., using terms like “chokehold,” “liberal” and “rent control” to malign certain individuals and organizations involved in the City Council race.

Because he has absolutely no interest in anything but detrimental commercialization of our community, Ricchiazzi will never address the issues of quality of life for residents, such as clean water, limiting mansionization and easing parking and congestion; he must rely on his silly Fox News catch phrases.

I suppose his long-range vision is to bleed every penny out of the community until we become another Manhattan Beach. So, to Ricchiazzi and your well-heeled sponsors over at the big resort: This girl’s gloves are off! Read more about the Laguna Beach Taxpayers, the negative campaign funders and all their contributions on: www.savealisocanyon.org/ articles/bb1.pdf.

Make no mistake: If you are a resident, your quality of life is at stake in this election as well as your property values. Don’t let these parasites destroy your nest!

BETSY BREDAU

Laguna Beach

We’re not

Manhattan Beach

When Betsy Bredau says, “Don’t let these parasites destroy your nest” in reference to the supporters of the Montage [Resort & Spa], she is calling the vast majority of Laguna residents parasites because they voted in support of the Montage. The Montage will be generating more than $3 million a year to the city and $350,000 to our schools. Are the city and the schools also parasites for accepting this money?

Charlotte Masarik mentioned we should be working together on the Bluebird Slide. I agree, and the City Council appointed me to the oversight committee on the Bluebird Slide to help resolve those financial issues.

Relax, folks, this isn’t “Manhattan Beach.” Life in Laguna is good. Thanks to the City Council majority over the past 12 years, we’ve avoided rent control and frivolous expensive litigation so we could build needed water reservoirs for public safety, provide a senior center and make other responsible improvements that Laguna residents want.

FRANK RICCHIAZZI

Laguna Beach

Councilwomen would be a winning team

Wouldn’t it be quite a winning team for former City Clerk Verna Rollinger to join Toni Iseman and Elizabeth Pearson-Schneider on the Laguna Beach City Council?

Iseman and Pearson-Schneider were able to forge a compromise on ACT V, making it a good possibility that we’ll have a new parking structure in the village entrance in the not-too-distant future. That’s great leadership working together to get things done.

For many years, Rollinger has served our community in so very many ways. She gets along well with others. Rollinger, Iseman and Pearson-Schneider can be the winning team that can work together protecting Laguna Beach while making significant progress to improve our city.

GENE FELDER

Laguna Beach

Grateful for summer reading program

The Laguna Beach community enjoyed a wonderful summer reading program, “Paws, Claws, Scales and Tales!,” organized by Librarian Rebecca Porter and paid for by the Friends of the Laguna Beach Library.

Children were encouraged to continue reading throughout the summer with incentives for books read. My son and I spent a lot of time at the library this summer. It made my long summer days much more fun, and my son really enjoyed the books he was awarded just for reading!

In addition, every Tuesday night there was a great series of entertaining performances: a puppet show, a magician, an educational wild animal program and a storyteller, to name a few. There was also an ice cream social, a hot dog afternoon and a luau — all free of charge, thanks to the friends.

We are truly lucky to have such a generous organization like the Friends of the Laguna Beach Library.

This is one grateful parent saying thank you to Rebecca and the friends.

If you have any books or magazines you would like to get rid of, you can help by donating them to the Friends of the Library — located below the Laguna Beach Library — so they can continue to do what they do. I also understand there is a fundraising luncheon on Sept. 13. Call the library for details.

KIMBERLY LEEDS

Aliso Viejo