Mailbag: Estancia theater project’s cost, advantages draw readers’ attention

As a former Newport-Mesa Unified School District trustee that was part of the decision to move forward with the Estancia theater in 2019, I would like to correct a few misconceptions reported in the recent article in the Daily Pilot, (“Despite lawsuit, concerns and a new $41M price tag, Estancia theater work could soon begin,” Feb. 9).

The idea stated by council member Arlis Reynolds that the area proposed for the theater is the only space “critical for fresh air and connection with nature” is ludicrous. Estancia High School has more surrounding open space than any other high school in the district. It is bordered by Fairview Park (the largest in the city with 13 manicured acres and 195 acres of natural protected habitat), the Costa Mesa Golf Course and multiple green athletic fields. There are currently allocated open areas for students off the Commons as well as where the former pool was located. The approved theater plan calls for an additional student area with trees and a seating area next to the new theater.

I would like to set the record straight that the community was involved in this decision. A committee formed with Estancia parents, community members, drama/music teachers, and experts in design/construction evaluated five locations and recommended the current location to the board. Meetings with the Estancia community and discussions at public board meetings drew public input. The Measure F Oversight Committee was also consulted.

I am extremely disappointed this process continues to be delayed resulting in increasing costs and a possible downsizing of the theater, inequity for the students of the Estancia Zone, as they have waited since 2005 for a theater comparable to the rest of the district, and the involvement of the Costa Mesa City Council in delaying a project that is not in their purview. This project needs to move forward.

Vicki Snell
Former NMUSD Trustee

I am writing today as a concerned taxpayer and Newport-Mesa Unified School District parent. In following the Estancia theater project, supportive of a new theater, it is clear that now we need to ask ourselves some difficult questions before we spend tens of millions of dollars on an outdated and underdeveloped plan.

Circumstances have changed significantly since the onset of the pandemic, and the exorbitant cost increases for construction are now estimated at $13 million above the original budget. There are problematic opportunity costs, not to mention countless past-as-prologue facilities debacles that should give us all pause.

Any questions and concerns about this project have been largely ignored by the former NMUSD board or have gone unaddressed. At this past board meeting it was acknowledged that the Estancia community was not given the opportunity to participate meaningfully in the decision-making process. The board’s lack of due diligence and fiscal responsibility should be cause for alarm for all of us, allowing for recalculation and, most importantly, value-engineering around scope and location.

Michelle Murphy
Costa Mesa

Antisemitic fliers look familiar

It’s been less than a month since antisemitic fliers were dropped in Florida and five other states. The fliers that appeared in Huntington Beach earlier this week are almost identical to the ones Miami Beach’s mayor called “hateful garbage.”

While it’s not clear if the distribution of the fliers locally was sponsored or endorsed by the KKK, it certainly is similar to that organization’s annual “outreach” playbook.

In 2014, residents of Orange woke up to find KKK fliers distributed in various neighborhoods. Last year the same thing happened in Newport Beach. I’m old enough to know these incidents are never going to stop; however, I wish those who feel compelled to create and distribute these antisemitic fliers would do so in the light of day.

Stop hiding in the dark. If you are proud of what you have done, then let people of goodwill see your wretched faces.

Denny Freidenrich
Laguna Beach

Why are we still masking children at school?

I am a Costa Mesa resident, Realtor and mother. My children are in sixth and eighth grade and have to continue to wear masks to school. I am furious that I have to send my kids to school still wearing masks. They have spent all of junior high with their face covered and it’s taking a mental toll on them. I feel powerless as a mother. The hypocrisy in our government is outrageous. It’s not about safety anymore — it’s all about power.

What can I do as a concerned mother?

Kacey Taormina
Costa Mesa

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