A change for the Orange County Market...

A change for the Orange County Market Place

Bring on Delaware North, the company that is vying for management

of the Orange County Fair’s Market Place. Let’s hear it for “back to

the future!” Huh? Confused? Here’s what I’m thinking:

When my family first moved to within walking distance of the

fairgrounds, the weekend event was nothing more than a sleepy

community garage sale that had been in operation for just one year.

Now, that’s all changed. Tel Phil has created a weekend outdoor mall

called the Orange County Market Place. And, since we live so close,

my family gets a year-long pass signed by Jeffrey Teller, himself.

But, Teller can’t fool me. He can’t bribe me. I hate all that weekend

traffic up and down Fairview Street, Fair Drive and Newport

Boulevard. I hate being able to walk to the Market Place with friends

from out of town (even from out of the country) and “showing off” the

place.

Secondly, for most of these 30 years, I’ve also seen what’s

happened to Yosemite National Park. My family has been there skiing,

hiking, back-packing, and car-camping many, many times. We go just

about every year. And what have we witnessed there? Well, for one,

the facilities were well-maintained and tourist services were

excellent during the era of the Curry Company. Now, with Delaware

North as management, the park has gone downhill. Camp Curry has

become a zoo. The facilities are dirty. The food sold by the park

restaurants and vendors is awful, tasteless and very expensive.

There’s even been talk that car camping will become extinct on the

valley floor and tourists will only be brought in with shuttle buses

from motels outside of the Park.

So, keeping that in mind, I vote for Delaware North to run the

Market Place. The quality of the services and care of the facilities

will deteriorate. Entrance fees and cost of food will escalate. Folks

will get turned off and will stop coming and my family won’t have to

deal with weekend traffic around College Park any more.

Wink, wink.

FLO MARTIN

Costa Mesa

Ignorant comments versus discrimination

I was amazed and amused at the recent debates over race relations

and bigotry in Newport Beach. I grew up in east Costa Mesa and did my

after-school activities in Newport Beach (Little League, Cub Scouts,

etc.).

Even as a “white” child, I was discriminated against due to where

I lived, the clothes I wore and the occupations of my parents.

Surely, this type of discrimination and silent segregation will

continue for far longer than the effects of a few ignorant comments

by an elected official.

DONALD MCKAY

Las Vegas

The ‘Judge’ knows the rules of the beach

Robert Gardner, your columnist with “The Verdict,” solved the

whole major problem facing Newport Beach regarding Councilman Dick

Nichols’ problems (“Considering the rules of the beach,” July 15).

The judge hit the nail right on the head when he described the rules

of the beach.

Being a lifeguard at Main Beach and Buck Gulley from 1946 to 1951

and knowing the Gardner frequented the beach quite often in those

days, the rules of the beach are exactly as he described. You stake

your claim, wherever you put your towel or blanket down, on the grass

or sand, and that is your spot until you leave the beach. It is

first-come, first-served, regardless of who you are.

I am afraid that Nichols is guilty of only not knowing the

unwritten rules of the beach.

MILT MEEHAN

Newport Beach

If the shoe fits, wear it, if not, forget it

Enough already on Newport Beach Councilman Dick Nichols.

The City Council should drop it. They are the ones making a big

deal.

So Nichols accused them of a couple of things? If the shoe fits,

wear it -- or toss it away.

DOROTHY BUKEWIHGE

Newport Beach

What about the children of the condo project?

Concerning the proposed condominium project at 1901 Newport Blvd.

It seems that the past 50 years of experience (some good, some not

so good) by the Costa Mesa Planning Commission and City Council are

all for nothing.

The current commission and council want to rewrite all of the

requirements for density parking requirements -- garage requirements,

height limits and, most importantly, the feelings, wants and needs of

the people of Costa Mesa.

This project at 1901 Newport will go down in the history books as

an even large boondoggle than Triangle Square, which has been a

financial disaster.

The 1901 project would make a ton of money for the developer, if

allowed to stay at the present approvals. The surrounding

neighborhood and the public will al suffer due to over-building

congestion.

Somewhere the public has the idea these condos will be offered at

$300,000. Not a chance. I’ll bet the prices will run from $450,000

and up.

I’m not even going to talk about shadows on the neighbors’ homes

or commercial buildings. I’m not going to mention the traffic jams

that will happen on Harbor Boulevard. But I am going to ask: Where

will the kids play? There is no place for kids on the entire project,

so it’s either out in the street or in the condos. No sun, not

outdoor playground and an estimate of more than 100 kids under 12

years old.

City fathers, think about the kids.

Think about the reasons for density limits. Why were these rules

and regulations created over the years? They worked.

CURTIS HERBERTS

Pacific Coast Realty Group

Costa Mesa

Costa Mesa character needs protecting

Costa Mesa just celebrated its 50th year as a city with small-town

charm where young families come to raise their children. Yet Planning

Commissioner Katrina Foley feels “there’s not going to be support for

just a zoning overlay on the Eastside” unless the city looks at

“making different neighborhoods unique” and takes into consideration

the “unique character of the different neighborhoods” (“Fine lines

still divide home expansions,” July 14).

When one considers that the cities of Los Angeles, San Diego,

Laguna Beach and Orange all use overlay zones to preserve and enhance

the unique character of their distinct local neighborhoods, one has

to ask -- why not Costa Mesa?

What were we celebrating over there at the Fairgrounds? Irvine?

MARGARET LECZKOWSKI

Costa Mesa