Land would be perfect for new City...

Land would be perfect for new City Hall

Pardon me for poking my nose where it doesn’t belong, but I’ve

been reading about the travails of our neighbors in Newport Beach

over how and what to do with their aging City Hall.

Do they renovate that deteriorating, over-crowded structure, or do

they build a Taj Mahal to replace it?

Newport Beach needs a new city hall. No one disputes that the

present one is in bad shape and the condition makes it difficult for

the staff to work efficiently. Not only that, but for a good portion

of the year, the beach traffic makes it very difficult to reach.

And, of course, it sits in a tsunami zone -- if we ever had any.

I recall recently reading one suggestion by a concerned citizen of

that fair city that the nice, flat hunk of land above the central

library should be used for a new city hall and thought at the time it

seemed like a great idea.

Now, I know that 12 acres or so is planned to be a nice, natural

park, but I’m wondering if that really is the best use of that land.

In fact, that ball is rolling now, as the recent article about naming

the park will attest.

That piece of land between MacArthur Boulevard and Avocado Avenue

seems to be the perfect solution to the dilemma. It’s centrally

located, which will certainly make it easier for all the residents to

have access to the services at city hall.

It’s conveniently located near public transportation -- the bus

terminus is about 200 feet away. A nice, multi-story building could

be built to house all the city hall functions with an adjacent

parking structure to meet the needs of the city staff and visitors to

the hall and to the library, which apparently has insufficient

parking now.

The grounds of this new facility could be made “park-like” and

blended with those of the library to satisfy those who are clambering

for a park at that location.

The land on the peninsula could be sold to developers to create a

new hotel or some other recreation-oriented use, which will generate

sales taxes for the city’s coffers.

I wouldn’t be surprised if the sale of that land alone might not

pay for the new city hall.

In these times of painful fiscal constraints, created at least in

part by our state officials, it seems to me that the land on Avocado

should be made available for its best use -- the one that will

benefit all the residents of Newport Beach the most.

So, my suggestion for the new name for that 12 acres of nice,

flat, centrally-located property would be “Civic Center Plaza,” and

would include the much-needed new city hall.

GEOFF WEST

Costa Mesa

Pastor’s argument makes assumptions

In his contribution to the stem cell debate (In Theory, June 4),

Ric Olsen pulls out all the stops. He writes that “the currently

accepted [research] methodology would lead to the deaths of unknown

thousands, maybe millions, of unborn children.”

The senior associate pastor assumes facts not in evidence. By

asserting that every embryo is an unborn child, he arrogates unto

himself a Godlike knowledge of life and its origins. And he implies

that it is viable even in a petri dish.

If we pursue this research, he continues, “we will truly have

become a culture of death.”

His authority: A soon-to-be-released Hollywood film.

Thus endeth Olsen’s moral angst and umbrage, with nary a word

about the “surplus” embryos (children?) that are routinely

“discarded” by fertility clinics. Perhaps there are “unknown

thousands, maybe millions” of them too.

Are they not “sacrificed” as well? And for what purpose, if any?

DICK LEWIS

Newport Beach

Kudos to columnist for his thoughtful rebuttal

I just wanted to thank Steve Smith for his article on medical

marijuana issues in June 4’s Daily Pilot, “Care to share the rest

with us?” Reasonable, intelligent, appropriately stated, and a great

rebuttal to the narrow- minded, as he describes, who really don’t

have a clue about what’s going on and who don’t really care about and

are not compassionate about other people.

They have not studied the research and proof of medical

marijuana’s proficiency.

Thank you very much, and keep up the good, focused reporting. Even

if I don’t agree all the time with some of your political stuff, I

appreciate your point of view and the way you offer it.

STEVEN MARKELL

Costa Mesa