Conservancy Doesn’t Serve General Public

* I found it disturbing that the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy would attempt to use condemnation proceedings against a private owner, Soka University, for a park, even considering selling off portions of our parkland to pay for the legal costs.

Now the conservancy is trying to keep the unpaved section of Mulholland Scenic Highway just for the hikers and bikers by getting it designated as a historical road. Why must the roadway be kept in its pristine state while adjacent to this roadway the conservancy is planning an urban park with shade trees, grass and picnic tables? Where will they get the $1.2 million to improve this one park? And what about the rest of us who do not hike or bike?

Let’s not forget that the Mulholland corridor right-of-way belongs to the taxpayers. We have also paid for the surveys and the engineering design of the Mulholland Scenic Highway. This is not a paved road for just the commuters who would enjoy the benefit of not having to fight traffic along Ventura Boulevard or the freeway. In this design is a 500-foot recreational easement on each side of the pavement just to accommodate hikers, bikers and horseback riders. There are also scenic turnouts in this plan, so that all of us will be able to enjoy the wonderful panoramic vistas of the Valley and its surrounding mountains.

Perhaps if we took the tax dollars now used to fund this outmoded Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, we might have some money to make a few of the parks we already own accessible and usable to the general public.

NANCY COLLIS

Encino