Camp Costa Mesa worth keeping next summer...

Camp Costa Mesa worth

keeping next summer

I want to commend the people who are responsible for Camp Costa

Mesa and the parks and recreation programs that the city of Costa

Mesa supports throughout the year.

My daughter was involved in Camp Costa Mesa and I had the

opportunity to attend the end-of-summer barbecue they held for

campers and their parents last week. The camp staff put together a

presentation awarding campers and counselors that included a slide

show. The show featured each week of camp and had photographs of the

kids at all the activities. What fun those kids had this summer.

Those kids were so fortunate to be able to be part of so many

different activities.

I wish I could put into words the general “warm and fuzzy” feeling

that was portrayed in came out of the presentation. The campers and

their parents were enthusiastic, to say the least, and appreciative

of the summer’s program. The counselors and staff have a great

rapport with the kids and their parents. You could tell that these

individuals really care about their charges.

I heard a rumor that a member, or members, of the City Council

want to eliminate Camp Costa Mesa and/or part of the recreation

program that the City has during the year. As a longtime resident of

Costa Mesa, I strongly urge the city to enhance the recreation

programs, not eliminate them. Quality programs such as the these make

Costa Mesa an attractive place to live, give residents fun things to

do, keep kids busy and provide experiences that may otherwise be

unattainable.

Programs that enhance living in Costa Mesa should not be

eliminated, they should be enhanced. I urge other Costa Mesa

residents to discourage any attempts by our City Council to reduce

these programs and encourage ideas to enhance what we already have.

MELISSA LIPPAND

Costa Mesa

City needs to think about consequence of plan

I’m calling on the Westside redevelopment plan. I just wanted to

say my family has owned property in that area for years and it’s

almost like a retirement income for my mom and I think for them to

use eminent domain and take that away from people, is just something

that’s not American. It’s not right and maybe if they suggested like

a beautification-type thing where everyone had to meet certain

standards to make it look better, then that’s a whole different

thing.

But I just find that if people are living income off of those

properties, I don’t think a redevelopment plan should just come in

and wipe them out and wipe out their income. I think there is a need

for a kind of industrial in that area, a lot of car repair and that

kind of thing have to be somewhere.

It has upset my mom quite a bit, and our family.

MARIE PETERS

Corona del Mar

This time, redevelopment should be followed through

I have been a businessman in Costa Mesa for the last 30 years and

I was at the Toyota Volvo dealer there, and we went through this same

thing on redevelopment about 20 years ago. We all hoped that the

whole city could be redeveloped at that time, and were expecting big

things for the downtown area. The politics changed and nothing was

done.

I think you ought to improve the area by eminent domain. Also,

people are slow to change. They don’t want to change. But in general,

the view we get from the state is much better than what they have

currently. If city leaders vote to wait a few years and let the newer

people move in and come in and do something, it really would be

important.

So hopefully something can be done this time. I hope so.

EARLE IKE

Costa Mesa