By Take advantage of the opportunity
I’m a Los Altos parent of two active girls, one of whom is a talented swimmer and one a talented volleyball player. In supporting my older daughter’s aquatics, I’ve had the opportunity to visit pools all over California. I think I’ve driven my daughter to a meet at every pool on the Peninsula and South Bay at one time or another. I’m proud that she swam for her college team at UOP.
The old Covington Pool didn’t measure up to the pools in our neighboring towns. Mountain View, Palo Alto, and Sunnyvale have all upgraded their pools in the past 10 years. Even so, those pools were meant to meet the needs of those communities. They don’t have the capacity for the current number of Los Altos children.
Let’s take advantage of the opportunity to update the 1950- era pool with a pool that meets the needs of today’s children. The pool site was carefully selected by the Parks, Arts & Recreation Commission. Let’s support their efforts to create a new recreational resource for our children!
Donna McFadzeanLos Altos
Three-pool plan not a good plan
The city council has approved the environmental study for the Los Altos Community Aquatic Complex, but we now have to ask, will it be good for Los Altos residents?
SPLASH originally proposed to replace the old Covington School with a single pool. The city council imposed including a second pool in order to provide more recreational swimming time for the community, and further imposed that the complex operate at no cost to the city.
The business plan developed by Los Altos Masters and SPLASH includes scheduled recreational swimming, but at a level totally inadequate to meet the needs of the community and at times inappropriate for the potential users. During the summer months, the total recreational swimming time available in both pools is 14 percent. We will always see general community use of the facility compromised in favor of revenue-generating activities such as kayaking, synchronized swimming, scuba diving, and private parties, largely by nonresidents.
The three-pool (two swimming pools plus a wading pool) complex at Rosita Park is not a good plan to meet the swimming needs of Los Altos. A single pool sited to have minimum environmental impact and no concurrent safety hazard is what our city needs.
Cathy and Si WhiteLos Altos
LAHS singers gave a delightful performance
It was my delight to be present at an evening liturgy service in Christchurch Cathedral, New Zealand, on April 7, with the Main Street Singers from Los Altos High School. Their musical presentation was excellent, and as a 20-year resident of Los Altos I felt very proud of these young ambassadors. At times it was hard to remember that they were high school students and not professionals. Not only was it a thrill to meet and hear them so far from home, it was a real joy to observe their spirit of teamwork and the way they were focused on the mission of their tour.
Their parents deserve to feel very proud of these young people. And Mark Schall must be congratulated on his dedication and ability to not only continue leading and inspiring his choirs of delightful young people for almost 20 years, but to maintain the high standard that has become his hallmark. My thanks to him and the choir members for a very special treat.
Philippa A. MacfarlanePhoenix Garden, Ore.
Praise for openness by St. Nicholas pastor
Rev. Bill Rewak’s speech (April 3) to the Los Altos Rotary Club was moving.
We need to remember that 98 percent of the clergy are not molesters. This speech proved how revelations of these church scandals have taken a toll on innocent priests, too. This is also another example of how Roman Catholics in Los Altos are fortunate. The culture of secrecy and defensiveness that has permeated our church is ended here.
The parish council at St. Nicholas parish in Los Altos asked its pastor, Rev. Gary R. Thomas, to address these events at his Palm Sunday mass. After his powerful homily, the congregation erupted in applause. With courage and dignity, Father Thomas fearlessly confronted the issue of violated trust and called for a return to accountability.
If there is anything good about all the bad news, it is that lay people are being forced to become involved. Change in the church will only happen from the bottom up; change will never happen from the top down. The time for change has come.
R.L. DevincenziPalo Alto
Sneaky proposal cost district election
The failure of the parcel tax will undoubtedly have an adverse impact on Los Altos schools, but the supporters have only themselves to blame.
First, they did little to inform the community about current financial needs or the inadequacy of the existing parcel tax. Second, their approach was sneaky and antagonized many voters. They minimized information and publicity, and held a special election only one month after a general election, suggesting an attempt to limit voting to those individuals who supported the tax.
It is difficult to trust an organization asking for more funding when they subject taxpayers to the expense of a special election and fail to provide the detailed information voters need to make informed decisions.
Whether our children attend public or private schools, whether we are childless or empty nesters, we all benefit from excellent public schools and a well-educated population. But to support a tax present in this way would be ultimately counterproductive.
The Los Altos population is intelligent and generous, and a parcel tax proposed with adequate information and public discussion and included in a general election would have passed.
Susan and Ted SorensenLos Altos
Security of homes outweighs path needs
Los Altos Hills Pathway Element talks about off-road paths as a service to friendly neighbors. How can the town guarantee that no undesirable characters out of town use these paths as entrance onto private properties?
Surely the need for security of private homes outweighs public entertainment value in this case.
So the town has hired an expert to walk the paths. Besides ascertaining the existence and location of paths, is the expert also commissioned to note what impact would a new off-road path carved out of people’s back yards make to the homes along the paths? Strangers using these paths can get very close to bedroom and bathroom windows.
There are many other important issues: the rights of property owners being compromised, pathways that have no through access, the hefty cost of building and maintenance. The reason why the off-road pathways system is unique to our town is that no other town thinks it is the right thing to do in this time and age. It is a burden to the residents, not a gift. Let us abolish the requirement for compulsory off-road pathway dedications.
Pearl Chan
Los Altos Hills
