Rest room site input sought

11-12
To the editor:
I am a resident of Park Road in direct proximity to the baseball fields at Sarzotti Park. Last night (Nov. 7) I attended a meeting of the Ojai Parks and Recreation Committee. The committee was gathering information and opinions in regards to installing a new public rest room attached to the scoreboard-snack booth on the south end of the park.
Carol Belser, director of the Recreation Department, had invited my neighbor and myself to share our opinions at this meeting because we had written to her about our opposition to have the bathrooms built so near to the road and in clear view of our homes. Ms. Belser worried that our concerns might prevent the project from being passed by the Planning Commission. She implied that our input at this stage would help reach a compromise that was agreeable to everyone.
At this meeting, the architect of the project presented two alternative locations for the bathrooms: Site C, adjacent to the drinking fountain and telephone next to the score booth; and Site B on this same side of the parking lot, but just beyond the existing bleachers further away from the score booth. As next door neighbors to this area, my neighbor and I were directly opposed to moving the bathrooms at all, since they would then be visible from our front porches. However, since the Recreation Department was really pushing for the bathrooms to be more easily accessible to the ball players, we expressed our preference for Site B.
The architect assured the committee that both new bathroom options, B and C, were about the same size and cost to build. He then expressed his opinion that Site C was more aesthetically pleasing to him since he could tie the two buildings (the bathrooms and the score booth building) together with a pagoda. Ms. Belser said she felt the ball players would prefer Site C as well. The committee then approved a motion for Site C, against the wishes of the neighbors of the park, in favor of the architect and Ms. Belser.
Ojai residents are always praising its small-town feel, its sweeter way of life. Wouldn't the ball players, as members of this small town, be interested in doing the "neighborly" thing and supporting the local residents in their appeal for Site B? Site B is more accessible to the general field use and only about 20 feet more to the east than Site C. For baseball players, Site B is still a far better option than the existing structure site.
I am writing this letter in hopes of actually hearing from the ball players themselves, and not getting someone else's guess on their preference. I appeal to anyone who uses these fields - whether for baseball, soccer, flag football, Fourth of July events, etc. - to please write or call any of the following city officials (Mayor Pro Tem Joe DeVito; Paul Blatz, Planning Commission; or Carol Belser, director, Parks and Recreation) to express your "vote" for Site B or C. I'd like them to know how people feel about this.
You may also visit the Recreation Department to see architectural renderings of these two site options.
Thank you for your support and understanding.

Jane Weil
Ojai

Creek Road residents beware

11-12
To the editor:
I want to alert you to a proposal pending before our community that would reduce congestion on Highway 33 by converting Creek Road from a rural road to a state highway bypass. As we well know, Highway 33 experiences congestion much of the day. The difficulty in addressing the issue, together with frustrations of city residents when driving through downtown, has led to this unfortunate proposal. Instead of reducing traffic loads overall, the goal appears to be to shift traffic to a new community - that of Creek Road residents.
Do you believe that Highway 33 congestion is best solved by making Creek Road an alternative highway bypass and quadrupling Creek Road's current traffic loads? If you think this action would:
· increase the dangers faced by many children as they wait for school buses (more than currently must wait on Highway 33)
· destroy the rural character of this community
· increase urban sprawl
· attempt to solve Ojai Avenue traffic problems by shifting the traffic to those in an unincorporated area that have no say in the matter
· increase the dangerous driving conditions already experienced by Creek Road drivers
· endanger the many agricultural businesses and ranches operating along Creek Road
· reduce the quality of life, property value and environment of those living along Creek Road
- then you need to become involved in the current transportation debate.
The following comments are contained in the new Ojai Valley Traffic Circulation Study:
"The most critical improvement in traffic flow on Highway 33/150 is the identification and use of Creek Road as a bypass routing
In order for Creek Road to serve anything more than its current (maximum) of 2,000 ADT (average daily trips), the connection to Highway 33 (at the Arnaz Grade) must be signalized. If this improvement is implemented, then Creek Road can accommodate another 5,000 to 6,000 ADT and significantly relieve traffic on Highway 33.
Creek Road is constructed as a two-lane Ventura County highway and, as such, is capable of supporting the additional 5,000 to 6,000 ADT traffic resulting from its use as a bypass Residents situated all along this roadway have become accustomed to a very modest traffic volume (i.e., 2000 ADT) and are very likely going to object to any increased traffic and especially traffic diverted from the State Highway. In fact, resistance from the local residents is expected to be the primary obstacle to implementation of this concept."
If you disagree with this approach to our traffic problems, you need to make your voice heard. Read a copy of the traffic plan (available at the three Ojai Valley libraries and at Ojai City Hall) and make up your own mind. Alternative transit suggestions need to be studied. Call me if you have questions or would like to become involved in an effort to squelch this plan. You can make a difference.

Lisa Meeker
Creek Road Resident
and Ojai Valley
Municipal Advisory Council
District 5 Representative

Roland not going to fade away

11-13
To the editor:
In what's becoming an all-too-familiar exercise, it's time again for me to congratulate this City Council race's victors and the other candidates.
Joe, David and Carol, y'all did good! Paul and Lenny, well, welcome to my boat. You may not have won but don't think of yourselves as losers. Anyone willing to stand out in plain sight and absorb all the flack politicking sets them up for should be admired by all. Thanks for making things interesting and it was a pleasure to run with, not against, you.
To all the people who braved the heat by opposing Measure C and the voters who helped defeat it, thank you. Deep in their hearts the authors and some of the proponents of the initiative probably viewed it as harmless enough, but it really was a dangerous idea that could have wreaked havoc on the city for a long time to come.
And a special thanks goes out to everyone who supported my campaign. As Agent 86 used to say, "We missed it by that much!" Go to bed knowing that I'm not going away any time soon. Now that the campaigning is over and I'm not going to Disneyland, I have plenty of time to provide cannon fodder for my present and future detractors.
Oh, and the staff at the Ojai Valley News and Amy Bentley at the Star deserve a big hand for the excellent coverage of this year's race. Nice work, one and all!

Bruce Roland
Ojai

© 2002 The Ojai Valley News

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