Too many accidents at Palomar Airport

I just wanted to voice my opinion regarding a recent article in the Union-Tribune in which the city of Carlsbad found itself defending a decision to place the municipal golf course, The Crossings, close to Palomar Airport. I'm confused. Is the golf course and/or the city of Carlsbad responsible for the recent crashes? I believe what the golf course is really responsible for is bringing to light the continuing dangerous safety record of Palomar Airport.

It has been suggested by some, at recent meetings of the airport advisory committee, that making the runway longer would solve Palomar Airport's safety issues. Extending the runway as a fix for Palomar's continuing failure to implement real safety measures sounds like a bad joke.

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It seems that if the airport would stop flights from landing and taking off when air traffic controllers are not in the tower and enforce the Alpha departure at 250 degrees until a half-mile at sea, we might see fewer crashes as well as fatalities. I would feel a lot safer. Noise is a problem, no mistake there, but in view of continuing reports of incident after incident, reality is beginning to set in. Is anyone doing the math, does anyone feel the need to address this serious situation? Who is responsible for overseeing the safety record of this airport?

If the pilot of the small plane that recently crashed had turned either left or right I might not be here to write this letter. We, as homeowners, and our families are at risk 24/7. Commercial buildings filled with people are at risk as well as golfers.

I dislike sounding like an alarmist but how many times can we say, “Thank goodness the plane didn't go down just a half-mile farther or a half-mile closer?” Just once, can we be proactive rather than waiting for the inevitable tragedy to occur?

CHRIS SMOCZYNSKI
Carlsbad

Making the case for home schooling

Home-schooled kids once again do better than the kids in public school. All while not receiving the tax dollars allocated for these kids.

More than 2.5 million students, 15 percent being minority students, score 15-30 points higher than the failing public school systems.

If tax dollars are being collected and allocated for our kids, this begs the following question: Why are these kids not receiving this funding? Shouldn't this money follow each kid whether his family chooses public schools, private schools, religious schools or home schools? How much better would these kids and families do if they actually had the money they are entitled to?

Not allowing this money to follow the kids no matter where they go just because they and their families chose something other than public school is in fact a form of discrimination. Let the politicians do something worthwhile and pass laws that keep the money with the kids no matter where they attend school.

GARY SMITH
San Marcos

EAST COUNTY

The stops and starts on SR-52 construction

I continue to be confused by the ongoing expansion of state Route 52 between Mast Boulevard and Santo Road. Although the paving has been completed, it does not appear that any work is being done on the four bridges in the project.

DAVID DeVOL
La Mesa

SOUTH COUNTY

Public restrooms needed in Imperial Beach

I am very pleased to see the progress that has been made by the construction at the foot of Palm Avenue in Imperial Beach. I am sure this project will greatly enhance the street end. It should be noted, however, that the design lacks public restrooms and showers, both of which had existed at this location prior to the redesign and construction. The only bathrooms and showers now at the beach are located at the pier, and three blocks north in the park. There are no public facilities at Palm Avenue and none south of the pier. Beach use is up along the entire beachfront, not just around the pier. It is important to provide facilities for public use along the entire beachfront. I hope the city and the port can come up with a plan to correct this oversight.

JAMES KNOX
Imperial Beach

SAN DIEGO

The white elephants parked on any street

So San Diego's City Council cannot decide what to do about all the monster RVs and boats littering the city streets and public property. Councilwoman Donna Frye even feels sorry for the poor owners who bought these monsters and have elected to park them in front of your home for weeks and even months at a time, without moving. I have a neighbor who lived in a 45-foot RV in front of my house and moved it about three times a year, if at all. When I started calling parking enforcement daily for months at a time, it finally got tired of me and ticketed him. He has now made arrangements to store it – and sees me as a terrible person for turning him in. A “sea captain” in the area has two boat wrecks that he shares with neighbors and leaves them in front of their homes until he is caught. Then, they go several blocks away to someone else's house.

I am constantly amazed that people will go out and buy these jewels without being willing to pay storage for them. They expect to be able to park them on public streets for weeks and months at a time because, they say, “I pay taxes. too!” Hello? They just don't get it and expect the rest of us to enjoy staring at their prized possessions that they no longer can afford to put gas in or because they lost interest in fishing.

Council members, please make these pink elephants the owners' problem, not ours.

RICHARD S. PAVELEC
San Diego

A tourist trolley in San Diego's future

Regarding “Cable car line proposed to link San Diego Bay and Balboa Park” (Sept. 14):

A streetcar line for tourists and sightseers is already in the works, at the Metropolitan Transit System's 12th and Imperial trolley shops. With volunteer labor and donated funds, three 1945-era, 46-foot streamlined PCC trolleys are being restored for service on the Park Boulevard/C Street/Harbor Drive triangle. Similar streetcars of an earlier type were once in service on Broadway, University and Adams avenues. Trolleys under restoration are on display at Building A, 12th Street and Imperial Avenue, and may be seen by Blue Line trolley riders headed south. Funds for new wheels and replacement equipment are still needed. Volunteers with electrical and mechanical skills are welcome.

The North Park Main Street project, for the upgrading of University Avenue, included a plan for a streetcar railway, which could eventually be integrated into the MTS trolley system, along Park Boulevard.

CHUCK BENCIK
Volunteer
San Diego Vintage Trolley