LAGUNA WOODS

Talk of building perimeter walls for United Mutual residents who live along El Toro Road was postponed during a committee meeting Thursday. Board member John Lathrop said the cost of building 11-foot-high walls, estimated at more than $800,000, was not included in the resident group’s proposed budget. But he said the issue should be addressed because it presents security, privacy and pollution problems to residents on El Toro. “People are worried about privacy and security,” he said. “They don’t want others looking inside their houses.”

Leisure World resident Henry Barbera, who has been living on El Toro for a year, said he moved there because of the 18-foot-high oleanders that blocked the view from the busy thoroughfare. “I bought my place and went away for one month. When I came back, the oleanders were gone,” he said. “I signed a petition with about 200 other people in October of last year to put up walls along El Toro. I haven’t heard anything since.”

Juel Andersen, United board vice president, opposes building the walls, particularly for United Mutual residents only. “We need to do something about walls in the whole community,” she said. “Cost is a factor. We haven’t examined all of the other alternatives.”