Possible School Site at Robinsons-May
Re “Need for New High School,” Valley letters, March 19.
Those of us who actually live in the Laurel Plaza neighborhood continue to be amazed by the comments regularly appearing in your pages by folks who live in Encino, Studio City and other affluent communities who feel free to express opinions on school sites in our community.
Allow me, on behalf of many hundreds of neighborhood residents, to inform them of the facts. First, the Robinsons-May store and corporate headquarters is a regional economic engine employing nearly 2,000 people with a payroll exceeding $70 million. The store is one of the most successful in the chain. The property is well kept and was upgraded at a cost of many millions after the earthquake.
Second, our neighborhood already has two high schools and two elementary schools within a one-mile radius, and as the school district well knows, is too far south to do anything meaningful to relieve current and future overcrowding in the most impacted areas.
Furthermore, the Robinsons-May site, because of its operations and value, is likely to cost all taxpayers, even those who live south of Ventura Boulevard, in excess of $100 million should the district persist in its eminent domain effort.
If the residents of Encino are so keen on participating in the school site selection process, they should first learn the facts.
MITZI COFFIN
North Hollywood
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