Parking a School in Floral Park

Re “Santa Ana’s Schoolyard Brawl,” Jan. 23:

It is always interesting to read about my neighborhood. Your article describing it as elitist needs a bit of reality check. I have found it to have more economic and social diversity than many areas in Orange County. Overall, it is diverse in political persuasions as well. The objection to the school is location, location, location.

Labeling this area of Santa Ana as racist and exclusive because there are objections to a modern, state-of-the-art school being built in the middle of an older, historic neighborhood is a negative comment on our community.

When you look at the location, it is about two miles from the entire county and city government center off Flower Street. Flower Street is greatly impacted by traffic going to and from the Civic Center adjacent to the county jail.

The Santa Ana Freeway and the “Orange Crush” bless many of our homes with constant noise and air pollution. The neighborhood is dedicated to maintaining a beautiful preserve in the middle of a chaotic, congested city hub.

It is odd for a business such as the vacated Farmers Insurance headquarters to be located in the middle of a residential area in the first place. One can only wonder how this happened. Perhaps it is an example of the past failures of Santa Ana city planning.

Should the citizens not object to a proposal that will have great impact on their homes and quality of life?

R. Flaherty

Santa Ana

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My husband and I have lived in Floral Park for 15 years. It’s a nice neighborhood, and I understand why people are protective of it. Residents have taken strong stands on issues that affect the character of the community. Yet I am disheartened by the alarmist tone of information recently distributed against the proposed new school site.

Good schools are vital to the life of a city. Witness the distress of Irvine residents over recent budget cuts and the closing of one of their elementary schools. The downside to living in an older city is a shortage of open space available for new school sites. A large and environmentally safe piece of property is a rare commodity. It’s a real opportunity to be taken advantage of.

Santa Ana desperately needs more schools. New and modern schools offer more choices for parents, a better education for our children and increased prosperity for the community. While we are concerned about traffic and safety, let’s have a civil discussion and keep the needs of our children foremost in our minds.

Karen Duprey

Santa Ana