MAILBAG
Students should be commended
So often these days we hear and read negative things about teenagers. Rarely does it make news when teenagers do something very positive.
Recently my wife and I witnessed one of those positive experiences. We attended “A Celebration of Friends” at Burroughs High School.
It was a fundraiser for one of the show choir members who had become seriously ill in April in New York City where Burroughs was competing in a national show choir competition (“Singing through the hardships,” Saturday). He had to stay in the hospital for a month before he was allowed to go home. It was very costly for his family.
This was a wonderful, loving program put together by teenagers for a friend. Along with the Burroughs Jazz Band and Burroughs show choir members, a large group from Burbank High School, as well as students from Hart High School and Chula Vista High School performed.
Some of the Burroughs teachers joined in as Burroughs alumni Jen Oundjian and Brendan Jennings sang an original comedy number written by Dan Scoville, and math teacher Brian Kukan rocked the house singing a blues number with his band.
I think we should be very proud of our teenagers in Burbank. It was a moving experience to see students from Burroughs and Burbank, who usually compete against one another, join hands to help a choir member in need. We have some wonderful young people in our city.
ELLIOTT PORTER
Burbank
RVs should be OKd in side yards
Regarding “Committee looks at RV parking limits,” on May 17: what about all of the large trucks and SUVs and vans, which seem to always be parked right on the corner, so we have a problem seeing what is coming when we pull out onto the next street?
I am an RV owner (20 ft) and I do agree that they should not be parked on our city streets for long periods of time or within a certain amount of feet from the corners.
But what is wrong with one if it is parked in one’s side yard on his personal property?
Have you seen some of the old rotting boats or rundown trailers parked in many yards?
ALLAN R. LEVINE
Burbank
Debate must tackle all things wheeled
This RV debate (“Committee looks at RV parking limits,” May 17) seems to focus almost exclusively on motor homes, when motor homes are truly only part of the question.
Obviously, if there is to be a resolution of the competing claims of rights and privileges, it will not be a simple one.
People wish to buy wheeled things (motor homes, vans, SUVs, fifth wheels, trailers, boats on trailers and large pickups) to further their enjoyment of life and/or improve efficiency in their daily activities. Parking/storing of these wheeled things can cause problems for their owners and those who object to them.
On the one hand, people say they have a right to buy, utilize and park these wheeled things wherever they wish.
On the other hand, others do not wish to have the view from their front window occupied by a behemoth on wheels or their view besmirched by a trailer parked in their next door neighbor’s driveway.
On the question of rights, no one has a constitutional right to purchase, use and park a wheeled things anywhere they choose ? and a real property owner does not have an unfettered right to decide what is an offense to their “viewing pleasure.”
However, there is also a question of safety at intersections.
Large wheeled objects parked near an intersection definitely endangers drivers and pedestrians unable to get a relatively unobstructed view of oncoming traffic ? and the oncoming traffic is likewise put in danger because they cannot see if a pedestrian and/or car is trying to emerge. I suggest this whole subject be tackled one piece at a time. Public safety comes first. Perhaps an ordinance can be crafted to ban the parking of dimension-defined Wheeled Things within a certain distance of intersections that are not controlled by signal lights or four-way stop signs.
No one should be allowed to reside in a wheeled thing on a city street for even one day.
At the same time, perhaps a sincere effort on the part of the city to find and develop locations for the storage of wheeled things for reasonable fees would be in order.
Once sufficient storage and/or parking at a reasonable fee is available to Burbank residents and there are still frequent complaints, only then should we enter the murky area of competing rights and privileges.
One last thing on the subject of intersections: Why is it that most drivers do not know that all intersections, with painted lines or no painted lines, is a pedestrian crosswalk and that pedestrians have the right-of-way?
ROD GUILMETTE
Burbank
Infrastructure costs higher than gas
In the Saturday edition of the Burbank Leader I read side-by-side stories, by the same writer, that describe the cost of repairs to the Police and Fire Department headquarters (“City looks to litigation to fund damage repairs” and “Council budgets millions for infrastructure improvements”).
One story estimates the cost to be $6.5 million, the other story pegs it at $7 million.
Wow, and I thought gas prices were escalating at breakneck speed.
MIKE FREDIANI
Burbank