MAILBAG

Can Burbank put a price on beauty?

For the better part of 2008, the Burbank Boulevard beautification boondoggle was quoted at around $8 million (“Burbank Boulevard’s face-lift is a good move,” Editorial, April 26); then, astonishingly, in the final few weeks of the year, the Burbank Leader twice referred to the project in its pages as a $10-million project (“Mayor: State of city is relatively strong,” Nov. 8).

Holy flipping cow! Somebody help me out here. Has our trusty neighborhood newspaper made a couple of typographical errors, or has our grossly incompetent City Council allowed the contractor to swindle us out of $2 million?

RICHARD J. TAFILAW

Burbank

A big thanks to the community’s angels

The Salvation Army Burbank Corps would like to thank the many individuals, companies, studios and organizations that helped to make the “Angel Tree Project” a success again this year. Three-hundred eighty-seven families had a merrier Christmas because of our many caring friends.

The “Red Kettle Program” enables us to serve hot lunches to as many as 30 people daily, provide food and needed supplies to numerous families each week, conduct church services in both English and Spanish on Sundays, and to serve a complete Thanksgiving dinner to more than 350 people a year. On behalf of Capts. Mario and Claudia Ruiz of the Burbank Corps and the many individuals who were served, we wish to thank everyone who participated in 2008 and have continued to support the Salvation Army Burbank Corps.

We look forward to another great year of service to the Burbank community.

ELAINE PAONESSA

Burbank

EDITOR’S NOTE: Paonessa is the Angel Tree Project chairwoman for the Salvation Army Burbank Corps.