Sport X Plan Has Wrong Site

David Gulbranson of Sport X tells us that we should be trotting our children through a 200,000-square-foot shopping center he wants to build on the school board property at the intersection of Janss and the 23 Freeway exit. Instead of buying drinks from the AYSO fund-raising snack shop, we should use the 10 fast-food places. To be really good parents, we should expose our kids to the glitz and hype of the 20 or so sports manufacturers who will have shops in the center. Mr. Gulbranson says the sports bar will have such great family video games that the alcohol they serve will be incidental.

According to Mr. Gulbranson, we need professional training facilities for our children so they can hone their skills and get college scholarships. And I thought sports were about fun and sportsmanship.

I thought Thousand Oaks was a nice place to live just the way it is. How naive of me. It’s too bad that I am so stupid that I won’t accept that politicians and rich men know what’s good for me.

JOY MEADE

Thousand Oaks

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There is a coalition of concerned citizens who have come together within the last two weeks in response to a concept being presented to various groups throughout the Conejo Valley. The Sport X group wants to develop the Conejo Creek Park and the adjacent Conejo Valley Unified School District property. We feel development of public land for commercial profit is inappropriate.

The property is now used for many major functions throughout the year such as Conejo Valley Days, Eggstravanza, Neighborhood Clean-Up, soccer, chili cook-offs and many other culturally enriching activities that build the moral fiber of our community. It is also used by many individuals for walking, kite flying, bird watching, jogging, bike riding and simple enjoyment of the unobstructed open space.

This is public land, owned by the citizens of this community, entrusted to public officials for proper disposition. The Conejo Recreation and Park District officials have been successful in providing excellent functional use of this land. If it is to be developed, it should not be developed by a private developer for his profit.

Nor should the land be developed without a tremendous amount of community input through open-door workshops, hearings and conferences that will allow informed intelligent decisions to be made by the citizenry of the Conejo Valley.

STEVE COOK

Thousand Oaks