Norm Abbod, a Lake Forest resident, sent Lake Forest Patch the following letter to the editor:
A stadium could have been built over thirty years ago at no cost, on off-site school property and funded by the ETHS Booster Club. The principal at that time refused the offer and sold the land to developers.
A stadium could have built off-site after Measure B passed a few years ago but the school board (SVUSD) wanted to build it on-site, which is illegal and against the Measure. What has the SVUSD been doing with the $180M Bond money passed to build an off-site stadium? No one is against a stadium. It is the location of the stadium that is the issue.
An on-site stadium has been proposed several times and has been rejected several times for these reasons:
Parking
Parking is a bad joke as it is with some homes here in Ranchwood housing as many as 15 people and three or four cars parked in the street already. Students now park in our neighborhoods, eat lunch in their cars and deposit their trash accordingly. How will this situation improve if 4,000 more people attend functions? Functions will be held year round, not just football season. The Woods neighborhood does not have sidewalks, so goodbye to plants, bushes and sprinklers.
Lighting
How would you like an 80 foot light beaming 50.0 footcandles into your bedroom or back yard?
Noise
How do you mitigate noice from over 4,000 fans, stomping their feet, the PA system? How would anyone enforce mitigating the noise issue?
Property Values Will Decrease Substantially (at least 15% or more)
The property value of homes near Mission Viejo High School stadium were compared to Lake Forest property values. The nearest home to the stadium at Mission Viejo High School is 100 yards (length of a football field). The stadium at Mission Viejo is below street level and backs up to US 5 Freeway. This comparison is ridiculous. There are no homes near the other seven stadiums in Orange County.
Measure B was passed for several reasons, including an off-site stadium.
These were some of them:
- YES on B will repair leaking roofs and refurbish old classrooms.
- YES on B will remove asbestos, for student safety.
- YES on B will replace outdated plumbing and sewer systems.
- YES on B will replace outdated fire alarms and safety systems.
- YES on B will upgrade computer technology and library media centers.
How about putting the funds to better use such that our kids are better educated and can get a job after graduation or qualify for a college education? What has happened to our priorities?
