Parks

Veteran surfers joined forces with Malibu city leaders Monday to launch construction of Legacy Park, the centerpiece of the city's $50-million-plus plan to clean up polluted water in Malibu Creek, Malibu Lagoon and the famed Surfrider Beach. "Legacy Park is going to act as Malibu's environmental cleaning machine," said Mayor Andy Stern. "It will reduce pollution from stormwater, improve the city's water quality, and allow residents to enjoy the health and recreation benefits of an open space area and a clean ocean."

City Councilman Bernard C. Parks called Saturday for the dismissal of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum's top two officials because of a growing financial scandal over the private business dealings of stadium managers. Parks, a member of the Coliseum's governing commission, said in an interview that the panel should "make a clean sweep" of the leadership ranks at the publicly owned sports and entertainment complex. He spoke out after a report in Saturday's Times that, citing records and interviews, said the Coliseum's technology manager directed stadium business to a firm he founded.

I applaud you on your article about the vandalism and gang activity present in our parks. It is a sad fact that we can no longer feel safe anywhere, especially in our parks. I remember when I was small, my dad would take me and my sister to the park every weekend. It is not safe any more. GINA NAPENAS Los Angeles

Re the Grand Avenue development, June 29: What downtown needs is real public space: a park, a community center and fields for soccer and baseball. Why more retail space? Our city is already choking from malls and the traffic that accompanies them. Retail does not make a community. Public parks do. Sandra Harper Los Angeles

Accolades to David Johnston and The Times in the attempt to apprise local inhabitants of problems in Los Angeles City public parks. Will this article awaken people (to the fact) that there are problems, and steps must be taken to correct them? Or will the lethargy and apathy of our society prevail, leading to the surrender of our public parks to unwelcomed intruders (gangs and/or private interests, etc.)? Will people react to protect our precious parkland, or sit back, wait and dream that funding will solve our problems?

How, officials in Austin, Texas, wondered, do we lure business types away from their Palm Pilots and into downtown parks? Install free wireless Internet access. Let suited folk reply to e-mails with grass tickling their toes, oaks shadowing their screens, a fountain lapping nearby. Last month, service was launched in Republic Square Park, the first of four city parks that will house wireless access points in the Texas capitol. Austin joins parks in New York City and Washington, D.C.

"At Major Amusement Parks, Attendance Is Taking a Dip" [Aug. 11] is not all that surprising considering the costs involved for a family. As a couple of senior citizens, we haven't been to one of these parks in many years and probably will never get there again. There is a solution that may have been missed. If considering a family of four, it is doubtful that both parents would take in the same number of rides that the kids would. At the same time senior citizens are not too interested in rides but would enjoy the ambience of these parks.

"Plan for Skateboard Park Moves Ahead," Oct. 9. I just finished reading the article on the proposed Calabasas skateboard park in which skateboarders are characterized as "kids that enjoy risk" who would otherwise be "sitting in front of a TV eating Chee-tos" if it were not for skateboarding. I am fed up with image of skateboarding as a children's sport that is quickly forgotten about at the same time the kid gets his drivers license. I am a 26-year-old college graduate with a good job, a car and my own house.