Letters to the editor Letters to the editor (May 14, 2004)

Grateful for article on Dialysis Center

Editor:

I would like to express an enormous gratitude on behalf of my family and many patients and their families for publishing the April 30 article on El Camino Hospital's plan to move its Dialysis Center. This is a critical issue for many of us who use the center.

Your article is being proudly posted on the bulletin board of the Dialysis Center. The Mountain View Voice got many new friends and added respect from your constant readers.

Valeria Milman
West Dana Street

Field Space

Editor:

In regard to your article last week about the lack of sports field space for our youth sports organizations: I was the one that started the field space battle between the Babe Ruth and Little League's juniors division. I thought it was appalling that a city with our population and economic wealth couldn't seem to find a field for two baseball teams to use for practices and games. Both last season and again this season the Little League's junior division has had to take a backseat to the use of the field at McKelvey Park. The teams must use the Graham Middle School field for practices. I've been to baseball fields all over the country to baseball fields and Graham's field has to rank among the least useable as a practice facility. Meanwhile the Babe Ruth teams get to use the field at McKelvey for both practices and games. This was set forth by the good folks at the city's Recreation Division.

As your article stated, the field at Graham will disappear in a few weeks, leaving the Little League junior teams with no place to practice. I find this particularly interesting since the city's own field space allocation policy states that youth sports organizations will receive the first priority on field space over adult sports organizations. Why is it then that there seem to be two lighted fields set aside for adult softball? There are two lighted fields that could be used as practice fields for this age group of baseball teams at Crittenden Middle School. These are currently used by adult softball only, as far as I have seen. So it would appear to me that the adult teams have two lighted fields while our youth teams will have none.

Given the recent trend of increased need for field space, I would urge the city council to reconsider their proposed use of the 18-acre space in North Bayshore.

Joe Cree
Morgan Street

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