Two Men. Two Letters. Two Newspapers. Two Opinions

Marymount College Board of Trustee member Mr. Richard Grotz had his letter to the editor of The Daily Breeze published in its Wednesday’s edition.

Mr. Grotz’ same letter appeared the following day in the Palos Verdes Peninsula News.
I am posting the letter from Mr. Grotz and following it with my letter to the editor of The Daily Breeze that appears in today’s edition.

First, the letter by Mr. Grotz:

Vote on Marymount College plan welcomed

I applaud the courage of Marymount College for putting their plan to renovate the campus to a vote of the residents. Instead of hiding behind complicated negotiations or making big-money promises like a developer, they are acting like a part of the community and asking for our opinion.

What is so controversial about their proposal that has taken 10 years and millions of dollars to get us to this point? Nothing. The student housing is smaller than the version Ken Dyda's City Council approved. They are going to build a terrific athletic center and fine new library and we, the residents, will be able to use the facilities.

Is it perfect? No, but nothing ever is. What Marymount is proposing is a much-needed improvement to an important Rancho Palos Verdes institution. I and my family are voting yes in support of Marymount College and Measure P.

- Richard M. Grotz
Rancho Palos Verdes

Now here is mine:

Marymount project still vexes

This is in reply to the letter in Wednesday's edition from Richard Grotz, member of the Board of Trustees of Marymount College ("Vote on Marymount College plan welcomed").

Where is the "courage" in asking for everything that has already been approved? How is Marymount "acting like a part of the community" when it seeks to supersede some existing municipal codes, according to Measure P and the opinion of many in the community?

What is so controversial about their proposal that has taken 10 years and millions of dollars to get us to this point? On-campus student housing, or didn't you know that?

In fact, that piece is so controversial that Marymount's own representatives voluntarily removed that portion of the Marymount Facilities Expansion Project from consideration by the Rancho Palos Verdes Planning Commission and then didn't have the courage to bring it up before the City Council, where that body could have voted on it regardless of the opinions of the members of the Rancho Palos Verdes Planning Commission. "They are going to build a terrific athletic center and fine new library and we, the residents, will be able to use the facilities." You are absolutely, positively correct. What you fail to mention is that those two pieces of the puzzle have already been approved and now are part of existing municipal laws, along with everything Marymount has brought to the City Council for voting and inclusion in the expansion project.


Is it perfect? No, but nothing ever is. What Marymount has been approved for is a much-needed improvement to an important Rancho Palos Verdes institution. Myself, my wife, many of my neighbors and friends, and probably the majority of voters in Rancho Palos Verdes will be voting no on Measure P because of Marymount's current approvals for everything they asked for, except for on-campus housing for students, and Marymount's attempts to alter land use in our great city and supersede some municipal codes and regulations that would benefit only Marymount College, and no others.

- Mark Wells,
Rancho Palos Verdes