Letters to the editor: Simi mall needs makeover; trash plan is garbage
Simi Valley needs to restore mall
I am a 20-year-old living in Simi Valley and I am very frustrated by the fact that our mall, the Simi Valley Town Center, has been empty for years now. In the last 10 years, one store after another has closed down leaving people in all age groups having to drive to either Thousand Oaks, Northridge or other surrounding areas not only to purchase the things that we need but to use it as an outing.
The city of Simi Valley has not been proactive in securing sustainable stores so that it can meet the needs of its people. There was talk several years ago about converting it into an outlet mall like they have in Camarillo which would have brought business into our city, but that idea fell by the wayside.
I feel like this truly affects people in my age group the most. I honestly can’t think of a major city that does not have a thriving mall within 40 miles of Simi Valley.
There have been countless social media posts regarding this problem throughout the years from frustrated citizens who have great ideas. The money we spend outside of Simi in other malls, goes to benefit those communities through our tax dollars. Our city council should be able to think outside of the box by securing leases with companies that will drive people and revenue back into Simi Valley. If our community members do not continually voice their concerns, then one day a developer might just bulldoze this mall down and build more homes or apartments.
I believe that the city of Simi Valley should take a serious look at our desolate mall and find ways to restore it so that it can thrive once again.
Alexandria Hanessian, Simi Valley
A poorly conceived trash plan
Ventura County residents are being asked to collect their food waste in a clear, thin bag housed in an attractive kitchen container, and to throw that bag into the yard waste bin on garbage day.
As the garbage truck makes its rounds in the neighborhood, the truck’s mechanical arm clamps around each waste bin at the curb, moves the bin up, over to the open back of the truck, then rotates the bin opening to point straight down.
Then the arm moves the bin quickly down and stops with a jerk, throwing the contents out of the bin, into the truck. There is likely enough force to burst the bag contents all over the inside of truck. Also, as more and more material enters the truck during its route, this heaver load on the bag probably increases the pressure enough to burst the bag (if it wasn’t already burst), making it impossible to process the material.
This seems to be a very poorly conceived plan.
Nelson Wallace, Ventura
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Letters to the editor: Simi mall needs makeover; trash plan is garbage
