CON: DON'T `THROW AWAY' PART OF OUR COMMUNITY.

Byline: Jan Maggs

During a break at a recent City Council meeting, I spoke with one of the political groupies and brought up my favorite subject, the homeless shelter on Sierra Highway. The comment I heard left me with my mouth agape: ``It's a fine place for the shelter; it's the throwaway part of town.''

In our fine valley we have a large number of wonderful people, good schools, an inordinate number of charities compared with other parts of Los Angeles County, some crime which our fine law enforcement agencies manage to keep in some semblance of control - but is there really a ``throwaway'' part of town?

Downtown Newhall began to slip, as has happened in other cities across the country, and we formed a redevelopment agency to curb and change the tide on this trend. New facades are showing up on the storefronts, and new businesses are beginning to open.

In other areas, we have what some may call rampant growth - we have new businesses opening every day, a flourishing business community, a growing industrial area with new businesses coming to the area bringing new jobs and opportunities for the population. We are a very vital, growing community on the upswing. But was this activist correct? Is Sierra Highway really the throwaway part of town?

Admittedly, Sierra Highway north of Soledad Canyon Road was the last part of town to have public transportation, and even though it is limited, word comes from City Hall that they are pleased with the number of riders and plan to expand the service. The homeowners within this canyon area are proud of their homes; many have lived there for most of their life. There are businesses providing goods and services, not only to the canyon residents but also services not available in other parts of town.

There are several private schools, Sulphur Springs School District offices and an elementary school. From auto parts to veterinarians, chiropractors, barbers and beauty shops, this is a living, breathing community that goes to work every day, lays its head down at night, attends church in the canyon, looks to the various restaurants for dinners, uses the hotels for visiting guests and attends the various venues for entertainment.

Along this stretch of road there are also four private clubs. The Elks Lodge, the Moose Lodge and two VFW posts provide entertainment and fellowship for their members. These private clubs also do a tremendous amount of charity work within the community at large.

The Elks and Moose lodges have bingo, which provides entertainment for a large number of people, mostly women. With the opening of the homeless shelter, will these players be safe leaving the lodges? My thoughts are their safety will be jeopardized. My mother, now deceased, loved her bingo games. Armed with her bingo stash - her tote bag with good luck charms and daubers - she would spend delightful Sunday afternoons and Thursday evenings playing her multicard games.

If she were alive today, I don't know if I would want her to go to the games, putting her in harm's way. The Elks Lodge and the bingo players will be the most threatened - there is just one small vacant lot separating the players from the proposed shelter.

All four clubs have both indoor and outdoor events for families. Will the children be completely safe playing in the back yards as they do now? Will the lodges be able to continue to raise funds for the numerous local charities, as they have in the past?

The canyon along Sierra Highway is not the ``throwaway'' part of town. Throw it away and the city will lose the sales tax revenue, the goods and services provided by the businesses along the road, and the entertainment and charity work of the private clubs. My words to the people of the Santa Clarita Valley: Don't throw away Sierra Highway by allowing the homeless shelter to be located there. The valley will be the loser, not just the good people living in and doing business in the canyon.