To the editor: What do people do on roller coasters? They scream. Loudly!
One would think that with all the creative genius and the many well-compensated executives at Universal Studios Hollywood, someone might have uttered “Houston, we have a problem” sometime within the decade of this roller coaster being discussed (“‘Fast & Furious’ coaster screams rattle quiet neighborhood: ‘Like someone is getting murdered,”” July 24).
Has anyone thought about the effects on property values in Toluca Lake if this problem cannot be solved? Declining values could provide residents some property tax relief, but at the cost of the quiet and peaceful enjoyment of their homes. What a conundrum.
County officials did not require public hearings prior to granting Universal approval to build the coaster. I wonder how many of these officials reside in Toluca Lake.
Jan Meredith, Torrance
..
To the editor: I used to live near Universal’s sound-monitoring stations. I was a member of the committee that negotiated the park plan and then objected to the sounds that started before the roller coaster construction began. Sounds just from testing materials were heard inside homes and around the yards.
At the meetings with Universal, we expressed concerns about the additional sounds of screams. We tried, but it turns out there was nothing we could do to prevent them from going ahead with a project that we told them would destroy our peace. Universal was a fun park already and did not need the roller coaster.
I didn’t sell my house two years ago because of Universal, but I am glad I am not there now.
Connie Elliot, Pomona