I am writing this letter for my friend, Jim Rauch, who died this Father’s Day. Jim loved Luther Burbank Park, especially Calkins Points. Two days before he died, he sat at the point in his wheelchair, listening to the eagles and enjoying the beauty around him. He could not have been happier.

I am speaking for Jim because I know he would have been the first to object to construction of any kind on Calkins Point.

However, if people are going to be allowed to purchase the right to design and install ‘improvements’ in the park, I’d like to be first in line. When Jim’s grandchildren heard us discussing plans for Steve Haba’s memorial, they asked, “Is Grandpa Jim going to have a memorial in the park?”

I feel that if we really love Calkins Point, development should be discouraged and efforts should be directed at stopping the erosion that is washing away our precious shoreline.

Susan Higgins