Won't give up on a 'Skating Palace' for Thousand Oaks

I'd like the owners of the former Kmart building and land to open up their hearts and donate both to the city. I'll call them the "Miracle Makers," because they can cause a miracle to happen, and thousands of children and adults can benefit from having a roller and ice skating rink in T.O.

Joel McCrea donated several hundred acres of land in the late 1960s so we could have a YMCA. He cared about all of us.

I saw a TV show on KCET with Huell Howser showing how UC Davis expands their students' education by having their students run the campus. For example, they buy, prepare, serve and pay for all goods in their cafeterias. They drive all tour buses on the campus and take care of all repairs. When they graduate, they will have hands-on experience in the real world.

Why can't we have students from our colleges run a skating center? They're studying computer skills, administrative technology, network support, implementation and customer service.

We also have many seniors with experience in many areas. They're retired and would love to help build sets to make the "Skating Palace" look like a real palace. We would need carpenters, plumbers and construction workers.

A wall (could display the) names and skills they contributed. Children could say to their friends, "See, my grandfather helped build all those sets so we could skate in a palace."

All the city would have to do is change the floor and pay for the materials from Home Depot.

Charity belongs at home. Let's have a giant hometown concert with all local talent, orchestras, bands, solo singers, choruses, dancers and actors. Ticket sales would pay for all materials we need.

We need a Cinderella in our Skating Palace and that's the city of Thousand Oaks.

Impossible dream? I don't think so.
Kristal Watters
Thousand Oaks