Woeful lack of hardware

By The Malibu Times · Wed Apr 02 2008

Dick Van Dyke (and Michelle) wrote a thoughtful letter to the editor this month regarding the dearth of Cross Creek shopping useful to Malibu residents. The deletion of Malibu Lumber from our city's retail mix is a disaster for our community. Now, anyone who wants to buy a screwdriver, paint or any quantity of lumber is faced with a minimum 30 to 40 mile round-trip into Santa Monica, Thousand Oaks or Agoura. The local choice of a small partially converted plumbing shop or section of CVS Pharmacy is far from adequate to serve the needs of our community. The current city council sacrificed this critical asset as the best way to finance the acquisition of the "Legacy Park" which is, in actuality, a very expensive new sewer site. By the way, it has been well over a year since the city acquired the site and assumed the role of landlord; how much of the $1 million per year lease money has been collected so far?

Malibu is infamous for our recurring disasters of fire, mudslides, water main breaks and lengthy road closures. It is irresponsible at best that the present city council and city attorney have not provided deed-restricted space on the newly-acquired "Legacy Park" land to house a full-service lumberyard and hardware store even at a subsidized rate if need be. This is a vital resource in any civilized community. Can you name a single municipality without a serious hardware store? Sadly, "Malibu" is the only name that comes to mind.

In responding to disasters as well as the needs of daily life, we urgently need the resources that only a comprehensive hardware and lumber outlet can offer. As a city, we already own the land and as such we have an obligation to serve the needs of our residents, even if this means we offer a reduced rental rate to attract an appropriate hardware and lumber retailer. It is also a matter of public safety, and that concern should come first.

Let's reverse the course of the current Malibu City Council and take back our lumberyard and hardware store by supporting candidates Tellem, Wagner and Ulich. All three have outstanding public safety credentials and experience.

Daniel D. Hillman