Please Vote "YES" for the Proposed Landswap for the Veteran’s Cemetery

Please Vote "YES" for the Proposed Landswap for the Veteran’s Cemetery

4/12/16

Dear Mayor Choi and city council members,

Good evening to you all.  My name is Gang Chen, a resident of Irvine for the past 18 years.  I am very pleased to see the veteran’s cemetery issue will finally be resolved creatively once the landswap is approved by the city councils.  Reaching this common ground showed the power of collaboration and the power of synergy of all stakeholders. 

First, I would like to congratulate our veterans.  We all know military is the back bone of a country.  We salute all veterans and everyone serving in the military, and my gratitude extends to the military families.  I am happy to see our veterans propose this new cemetery site as a superior and more prominent location with faster groundbreaking, but without the possibly exorbitant clean-up costs required by the current site.  The veteran’s cemetery is going to be an eternal landmark for Irvine, and I am pleased to see it is going to be done right this time.

Second, I would like to congratulate our residents, especially the ones who live right next to the current cemetery site.  Many of them are here this evening to support the land swap proposal. With the new cemetery site far away from homes and school, the residents can celebrate their cultures and embrace their beliefs.  After the relocation, the traffic on local streets, for example, Irvine Blvd & Sand Canyon, will not be worsened by the expected extra traffic arising from the cemetery at the current site.

Last but not least, I would like to thank Great Park developer, Five Point.  Its generous and gracious offer of the new site makes a wining solution for all related parties a possibility.

In general, it is very clear that the land swap is a win-win solution for our veterans and local residents.    This solution brings peace and harmony among all races with diversified cultures, and all walks of life.  It ultimately gives our city completive advantages. Supporting this win-win solution is the right thing to do. Therefore, I sincerely ask Mr. Mayor and city council members to vote “YES” on the land swap of the veteran’s cemetery.

Thank you very much.

Gang Chen, a resident of Irvine for the past 18 years