Park should be left as place of reflection

Re “Balboa Park wheel ride wrong idea for many reasons” (Dec. 8): The proposed observation wheel is incongruent with the reasons people visit Balboa Park. The park is a place for relaxing and renewal and cultural experiences. It is a safe place to stretch, run and abandon the screens. It is a place for reading, contemplation and observing ducks, other birds and flowers.

Many who use the park cannot afford a $16 circus ride. Children will, naturally, want to ride, thus putting parents in the position of saying “no” and leaving children feeling left out.

A dollar a ride is contributed to the park fund? How about a contribution box for park-goers to voluntarily drop in a donation in appreciation for the renewal they experience from a park visit?

The observation wheel is a bad idea. It will destroy the very heart of the park. Connie Dahl South Park