Letter to the Editors

Dear Editor,

I am writing in reply to a recent story that was published in both the Westside Lance and re-published on WestsideWired regarding WMS students hanging out in Loveland Centre after school.

I don’t feel the story represented what is really happening in the Centre and the stores. The story was focused primarily on a one time incident, that was addressed that day and resolved. That one time incident was footballs being thrown and bottle flipping taking place in the parking lot. It happened just once. To my knowledge, the police were never called as stated in the article. I know there was a threat by a neighboring manager to call them after a vehicle in one of the drive thru locations was hit by either a bottle or a football. I personally talked to the group and explained that the parking lot was not the place for such things, they agreed and it has not happened since.

The photograph that accompanied the article unfairly tagged the students in it as “the culprits”. That’s not the case. The students that come through the store vary on a week to week basis. These particular students just happened to be in the store, about a month after the initial incident when the story was written.

For me personally, we want to work with the students. We would like to have them as patrons in our store. We have created some menu items that fall more in line, from a price point perspective, for an after school, student-budget crowd. The only concern that we still manage on a week to week basis is the size of the crowd in our store and making sure that those who are there are paying customers of Planet Sub. On occasion, the crowds get big, students get a little wild, loud, etc… An occasional cell phone is grabbed and a chase will ensue, chairs have been knocked over, etc… We do not feel that there is any student in our store with malicious intent. It is simply kids exploring their boundaries and testing some of the freedoms they are being granted. All I would ask is for parents to remind their kids that when they are in a place of business, they are paying patrons of that business and that they act respectfully with regards to language and behavior.

I appreciate the opportunity to respond to the article. Thank you.

Sincerely,

David Stiles

Co-Owner, Planet Sub