Because of my concern and fear that Kaua’i is losing her spark, I am prompted to write to our island neighbors. I hope everyone has been paying close attention to the recent, unprecedented new developments that have been approved. I
Because of my concern and fear that Kaua’i is losing her spark, I am prompted
to write to our island neighbors.
I hope everyone has been paying close
attention to the recent, unprecedented new developments that have been
approved. I am talking about the lands in Kilauea where 1,000 new units are
planned and I do not think any will be sold to the average person on
Kaua’i.
We all know that these will go to wealthy folks from the Mainland.
Many friends and clients of mine have ridden our horses all over that area and
have noticed all the lovely birdlife and open fields that will soon be
lost.
I will no longer think of Kilauea as a small little town.
Kaua’i
is widely known as the timeshare capital of the Pacific and with the reopening
of Coco Palms planned, we will add another 800+ timeshare rooms to the east
side.
We cannot forget the 1,000+ unit development planned for Po’ipu. This
was another area that was cane field next to pasture and I am one of many will
miss the lovely trails and views we saw when the land was natural and in
agriculture.
Most of those units will be more upscale and again , not
within the price range of the locals (at least none I know).
I am most
upset about the proposed electric power plant that many do no want, but the
powers that be have ignored our requests for more time. They seem unwilling to
inquire about federal programs I have discovered to get the money they say they
would need to get Kaua’i off of fossil fuels and onto renewable resources.
We could show the power companies a much higher profit margin after the initial
start up expense, but they seem stuck in the mud of routine. I also believe
that much greater forces are at work to maintain the monopoly the oil industry
has enjoyed for far to long.
We also should remember that we pay one of
the highest rates for gas and the company doesn’t have to heat the fuel like
they do on the east coast. This saves a substantial amount of money, and yet we
still pay more. We also should note that we pay 18 cents a kilowatt (since I
asked last) and that is the third highest in the USA.
Last election we were
promised that no new resorts would be passed until the unopened resorts were
rebuilt. We can all see how that promise was kept.
I hope that everyone is
paying close attention to what is happening and plans to come the meeting on
Thursday, Jan. 13, at 1:30 p.m. to have our public hearing to stop this power
plant.
We need every breathing body we can to show the county that we will
not accept fossil fuel on Kaua’i. We can all apply for a special program to get
solar water heaters and panels. We can all qualify for up to a 70 percent
rebate from Kauai Electric and the federal government.
We must stop this
downward spiral Kaua’i is taking towards being another “whore in
paradise”.
Lara Butler
Kapa’a
www.keapana.com
