• Vacation rental owners are not drug dealers • Let’s keep it clean • What to do with Koke‘e cabins • No lawyers fees if reparations Vacation rental owners are not drug dealers On Wednesday, May 31, a letter, “Vacation
• Vacation rental owners are not drug dealers
• Let’s keep it clean
• What to do with Koke‘e cabins
• No lawyers fees if reparations
Vacation rental owners are not drug dealers
On Wednesday, May 31, a letter, “Vacation Rental Problem, easy solution,” was published regarding vacation rentals on Kaua‘i. As a current visitor to this beautiful island, and an owner of three vacation rentals on St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands, I have to take exception with many of the assertions made by the author, Brian Schoen.
Mr. Schoen remarks that as a result of vacation rentals located in areas of the island where they are not allowed, there is a shortage of affordable housing. This can be true of any vacation destination, including my home state of Colorado. However, I find it hard to believe that the percentage of vacation rentals with regard to all housing on the island is anything but very small. He states that long term residents are leaving in droves.
Where did he find these statistics? I have to believe that the population of Kaua’i is rising and has grown significantly since my last visit 14 years ago.
He also asserts that most VR owners do not contribute to the community “in any way.” I am very involved and care deeply about the community where my properties are located … even though I live in Colorado.
Expenses for maintaining my properties are over 50 percent of my income. Where does he believe this 50 percent of my income goes? I’ll tell you … it goes to local property managers, housekeepers, electricians, plumbers, painters, carpenters, insurance companies, etc. All owners spend these dollars locally, no matter where they live.
Mr. Schoen asserts that most VR owners don’t pay their taxes. I have to collect a hotel tax on St. Croix, just like any business has to collect sales tax. This tax is collected from my guests and forwarded to the government of the U.S. Virgin Islands. To suggest that most VR owners do not collect this tax, or claim their income, is no different than suggesting most other businesses would do the same. I suspect that Mr. Schoen probably believes this to be true of most businesses. It is beyond belief that Mr. Schoen believes that buying, maintaining, and renting a house as a VR is “really no different than drug trafficking.”
If a VR owner is outside the designated “resort or visitors destination” zones and legally obtains a variance then he/she is doing nothing wrong.
I am very curious where Mr. Schoen got his statistics that confirm his assertions that most VR owners don’t pay hotel taxes, don’t pay income taxes, don’t contribute to the community and are “the same as drug traffickers.”
My guests bring a lot of money to the economy of St. Croix and I pay a lot of taxes to the U.S. Virgin Islands … just like most VR owners on Kaua‘i do.
- Kent Vreeland
Aurora, Colo.
Let’s keep it clean
After playing hide-and-seek with my 5-year-old at “Anahola Beach Reserve” (Aliomanu Road at the Anahola River mouth) I was amazed at the amount of rubbish all over the park.
I immediately sent out the word to some dedicated Kula High School students and we have been cleaning this park for the last three days. We have bagged over 20 bags of garbage and are going back to do more. We got most of the big trash, but it looks like a storm came through and it rained cigarette butts for many years.
This area is Hawaiian Homelands and should be respected as such. Please “Pack Your Trash” and “Pack your Butts.” Encourage your friends and family to not litter, and take a stand when others do. Kaua‘i deserves the best from us.
Malama Aina (care for the land) is not just a saying but a way of life.
What to do with Koke‘e cabins
Editor’s note: The following letter was sent to Gov. Linda Lingle’s office as well as to The Garden Island letters to the editor.
Aloha Governor Lingle,
I would request that your office look into the releasing of cabins by auction to the highest bidder at Koke‘e State Park.
I believe that the state of Hawai‘i has an obligation to ensure that the demographics of state-leased homes (or in this case, cabins on Kaua‘i) should match the demographics of the state (or in this case, the County of Kaua‘i).
The leasing of state-owned land by auction to the highest bidder for the purpose of personal residence will ensure that only the rich will reap the rewards of the state. This is unconscionable in today’s multi-cultural environment. There are no plans for even a 10 percent set-aside for affordable housing. I would be very interested in knowing the demographics of the current leaseholders.
Let us propose a plan that is fair to all of Hawai‘i:
• Let the current leases expire at the end of the year. Require the leaseholders to return the property back to its natural pristine condition or the state can assume the property improvements. It is time for the current leaseholders to meet their obligations.
• During 2007, the Department of Land and Natural Resources can assess the cabins and decide which ones to lease, set affordable lease pricing and security deposits, etc.
• Starting 2008, leases would be by lottery for one year. Leasing by lottery would ensure that demographic obligations would be met. A one-year lease is long enough to experience the “Koke’e lifestyle” without any false perception of ownership.
The annual Koke’e lease lottery would be an event on Kaua‘i.
No lawyers fees if reparations
I am all for Hawaiians getting some reparation for the lands they lost — as long as it is stated that their Queen actually gave the lands to the U.S. government. It is just the way things worked out due to the politics of the era.
Also, it would be fair for the Hawaiians to get reparation as long as no lawyers receive any compensation for their part in this proceeding.
If Mr. Akaka is who he says he is — then a “no attorney’s fee clause” should be enforced with substantial penalties.
It is my opinion that attorneys are hoping to get paid big fees from this issue — now is the time to ask attorneys to donate time if they really care about Hawaiians.
I would be happy with attorneys getting no money from this issue. If Hawaiians do not insist on free legal help — they will be worse off than they are now.
See if Akaka will agree (in writing). I doubt he will.
