• Resource Center as drug treatment facility • Drug center gone, Superferry next • Another KIUC alternative • Students speak on Superferry • Another student Resource Center as drug treatment facility After reading the account in The Garden Island about
• Resource Center as drug treatment facility
• Drug center gone, Superferry next
• Another KIUC alternative
• Students speak on Superferry
• Another student
Resource Center as drug treatment facility
After reading the account in The Garden Island about the plight of the administration in finding an acceptable site for the county’s drug rehabilitation facility (“Drug treatment center work halted” Nov. 2) I believe there is a perfect solution.
There is an empty building near the Lihu‘e Airport that has had various names attached to it, both officially and unofficially. I will use the unofficial one — the White Elephant.
This building was built after Hurricane ‘Iniki with federal money to serve as a site for recycling ‘Iniki trash into useful objects. But, alas, that goal has never been achieved. At least six or more “Invitation For Bids” have been issued by the county since the building (let’s call it the Resource Center, since that is currently the official name) was completed in 1994.
Nobody bid on it.
Finally, the county made a special arrangement (which we need not go into here) that allowed Island Recycling to agree to bid on the job. For reasons we need not, and probably could not, because much of that was handled in many Executive Sessions, under ES-159, over the past two years, the contract with Island Recycling was terminated recently. The Resource Center again became the White Elephant.
The White Elephant is located next to the Lihue Transfer Station, with excellent access by perhaps the best paved road on this island leading from the Lihu‘e Airport. There are no neighboring residents whatever. It is a large building that, except for an office and a meeting room, is largely empty; so it is a simple and inexpensive job to convert it to a residential drug rehab facility. Sure, we may have to pay back the feds a little over $2 million if we don’t use it for recycling; but that would be cheap compared to what we have already spent trying to locate a rehab facility for years. Who knows, maybe the Administration can convince the federal government that using the White Elephant for drug rehab is just as socially commendable as the original goal of recycling hurricane debris.
Furthermore, all the speculation and gossip and rumored exposés that have attended ES-159 will die away.
Hanalei
Drug center gone, Superferry next
Cheers to the mayor for stopping the drug treatment center at Salt Pond. The will of the people was respected and an inappropriate location for the needed center was avoided.
I hope that the same attention will be paid to finding a way to make the Superferry require an EIS.
People should apply the same pressure on the government to stop the Superferry from coming without an adequate EIS or preparation here on Kaua‘i.
The Superferry is going to be an easy new conduit for drugs. Criminals will be able to come and go with their vehicles. Our homeless population will increase as O‘ahu has already begun evicting homeless from its beaches. Traffic will continue to be problematic and more of the recent ambulance delays due to heavy traffic will occur, endangering Kaua‘i’s sick and injured.
These are Public Health issues that Kaua‘i is not prepared to handle right now.
If the Superferry must come, then do an EIS and make the changes needed to protect the health and welfare of the people of Kaua‘i.
The lesson of the drug treatment center is that the will of the people wins out if our voices are loud enough.
I urge everyone who cares about the health of Kaua‘i’s citizens to continue to press for an EIS before the Superferry arrives bringing O‘ahu’s big city problems to our unprepared rural island.
Kekaha
Another KIUC alternative
If, indeed, it is true that KIUC purchases its fuel oil from Chevron Oil and, in view of what has happened to the price of gasoline at Chevron and Shell stations since Costco opened, I should think that KIUC would consider contacting the company that supplies Costco.
Such a move could be an alternative that Jilda Loomis mentioned in yesterday’s Letters.
Lihu‘e
Students speak on Superferry
The Superferry is a major public issue at this time, and I, along with a segment of the local public, think it is a very bad idea. First of all, it will extremely pollute our Hawaiian waters as well as kill endangered sea life, overcrowd our small island, and bring loads upon loads more garbage with it. The Canary Islands has a superferry that travels from island to island, and the front of it has two razor sharp hulls that travel very fast through the water, and literally slices whales in half, as well as harming other wildlife. Another controversial factor of the Superferry is that people from the island of O‘ahu and Maui, will come to Kaua‘i with no respect and want to surf at spots where locals have been for years. The traffic will be horrendous, with up to 564 cars per day dumped at Nawiliwili Harbor. Some people may think that this Superferry is a fantastic idea, and will be much cheaper for traveling from island to island for locals as well as tourists. But if you consider how much the air fair prices have dropped in the last few months (to as low as $19 one way to any Hawaiian island) — well, that’s a lot less than a $60 ticket on the Superferry. Today there will be a protest at Nawiliwili Harbor against the Superferry. The goal is to try and get 282 vehicles at Nawiliwili Harbor, and show people how much more traffic that will add to our island. Consider all the negative impacts the Superferry will be bringing our already vastly developing island of Kaua‘i. If you don’t really care about saving a few extra bucks to travel from island to island and if you are not willing to give up our endangered sealife, over-crowd the island, and fill our already full landfill, then don’t support the Superferry.
Kapa‘a
Another student
Even though the Superferry might provide good impacts to fellow Kauaians such as cheaper prices to travel inter-island on vacation, visit family, or for work related reasons, the negative impacts outweigh all of the possible positive influences the Superferry might have on this island.
Each time the Superferry arrives at Nawiliwili Harbor it will unload a total of 282 vehicles, 866 people, plus livestock and pets. Our island is already overpopulated, and we don’t need more vehicles causing more traffic on mainly one-lane roads. To add to that, there will be more people in our local surfing, fishing, and beach spots, and because these people don’t live on the beautiful island of Kaua‘i, they will not show that much care and respect for the land and the ocean. Also, as the president of my high school dive club, I am really concerned about the marine life such as the Humpback whales, dolphins, and the green sea turtles. It has been noted that the Humpback whales have been sliced open and sometimes killed by similar superferries in the Canary Islands, not to mention what a Superferry can do to dolphins and green sea turtles. So please Kaua‘i, come to Nawiliwili Harbor today at 1:30 p.m. to support Kaua‘i against the Superferry in a peaceful protest.
Kilauea
