• Speaking for the trees • More traffic, fewer choices • Fairer treatment • Answer is fewer cars • Surf’s up Speaking for the trees I just returned from a meeting with Stan Sagum of Hawaii Development consultants, working with
• Speaking for the trees
• More traffic, fewer choices
• Fairer treatment
• Answer is fewer cars
• Surf’s up
Speaking for the trees
I just returned from a meeting with Stan Sagum of Hawaii Development consultants, working with Wayne Kiefer, project manager of Silver Oaks Development, and Jerry Nishek, general manager of Kaua‘i Nursery and Landscaping.
We met at the project site for the 1-acre agriculture lots on the Po‘ipu/Koloa Bypass Road to discuss replacement of the Koloa Community Association’s seven rainbow shower trees killed on the project site.
There is also a fallen dead tree across the street from the project that someone backed into.
The developers have agreed to replace the missing trees on the bypass road with eight 8- to 15- foot, 25-gallon-sized trees and provide water for the first two months.
After that we hope the county can continue to water the trees for at least a year.
We will plan to get photos for The Garden Island of the developers with the people involved to show that they are trying to be responsible to the community.
The tree replacement will begin in about a month.
We presently have Eileen Wright and Steve Kresig pruning the trees and trying to reshape them after they were so badly butchered recently.
Donald Fujimoto, County of Kaua‘i, has agreed to remove the tree trimmings after they have been pruned.
We hope to find someone in the county who will remove the grass around the base of the trees at least three times a year.
It would be nice if we could make this road with its beautiful shower trees the showplace as you enter the Po‘ipu resort area.
In talking with Maureen Murphy of the Outdoor Circle, she said she would like to co-sponsor a project with the Poipu Beach Resort Association and the Koloa Community Association to complete the tree-planting down to Po‘ipu Road so it makes a final nice entrance to Po‘ipu at Po‘ipu Road.
Carol Ann Davis-Briant
Koloa
More traffic, fewer choices
I am writing to support Gini Stoddard’s assessment of the Planning Commission (“Won’t be 50 stories,” Letters, Feb. 6).
Who is greasing their palms?
First they give their approval for a 550-room resort project in poor little Waipoli, then want to stop Wal-Mart from a natural expansion plan. So, in a matter of weeks they are going to increase traffic and congestion for us who live here, then limit our choices of where to shop.
Do these guys even live here? I think they are from Maui.
John Humphrey
Hanalei
Fairer treatment
Regarding the Coco Palms redevelopment, we wish to clarify what we feel are significant misrepresentations of the project in The Garden Island’s Jan. 14 article “Coco Palms plan triggers county concern.”
We are troubled that the project is being publicized in such a one-sided manner in the press rather than the Planning Commission, where both sides of the project can be more fairly heard.
The proposed fitness center is planned to be located in the former tennis court complex in the mauka portion of the Coco Palms Resort. This area has been extensively modified as a result of the former tennis complex which included nice tennis courts. The fitness center will include a number of one-story buildings but will also have less than one-half of the land coverage of the former tennis complex.
As with other buildings in the resort, most structures are elevated above the flood levels in conformance with the county’s Flood Hazard Ordinance. We are not elevating the buildings 16 feet, rather 7- to 8-feet above ground.
The use of fill minimizes any impacts on subsurface historic resources.
We are conforming with the State Historic Preservation Division, the Kauai Island Burial Counsel and the Kauai Historic Preservation Review Commission.
We could put the building on stilts, but their placement on beams provides a much more natural appearance.
Extensive landscaping will further enhance the natural appearance and minimize the views of any structures.
We would invite anyone to visit our sales center at the Coconut Marketplace to view a scale model of the fitness center in the context of the coconut grove, as well as the ultimate redeveloped resort.
Richard Weiser
Coco Palms Ventures
Answer is fewer cars
I am tired of all the whining about the traffic problem and the whiners are those who drive cars. Do not blame the Planning Commission for allowing development of properties that have been zoned for such. What Kaua‘i needs is a decent bus system.
• Buses that are on time and that frequent high -demand areas.
• Shelters so that potential riders do not have to use cardboard to hide from the rain — especially on the North Shore.
• Our leaders should show some backbone against the rental car, tourist bus and taxi special interests and insist that buses service the airport and Nawiliwili Harbor. And yes, allow luggage on board the buses.
How do we pay for it?
We can again eat at the trough of federal money largesse, just as we did with the “path to nowhere,” and get federal funding.
And how about charging a fee per day for rental cars or even impact fees for new developments earmarked to support a viable public transportation system?
There is basically one highway around this little island. No big logistical problems. Make it convenient, cheap and dry and they will come.
The tourist industry should pay for it. They can even use it, too.
Main theme — get the cars off the roads with a viable alternative.
Christian Smith
Honolulu
Surf’s up
Glad to see Hawai‘i is focusing on “surf schools” that take over a good portion of the beach and waves.
This too is occuring in California.
There are a number of issues that could be of concern — safety, parking/beach space, people’s behavior, beach clean-up and the surf schools’ contribution to local and government taxes.
Dave White
Malibu, Calif.
