• The invasion of Kaua‘i • With ownership comes responsibility • Coincidence or not? • World class spot deserves real repair job The invasion of Kaua‘i First, there was only the island — no people, no laws, no government, no
• The invasion of Kaua‘i
• With ownership comes responsibility
• Coincidence or not?
• World class spot deserves real repair job
The invasion of Kaua‘i
First, there was only the island — no people, no laws, no government, no zoning, no money, no tourists.
Then, as people came here, they learned to harvest crops, to provide food for themselves, to build shelters for themselves and their families — near each other, close to other local families — in “residential neighborhoods.”
Those residential neighborhoods were here before any laws, before any government, before any zoning, before any money, and before any tourist industry.
Much later, those neighborhoods began to be corrupted. They were invaded — not by war, but by another destructive invader: people who saw a chance to take advantage of the beauty of those neighborhoods. By that time, zoning laws had been written; but the invaders paid no attention to laws that stood in the way of their making money from their business operations.
The zoning laws did not specifically list vacation rentals as a permitted use in agricultural or residential areas — and some (guess who?) say that left the door wide open for anyone who wanted to open a VR business, anywhere they wanted to, so they could make money wherever they wanted to. Others say the zoning laws are perfectly clear, defining point-by-point what uses are allowed (legal) on residential and ag lands.
But hold on here. The zoning laws did not specifically list nightclubs either as a permitted use on residential or ag land. Using the invaders’ logic, does that mean that it’s okay for every other house in a neighborhood to be turned into a nightclub? After all, the owners would make money, wouldn’t they? And, like VRs, nightclubs are not specifically prohibited, are they?
Do we think the earliest settlers on Kaua‘i would approve of what has happened to their ag lands and their residential neighborhoods? If not, please urge your County Council to grandfather only those VRs that were conducting VR business prior to passage of the zoning laws — and to require those owners to show ironclad proof that they were actually doing business then, not just that they owned the property or that the buildings existed. The only way to prove that a VR business was in existence then is to produce authentic IRS records showing their actual income from VR customers at that time. Having a G.E.T. or T.A.T. license is not sufficient.
Once that is done, perhaps the island can return to what it was meant to be.
Barbara Elmore
Lihu‘e
With ownership comes responsibility
Re. Carol Davis’ letter of 6/29. No one has accused Mr. Pflueger of the rains of 2006. But one has to question his decisions to change the contours of the land to create pollution along the coastline thus endangering (according to your words … “the gentle, forgiving Hawaiian culture.”
I do not believe Mr. Pflueger wanted all this to happen, but, by inheriting and/or purchasing land, he is responsible for the caring of his ‘aina. One needs to remember, with ownership comes responsibility. This applies to all of us, not just Mr. Pflueger.
Paulette Edmonston
Fountain Valley, Calif.
Coincidence or not?
The 2004 Ohana Kauai Property Tax Amendment was passed by 60% of those who voted on the measure, 52% of those who voted in the 2004 election, and 36% of the number of registered voters in 2004 (www.hawaii.gov/elections/results/2004). Like the fish that got away, these numbers have increased in size over time. An OK member recently wrote (The Garden Island 6/27/2007) that 75% passed the amendment.
California’s Prop. 13 was the father of the OK amendment. The late Howard Jarvis, author of Prop. 13, was proud to reveal that his measure was born of conservative political dogma designed to shrink government by starving social programs at their source and privatizing public schools. Prop. 13 failed to do this; but, the cost has been 29 years of fiscal instability and a public school system ranked 5th nationally; falling to 45th.
The Pacific Legal Foundation, headquartered in Sacramento, Calif., has a 35-year history of ultraconservative legal advocacy. PLF’s history and agenda is quite open to anyone who wants to bother looking it up. The PLF is representing the OK amendment free of charge. Now I can understand how labeling anything as a conservative political movement can work against you on Kaua‘i. Nobody wants to be automatically and overwhelmingly outnumbered. So, maybe an OK member can write in and explain how all of this is just a coincidence.
Pete Antonson
Wailua
World class spot deserves real repair job
I haven’t lost my patience yet, but … Almost three years ago I wrote a letter to Peter Young, then head of the state Department of Land and Natural Resources, and to Wayne Souza, head on Kaua‘i, and got no response. Here is an excerpt.
“I have hiked all over the world and have to say that the Na Pali Coast trail is one of the most beautiful hikes I have ever made, and at the same time it is the least maintained and most dangerous trail that I have experienced. I am writing this letter because I think it is a tragedy that the trail has fallen into such disrepair. In the old days, a ranger, Mac Hori, would take crews out to maintain the trail on a regular basis. I think it’s safe to say that the portion of the trail between Hana Koa and Kalalau has not been repaired by the state for 10 or more years. It saddens me to think that the upkeep of this historic trail is not a priority for the state government and I wonder what I am getting for the $10/night camping fee I paid? ”
The Garden Island reporter, Nathan Eagle, wrote an excellent article on June 26, 2007: “Hikers: ‘Neglected’ Kalalau Trail unsafe,” quoting several Kaua‘i residents. We hope that the DLNR will respond this time and begin a concentrated repair effort to bring the trail back to a safe condition, especially the stretch after Hana Koa Valley.
I want to encourage any hikers who have experienced the trail recently to e-mail the DLNR requesting that they do a real repair job that will last, not just a quick patch which will wash away in the next winter rain. And, have a regular maintenance crew keep up the trail. After all, Na Pali coast is a world class spot. Let’s make it safe for people to hike without having to turn back at the treacherous spots or worse, getting injured or dying from a fall.
Please e-mail to: State of Hawai‘i DLNR: dlnr@hawaii.gov and specify the follow names. TO: DLNR — Allan Smith, Wayne Souza, Dan Quinn, Curt Cotrell,
And ask them to give you a response. I’m still waiting.
Gabriela Taylor
Kapa‘a
