• Taste of Hawai‘i is first-class event • Where were you, Mayor? • About that parking… • Don’t let the culture die • What’s causing the backlog? Where were you, Mayor? What’s with the Mayor and his administration? We were
• Taste of Hawai‘i is first-class event
• Where were you, Mayor?
• About that parking…
• Don’t let the culture die
• What’s causing the backlog?
Where were you, Mayor?
What’s with the Mayor and his administration?
We were notified Friday, July 27 that the residential drug treatment center down at Salt Pond was going to be on the agenda on Wednesday, which was yesterday. So we (the salt makers) all showed up at the County Council chamber. We all took off from work to be there. Guess what? No mayor and no administration.
He has been playing these games with us from the start. He had hoped we would have disappeared. We are not going anywhere. We do support the treatment center, but not at the expense of possible damage to the saltpans. No risk is even worth it.
There are a few members of the County Council who have really helped us in trying to work with the mayor, but he hasn’t cooperated in a timely manner. We have waited since November 2006 for him and his administration to answer 16 questions.
Well, we just got them answered in a letter dated July 9, 2007. We actually don’t know when it was received by the County Council. Most of the questions answered were a laugh to all of us, I don’t know who prepared it, but if it came from the mayor, shame on him. Anyway, besides that, I was told that some of the council members met with Gary Heu on Tuesday. The members thought that someone would have been there to represent the mayor. Guess what?? No show… Council took a 10-minute recess, to call the Mayor’s office. We waited and waited, finally we went on with the meeting. Meeting started at approximately 1 p.m. we got out of there about 4:15 p.m. No one showed up! How important is the drug center to him? He sure didn’t show it yesterday.
The bill that was up for the additional $600,000 they needed for the center is now dead. It expired on June 30, 2007. Now the whole process must start all over, and we will be there every step of the way. We, the county, have spent money, because work was done without all the proper permits.
So, what now, Mr. Mayor? We are waiting for your next move. Will there be one? I think you should be at the next meeting, and stop shoving all the problems on the County Council. I know a lot of the council members are doing what they get paid to do, are you? It seems like the council is always trying to clean up after the mess you create. I got a solution for the money spent that shouldn’t have been. Take whatever was spent out of the mayor’s pay and build the center at another site. We need the facility, just not at the risk of the salt pans. Well, council, we’ll be giving you another opportunity to come and give us appropriate answers to the questions you were asked.
Anyway, I got to go harvest salt this afternoon, but I made some time for you. Will you make some time for us at the next county council meeting?
Bernadette Vea
‘Ele‘ele
About that parking…
We all owe the Jasper family a great deal of thanks for instituting the paid parking at Anchor Cove and elsewhere in Nawiliwili.
Once the Superferry arrives, everyone who debarks the vessel from O‘ahu will feel right at home, when one of the first things they see is paid parking.
And what a great deal it is, too, only $2 an hour! Compared to Honolulu, that must be cheap. Just remember, Kaua‘i, we all have a choice in where we shop and park, and whether or not we use the Superferry — perhaps they could both die of neglect.
Kris Van Dahm
Kapa‘a
Don’t let the culture die
Last January my family and I took a cruise to four islands in Hawai‘i.
My first visit to Hawai‘i was 30 years ago. I returned to the mainland and went into the Travel Business taking visitors to several parts of the world. My favorite destination was Hawai‘i.
My husband and I also became residents of O‘ahu for a period of time. We moved back to the mainland to be closer to our grandchildren. We wanted to be a part of their lives.
Over the years I have seen many changes in the Islands.
Sadly, the Coco Palms Hotel is no longer standing. I usually stayed there with the visitors I escorted to Hawai‘i from the mainland. We enjoyed the atmosphere with the torchlighting and feeling of old Hawai‘i. The grounds were beautiful.
On our cruise in January we visited Maui, O‘ahu, Kaua‘i, and Hawai‘i. Kaua‘i seemed to be the least changed since my last visit to the Islands. The residents we spoke with there were also warm and friendly. The view of the Napali coast was breathtaking from the ship. The mountains were beautiful shades of green.
My daughter and her husband took a tour that explored part of the island on horseback. They said that when they go back to Hawai‘i, Kaua‘i will be their choice.
I love all the Islands. It would be difficult for me to choose one over the other. To me, each is different and unique in their beauty.
I am concerned that Hawai‘i is losing some of its culture.
I decided to write a fictional children’s book called “Hawaii Kids, Star & Ben” by Tutu Joyce. I have incorporated some of the history, culture, and customs as well as preservation of the Islands in the book.
I hope to teach children on the mainland to understand, love and respect the people of Hawai‘i and to inspire them to preserve these beautiful Islands for future generations to enjoy.
I am also in the process of arranging hotel book signings in Hawai‘i in the hope that visitors will take the book home and teach their children and grandchildren about this beautiful place.
We all need to contribute in some way to preserving the Islands and culture of Hawai‘i before it is too late.
Joyce Russell
Freelance writer/author
Walbridge, Ohio
What’s causing the backlog?
In regard to the backlog in processing information required in a timely manner, have staff members in the particular segment of the police department been provided with the training and the equipment to expedite their workload? If so, are the training methods ineffective? Is the equipment already obsolete?
Is it time to revisit the levels of expectations in the job descriptions of the staff? Is it time for some “in house” adjustments to determine how efficiently and effectively work can be completed?
Finally, might it be possible to approach problems we are encountering with solution-based benchmarks and timelines?
Jose Bulatao, Jr.
Kekaha
