Two paths diverged on an Eastside shore, And sorry we could not travel both And be one traveler… The county has heard enough over the years to move forward with the next phase of Ke Ala Hele Makalae. The public
Two paths diverged on an Eastside shore,
And sorry we could not travel both
And be one traveler…
The county has heard enough over the years to move forward with the next phase of Ke Ala Hele Makalae. The public process has provided ample opportunity for all sides of the debate to be heard and their points considered.
Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr., seconding an environmental assessment and the first letter of recommendation from the state Office of Hawaiian Affairs, has decided that the portion of the multi-use path to connect the completed segments in Lydgate and Kapa‘a should follow the makai route along Wailua Beach.
We tend to agree.
The mauka route, which the second OHA letter recently recommended, would infringe on the same cultural concerns the agency was worried about in its first letter, though possibly to a lesser extent.
This can not be turned into a test about measuring degrees of impact.
Those who argue that the path should divert behind Coco Palms because less iwi will be disturbed there than on the beach are simply trying to stall the process. Recognize this tactic for what it is and handle it accordingly.
We have spent far too much time and effort on this project already and there are miles still to do. Concerns for this phase have been raised and heard. Now is the time for decisive action.
If the goal is to protect the Hawaiian remains buried in the sands and valley of Wailua, we should have heard a stronger argument for the under-spoken third option — no path at all through this sacred area. Instead, this has been framed as an either-or debate.
This third option doesn’t jive with the late Mayor Bryan Baptiste’s vision of a path this is like a lei around the island, preserving coastal access in perpetuity.
It would likely protect the iwi better, but to forego the Wailua segment would set a precedent that could call into question future and completed phases of the path.
The proposed boardwalk across Wailua Beach can be constructed in a way that respects the cultural concerns while fulfilling these other objectives. If the posts to anchor the path down are only every 60 feet or so, steps can be taken to ensure each does not impact burials in the area.
The boardwalk itself over the sand would seemingly fail to disturb remains any more than the multitude of people who walk across the beach on a daily basis.
Either move forward with the makai route or not at all. Pursuing the mauka route would only bring us back in a few years to where we are now.
Let’s stop squandering resources by allowing this debate to run in circles. Ultimately, there are much bigger projects that the county needs to focus its attention on and we’d like to see them choose that path.
