• Come fly with me • Not a tree to love • Looking for leadership • Our lives depend on you Come fly with me It appears Kaua‘i will be spending $800,000 on a new helicopter to be used strictly
• Come fly with me • Not a tree to love • Looking for leadership • Our lives depend on you
Come fly with me
It appears Kaua‘i will be spending $800,000 on a new helicopter to be used strictly for government uses. We folks at Paradise Bloom Landscaping and Western Renewable Energy feel truly proud and blessed that we were able to contribute at least $200,000, or one-fourth of that cost, to the initial payment of this much needed expenditure.
PBL’s and WRE’s contribution was not made directly in cash to the County but rather in a $200,000 savings in our very first county contract that PBL and WRE signed and professionally performed in the summer of 2007 at the Kekaha landfill.
PBL and WRE responded to an emergency Invitation For Bid to grind up 25,000 cubic yards of green waste in 2007 and we won the bid by under-bidding the closest local competitors by $200,000 to $250,000, a huge saving to you, the taxpayers, making it possible to purchase Kaua‘i’s first helicopter.
PBL’s and WRE’s following bids, saving between $130,000 and $160,000 on subsequent grinding operations were disqualified for various “technical,” if not outright fraudulent, practices in the bidding process.
Evidently, competitive bidding resulting in large savings to taxpayers is considered kapu to the “plantation wall” that surrounds the towers of our elected and appointed self-serving officials.
If WRE sounds familiar, it also offered $100 million to our county self-serving officials to build a state-of-the-art recycling center to solve Kaua‘i’s solid waste and garbage dilemma by bringing an alternate energy pellet industry to the Westside, thus lessening our dependence upon fossil fuel; lowering electric bills; enhancing agricultural ventures; to our island and crating new jobs.
These efforts again could not breach the lack of political will and the ever present plantation wall.
John Hoff, Lawa‘i
Not a tree to love
I am compelled to respond to Toni Morath’s letter (“Hack job, Letters, Feb. 9) where she is chiding the powers that be for cutting down the albizia trees along Kuhio Highway in Kalihiwai.
When I first moved to Kaua‘i, I thought the trees were beautiful and could not understand why anyone would want to cut them down. After Hurricane Iniki, in 1992, most of the albizia were down. At that time, I was amazed at the beautiful views that were available for all to enjoy. It was good for tourism to have unobstructed views of waterfalls, ocean and valleys.
It wasn’t too long that the albizia were back, bigger and in greater numbers, obstructing the views. I soon learned how fast albizias could grow. A USDA reference on albizia trees states that these trees can reach heights of more than 20 feet in the first year and 45 feet in their third year — a potential growth rate of 15 feet a year, by year 15 reaching heights of 90 to 120 feet.
Further research on these trees indicates that albizia is one of Hawai‘i’s most invasive trees and is out-competing native trees and plants. When found in climates that have a frost, the wood is a hardwood. In our tropical climate, the rapid growth rate makes the limbs very brittle and this results in unpredictable limb and branch failures in both windy and calm conditions. Their tremendous size creates a high risk for failure, dropping large branches with little to no stress.
This makes it a poor tree to be in any area where it can fall and cause damage to property, people or livestock.
A plan I have been thinking about encourages anyone who is running for office in Hawai‘i to have an albizia-eradication plan. This would include:
• Immediate removal and treatment to prevent re-growth
• Promote classes in schools regarding invasive species
• Apply for grants for invasive tree removal
• Use existing albizia for energy
• Tax incentives for removal of albizia trees
• Use of eminent domain to go on private property for removal
• Fines for non-removal of albizia
• Insurance reductions for albizia free zones
As pretty as the albizia is, it is not a tree to be loved.
Bill Steed, Kalihiwai
Looking for leadership
Gordon Oswald only goes as far as is necessary to support his case (“Accept your fate,” Letters, Feb. 14). He only provides the definition of “marriage” that he prefers and ignores the others.
My 1978 Webster’s New World Dictionary says, “any close or intimate union.” An online Merriam-Webster Dictionary says, “the state of being united to a person of the same sex in a relationship like that of a traditional marriage” or “the mutual relation of married persons.” The Oxford English Dictionary has recognized same-sex marriage since 2000.
Mr. Oswald may not like these definitions but they are valid, nevertheless.
Civil unions and registered partnerships have been recognized in various countries for over 20 years. Well over 20 countries provide legal recognition of such relationships. At least seven countries legally recognize same-sex marriages. It is sad that the United States must look to other countries for leadership in the arena of human rights.
Brian Christensen, Lihu‘e
Our lives depend on you
In response to the frequent accidents on Kaua‘i, wouldn’t it be the logical solution to review how many have occurred at the same locations, which seem to be at the Tree Tunnel and the ‘Oma‘o bridge, and do something to mark them with appropriate signage of danger ahead, traffic signals and reduced speed?
If people fail to observe and abuse the safety precautions it is sad, but at least you can say you addressed the situation to protect everyone on this island to the best of your obligation. Please DOT, our lives depend on you.
Rosemary McCullough, Lawa‘i
