Managing editor will be missed Bittersweet is what comes to mind upon learning of the departure of The Garden Island’s managing editor, Nathan Eagle. Nathan brought a sense of community and a true professionalism to our cosmic hamlet, which will
Managing editor
will be missed
Bittersweet is what comes to mind upon learning of the departure of The Garden Island’s managing editor, Nathan Eagle.
Nathan brought a sense of community and a true professionalism to our cosmic hamlet, which will be hard to replace, and he will be sorely missed. Bitter in the essence that we will be losing a legendary reporter and because some other community gets to benefit from all the wisdom, comprehension and knowledge Nathan acquired during his tenure with The Garden Island news.
Sweet in the essence that Nathan is a young man and still has his whole life to shine, and some community somewhere on this planet will inherit a well-educated and learned newsman.
Also sweet for Nathan, he will not have to rummage through my numerous letter submissions anymore, unless of course I email him at his new job?
Mr. Eagle, a hui hou, aloha kakou and malama pono.
James “Kimo” Rosen, Kapa‘a
Protecting Sleeping Giant
I’m writing to bring attention to the extensive damage that has been done to the Sleeping Giant Trail, or West Nonou Trail.
Last July, a group of volunteers hired by the Forestry and Wildlife Department removed a large amount of roots from the trail. As everybody knows, roots help to avoid erosion and provide good footing and natural steps and water diverters.
When I called Forestry and Wildlife, I was told that the roots were going to be replaced with water diverters that had been ordered and were going to arrive soon.
That was July. Now it’s December and there are no water diverters, and the parts of the trail that have been “worked on” are muddy and slippery like they never have been in the last 20 years because there is nothing to control the mud. It’s like walking through a hog farm on a steep incline.
I am wondering why these projects are started if nobody knows how to carry them on. Why not leave things alone and avoid further damage? Whose idea was it to “fix” the Sleeping Giant Trail that was perfectly fine? Are we following the same guidelines that turned Lydgate Pond into a swamp polluted by silt? Who has control over these projects and can stop them from even starting?
For sure, it’s not the residents who just pay taxes and continue to see the island devastated by incompetence.
Lucia Eichenberger, Wailua
Celebrating Christmas
I hope you are all enjoying the season like I am. The Christmas season is a big birthday party, and I hope we all haven’t forgotten how to party. I am soon heading to my fourth Christmas party this year and looking forward to it.
Of course, our guest of honor is the birthday boy himself, Jesus. The Dec. 25 date came from an old winter solstice celebration. The winter solstice is a wonderfully symbolic time to celebrate the birth of he would bring light into darkness. It marks a season when light starts growing and darkness starts receding.
Evidence indicates that Jesus had a September birthday, which would make December closer to his incarnation or conception day. This is all good because we also talk about the incarnation story at this time of year, and I think the incarnation was an even more epic event to celebrate than his birth.
But, however we arrived here, this is the day and season when we celebrate Jesus’ birthday. So, I hope you heartily enjoy the festivities. Being divine, Jesus can be present in spirit at millions of parties around the world. I hope you can all sense his wonderful presence with you as you celebrate his birthday.
Mark Beeksma, Koloa
Contruction zone considerations
The Garden Island’s Dec. 12 article about speed zone limits, Kaua‘i Police Department officer Mark Scribner emphasized the importance of heeding the speed limit in posted construction zones at all hours of the day or night.
As a follow up on Tuesday (Dec. 13), Glenn Mickens wrote of his experience on Kuhio Highway driving in a posted construction zone when there was no construction activity and where there were no barricades or slow-down devices. His observation was that the majority of drivers were ignoring the 30 mph posted limit.
It is unfortunate that the state Department of Transportation Highways Division has created situations that lead normally law abiding citizens to ignore the law.
The first situation is the one sited by Glenn, wherein there is no logical reason to drive at the reduced speed limit, such as weekends in a construction zone when there is no equipment or workers present in the area.
The second and more egregious situation is the case where the construction project has actually been completed and the Highways Division neglects to remove its signs and cones for extended periods of time.
Seeing signs remain for several weeks after construction completion is a common experience. There have even been instances when signs remained for months and local citizens eventually resorted to covering up the signs with plastic trash bags.
So, the Highways Division needs to promptly remove its signs at the completion of construction and also needs to institute the practice of placing signs, when appropriate, that limit the lower speed to construction hours.
These simple and inexpensive measures can help lead to better respect for our traffic laws.
Peter Nilsen, Princeville
