• Lewis’ better Kaua‘i • Wake up, Kekaha • Children of Hawai‘i Lewis’ better Kaua‘i Walter Lewis again does a great job of identifying problems on Kaua‘i that are improperly addressed — or not addressed at all — on his
• Lewis’ better Kaua‘i • Wake up, Kekaha • Children of Hawai‘i
Lewis’ better Kaua‘i
Walter Lewis again does a great job of identifying problems on Kaua‘i that are improperly addressed — or not addressed at all — on his column Sunday, “Marathons, bike paths and more.”
Some community activists want to add a multi-use path to the North Shore. Walter’s advice should be heeded when he asks the question, “who will bear the cost. (For the Eastside path it was $4.44 million per mile). Although the terrain involved is challenging and two significant river crossing would be needed (are you listening, Tim Bynum?), this North Shore Path report glosses over this aspect, speaking only in an elliptical way about federal and state money that might be available. It will most likely become an illustration of the typical conflict of a program that benefits a limited segment of the population, with that segment seeking through elected county officials to underwrite an open ended cost estimate with taxpayers funds.”
Remember that we have only completed 6.8 miles of the Eastside path in 10 years for $30.2 million and the terrain in this area was a cake walk to acquire and build on compared to what this North Shore area would be.
As letters to the editor have asked, why aren’t we building by pass roads all over Kaua‘i for 99 percent of the commuters to alleviate traffic and make driving safer in case of disasters or problems with the one road around the island?
Instead we are spending and proposing to spend many millions of dollars on a path “that benefits a limited segment of the population.”
Where do facts and common sense start and where does irrational action stop?
Prioritization is a great thing that most families have to live by to survive.
However it is sad but true that our elected officials have our tax dollars to use, not on a prioritized basis but as the most vocal and politically connected tell them to.
Having written about the Kaua‘i Marathon and continually voiced my opposition to using our tax money to fund it, I will only say once again that Mr. Lewis is right on target in his opposition to the use of our tax dollars for the wrongful use of it.
Keep those “A Better Kaua‘i” columns coming, Mr. Lewis, and hopefully the people will remember your wise words as they enter the election booth to cast their votes.
Glenn Mickens, Kapa‘a
Wake up, Kekaha
As a community Kekaha has been awarded a grant from the landfill to compensate the residents for the burden of hosting the landfill, it is ironic that a newly formed entity calling itself a learning resource center or the Kekaha Community Garden imposing itself on the property owners of Kiowea, Auku‘u and Elepaio is slated to receive $25,000 from these monies.
Primarily they are seeking to pay the director’s salary (Kekaha School only received $5000).
While the concept of this project is the trend, the location is poor. Although their mission statement includes beautifying a Kekaha neighborhood, they have imposed on the immediate property owners a view of a rusty Matson container, a very ag industrial project, multiple compost piles with black netting, not in keeping with our homes, also a random flow of strangers.
They basically never thought about the neighbors they were impacting. We used to know who was in our neighborhood. It was off the beaten path. We all loved the historic charm and spaciousness that was our neighborhood. How do we now have a neighborhood watch?
Historically, there are many beautiful gardens and farms growing behind Kekaha. Our homes are in a residential zone. It is very unfair to impose this upon us.
Since they have now been awarded monies that were designated to compensate us and that now we are funding this project I respectfully ask that they eliminate the rusty Matson container, not in keeping with our residences, take pride in ownership and eliminate the waste piles.
This all still leaves me wondering how does a project on private land receive public funds to pay someone’s salary ($25,000) that should go to the Kekaha residents?
I also question the planning and permitting for a 6,500 square-foot ag project amongst residential homes.
They are getting ag water rates, because they are an ag project. This is commercial, no longer residential. It is also unfair to the local farmers. Are they getting paid public funds to run their gardens?
We used to live on the beach road before the onslaught of the BFI trucks. It was an awesome quiet place, hence the grant is well deemed.
It needs to go to the people of Kekaha. These monies should go to our community in need, not funding an individual’s newly formed salary.
Wake up Kekaha, the carpetbaggers are here.
Jennifer Klein, Kekaha
Children of Hawai‘i
I am yet saddened by another death of our young children of Hawai‘i, bringing to my attention what can we do to save our keiki that hold the future of Hawai‘i.
Can we put speed bumps or maybe a traffic light in front of the marketplace?
Yes, it might slow down traffic, but it might save our young.
Maybe we should not offer pau hana drinks. The influence of it is the beginning.
Let’s face reality, alcohol is the gateway drug.
How many daughters and sons will we lose because of it?
What can we do?
Pamela Andrade, Koloa
