• Gov.’s efforts were appreciated, new forum format needed • Concern over OHA’s $28.8M building purchase • Are you a good neighbor? Gov.’s efforts were appreciated, new forum format needed The headline about Governor Abercrombie’s visit, in my opinion, did
• Gov.’s efforts were appreciated, new forum format needed • Concern over OHA’s $28.8M building purchase • Are you a good neighbor?
Gov.’s efforts were appreciated, new forum format needed
The headline about Governor Abercrombie’s visit, in my opinion, did not capture a balanced picture of the meeting.
Yes, some in the audience were angry and frustrated about not being given a chance to express their concern about the Public Lands Development Corporation and GMOs — and about not being able to get satisfactory answers. There was good reason for the frustration.
On the other hand, there was important information about the good work of the Abercrombie administration and the benefits to Kaua‘i, such as the Operation Tropic Care, which brought free top notch medical services to the people of Kaua‘i, highway improvements, work with the homeless and a new gym for Kaua‘i High.
Part of the problem was the format of the meeting which gave 200+ people only one hour to talk about everything under the sun. (The first 30 minutes went to the reports of the governor and his cabinet members). So many people (including myself) wanted to express their concerns about a variety of issues, including a very big current concern, the Public Lands Development Corporation.
It was good that time had been set aside on the following Saturday to focus solely on the important issue of fishing and sanctuaries so that matter could be deferred for a detailed conversation. Perhaps we need a focused meeting like that for every big topic.
Bravo to the Governor for reaching out to the people of Kaua‘i.
What is needed is a new design of the process so that we can come together to talk about the hard topics in a way that would enable us to find common ground and lasting solutions. It won’t be easy but it will be worth it.
JoAnn Yukimura
Lihu‘e
Concern over OHA’s $28.8M building purchase
As reported in the Pacific Business News on July 11, 2012, the Gentry Pacific Design Center 185,787-square-foot center at 560 N. Nimitz Highway is being sold to the OHA. The article did not disclose the sales price, but it reported that the building and its three parcels were assessed for about $28.8 million.
I am dismayed at the Trustees who authorized OHA to make this purchase. Trustee Oswald Stender first brought the proposal before the board almost a year ago and it was quickly dropped because OHA had to move into the building for it to make financial sense. None of the other Trustees wanted to move our headquarters there. I thought the deal was dead, but it came back before the board on May 17, 2012. The proposal failed again because Trustee Haunani Apoliona cited a conflict of interest because she was on the Board of Directors of the bank being considered to finance the purchase. OHA’s Board Counsel agreed and recommended that she not vote.
Then, on June 7, 2012, the Board Counsel opined that Trustee Apoliona, miraculously, no longer had a conflict of interest because the Fiscal Committee Chairman took out any references to Trustee Apoliona’s bank within the proposal. She was allowed to vote and together with Trustees Apo, Machado, Stender and Waihee, authorized the CEO to make an offer to Gentry Pacific.
Trustees Hulu Lindsey, Robert Lindsey and I voted against. Trustee Cataluna abstained. The four of us had serious concerns about the conditions under which OHA was required to make the purchase.
Now OHA is spending a great deal of money to renovate an 80-year-old building instead of using the same amount of money to build a brand new one. It makes absolutely no sense.
Rowena M. Akana
Honolulu
Are you a good neighbor?
Michael Diamant has some great ideas regarding being a good neighbor in his Sept. 17 letter.
There are many ways to be a good neighbor.
Being a good neighbor means to be considerate of those who live around you and not disturbing them.
With this in mind I do not wish to take away anyone’s right of owning a dog, I just simply do not want to hear your dog bark, whine or yowl for long periods of time at various times of the day.
This destroys the tranquility of this island, not to mention a person’s health.
If you are a dog owner, are you aware that your dog may bark, whine, yowl during times that you are away or even when you are home? There are many good responsible dog owners and then there are those who allow their dogs to annoy their neighbors day and night.
Why would a dog owner allow their dog to bark, whine or yowl for long periods of time when there are many ways to prevent your dog from barking. Training and or the use of electro-sonic bark collars are a couple of solutions. Please be a good neighbor. Thank you.
Carla Kaser
Lihu‘e
