Letters for June 8, 2015 Crosswalk needed for pedestrian safety We need a crosswalk put in by the new Longs in Kapaa. I was almost hit by a car twice, both as a pedestrian and on a bicycle, trying to
Letters for June 8, 2015
Crosswalk needed for pedestrian safety
We need a crosswalk put in by the new Longs in Kapaa. I was almost hit by a car twice, both as a pedestrian and on a bicycle, trying to cross the highway to go to Longs. A female pedestrian was killed a short distance from there a few years back when she tried to cross the road by Kintaro’s. It seems irresponsible that Longs was opened in the new location without having a crosswalk there. Perhaps we should put the safety of people before profit. I truly hope a crosswalk is put there immediately before someone is hit by a car and killed.
Carla Hart
Anahola
KHS board needs to pay attention
I would like to thank Jim Jenning for his excellent letter regarding the problems at the Kauai Humane Society.
It was very insightful. Let’s hope the board of directors or the county council will pay attention.
Jill Martin
Wailua Homesteads
More people will come with development
In response to Bob Bartolo’s letter in the TGI Forum on Sunday, May 31, I have to agree that 1,000 people will not suddenly arrive on Hawaiian Airlines ready to take up residence at the HoKua Place Development in Kapaa. Actually it will be more like 2,300 people, based on the 769 units at our current housing density of 2.99 persons per household. It may even be more. Most of these new units are to be priced for middle- to lower-income families. That would be younger families, just starting out with their first big purchase of a home.
Younger families tend to have more children living with them than old retired folks — so that population density may be substantially higher than the 2.99 persons per family that is the island average. Those young families will mostly come from other parts of the island where housing is harder to find and more expensive. They will be working families, probably with two parents working full- or part-time just to make ends meet and pay the mortgage. They will have two cars per family so they can drop the kids off at Kapaa schools as they both go on their way to work at different locations on the island. That will be another 1,539 vehicles entering the Kapaa corridor during rush hour at one of its most congested locations.
We owe those families the opportunity to make that commute safely and speedily. Fix the roads first, then build the houses.
William Peterson
Kapaa
Kauai too unique to compare euthanasia rates
Regarding “Euthanasia rates,” June 6. The author thinks euthanasia rates are too high on Kauai in comparison to other U.S. rates? Sorry, but you can not compare Kauai to Cleveland, or any other area of the U.S., with regards to euthanasia rates!
Wild cats in most urban areas were tame and bolted. On Kauai we have a whole species of wild cats who were born generations after their “tame” ancestors bolted! These are not comparable! There is no hope, or enough money in the world, to forever “tame” generational wild adult cats and somehow turn them into family pets!
Instead, our KHS is dealing with generational ecosystem interrupting, bird killing, disease-spreading wild animals on a tiny island with perhaps the most vulnerable ecosystem on earth. Hawaii’s already known as the extinction capital of the world with 25 species of unique birds gone extinct since colonization and eight now on the endangered list.
Make a choice for our fragile ecosystem, author! Do you want to pay for life sentences in a cage and the exorbitant cost of caring for these wild animals, or to do the humane thing and kill them? You vote for keeping them alive and I say put your money where your mouth is and donate all the funds necessary to support such a boondoggle. I want my money to go toward more significant and logical programs. Like protecting our Kauai ecosystem, or putting an end to the convenient wholesale slaughter of unborn viable human life.
Gordon Oswald
Kapaa
