Letters for July 4, 2016

Letters for July 4, 2016

Newcomers with big bucks should still follow rules

The solution to the wall issue on Koolau Road is a long overdue view plane/tradewind ordinance. It’s simple: if someone already has a view plane and is using it, no new owner of adjacent or nearby properties can block that view and wind, no exceptions. Problem solved.

This issue is islandwide and will get worse unless the council takes action. Everyone understands a view affects real estate values but these newcomers with the big bucks don’t seem to care or understand the tradewinds are important too as they go about turning this place into exactly what they left on the Mainland.

Kauai has become a zoo with too many people and cars and too little infrastructure to handle the massive immigration of folks seeking a “better life.” Can’t we just take a break and put a moratorium on further development until the infrastructure can catch up?

Michael Wells

Moloaa

‘The Shadow’ deserves praise, credit

It seems ironic we would high-five people who do small deeds and yet we failed to render a pat-on-the-back for deserving people who do tremendous and meaningful works.

There is one person who many feel deserves some acknowledgement or something of that nature, and it is this person, Jerome Freitas, who calls himself “The Shadow” and writes a column for The Garden Island. He does not get paid, but yet graciously gives his time and efforts to roam and seek discrepancies and hazardous things that perhaps were overlooked, or simply just an oversight, the county and the state did while doing their job throughout the island.

He truly and sincerely feels his findings and concerns brought before the county and the state need to be looked at, and if need to, have them repaired. Maintaining the safety for the people of this island is essential, vital and very important. To say that they don’t have the monies is hogwash, and bull and baloney, because they were going to give themselves some big pay raises.

What The Shadow has reported since becoming the eyes of the island is that he is given answers only to pacify him and make him feel like the county and the state will be looking and will eventually, or maybe, will probably do something about them. Funny, though, in his followups of what he reports, now into months and into years, things he questioned were never looked at or addressed. They are still the same way when he first reported those discrepancies, according to The Shadow.

His efforts or findings are what he says are preventive maintenance. He feels he is mocked as a nuisance, a trouble-maker, an irritant to and for county and the state. Nothing, nothing and more nothing is done.

His work as The Shadow is a great and good thing, and a great number of people like what he is doing. It is really a shameful thing that the county and the state are not and have not been taking his efforts seriously to make Kauai a safer and better place for the people.

To The Shadow, keep up the good work. The kudos go to you.

Ray Domingo

Lihue