Letters for Sunday, July 2, 2017

• ‘Rainbow Cookies’ filled with good memories • Please plan better to improve transportation

‘Rainbow Cookies’ filled with good memories

Thank goodness Kathy Kiaha (former kindergarten teacher of my daughter, Kenna Horgan) called and left me a voicemail yesterday alerting me to your article in The Garden Island (Wellness, June 29, “The bestest things about Kauai.”) What a treat to not only read your words but to take a trip down memory lane from doing the book, “Rainbow Cookies,” so long ago.

I wrote the kids’ stories down (from interviews in the library at Hanalei School) and coordinated the art teacher who helped them with their drawings — then made and later did the self publishing of the book (urged by Pierce Brosnan who was the one who won it at the Starry Nights auction). I think we ended up raising about $30,000 for the school in the end. We did not sell out — I have quite a few books here.

Thank you for the article. It made my day — and my daughter Kenna’s (who wrote about climbing the mountain) who is currently dancing at the Joffrey Ballet in NYC where she has been offered a year-round placement with the company. She is turning that honor down to come home and finish school — she wants to go into law.

I always thought it would be awesome to do a new book when the kids graduated high school. Same question (what’s your most favoritist thing to do) and with new artwork. Perhaps I will still do that since I’m in touch with most of the kids and parents from her class. It struck with many of the kids. Certainly it has with my Kenna.

Thank you again. And perhaps we can offer a few books out to people to somehow benefit Hanalei School.

Nikki Kendall (formerly Horgan), Southern California

Please plan better to improve transportation

In this week’s question asked on TGI’s online poll, “Are you confident the Department of Transportation’s plan to improvetraffic flow over the next five years to be effective?” At my last look over, 80 percent said “No. Sounds more like the same.Nothing will change in the next five years.”

We are a majority that must have tourism in order to survive and put people to work so they can do the same. If our trafficcontinues at a pace of growing like the popularity of coming here for vacation has, then we are in deep trouble when wedepend on the habits of tourism to make ends meet. On the other hand, tourists are not coming back because of the traffic.

If an accurate count could be made on a daily basis, the amount of rentals cars on our roads leaves us with the biggest reasonfor our traffic problems.

The best question on my mind is if we are spending millions promoting the island with tourism, why didn’t anyone plan onhow to get them around without causing the congestion that should have never been allowed to get out of hand as it hasnow?

Let’s stop this madness and leave it to the private sector of professionals to develop a sophisticated shuttle system for allpeople to use. We don’t need more roads and multi-million dollar projects. We need less cars daily and a transportationsystem that caters to tourists and residents needs.

Steve Martin, Kapaa