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Display state artwork at Washington Place

The governor shouldn't squander $22 million to purchase an office property that is no bargain. The Hemmeter Building has hardly any parking, and it would violate the zoning code to sublease or rent out any part of the space.

Instead, why doesn't Cayetano convert Washington Place into a display center for Hawaiian arts and displays?

Derk Seki
Kailua

Sell state artwork; fire public workers

The Cayetano/Hirono administration has its priorities all wrong. It is obsessed with buying the Hemmeter Building for $22 million in order to display its state artwork there and to provide more office space for state workers.

The real problem is we have too many of both -- artwork and state workers! Rather than buying buildings, why not reduce the number of state workers and sell the artwork, with the money to be used to repair the public schools?

Pam Lee Smith
Ewa Beach

Public schools are graduating achievers

Recently my wife and I (we are both educators) attended the wedding of one of my wife's former students from Campbell High School. This young bride will be receiving her doctorate from a medical school in New Jersey later this month, and will be doing her internship in Florida.

During the reception we caught up on what's happening with other Campbell High graduates: Joyce and Craig are accountants, Julie's an engineer, Salve's working on her doctorate at Purdue, Heather got her master's, etc. It seems that, despite the criticism public schools receive, these young adults said, "We're proud to have come from Campbell."

I'm sure this school is not alone in producing students who go on to professional careers. This is true for any public high school in this state.

So what's wrong with our public school system? Nothing. That's not so say it can't improve; schools need greater legislative and public support. However, hard-working and talented students keep graduating, year after year, and develop into wonderful adults.

Later this month, thousands of seniors will be graduating from high schools throughout the state. Let's applaud them all and encourage them to keep striving for their dreams.

Richard Taira
Ewa Beach

Henry Peters on "60 Minutes."

Henry Peters should buy the Star-Bulletin

All the negative press being given Henry Peters because of the statement he made about controlling the Star-Bulletin is undeserved. I support Peters and also wish that the Bishop Estate had bought your newspaper.

People are up in arms over the fact that Peters and the estate could have "controlled" the media. Well, I say good! It's not like your paper isn't already controlled by pro-development haole conservatives who don't want to acknowledge the diversity of Hawaii and the needs of its multi-ethnic people.

We need a mainstream paper controlled by Hawaiians, so maybe then we can have a voice.

So, I ask Henry Peters, right now, to get together with all the retirees and buy the Star-Bulletin. I know he still has money and I still need a voice.

Mauna Kea Trask
Corvallis, Ore.

Bishop Estate Archive

Quotables "I said, 'No, with all those big people and my small restaurant, I didn't want to accept, I didn't want to go.' " Helen Chock 83-YEAR-OLD CHEF OF HELENA'S HAWAIIAN FOODS ON NORTH KING STREET IN KALIHI Who decided to go to New York after all and personally pick up one of eight prestigious Regional Classics Awards from the James Beard Foundation "I'm aware of the seriousness of the crime. Future dreams are shattered and lives are altered forever." Earlily Aganon SENTENCED TO LIFE IN PRISON FOR THE DEATH OF A 6-MONTH-OLD GIRL SHE WAS BABYSITTING Giving a statement before Hawaii District Judge John Bryant about the 1997 second-degree murder of Karie Canencia, who died of a brain injury

City broke its promises to Ewa residents

In your May 4 front-page article on Varona Village, city deputy managing director Malcolm Tom said that residents of Ewa Villages were not evicted. Yes, no eviction notices were sent. Instead, my father-in-law got a letter saying that he had two months to make a decision on purchasing a house.

The house he is living in would have had a mortgage payment of more than $1,700 a month, when his monthly income is $2,062.

There are two other homes he would have been able to purchase:

The first was priced at $182,500 with a monthly mortgage payment of $909. This, however, did not include the $30,000 that was deferred from the original purchase price, which would be due in 15 years. My father-in-law is 77 years old. What financial institution would lend $30,000 to a 92-year-old man with a monthly income of $2,062 and a mortgage of $909?

The second house was priced at $171,700, had a mortgage payment of $826 a month and also had the $30,000 deferment. Yet there is a stipulation that any persons co-signing the loan cannot live in the house with my father-in-law.

The city has not honored its promise to the residents of Ewa Villages that they would be able to purchase the houses they were living in at affordable prices. So people are moving away. They are frustrated or have died not knowing whether their surviving spouses would be taken care of.

Elected officials have attempted to hush this up, but everyone needs to know the truth.

Stacy Higa
Aiea

Sans Souci is not a private beach

While we appreciate your articles on beach "renourishment," the public should be aware of a controversy regarding Sans Souci/Kaimana Beach.

After Hurricane Iwa in November 1982, a few opinionated apartment owners in the Sans Souci area persuaded the state to tear down the historic pier. They opted to fill in the remnant rock archway with concrete, thus preventing the natural flow of water and sand, and resulting in a barren rocky area on the Colony Surf side.

Now a couple of these people have applied for a permit to reconstruct that concrete barrier since it was eroded and washed out by a recent winter storm.

Research has shown that sand renourishment could improve and extend the beach. However, we have been told the reason these people wish to prevent this from happening is to discourage the public from using "their beach." Their beach?

The state Department of Land and Natural Resources is holding a hearing later this month, at which time the public should testify to restore the beach and remove the concrete obstacle.

Manya Vogrig

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