Editorials
Friday, August 9, 1996
Dredging and cleaning Ala Wai
are essential
HAWAII can't afford to neglect the Ala Wai canal, which is disgracefully polluted and dangerously shallow. Plans to clean the canal and dredge it are under way.
However, doubt has been cast on the availability of federal grants because the U.S. Department of Transportation has revised the criteria for funding. Without $7.2 million from Washington as the proposed federal share of the $9.5 million project, there is a possibility that the work might be abandoned. The state Legislature last year appropriated $1.7 million and the city is prepared to match that, but it wouldn't be nearly enough.
As the Star-Bulletin's Greg Ambrose reports, the first step is hiring someone to conduct an environmental assessment. Funding for that study is already available. Upon completion of the assessment, state officials could plan the dredging, apply for federal funding and seek the required permits.
In addition, the city has hired a consultant to prepare a management plan for the Ala Wai watershed and measures to improve water quality in the canal.
The Ala Wai was built to drain Waikiki's swamps and control flooding. But silt accumulation over the years has sharply reduced the canal's capacity to deal with storms.
It's now so shallow that even in ordinary rains runoff from upstream fills the canal, blocking Waikiki's storm drains and flooding the resort district's streets. Built in 1928, the canal has been dredged only twice, in 1968 and 1978.
Despite the pollution, the Ala Wai gets heavy use by canoe paddlers, kayakers and waveboarders. They say dredging would make it possible to hold international competitions in the canal - potentially a significant contribution to tourism.
The Ala Wai's location bordering Waikiki makes it an integral part of the visitor industry. The city is improving its banks with pedestrian walkways, bike paths, new lighting and landscaping. But the waterway itself badly needs work, and further neglect could hurt tourism, especially with the new convention center on its ewa bank, in addition to its negative impact on local residents.
City Transportation Director Charles Swanson believes that dredging the Ala Wai is so important that the state and city should find a way to do it even if full federal funding can't be obtained. Swanson is right. This project is a must.
Labor law veto
IN his 1996 State of the Union address, President Clinton said, "When companies and workers work as a team they do better and so does America." That's undoubtedly true, but when the opportunity came to enact legislation to permit management and employees to work together, Clinton vetoed it.
The measure would have amended the National Labor Relations Act to allow employees and employers in nonunion companies to form teams to address issues of common concern, such as quality, productivity, day care, scheduling, safety and health. Both Clinton and his secretary of labor, Robert Reich, have endorsed workplace cooperation in principle. Reich has even held conferences promoting employee involvement. But when it came to supporting a law that would advance that goal in companies in which employees do not have union representation, they balked, to avoid incurring the wrath of the unions.
Muzzling players
FANS of OIA football should be prepared for plenty of penalties in the upcoming season. Oahu Interscholastic Association coaches were told this week that a longtime rule against swearing will be strictly enforced. Holy #($&%(#&! This means the flags will fly if players on the field, or players and coaches on the sidelines, are heard cussing - even at themselves.
This rule is motivated by good intentions but may not be logistically feasible - just like the OIA ruling which prohibits opposing team members from shaking hands after contests because it may lead to fights. For many players, it's simply second nature to slap the back of opponents after a game, or to castigate themselves or others via colorful colloquialism.
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Rupert E. Phillips, CEO
John M. Flanagan, Editor & Publisher
David Shapiro, Managing Editor
Diane Yukihiro Chang, Senior Editor & Editorial Page Editor
Frank Bridgewater & Michael Rovner, Assistant Managing Editors
A.A. Smyser, Contributing Editor