[ OUR OPINION ]
Developer should not
have to build schoolsTHE state Land Use Commission's recommendation that a housing development company build public schools as part of its project elicits a range of reactions from curious to dumbfounded. The action usurps the power of the Department of Education and state Legislature to determine the priority of school construction. It also places an unfair share of the burden of providing for public education on the private sector and ultimately on potential home buyers.
THE ISSUE A state panel proposes that Castle & Cooke be required to build public schools before it can open its housing projects.
The commission's preliminary draft of conditions for its approval of Castle & Cooke's development plans includes a provision that the company build appropriate schools before opening the 3,600 homes in its Koa Ridge Makai and Waiawa residential projects. The stipulation is partly in response to concerns of Mililani residents about the current shortage of classroom space.
The commission is prudent in raising discussions about problems new housing projects present -- increased traffic and demands for water and school facilities -- especially as development spreads to areas previously used for agriculture. As land resources become more scarce, the panel would be neglecting its duties if it did not factor in such matters in rezoning decisions.
Assuring that the developer provides roads, transportation improvements and sewer lines and that water supplies are adequate are within the commission's province. It could reasonably have the developer dedicate land for school sites and require the company to install necessary infrastructure for those sites. However, building schools is part of the state's overall responsibility to provide public education. Moreover, the company should not be held accountable for poor planning on the part of government in allowing school facilities to fall short of needs.
The DOE appears to favor the commission's recommendation. That's not surprising, since skimpy state revenues have hampered school construction as well as maintenance and repairs of existing facilities. Even so, education officials should consider that the state must meet the needs of other communities with similar desires.
If the condition stands, Castle & Cooke likely will pass on to home buyers the expense of building schools, which could push costs high enough to price lower- and middle-income families out of the market and essentially result in taxing home buyers twice.
Responsible development and education planning need not be separate undertakings. The state can project how many new students it will have to educate as homes are constructed, and can plan accordingly. Developers are well aware that good schools will attract home buyers and that they, too, carry some obligation to help out. Nevertheless, they should not bear that burden alone.
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Public has right to see
movie promotion pactHAWAII tourism is on the brink of a grand boost with the release next week of "Lilo & Stitch," a Walt Disney animated movie about a lonely Hawaiian girl's infatuation with an extraterrestrial. The Hawaii Visitors & Convention Bureau has understandably latched onto the movie as a wonderful promotional tool, but its giddiness may have caused it to be too coy in meeting public obligations.
THE ISSUE Hawaii tourism promoters have agreed to share marketing of Disney's "Lilo & Stitch."
The bureau has left the Hawaii Tourism Authority unclear about financial details of arrangements tentatively made with Disney. It also has created potential problems by assuring Disney that those details will be kept from the public, even though tax money is involved.
The movie is scheduled to premiere in Hollywood next Friday, three days after a special screening at the Waikiki Twins. The Tourism Authority will be called upon Monday to review and approve the marketing contract. Tony Vericella, the bureau's president and chief executive, has apologized for failing to communicate with the authority earlier, offering the perplexing explanation, "Nobody was deliberately trying not to communicate."
The bureau receives $45 million a year in state money to combine with its membership's resources to promote Hawaii. The state keeps tabs by requiring the authority's approval of any bureau contracts of more than $500,000. The agreement with Disney is believed to far exceed that threshold, although the bureau will not disclose the amount.
Disney has asked that the terms of its arrangement with HVCB be confidential, but that desire alone should not justify closing public records. As a nonprofit, private association, HVCB is not subject to state laws requiring meetings and records to be open to the public. However, the Tourism Authority is a public agency bound by those laws.
The authority too often has kept meetings and records private. State Auditor Marion Higa criticized it recently for flouting the spirit of the Sunshine Law. The authority had met behind closed doors 28 times since 1998 to discuss confidential, proprietary or personnel matters, but Higa was able to find minutes for only nine of those meetings. The deal with Disney -- minus specific items that may qualify for confidentiality -- should be disclosed.
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Published by Oahu Publications Inc., a subsidiary of Black Press.Don Kendall, Publisher
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