Response to 'Price of Paradise'
Kodak should have kept hula show going
My wife and I were saddened to hear about the former Kodak Hula Show's demise ("Waikiki hula show ends run," Star-Bulletin, Sept. 26). We visited paradise in May 2001, and one of the four things we made sure we did was to see the Kodak Hula Show, along with a luau, the Arizona Memorial and Kilauea.Terry and Betty Llewellyn
Addison, N.Y.
Sacred Falls ruling was a fair one
As the attorneys who represent the plaintiffs, we ask that you publish the following response to the recent letters to the editor and the editorial in this paper regarding Judge Dexter Del Rosario's decision in the Sacred Falls case.Before the Mother's Day tragedy in 1999 the state knew that falling rocks posed an extreme danger to those recreating in the waterfall area. Sacred Falls was responsible for the only death and all but one of the injuries from falling rocks in the entire state park system. In fact, the hazard was so severe that the park caretaker was required to wear a hard hat during the 10 minutes per week he worked in the waterfall area.
Judge Del Rosario found that the warning signs in the park did not adequately warn park visitors about the nature, severity or location of the falling-rock hazard. In reaching this conclusion, Del Rosario applied national standards the state was already utilizing for signs posted at beach parks.
The judge effectively concluded that families and novice hikers likely would have avoided the waterfall area if they had understood that Sacred Falls was a hard-hat zone that posed a lethal hazard from falling rocks.
In fairness to the victims of the Sacred Falls tragedy, and to Judge Del Rosario, we ask that those who wish to comment publicly on this matter review the decision before they do so. The decision is available at www.sacredfallshawaii.com.
Laurent J. Remillard Jr.
Park Park Yu & Remillard
How does med school fit waterfront plan?
A number of years ago, I was invited to be part of a state-sponsored group that met to discuss how the Honolulu waterfront should be developed. When the Waterfront Project was concluded, the consensus was that all further development of the Honolulu Waterfront must be water-related. A detailed booklet was produced that laid out the Oahu shoreline from Waikiki to Barber's Point Deep Draft Harbor and, sector by sector, illustrated all the green areas, pedestrian walks and parks that were envisioned.Out of this came, I believe, the Aloha Tower complex, the University of Hawaii's acquisition of a piece of Sand Island shore for Hawaii Community College's Marine program and UH's water recreation facility, and a great deal more.
Now a medical school is being built on the waterfront. Can anyone explain to me what a medical school has to do with water activity or green space, or how it conforms to the decisions made by the Waterfront Project?
W.C.R. Pollitt
Kaneohe
Save recreational land from high fees
In a state with relatively high taxes and low salaries, Hawaii needs to preserve affordable recreational opportunities. From Ala Wai Harbor and Golf Course to hiking trails, our governor is trying to privatize, commercialize, limit access, and initiate or raise user fees. It's time to let our government know it cannot take affordable recreation away by picking off public land one piece at a time.At 9 a.m. Saturday, at Jefferson Elementary School in Waikiki, the state Land Board will hold hearings on a three-fold fee increase for Ala Wai Harbor. This increase will make boating unaffordable to the average resident. If the governor succeeds in driving residents out of Ala Wai, private developers will have a freer hand to commercialize public land.
If only boaters show up, it will be easy for the state to establish a precedent of high recreational fees managed by private developers. This precedent then can be applied to Ala Wai Golf Course, hiking trails and possibly beaches.
Bring friends and join boaters Saturday to let the Land Board know that unless the governor backs off on the increase and privatization of Ala Wai Harbor, this will cost Democrats your vote for governor.
Gary O'Donnell
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Light rail better than Bus Rapid Transit
Blocking off traffic lanes for Bus Rapid Transit is at best a poorly conceived idea ("Price of Paradise," Star-Bulletin, Aug. 25). The city already has plenty of buses running the streets empty.Rep. Galen Fox is on the right track: A light-rail system would be better. His approach of connecting the airport to Waikiki, then moving out toward the western end of Oahu in phases seems on target, but I'm curious about how much revenue Fox expects light rail to bring in. Most municipal transportation systems are heavily subsidized by taxpayers.
On the other hand, building an elevated monorail from Waianae toward town should build a good ridership base. Picture yourself stuck in traffic on the H-1 while a monorail cruises overhead with a view of Pearl Harbor, Honolulu and Diamond Head. Or picture yourself with the family on a Sunday afternoon heading out to Ko Olina. No parking worries, and scenery available nowhere else in the world. If we're going to spend $1 billion, please, let's not waste it on a bus system that will be obsolete before the first rider steps on board. Take the time, do the homework and put in a world-class rail system that Hawaii can be proud of well into the future.
Mike Hanson
Mililani
The Price of Paradise appears each week in the Sunday Insight section. The mission of POP is to contribute lively and informed dialog about public issues, particularly those having to do with our pocketbooks. Reader responses appear later in the week. If you have thoughts to share about today's POP articles, please send them, with your name and daytime phone number, to pop@starbulletin.com, or write to Price of Paradise, Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, 500 Ala Moana, Honolulu, HI 96813.
John Flanagan
Contributing Editor
The Star-Bulletin welcomes letters that are crisp and to the point (150 to 200 words). The Star-Bulletin reserves the right to edit letters for clarity and length. Please direct comments to the issues; personal attacks will not be published. Letters must be signed and include a daytime telephone number. How to write us
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