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Fixing up City Hall is
valid use of tax money

THE ISSUE Renovations at Honolulu Hale and other buildings will cost $11.3 million.

WHEN politicians budget money to renovate their offices, as the City Council has done, taxpayers look askance. Eyebrows went up after the Council added about $8 million to the $3 million Mayor Hannemann had sought for fixing up Honolulu Hale and other Civic Center buildings.

This, coupled with the Council's significantly raising fees for sewer, car registrations and facility rentals, made for bad public relations. But in this case, it appears Council members aren't just feathering their nest.

That said, the Council should provide a full, detailed accounting before and after the $11.3 million is spent. This will assure taxpayers that funds aren't being used for curly koa desks and Zen fountains, but for making City Hall a safe place for employees and the public.

At nearly 80 years old, City Hall needs some restoration. Narrow stairways, mold, leaks, termite damage and asbestos risk health and open the city to lawsuits and workers compensation claims. Already one worker has been injured, striking his head on a substandard doorway when he fell from steep steps.

Parts of the aging structure do not meet building and fire codes. The tower, for example, has only one way in and out; if there's a fire, there would be no escape. Leaks cause further deterioration of walls and supports, and grow mold and mildew, which can affect respiration, as evidenced by Councilman Rod Tam's aggravated allergies.

Council Chairman Donovan Dela Cruz noted that if the tower is not fixed, it must be vacated. Other Civic Center facilities already have been similarly closed off, forcing the city to rent space elsewhere, at additional cost. Moreover, if the buildings aren't repaired now, the problems probably will get worse and cost more to repair.

The mayor, whose working rule is to focus on needs rather than "nice-to-haves," is understandably concerned. He would serve his principle and taxpayers well by following the money.

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Wind turbines or fossil
fuels? Tough choice

THE ISSUE Hawaiian Electric plans to put up wind turbines near Kahe Point.

VISUAL blight or continued dependence on polluting fossil fuels will be the tough choice facing Oahu residents as Hawaiian Electric Co. proposes to erect 24 to 26 wind turbines above Kahe Point.

HECO will have to convince the community that the huge -- some would say unsightly -- turbines make environmental sense, at least loosening the yoke that binds Hawaii to burning oil and coal to power televisions, computers and air conditioners as well as the necessities of modern living.

Residents will have to keep open minds about surrendering another piece of the island's natural beauty to fulfill the growing demand for electricity that comes with further development.

The company does not deny that the turbines -- at 300 to 350 feet tall or as high as 30- to 40-story structures -- will mark the ridge above its current power plant. The machines with rotating blades will be visible from Farrington Highway and the resort areas of Ko Olina.

Leeward residents still smarting from an unsuccessful fight over a landfill last year might regard the turbines' location at Kahe as another insult to their community. But Oahu's geography dictates the turbines be placed there, according to the company's year-long study of wind patterns.

Residents will have to weigh the desire for cleaner, sustainable energy production against the blemish of wind turbines. Generating electricity is a dirty business when oil and coal are involved; Hawaiian Electric and its affiliates were among the top 10 facilities for toxic releases in 2003, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reported last month.

The turbines will produce 39 megawatts, only enough for 10,000 homes, and will not eliminate the need for new conventional power plants, which HECO plans to build in the next few years. But the turbines, however intrusive, are a tiny step toward the future.

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