Letters to the Editor
State must do its part on Kapolei Parkway
D. Canella's "Kapolei Parkway must be completed" (Letters, March 27) is absolutely right. While Kapolei is dubbed the "Second City," 'Ewa Beach is now dubbed "Traffic Jam City."
Developers have been allowed to build homes without regard to whether the transportation, schools and other infrastructure were in place. Recognizing this, the 'Ewa Neighborhood Board passed a construction moratorium until developers owned up to their responsibilities to their new homeowners and those of us who have lived here for 25 years or more.
After dragging the developers to the bargaining table, we finally achieved their commitment to build their portions of Kapolei Parkway, to be completed by 2005. Gentry and Haseko are to be commended for putting their money where the community needs it most.
The only participant that did not make a commitment was the state, which has a critical piece of Kapo-lei Parkway and must build two schools to relieve the overcrowding of our 'Ewa Beach schools.
We need to monitor the developers and lobby state lawmakers to make sure they allocate the money to make these projects happen.
Pam Lee Smith
Member, Planning & Zoning Committee
'Ewa Neighborhood Board
Lawmakers should look at their own house first
In reference to the article, "Legislators want audit of agency" (March 29), the Legislature ought to clean up its own house first.
The Senate and House want an audit of the state Historic Preservation Division because of staff abuses such as "extended shopping trips, watching TV, extended lunch breaks and frequent absences from office during workday by clerical staff." This sounds an awful like the indiscretions of present and past legislative offices and staffers.
Mark Nakamura
Kailua
Blame mayor for ruling on refuse workers
Regarding the March 26 article by Robbie Dingeman, "Mayor blasts ruling on refuse workers," and the statement that the labor board has allowed 10 refuse collectors to be paid for "doing nothing": Yes, 10 collectors are coming to work and "doing nothing." Who is to blame? Mayor Jeremy Harris and all former city refuse directors.
In negotiations with the city and the UPW, the automated trucks were supposed to be a pilot project with the refuse division and discussed with the union before being implemented. That latter discussion never happened.
As part of the UPW's "uku pau" contract, there can be "no layoffs, transfers out of yards or divisions or change in pay status" for refuse workers assigned to the old manual-collection routes. Refuse workers are allowed to go home as soon as their routes are finished and collect their eight hours of pay. Your article fails to mention that the automated routes are not "uku pau" and overtime monies are being paid to these drivers.
It is not the fault of the refuse collectors. They are abiding by their union contract. So, if the people of Honolulu have to pay for 10 collectors "doing nothing," put the blame where it belongs and bring back all the manual routes.
C. Makalena
Waipahu
Public school needs help, just as UH does
Your March 27 article reports that the University of Hawai'i is on a fast track to take care of problems that have existed on campus, some for a decade or more.
An administrator is quoted as saying changes can occur quickly if people just put their minds into them. The university, of course, is an institution of higher learning.
Could this mentality trickle down to institutions of lower learning such as our elementary, intermediate and high schools?
Lahainaluna, established in 1831, is the oldest public high school west of the Rocky Mountains. It has a gymnasium constructed in the mid-1970s. But the gym has no lockers and no showers. Athletes must use the facilities of the physical education department in a separate facility. Athletes must go outdoors to get to lockers and showers.
This has been ongoing for nearly three decades. Liken the situation to the construction of a home with no bathing facilities and no closets.
Will education officials and legislators put their minds together and remedy this oversight? Give credit to our students and athletes for patiently enduring this hardship.
T. Bruce Honda
Tests a better measure of readiness than age
With regard to proposed legislation on kindergarten (SB 2032): There may be a good alternative to the kindergarten-entrance restriction based on age alone.
Entrance tests could be developed and administered annually so that all children desiring entrance to kindergarten would have to pass before being admitted (special-ed category excepted). A number of tests, at the same level, could be randomly used to eliminate "teaching to pass a specific test."
This would identify children ready for schooling and would require many parents to become involved with their children's academic education. Perhaps this also would go well toward eliminating kindergarten as a "baby-sitting service" and encourage continued parental involvement throughout the entire elementary- and secondary-education years.
B. Judson
Kapolei
Tourism authority money could help solve problem
I can't believe our well-educated legislators would allow our libraries to close or even cut hours.
Members of the House and Senate, you have received your education and were able to use the library facilities because someone, a long time ago, "had a vision" that reading and research information was and is important for all people. Now you want to take that away.
Solution: Take $15 million from the Hawai'i Tourism Authority. Tourism authority officials have a problem recording minutes of their meetings and sharing with the public how all $61 million is spent, so they won't miss it.
Dick Englar
Retired teacher
City should use property for urban revitalization
Your editorial, "City should influence use of superblock," (March 28) was right on the money. The 11-acre property is simply too important and visible to be wasted on another big-box retailer. This is a very rare opportunity to engage in a major urban revitalization project that should be taken seriously.
If the city and state get involved in the project, I would like to suggest a couple of recommendations. They include:
• Building a world-class planetarium and science center.
• Building a sound stage and post-production facility to help entice Hollywood and nurture a local film industry.
• Hiring the Walt Disney "imagineering" group to conceive an urban entertainment center based on Hawaiian legends and folklore. This can be done in partnership with the private sector and should be a big hit with foreign tourists.
• Relocating the University of Hawai'i's law and business schools to the property.
• Enticing the Bishop Museum to relocate to the property.
While the editorial suggested that land values would make it too costly for the city to get involved, I think careful planning and public-private partnership initiatives might help make some of the ideas feasible.
This is a unique case where urban enhancement over pure profitability is justified, and the city should at least consider the possibilities.
R.M. Yamada
Make voting compulsory — and erode our freedom
I burst out laughing when I read Hakau Laulea's March 29 letter advocating compulsory voting. One must have a peculiar definition of liberty to proclaim, "We are lucky to have the freedom to vote," in a letter urging legislators to trample that right by imposing fines and quasi-jail time (community service) on people choosing not to vote.
How free will disgruntled non-voters feel chopping weeds by the side of the road? And who do you think they will take their wrath out on when they are next compelled to vote? The communist leaders in the former Soviet Union also forced people to vote — although, unlike Hawai'i, they dispensed with the charade of having a two-party system.
Better yet, let's crank up the irony level and make it a Class C felony not to vote. That way, if these newly minted ex-cons bolt from Hawai'i after serving their time, they will likely wind up in states that will bar them from voting because of their felony conviction for not voting.
Jim Henshaw
Kailua
Making reservations on Internet is easy
Regarding Wendy Goodenow's March 28 letter: The dropping of the commission paid to travel agents was a move by the airlines to try to keep prices down in an economically difficult time for all people. There are still many people willing to pay the extra money for the convenience of having a travel agent do their bookings for them.
Goodenow said, "You would have to go to at least three Web sites or spend hours on the telephone" to book a ticket yourself.
This is flat-out not true.
I have booked my own ticket over the Internet on AOL, founded by Punahou graduate Steve Case, which will compare all the fares from the major airlines and give you the lowest. This took me around 30 minutes from start to finish. The fare I received was $80 less than the travel agents I tried.
In terms people looking for a bargain can understand, this was the equivalent of being paid $160 per hour for my time. This was not only easy, but I saved a good deal of money and got a mileage bonus for doing it.
I guess this just proves the axiom: If you want it done right, do it yourself.
Mark Gideon
Community can find pride in UH sailing team
Who are these people who keep telling us that we have to join big-time football and spend money we do not have to meet this goal? Who are these wheelers and dealers who cavalierly would dispose of the treasured name of the "Rainbows" merely for marketing purposes and a touch of macho madness?
Do these people really believe that if they accomplish the ultimate and win the national championship that they'll even come close to matching the accomplishment of Hank Vasconcellos and his band of two dozen players who beat the Cornhuskers?
Which accomplishment do they think would have given the players and the community more pride, more sense of achievement?
A sense of proportion and an understanding of the place of sports in a community must return to the University of Hawai'i. Hurray to its sailing teams who accomplish more with less!
Richard Y. Will
