These measures are not too complicated to implement and would do wonders for the beautification of our island.

STILL WAITING

THE LITTLE STREET THAT HASN'T BEEN REPAVED

It is with bated breath that I observe the current mini street repaving program of Mayor Mufi Hannemann's administration.

The end of the street where I live has not been repaved in the 24 1/2 years (the entire length of my marriage) that I have lived here.

When the streets were repaved during Jeremy Harris' administration, they skipped our little cul-de-sac.

They repaved all of 'Alewa Heights Drive and Kalikimaka Street, up to about 50 feet from my house.

Then, since only five houses are on our little cul-de-sac, they skipped our little 150 feet of the street.

Regretfully, that is all.

TRANSPORTATION

GOOD URBAN DESIGN COUNTERACTS MANY ILLS

Paul Flentge's letter on Feb. 2 got it half right.

Development isn't the problem; the way we develop is.

Traditional suburban development demands paving over open spaces, long-distance commutes, segregation of land uses, inefficient use of resources, decline of a sense of community and a reduced quality of life.

Good urban design and infill growth counteract all of those ills. "Urban" is not a four-letter word.

When are we as a community going to require and help facilitate good urban design, urban infill and mass transit to address our constant complaining about traffic, housing costs and loss of open space?

Sticking our heads in the sand and demanding that the population of O'ahu be capped or all future development be banned is not a solution nor is it realistic.

The solution starts with each of us on this island, not government, not developers, not environmentalists.

A change in mindset on how and where we live and how we view development is required. Until that time, nothing will change.

SCHOOL PROBLEMS

EDUCATION NOT VALUED SUFFICIENTLY IN HAWAI'I

If I hear or read one more comment like "NCLB needs fixing" or "The schools are failing" or "Teachers need to improve," I think I'll scream.

For academically struggling students, we do more harm than good by sending the message that the school system needs to be fixed.

Sure, some things may be broken. But in our society, diseased by attitudes of entitlement, passivity and misplaced blame, sharpening the pencil does little for the potential writer who doesn't want to write and/or thinks the writing tool doesn't work.

I have no doubt that changes in the education system will occur. But I fear that students who struggle will continue to do so until the root causes are addressed.

The root causes are not valuing education, little or no connection to school, and a weak sense of personal responsibility.

Only when we all start focusing on these root causes will students begin to benefit from "repairs" to the education system.

EDUCATION

CHARTER SCHOOLS DON'T RECEIVE EQUAL FUNDING

In the article "BOE wants to keep charter schools" (Feb. 2), Donna Ikeda states: "There is this perception the board is against charter schools and I don't know how you make that go away."

I would like to answer her: Start by providing the same funding per pupil as every other public school on the island.

We live in the Lanikai Elementary Public Charter School district. It is our neighborhood school, and we would have to either apply for a geographic exemption or pay for private school to attend a different one. Yet, Lanikai does not receive per-student funding equal to any of the other public schools. None of the charter schools does.

Despite this lack of equity in funding, Lanikai and many of the other charter schools consistently score high on both the state and federal standardized tests.

Imagine what they could do if they were treated fairly. Does this answer your question, Ms. Ikeda?

ALL SCHOOLS SHOULD USE DOGS TO SNIFF OUT DRUGS

Congratulations to Kalama Intermediate School of Wailuku, Maui, for being the first public school in Hawai'i to use specially trained dogs on campus to sniff out drugs, alcohol and guns.

Finally, all this talk by public officials, parents, etc. has been put into action.

The other schools should do the same to make the schools and community safer for everyone.

PUNAHOU

OTHER SCHOOLS WOULD LIKE THE SAME COVERAGE

Good for Punahou! Every TV news station gave long coverage on the Punahou Carnival.

I hope we can look forward to the same kind of coverage for the public high schools that hold events to meet the many extra needs those schools have but are not met by the money allotted to them.

Other private high schools would also appreciate even at least a little of the high-profile coverage Punahou gets.

UNDERGROUND WIRES

HECO SHOULD LOOK TO THE LONG-TERM GAIN

It's time Hawaiian Electric Co. started looking to long-term profits instead of short-term bottom line.

Historical analysis has shown that it takes about 28 years to break even on the cost of putting electrical lines underground. That should be less with the cost shared by the telephone and cable companies.

On the Windward side from Kane'ohe to Hale'iwa, they could combine the project with a sewer line and start eliminating some of the thousands of cesspools that have not been upgraded to septic tanks.

How many have walked our incredible beaches along that coast only to be hit in the nose with the stench pouring from the streams? Who wants to walk through the waste people put down their drains and toilets? I know sea life would appreciate the relief.

Think of the enhanced beauty by eliminating those unsightly poles. Think of the public's safety. Think of the space saved by eliminating poles that could be paved over for a dedicated bicycle lane or possibly a center turning lane in busier areas.

Think of the savings in trees not cut down. Think not just of the long-term profits, though that should be enough for HECO and Oceanic Cable. Think of the future. Think of our Island home.

POWER

HAWAIIAN ELECTRIC AGAIN FAILED CUSTOMERS

Once again, Hawaiian Electric Co. has failed its customers.

With the earthquake, it simply failed to communicate.

Now, because three generators were down for "scheduled maintenance," it warned that some customers might lose service. It would seem that HECO could do its scheduled maintenance on one plant at a time, rather than subjecting customers to such an inconvenience. I want an explanation.

This is poor planning on HECO's part, and bespeaks a major problem with its leadership. Yes, there is some seaweed contaminating one of their sites, but this is not new information to HECO.

LEGISLATURE

DON'T BRING BACK THE HATED TRAFFIC CAMERAS

If he absolutely must do this one more time, would Rep. Joe Souki please try the "van cams" in his own district for a couple years first before subjecting us here on O'ahu to his Big Bruddah kine, one more time?

I think his friends and neighbors should be the first to benefit directly from his wisdom this time around. We don't want the van cams back, Joe.

Besides, backing out of a small Maui contract would probably be less expensive than the several million in "severance pay" we had to pay last time.