• Why was Kalihiwai hala cut? • Mayor, bless the Curvalho curve • Supporting young Republicans • Safe drilling doesn’t exist • Hurricane preparedness Why was Kalihiwai hala cut? It’s a little less of a letter, but more of a
• Why was Kalihiwai hala cut? • Mayor, bless the Curvalho curve • Supporting young Republicans • Safe drilling doesn’t exist • Hurricane preparedness
Why was Kalihiwai hala cut?
It’s a little less of a letter, but more of a question…
Why did the hala trees have to get cut down as you head down to Kalihiwai beach on the left roadside? I totally understand that the roadside could use some clearing with all the java plum, hau and octopus trees that are down there along the side, but the hala is native and was never obstructing any visibility on the road or making any mess.
Anyways, I was sad to see that so many of them had been chopped to pieces. If possible, could they please be cut around next time so we can try support our native forests?
Abigail May, Lihu‘e
Mayor, bless the Curvalho curve
Jonathan Jay and I have submitted a plan to improve the alignment of the highway centerline of the highway section that passes in front of Wailua Beach. Jonathan pushed through an idea that the highway could be re-engineered to miss the beach. I helped out with a handy reference book titled “Highway Curves” for calculating continuous curves and their tangencies.
The new plan was derived from the engineering drawings of the highway created by the state DOT’s highway consultant. The match lines at both ends of the project were left intact and all re-alignment was done within the existing 77 foot wide state highway right-of way.
The change in highway curve did not require narrowing the highway lanes or creating a variable radius curve. What the new curve achieves is allowing a 10 wide right-of-way for the bike path to exist mauka (inland) of the existing stone wall separating the beach from the existing highway. This new alignment would have zero footprint on the sand.
It would also be further inland at about 14” higher elevation than the currently planned curve. This alignment will result in less excavation and probably less disturbance of iwi (archeological human bones).
This new alignment will cost no more money than recalculating the placement of pins to locate construction a few feet.
The Garden Island reported June 9 that the Native Hawaiian challenge to halt the highway widening has been dismissed. The project is going ahead. Therefore, now is the time (the only time) to put this plan in action.
— The plan has been submitted to the state DOT representative Ray McCormick in Puhi. DOT agrees that it is feasible, but does not initiate this sort of change on its own.
— The plan has also been submitted to the Kauai County Council at the request of Chair Kaipo Asing. I am not aware that any action has been taken by the Council.
— The plan has been submitted to Kauai Mayor Bernard Curvalho through his assistant Gary Heu. No response has been received from the mayor’s office.
The mayor is the power player in this situation. That is why Jonathan titled his design effort the Carvalho Curve. We believe at this time the mayor can use his office to request of the state DOT to follow the new curve and not force the bike path onto the sand of Wailua Beach. He can be a hero at little political cost.
I suspect now that some people really do not care if the “problem” of desecrating the sand can be avoided. Why else ignore the solution.
Juan Wilson, Hanapepe Valley
Supporting young Republicans
How great that the furlough Fridays have ended. And how wonderful that Charles Djou was sworn into the U.S. House of Representatives.
I’m supporting Dave Hamman from Kaua‘i and other young Republicans who are throwing their hats in the ring to make Hawai‘i the best it can be.
Nicholas “EZ” Street, Princeville
Safe drilling doesn’t exist
Thank you President Obama for putting a hold on new Arctic drilling until at least 2011. In light of the present and past situations with offshore drilling I hope that you will make these changes permanent.
There is no such thing as “safe drilling” in our most vulnerable landscape.
We applaud and thank you President Obama and Secretary Salazar for taking leadership on protecting the Arctic.
Thayne Taylor, Kalaheo
Hurricane preparedness
The Memorial Day weekend marked the beginning of our hurricane season and many Kauaians plan to stock our shelves with canned goods, batteries, alcohol wipes, and the like.
Hurricane season will end about Thanksgiving time, when we can donate still-useable canned goods and batteries to the nearest food bank and donate toiletries to a nearby family shelter.
Bob Ray, Po‘ipu
