Skip pricey consultants; public’s advice is free The Garden Island reported Oct. 25 that the “Next round of meetings set for Parks Master Plan” will be held around the island from Nov. 8 to Nov. 17. Our mayor said, “I
Skip pricey consultants; public’s advice is free
The Garden Island reported Oct. 25 that the “Next round of meetings set for Parks Master Plan” will be held around the island from Nov. 8 to Nov. 17.
Our mayor said, “I encourage people all over Kaua‘i to participate in planning for the future of our parks.”
For those of you who have been encouraged to be involved with any process that has to do with operational procedures of our government, let’s review what is being asked by the mayor and what actually happens.
First, when has public input ever been taken into consideration for whatever governmental problem is to be solved?
A number of years ago the League of Women Voters did an evaluation of all our parks on Kaua‘i. Lydgate Park, probably the most used recreational area on our Island by locals and visitors got the highest rating with a C-.
This information was passed along to the administration — public input and nothing has ever been done to improve these areas.
Even with the thousands of citizens who use these parks and our beaches complaining about the shoddy condition they are in, nothing gets done to improve them.
Our mayor said, “the input we received has helped to guide future programs and improvements throughout our system of parks”, but when?
If nothing has been done over the past years to improve these treasured areas, why should our citizens believe that their voices will make a difference by giving the county’s consultant, Kimura International their input going forward?
Is this just not more “talk” to convince the people that something is being done by our elected officials whereas talk with no action is worthless?
Here in Kapa‘a we have a wonderful recreational area — Kapa‘a New Park. It is 22 acres with a fine Little League Field, a new Football field with lights, an intermediate baseball field for all ages (the outfield area used for Pop Warner football practice), a softball field with lights, an inline roller skating rink, a skateboard facility and a pavilion .
There are a total of three county workers taking care of this entire area which, at best, is totally inadequate for what needs to be done.
Baseball fields alone are a full time job, especially during the season.
The home plate area, the base paths, the mounds, the infield all need special attention.
So couple three of these with all the other tasks to be done and it is obvious that the three workers assigned to this facility badly need help. And, these workers are doing an excellent job with the over burdened tasks they have.
And, this is not an isolated incident of what is going on with all our Parks and Recreation areas — it is the norm!
Thus before we spend thousands of more dollars on consultants and meetings around the Island, let’s address the problems that we presently have. There are people on Kaua‘i who have landscaping expertise, like Ken Taylor, so why not listen to their advice (free!) and truly make this magical home of ours the Garden Isle.
We need those in charge from the mayor to his deputies to see that we have a proper workforce and proper equipment to make this island beautiful. And we need people in those directive positions who have the knowledge and experience to do the job properly.
Glenn Mickens, Kapa‘a
Nice stripes, mean streets
The striping and painting of the crosswalks on Alae Street in Kekaha looked really nice and clear for drivers to see. However, the street is horrible to be driving on.
It’s also embarrassing. It is cracked, bumpy, and rough. It is one of the main roads that tourists travel on to get to Koke‘e Road.
Remember the old saying, “first impression is a lasting impression.” Don’t let tourists remember their short entry to Koke‘e as a bladder buster.
Howard Tolbe, ‘Ele‘ele
Hold the line
It really won’t make much difference what color the sky is if we do not stop 20 to 50 BILLION TONS of Japanese debris from landing on the beaches of Hawai‘i and the West coast.
How many ships are there in the world? There’s an entire graveyard of ships off the East coast of North Africa.
Send every ship in the world to Midway. Line them up bow to stern north and south of Midway. Cruise ships, hulks, battle ships, carriers, whatever.
All hands on board; corral the stuff. Herd the stuff. See if we can stop the flow east.
Hold the line and start piling the stuff on Midway. Build an artificial island. Pile it high.
It will be like Dunkirk. Every ship in the world was at Midway.
I’ll go. You’re going to need someone to mop and sweep. I’m a terrible cook, but I can serve a mean bowl of hot soup.
Bettejo Dux, Kalaheo
