A county of Kauai meeting on Jan. 16 at King Kaumualii Elementary School in Hanamaulu didn’t go quite as officials had hoped. That’s because people didn’t want to talk about what was on the agenda, that being to provide input
A county of Kauai meeting on Jan. 16 at King Kaumualii Elementary School in Hanamaulu didn’t go quite as officials had hoped.
That’s because people didn’t want to talk about what was on the agenda, that being to provide input on a feasibility study regarding the potential access routes to the proposed 280-acre landfill at Maalo, between Lihue and Wailua.
What they wanted to discuss was the landfill. Most didn’t like it. Didn’t want it. Demanded to know how it was selected for this site. Said they didn’t even know about it. The estimated crowd of 60 people wasn’t in the mood to hear about roads to that landfill.
“Frustrating,” is how one official later described it.
The county held four meetings around the island in 2011 to talk about the proposed landfill site. They promoted the meeting on radio and newspaper and posted it on their website. No one show up, the official said.
So, last week, a meeting was scheduled for a presentation on the preliminary findings of the traffic and roadways engineering feasibility study regarding routes to the landfill, and “their impact on traffic, site improvements and related costs, as well as their social impacts.”
Many said they weren’t wild about where this landfill would be tucked away, with Wailua Falls to the west, Fern Grotto to the north and Kalepa Ridge to the east.
“Now, they’re saying, ‘We don’t like it. Why didn’t you do a study of the site?’ Well, we did. It gets a little frustrating,” he said.
Well, the good news is, the county has their attention now.
In case you haven’t heard, the county is proposing to establish a new municipal solid waste landfill at Maalo. This is a 280-acre parcel of grass and pasture that will be turned into a place to bury trash. It’s needed because the county’s only existing landfill at Kekaha is reaching capacity and will eventually be closed.
A landfill isn’t high on anyone’s list, but sadly, it’s necessary because more than 100,000 tons of municipal solid waste are generated on Kauai each year. Recycling, composting and conservation can help, but there will be still tons of trash that must be disposed of — somewhere. And it won’t be cheap. We’re talking spending in the ballpark of $70 million when you include the road to get to this proposed landfill. But that route hasn’t been selected yet.
As it stands, there are four access routes being considered: Here’s a quick rundown, with estimated costs for modifications, widening, improvements.
• Maalo Road, 4.7-4.8 miles, $36 million.
• Ehiku Street, 5.6-5.7 miles, $42 million.
• Laulima Street, 1.7 miles, $12.5 million
• Roberts Hawaii Driveway, 2.2 miles, $14.3 million
The selection of those routes hasn’t gone over well with some. One writer to The Garden Island made her feelings quite clear: “It is very sad to hear of the roads you are suggesting to use for those huge stinky trucks to come through where people are living! Why don’t you have other locations, like the North Shore? The landfill in the west side was just as far.”
“We’re called the ‘Garden Isle!’ We like to keep it that way!” she wrote.
If the county has your attention now with this proposed landfill and access routes, that’s good. The county says it “is committed to soliciting and considering all reasonable public concerns regarding the potential access routes. No final decision regarding the access route has been made …”
You still have time to offer your input. So do some checking. Talk to neighbors. Prepare your argument. The deadline to provide comment is Monday, Feb. 10. If you don’t get involved by then, well, you might some day see a garbage truck rolling by through neighborhood and wonder where it’s going.
