• Kauai not dealing with many problems • Act now to save Menehune Fish Pond • Park could replace Coco Palms
Kauai not dealing with many problems
The problems with Kauai are the same problems facing the whole nation. Pollution, overpopulation, government that is not a good stewart of the tax dollar, misuse and abuse of all government programs. No accountability for destructive behavior of the environment, miss use of tax resources and abuse of all government programs. One other thing that is maybe worse in Hawaii than any other state, pollution caused by lack of an adequate sewage system. Kicking the can down the road to tomorrow and no discipline in getting problems solved quickly, now, is what is happening and it will not stop.
Kauai can’t afford these bad habits, dangerous habits and we don’t want to deal with it now mentality.
People love Kauai because of nature, nothing else. But the can will still be kicked down the road until it’s too late. Kauai can’t support a huge population. Oh, guess what? Honolulu has the second-highest traffic congestion in the whole U.S. It is rock fist in the middle of the ocean. It is overpopulated and hasn’t been dealt with. The can was kicked down the road, no discipline and no accountability for wrong actions.
David Cooper, Lihue
Act now to save Menehune Fish Pond
Recently, I was on the island of Kauai for the funeral of my cousin, Rowland. The day after the funeral I wanted to see the Menehune Fish Pond in Niumalu and we drove the lookout. I was shocked. The pond is almost overgrown with mangrove (kukuna o ka la).
As a teenager, I used to spend every other summer on Kauai and stayed in Kipu with my grandparents. Rowland would pick me up and we’d take crab nets to the pond and play cards until we caught enough crabs.
The County of Kauai should enlist the help of the various organizations and whomever is able to kokua with the cleanup or within a few years, Menehune Fish Pond will no longer exist. It happened on the island of Lanai. I was attracted to the island in the ‘50s when I flew over Lanai and saw a fish pond from the air. One of the guides on the plane often went hunting on Lanai. He told the family of my love for singing and I was invited to go there. During those years, we traveled on Jeeps and we often drove to Keomuku. Across Keomuku was Lopa, the pond I had seen from the air. I saw a kukuna o ka la beginning to sprout in the pond and I told the family to pull it out. Unfortunately, no one listened and Lopa Fish Pond no longer exists. Thank goodness I have a picture of Lopa.
Please do something to save the Menehune Fish Pond.
Noelani K. Mahoe, Honolulu
Park could replace Coco Palms
Steven McMacken makes a good point about Coco Palms (TGI letters, July 13). Yes, there’s still much nostalgia for that hotel and even I had a small hand in starting the place (as cottages). Now a developer wants to revive that romantic icon, but requires being able to build by pre-Iniki standards. Three hundred and fifty rooms connected to gang cesspools, I suppose. Grace Buscher did remarkable marketing with Webley Edwards’ “Hawaii Calls” — Elvis Presley 1950’s style romanticism. That was then. Today’s tourists are likely to be less impressed by the conch shell blowing “natives” and hapa-haole music. Our Kanaka-maoli might even be offended. I agree, it’s time to move on. I hope to see a peoples’ park.
Dave Au, San Diego
