• Legacy lost at Black Pot Beach? •Unanswered questions remain Legacy lost at Black Pot Beach? Why, in these times of economic hardship, high unemployment, low visitor arrivals, and furloughs for state and county employees, should Gov. Lingle release the
• Legacy lost at Black Pot Beach?
•Unanswered questions remain
Legacy lost at Black Pot Beach?
Why, in these times of economic hardship, high unemployment, low visitor arrivals, and furloughs for state and county employees, should Gov. Lingle release the $750,000 in Legacy Lands monies approved by the Legacy Lands Commission for acquiring the last available vacant shoreline parcel for expansion of the County’s Black Pot Beach Park on Hanalei Bay?
There are three main reasons:
I. In these hard times, we need park space more than ever. There is no more affordable recreation than a beach park.
No expensive equipment, specialized clothing or memberships are required. No high travel costs are involved to get away.
The whole family can enjoy the fresh air and shoreline recreation together. Rich or poor, resident or visitor, there is something for everyone at a public beach park, and its basically free.
Besides being affordable, parks like Black Pot Beach Park provide stress relief that is needed more than ever in hard economic times.
The fresh sea breezes, our children or grandchildren laughing and playing in the sand, the cool ocean waters washing away all heat and tension, the peacefulness of fishing along the shore or surfing the waves-this is the best medicine to clear our minds and spirits as we look with faith toward a better day.
II. Expanding Black Pot Beach Park will lay the foundation for the return of our prosperity. Prosperity consists not only of our individual wealth, but also our “common wealth.”
The shoreline is part of our “common wealth.” We are able to enjoy the shoreline today because those before us had the foresight to acquire and preserve these “places of heart.” With a single-mindedness of purpose, we must do the same for our children and their children.
Not only residents, but our visitor industry and our economy will also benefit from expanding Black Pot Park. Hanalei Bay has been recognized as one of the most beautiful beaches in the world, and visitors have long flocked to the North Shore to see the bay that is renown in song and story.
Many visitors experience Hanalei Bay through Black Pot Beach Park and the other parks on the Bay. This increases the pressure on relatively small public spaces. Expanding Black Pot Beach Park is a way to honor the needs of residents while accommodating visitors.
It will help to sustain the aloha that Kaua‘i is famous for and upon which the visitor industry depends.
III. The time to buy is NOW. There is no better time than when land prices are tumbling. If we wait until the economy comes back, the land prices are likely to be higher.
But even more likely, there will be no “next time.” The owner has stated that he will not be able to wait indefinitely for the Kaua‘i Public Land Trust and the County to raise the money; if the money is not raised in a reasonable time, he will build a house on the property, and the opportunity will be lost forever.
It is in Gov. Lingle’s hands to create a legacy of timeless value.
Not only will release of the Legacy Lands monies contribute a fitting match to the $1.8 million dollars recently approved by the Council and the mayor. It will also help raise the remaining amount by showing state support, often a critical factor with third party funders.
We fervently hope that she will be able to see the opportunity and the urgency clearly … and release the monies.
Bill Chase
President, Kaua‘i Public Land Trust
Unanswered questions remain
Michael Levine’s article (“Council to air open government concerns,” The Garden Island, June 17) highlights the discord on the council on one key contention made by Tim Bynum and Lani Kawahara.
Their position is that it is a violation of democratic principles for the chair of the council to censor and control who and when information is given to council members on agenda items.
The article reports that the practices of the council chair are supported through analogy by Councilman Furfaro, who is quoted as saying his role entitles him to “manage” which communications are distributed to which committee members and when.
The views of four of the seven council members are now in the public. Aren’t we entitled to learn how the other three council members stand on this important point?
And can we not learn the reason why our county clerk has been accused of not passing along relevant information in a timely manner to all council members?
Glenn Mickens, Kapa‘a
