Letters to the Editor: 6-19-17

No government infrastructure no development, period!

So far all I have gathered about the proposed Kahaluu timeshare project pertains to saving the land, marking graves sites, water run off, etc. To me all these issues are moot. The issue should be the infrastructure of our community that has totally been neglected for decades by all past and present administrations. The unavoidable fact is without the proper infrastructure (planning) you have nothing but a mess. This mess can be seen simply by driving around Kailua on up through Waimea and see its ever crawling tentacles now reaching out to embrace the Kohala region and even encroaching the fair city of Hilo. Our Constitution says we can do unto our property as we want within the perimeters of the law. But it is the people who, when their representatives fail, must demand that infrastructure be put in place before the granting of permits to developers. In this Kahaluu development project, the people should, by example, demand that Kamehameha III Road be built from the Keauhou intersection (a compromise for now) at least to the project in question (if only under the pretense of a tsunami escape). But, in reality, it should by all means be extended onto Royal Poinciana Drive and Lako Street as is shown in the existing Kamehameha III highway 40-year-old plan. That alone would open up land in that area for affordable housing, jobs and whatever. As is repeated over and over, infrastructure is the name of the game, not the denying one of their right to develop. This project has got to provide all amenities such as water, electricity, sewer while the government has to provide roads for ingress and egress. That’s it. Very cut and dry…no government infrastructure no development, period!

Hugo von Platen Luder

Holualoa