Thanks for listening
I was pleased to read of the new plans of a temporary closure of the Kailua Pier in Sunday’s West Hawaii Today. A big thanks to the state Department of Land and Natural Resources and the Hawaii Police Department for listening to the public’s complaints and taking steps to address the homelessness and illegal activities that have been taking place there over the past months.
As a popular place for strollers, swimmers and beachgoers, it was absurd that a small group were able to rob the rest of the community from enjoying the area by their total disrespect for both people and the aina. Public intoxication, illicit drug use, foul language and garbage tossed on the ground and over the wall to the sand made for a very uncomfortable situation for those using the bathrooms and showers or just having to walk through the small crowd congregated in front of the men’s bathroom on the pathway to Kamakahonu Beach.
Kudos also to the Hawaii Police Department for clearing up the parking problem. As the only place in Kona to safely launch a recreational water craft it has been difficult to find a spot to load and unload canoes, kayaks, stand up paddle boards, etc. with cars permanently parked in the loading zones. With the police department regularly patrolling the area and issuing tickets it has most certainly helped and is much appreciated.
The effects of COVID have certainly taken it’s toll on our village. In order to get residents and visitors back into town to support our local restaurants and small businesses we need to make our village a clean, safe place to be and this is most certainly a step in the right direction.
JM Thompson
Kailua-Kona
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Open schools so people can get back to work
I read with interest the struggle employers are having with hiring. The article barely touched on a major roadblock: what, exactly, parents should do with their children who remain stuck schooling at home? When schools open to their full capacity five days a week, more parents can seek and commit to work. It’s not reasonable to expect parents to turn over their entire paycheck for childcare, assuming that such options even exist. This needs to be addressed along with work search requirements. Yes. It’s time for everybody to get back to work. So fully reopen the schools. It only makes sense.
Zarine Dorabji
Kona
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The Trojan Horse of Na‘alehu
You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make him take his shoes off.
Everybody in the Department of Environmental Management and all Hawaii County Council members have refused to look into the financial fiasco surrounding the Naalehu sewer boondoggle.
The previous District 6 Environmental Management Commissioner was hostile toward me at meetings when I tried to inform commissioners about what has side-tracked a simple solution to the EPA’s gang-cesspool conversion mandate.
Thankfully, our new commissioner can see the situation, whereas, the previous commissioner was part of the problem and the rest of the commissioners just ignored it.
Please ask yourselves: If our gang-cesspool is such a threat to public health and the environment, then where is the evidence? Why do we need an expensive monumental project?
The Trojan Horse in Na‘alehu is full of outside consultants. Another question is how much money have they already grabbed from the county’s counting house? And who opened the gate?
Jerry Warren
Na‘alehu
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