To the Candidates, What will you do to fix the new

[Rob Tucker]

@ kjlpahoa & James Weatherford,

I have no knowledge of the codes in Mexico. Never worked there. I have spent half of my career pioneering alternative building materials and methods. It has not been particularly easy. Lots of entrenched opposition. I have found that from all the building departments I have dealt with over forty years the CoH has been the most open and supportive of alternative materials and methods.

You are free to disagree.

We have a detach here in our opinions because I have a different understanding of “alternatives” than you do. In my world an acceptable alternative must be structurally dependable. This is different than thinking that anyone should be entitled to produce a structure by any method that appeals to them.

Bamboo might seem real attractive. Guess what? The CoH has allowed bamboo structures.

Building out of recycled (used) lumber or ungraded material is.... Guess what? It is allowed in the code if your architect or engineer certifies the integrity of the material. [Good luck though finding an architect or engineer who will do that].

I get the impression that some residents of Puna want to simply be exempt from the standards and requirements of living in the USA. Guess what? In Puna you are, for the most part, exempt. The codes in place here are and have been minimally enforced.

But a big and mostly ignored fact seems missing from the dialogue. That is that Hawaii has the highest standard of living of any island group in the Pacific. That is because it is a state of the United States..... like it or not. Being a part of the U.S. has it’s benefits and burdens. A benefit has been that Hawaii receives more than it gives in the form of taxes. That subsidizes many things including financial assistance to the poor. A burden is that it has to conform at times if it wants to enjoy the benefits.

I believe that the yin/yang of burdens and benefits tilt heavily to the state and county not wanting to lose the federal benefits. This is especially true if the vocal opposition has relatively unresearched opinions and are from a district with a history of not voting (real or imagined).

The new codes have no real affect on me. I’ve been swimming against the current so long and am so close to retirement that the new codes have no effect on my day to day or my business future.

Could the new codes (or any code or regulation) be improved? Certainly. Guess what? There is a process for that... but it takes time.

I think the CoH Council did what it had to do. Not perhaps what they might have wanted to do in a perfect world. The council didn't have a lot of choice. The Feds carry a big stick. While you are pissed off you can't easily build however you want, whenever you want, where ever you want... at risk (as a likely example) is housing assistance to the elderly and single moms and children. So the potential is that a "win" in localizing building codes might actually result in more homelessness among the most vulnerable.

The phrase "be careful what you wish for" comes to mind. If you have a grudge on the subject I think the grudge should be with the Feds, not our local council.