07-31-2014, 07:49 AM
TMT needs to pay up. That 1 mil per year to the community is paltry and insulting. The starting rate to the community should have been at least 100 mil. We are talking about a 1.4 bil enterprise....up from 1 bil four year ago. 100 mil added to the price tag each year. Don't be so set on innocent astronomers barely getting by on grant money either. These enterprises are closely tied into telecommunications, national defense, and many other industries that equate to big money. Dare we insult the big island community with that 1 million payoff per year? And with current economics, shouldn't that 1 mil each year be incrementally increased each year also...just like the cost of the building? I'm not against TMT. I'm just against another big money enterprise getting away with another caper.....just like the $1 per year rent many of the other telescopes pay. Mauna Kea is a precious resource no matter which way you slice it -- be it Native Hawaiian, scientific, or economical. If it is about economy, then our island deserves much more than the 1 mil per year on the table.If not, What a slap in the face. again.