05-12-2009, 12:57 PM
Ah, the contentious subject of the PMAR raises its head again. As someone who lives in HPP, is active in the community, and has tried to initiate some discussion on this subject, I tend to be somewhat cynical. Watching the County and the State DOT for several years has compounded my cynicism.
The DOT is hell-bent on four-laning Highway 130, and I don't think that element of the bigger picture is going to change, advisory groups notwithstanding. The DOT does not like to listen to citizen input and usually doesn't.
The County, as Seeb so aptly puts it, is happy to tax HPP, but loathe to provide any real services or infrastructure, much less plan intelligently for same. They will treat us like ugly red-headed stepchildren and then tell us they are doing us a favor when they push the down-and-dirty, least expensive, and least policeable sort of road through here that they can possibly come up with.
The reason the powers that be will never go for Rob's well thought out and environmentally sensitive plan is that it is too intelligent and involves too much planning for the future. Those powers that be don't have a good track record in this regard. And then there is the cost. Pay now or pay later, as they say. The County of Hawaii seems to always choose not to pay now and then pay a lot more later. Dr. Weatherford's plan has some attractive features, but I fear it will be seen as too complicated. Councilwoman Naeole has clearly stated that we need a PMAR, and I seem to recall her telling HPP that we need to be thinking of how we plan to deal with it. That is good advice, but it would be nice for a process to be initiated to accomplish it.
As for my own home community, it's the usual apathy and denial. We in HPP need to be actively reviewing all alternatives and suggesting our own, but our leaders are understandably preoccupied with the road paving project that doesn't seem to be satisfying anybody. There are certainly some NIMBY types, and there are others who are opposed to any sort of road across HPP, no matter what. Then there are those like me who could support an intelligently planned route that fully compensated those affected.
Given what we all know about the DOT and the County of Hawaii, how many of you honestly think that that between them they can:
a. Come up with or accept an intelligent, forward looking plan that involves REAL community input,
b. Adequately buffer and fully compensate the affected landowners and the community at large, and
c. Pay for the above?
Sorry for the cynicism, but that's the reality I see.
Aloha,
Jerry
The DOT is hell-bent on four-laning Highway 130, and I don't think that element of the bigger picture is going to change, advisory groups notwithstanding. The DOT does not like to listen to citizen input and usually doesn't.
The County, as Seeb so aptly puts it, is happy to tax HPP, but loathe to provide any real services or infrastructure, much less plan intelligently for same. They will treat us like ugly red-headed stepchildren and then tell us they are doing us a favor when they push the down-and-dirty, least expensive, and least policeable sort of road through here that they can possibly come up with.
The reason the powers that be will never go for Rob's well thought out and environmentally sensitive plan is that it is too intelligent and involves too much planning for the future. Those powers that be don't have a good track record in this regard. And then there is the cost. Pay now or pay later, as they say. The County of Hawaii seems to always choose not to pay now and then pay a lot more later. Dr. Weatherford's plan has some attractive features, but I fear it will be seen as too complicated. Councilwoman Naeole has clearly stated that we need a PMAR, and I seem to recall her telling HPP that we need to be thinking of how we plan to deal with it. That is good advice, but it would be nice for a process to be initiated to accomplish it.
As for my own home community, it's the usual apathy and denial. We in HPP need to be actively reviewing all alternatives and suggesting our own, but our leaders are understandably preoccupied with the road paving project that doesn't seem to be satisfying anybody. There are certainly some NIMBY types, and there are others who are opposed to any sort of road across HPP, no matter what. Then there are those like me who could support an intelligently planned route that fully compensated those affected.
Given what we all know about the DOT and the County of Hawaii, how many of you honestly think that that between them they can:
a. Come up with or accept an intelligent, forward looking plan that involves REAL community input,
b. Adequately buffer and fully compensate the affected landowners and the community at large, and
c. Pay for the above?
Sorry for the cynicism, but that's the reality I see.
Aloha,
Jerry