06-06-2009, 08:49 AM
I absolutely think Puna should have business centers so as to cut down on trips to Hilo, and bring jobs to Puna.
It's the refashioning for tourist consumption that can come back to bite a community.
What you want to avoid is that when you go to town, most of the people walking up and down are tourists, not people who live there doing business in town. You also want parking that is more than adequate because it's incredibly annoying to drive in to town and then have to turn around because you can't park.
I've seen it happen, and it could happen in Pahoa too. I doubt it will happen unless the blighted look is cleaned up though, and the property owners seems to be less than gung ho about that.
I would like to see the blight go, without seeing tourists take over the sidewalks.
I am not at all anti-tourist; the problem is when tourists outnumber the locals in their own town. It messes up the town's sense of identity.
It's the refashioning for tourist consumption that can come back to bite a community.
What you want to avoid is that when you go to town, most of the people walking up and down are tourists, not people who live there doing business in town. You also want parking that is more than adequate because it's incredibly annoying to drive in to town and then have to turn around because you can't park.
I've seen it happen, and it could happen in Pahoa too. I doubt it will happen unless the blighted look is cleaned up though, and the property owners seems to be less than gung ho about that.
I would like to see the blight go, without seeing tourists take over the sidewalks.
I am not at all anti-tourist; the problem is when tourists outnumber the locals in their own town. It messes up the town's sense of identity.