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Thank you, shockwave, for stating this better than I could. People (including the moderator of this forum) like to criticize HPP as fragmented, selfish, disconnected from the rest of Puna, and possessed of a mainland attitude. While some of the criticism is justified, particularly in reference to the way HPP "governs" itself, the fact remains that it is growing faster than the other Puna subdivisions, has higher home values than just about all of them, and remains a desirable place to live based on the sheer number of people building and moving here. The park would appear on the surface to be a long overdue county amenity, but there are potential downsides that have been discussed elsewhere. And yes, Ilagan is counting on this to be the cornerstone of his campaign for higher office and a sweep of the HPP vote. From what I hear from my HPP neighbors, this will not be the case.
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I love the entertainment value of this thread. No matter what the subject, people always jump in with their spin on it to sell their own pet ideas, whether it's housing for the homeless, public funding for roads or whatever. It's so easy to find things to criticize with any project that it's a wonder that anything ever does get done in Puna (and in fact goes a long way toward explaining why more doesn't get done.)
Honestly I think Ted's idea isn't a bad one, although it's probably not the right location. Closer to services in Hilo seems more sensible. County taking over roads is also not a bad idea, but must be balanced with how much we want to pay in taxes. Of course, we're already paying for roads all over the rest of the Island, so paying for roads in Puna (and Ka'u) shouldn't be that big of a burden on the tax payer. It won't be long before the number of voters in the 'private' subdivisions will be able to make a very big impact on how things are run. Then it will make perfect sense to develop parks as the roads will be up to county code and liability won't be a factor. We already pay taxes to pay for roads and parks on the rest of the Island, one day I hope it will be our turn.
Just call me Mike
Me ka ha`aha`a,
Mike
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OK, HPP deserves to host a Homeless Park, showing their truly aloha generosity, and gratitude to the community for understanding their internal divisive conflicts and SoCal-wannabe goals.
"Aloha also means goodbye. Aloha!"
*Japanese tourist on bus through Pahoa, "Is this still America?*
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The only thing "private' about any of these subdivisions is that the residents have to pay to build and maintain the roads in addition to all the county and gas taxes they pay, in all other ways these are public roads, used by the public, policed by the public safety departments, and used by police and civil defense as alternative routes when it suites them.
The argument is not that these roads aren't "open to the public" -- the real problem is that "privately owned" roads aren't subject to any standards, up to and including active maintenance.
For illustration, let's suppose the County wanted to put a park in the middle of Hawaiian Acres. How quickly can the ambulance respond to a child who has fallen off the swing?
we're already paying for roads all over the rest of the Island
Hawaii County has the most miles of unpaved roads and the lowest fuel tax, and seems to have trouble keeping up with public roads. Case in point:
http://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/news...d-projects
the number of voters in the 'private' subdivisions will be able to make a very big impact on how things are run
Only if they actively participate in County politics instead of bickering amongst themselves.
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http://westhawaiitoday.com/news/local-ne...ty-meeting
Counterpoint: once you let County build it, you might not get what you wanted.
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kalakoa: I think the only reason we have so many miles of unpaved roads is because those roads are the 'semi' private roads in the subdivisions. Yes, that fuel tax might have to go up, yes, we might not get what we want in terms of parks, yes, the county might still be poorly managed, but change is possible if we can stop bickering amongst ourselves.
We just have to ask if we want to focus on criticizing how things are being done or lobbying to get things done a better way.
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Me ka ha`aha`a,
Mike
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None of the gas money tax goes to any of the subdivisions.
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Hpp is going to install some play equipment near the Hui.
We need volunteers to help install the play equipment and fence.
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quote:
Originally posted by flyingsurfer
None of the gas money tax goes to any of the subdivisions.
So far, but things can change.
Just call me Mike
Me ka ha`aha`a,
Mike
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We just have to ask if we want to focus on criticizing how things are being done or lobbying to get things done a better way.
We have to get past the "my subdivision can beat up your subdivision" as well as the "we paid for these roads and you didn't, so stay out".
Yes, the fuel tax would probably have to be raised; here, we could get better "bang for the buck" if County would legislatively define substandard roads. As I've said too many times, some people (myself included) don't want our roads paved -- but a few loads of crushed rock, and an occasional visit from the big mower, would be a huge improvement -- not only would this NOT cost $1M/mile, it would "keep the country country".
This is an especially useful solution in the many places that CANNOT be "brought up to County spec" -- the Hawaiian Acres "road-shaped lot" is 40' wide, making it nearly impossible to achieve the "required minimum" 60' road easement. (Pretty sure this is by design.)
At least if HPP does get their public park, some of these issues can be raised in the inevitable lawsuits, then we can use a few cartons of discovery to fill some potholes.
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