Is Puna Stuck In a Rut? Positive Solutions?

[Rob Tucker]

I think I may have an appropriate analogy for this turn of topic.

Hawaii is very much an east meets west kind of place. My analogy concerns my dealing with lots of architects. I can recall a local couple who hired a California architect to design a home. After a lot of discussion the couple got to examine the conceptual plans for the home and were kind of appalled. They fired the architect. The architect was a bit aghast and couldn't comprehend his firing. The plan was well conceived and unique and had plenty of curb appeal and cabinet space.

I explained it to him this way...

In California people want their homes to be statements about themselves. Their money, success and their good taste with touch of excess. So in a well off California neighborhood you will find a Tudor next to a Mission Style, next to a Modern, next to a Split Level Ranch, next to a Colonial, next to a Castle. All loud statements of individuality. The American Dream.

In Hawaii the Asian/Pacific influence dominates and lends itself to fitting in with the community and the neighbors. They don't want to stand out much, at least on the outside. Their sense of self is inside. They want to blend and fit. Not shout. Not loud.

The large Calif. style homes here shout. It does not mean that these owners are bad people or completely thoughtless. But they have brought their mainland sensibilities with them to Hawaii and they simply don't fit in. They want to make Hawaii like where they came from. This is an American state after all. Unforntunately when they figure this out and return to whence they came they leave their McMansion behind - with us.

And it all makes local folks and newcomers with local sensibilities uneasy.

[Bullwinkle]

Good point, Having escaped from the 'burbs some sub developments remind me a whole lot more of mainland than I am comfortable with.

On the other hand having more of a mainland flavor keeps things in a comfort zone for others.

[PaulW]

Meddlesome? You mean like telling people which architectural features they can and cannot include in their houses?
Would you like someone to do that to you?

If you don't like someone's taste in housing, you can always look the other way. Not quite the case with people who introduce livestock into densely populated neighborhoods.

Yes, if people get ripped off, it's their fault, of course it is.

[Bullwinkle]

There is a vast difference between visiting an island - and living and being part of one - kind of like working ones way up to a backstage pass.... one needs the access to fully learn and understand.
The first thing one learns that an island is a small place, deeds travel faster than words. Keeping a clean wake rule #1

On my first island the second rule was known as the three time looser rule, one wasn’t accepted (work especially the better jobs) - until your third move back (season) from the mainland.

In the meantime the agents, operators and thieves need to have the new blood to make a living for the first two go rounds.

As long as we continue to have boat loads of sheeple coming we will be ok -grin

Aloha

[legalcarroll]

I can appreciate the desire to expand employment options and industrial growth here, but figuring out how to increase tourism isn't the answer. If we are concerned about the long-term viability of our beautiful Puna, and it's people, we need to continue down the road we are already on. What I mean is that we are one of the few communities in the entire State that doesn't whore itself for the almighty tourist dollar. As we are seeing now, tourism money comes and goes, and if we rely solely on the successful economies of other states, or countries, we will forever be a slave to outside forces.

Puna already has a reputation for fiercely protecting uniqueness, and individuality. Let's encourage this type of thinking and apply it to industry and not just to our disproportionate numbers of hippies.

Why can't we lead the world in the developement and implementation of geothermal, and tidal energy? Why can't we endeavor to be the bread basket of the state? We should focus on ways to develop jobs and steady income for our neighbors and friends. With this in place, we will all be able to justify and effectuate an overhaul in our quickly failing infrastructure.

Please, discuss.

[mdd7000]

Iceland has had the geothermal energy bit for a long time. Tidal energy has been under development in New England for a long time...

Tourism is the quickest way to increase incoming money. With incoming money, other developments can be coaxed into being.

[Greg]

The quickest way to increase "incoming" money is to decrease outgoing money. That means to develop a more sustainable economy where we don't depend on imported goods as much. Buy local, eat your view.

punatoons

[rizi]

"Pedestrian unfriendly: The sidewalks are a huge problem. "
I agree, have long sidewalks on both sides of the road, add tiki torches for night ambiance.

[Jon]

I am curious, does anyone think its funny that they guy that started this thread and wanted your input has been banded from the forum?

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I do not believe that America is better than everybody else...
America "IS" everybody else.
HBAT

[lotus]

Can we have a recap of some of the positive solutions that people have come up with? I feel very strongly that we can grow Pahoa into a town that nourishes everyone who lives here. We just need to find some solutions that can unite our town and start to work together a little bit. The rest will be easy. The biggest issue that I see is that lots of people have opinions and ideas about what needs to be done, but so many of them keep expecting someone else to do the actual work. Hey, this is OUR town!! Let's treat it that way. As Gandhi once said "You must be the change you wish to see in the world."

"The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones that never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars."