Landscape that Fugly Longs

[JerryCarr]

Carol, I was living in New Orleans when Mrs. Toole got "Confederacy" first published, almost a decade after her son's suicide. I have heard about the other work, but, like you, don't recall the title. I wonder if Myrna Minkoff is in it.

Back on topic, the aesthetics of Long's in terms of both siting and general design is pretty bad. Rob Tucker has been suggesting that Pahoa pursue a form of design "zoning" for years, but it's too late for this mess. And that road intersection is actually a menace and more worthy of opprobrium. Having said that, it will be successful and is employing Puna residents who likely either had no job or commuted to Hilo before Long's.

Edited for typos.

[Dinamight]

John Kennedy Toole's other book is called the Neon Bible, but I don't think it is as good as Dunces.

[critterlover]

Whatever one's opinion .... I'd be curious as to whether they are realizing their expected daily sales goals. Since their grand opening each time I have passed by on the highway their parking lot is more empty than full.

As to driving from Leilani to Pahoa vs Keaau, I heard a woman testify that she wanted the Longs because she wouldn't have to drive to Hilo for her husband's insulin. I remember thinking at the time I was certain there was a Pharmacy in the Malama Market Place and even thinking Insulin and test strips are fairly common stock at a Pharmacy. Now, perhaps one's drugs are only covered if they go to Long's so maybe that was a legitimate rationale for supporting the opening, I don't know, but since she was there in support of Ms. Naeole's position, it seemed odd to me that the Pharmacy at Malama is within eye shot of Ms. Naeole's office, in Pahoa, not Keaau. I just thought that argument, at the time, baseless, but I have come to understand in life people make statements in situations and to audiences where there is little to no familiarity thus no contest.

By the way, I take it 'fugly' is a contraction for a favorite word that starts with 'f' and ends with 'uck' and it is not 'firetruck'; and the word 'ugly'. I love it!!! I am going on notice now saying I AM STEALING IT!

Regarding the lack of aesthetics, who thought of those colors? The only way you could dampen the effect is by hiding it inside beautiful trees. Arbor day has passed, but perhaps there could be a 'landscape' day where people brought trees they'd like to see when driving H-130. Nature's colors not those colors!

Toni, who is a 'critter lover'
www.write-matters.com

[critterlover]

PS, just to rag on the roads...I no longer head home from Subway via the Malama -- 130 intersection. Its danger factor has been enhanced by untold factor with the new design. AND the frustration in drivers waiting, and waiting, and waiting to get out of Malama onto Pahoa Village road and the inch their way up to the intersection is causing people to make unsafe turns. Some pulled out in front of my husband barreling down the highway at 45 mph and the guy who did not quickly turn out in front of my husband but took his time to pull out and across. My husband said he had hit his brakes and swerve so much that he wound up having to turn off the highway onto Pahoa Road to avoid crashing into parked cars waiting to get onto the highway. He drove to the Post Office road and back up the highway to Kahakai. When he told me about it I told him I had decided when coming home to just go to the new road and enter the highway there -- the sight distance is more than open and the break in traffic sufficient to safely navigate onto the highway and move into the left turn pocket for Kahakai.

I HATE HATE HATE the intersection design at Pahoa Village and H-130!!!!

Toni, who is a 'critter lover'
www.write-matters.com

[allensylves]

What downtown Pahoa needs to 'design' is a decent amount of parking! I stopped there a couple times to check out the used bookstore and the natural foods market (drive down in, no parking, try to get back out - what a zoo) and the parking sucked - that's what I call ugly. Maybe people familiar with the area know where to park, but visitors will get frustrated. It was easier to find parking at the new Long's on grand opening day.

Allen
Baton Rouge, LA & HPP

[Obie]

Critterlover

Do you realize you are not supposed to exit from Woodland Center and turn down Kahakai ??

From the Hawaii Revised Statutes

A solid white line is used to indicate the edge of the traffic lane where travel in the same direction is permitted on both sides of the line but where movement from lane to lane is considered to be hazardous. A solid white line may be crossed only in unusual circumstances and then only with great care. A double width solid white line is used to emphasize a greater degree of hazard.

[critterlover]

Critterlover

Do you realize you are not supposed to exit from Woodland Center and turn down Kahakai ??

From the Hawaii Revised Statute: A solid white line may be crossed only in unusual circumstances and then only with great care.

ME: First and foremost, I believe I could argue successfully -- and pro per -- in traffic court the 'unusual circumstances' are the very design of the highway entrances from both intersections on either side of Woodland Center. I believe the designation of the one intersection as the 'most dangerous' in the state is 'unusual circumstances' and with its new enhanced features it is all the more dangerous. Second, I would contend that I do exercise great care in entering the highway and merging to the left to negotiate a left turn onto Kahakai Blvd. Lastly, while one could interpret the traffic code to include the incident of the left turn pocket, in context it could also be argued that it references crossing a white line into oncoming traffic lane.

If the questionable and unsafe intersection designs force or create 'unusual circumstances' for motorists to take über care to avoid even being a passive statistic [sitting in an intersection while someone else clobbers you], including but not limited to crossing a white line to enter a left turn pocket, then the courts should see those actions as mitigating due to poor traffic safety practices on the part of the State of Hawaii.

The only OTHER safe way to enter the highway is to continue down Pahoa Village road and exit via the Post Office road or all the way through town and enter at the Signal. While my husband may find those options preferable [actually what he said is he is going to get our sandwiches as Subway in town which harms the local franchise] I do not. I believe the design is hideous and the decisions left to the motorist reprehensible.

I don't know if anyone has entered the highway and merged to the left turn pocket and then turned down Kahakai, but it is not only great sight distance, it is also a long enough pocket to do the merge safely. The times I have done it, and I kid you not, there has not been a single car in the Leilani bound lane.

Thanks for the reference. I wholeheartedly support the government's role in traffic, health and public safety. However, when they become the chief impediment to any one/or all of those then an individual must exercise common sense.


Toni, who is a 'critter lover'
www.write-matters.com

[Kapohocat]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Glen... A big fugly box store squatting on a corner like a haole women with a giant okole straddling a bar stool at Huggo's....

---

We used to call that fubugly... a variation on fugly... []

[mdd7000]

I remember saying, well before the lot was being prepared, that the Puna Community Development Plan should have included *form based codes* in order to preserve the look and feel of the area. The stores didn't need to be hidden, they simply needed some architectural details that would have allowed them to fit in. The same goes for the "other boxy, retail" place across the street from them. (Where Emily's office is/was)

[Rob Tucker]

An attempt was made a few years back to get Pahoa Village to adopt a "design district" ordinance which is in the county code. This would have given the village an opportunity to set some minimal design standards..... no one was interested. It was apparent to me that fast food chain / stores would be coming soon. While no one could effectively stop any specific business from opening it was very possible to have some say in the appearance.

So apathy gets us what we got though it is still possible to set up a design district for the next wave. I bet no one will be interested except to complain after the fact.