I just want to say that this somewhat "so what?" thread brings out what I love most about Punaweb: a local topic with a "now and future" bent that brings home why it's important to stay involved and stay local, various points of view made with humor. A bit of honey makes the sting more palatable. Also, Bob Orts coming through once again with one of his 'clangers' for us to ponder. Yet it's all done with respect for those who bothered to put their perspectives and ideas out here for us to consider. Mahalo!
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quote:
Originally posted by DaVinci...
Pahoa Cash and Carry is good for beer, on the way to Ning's for dinner. Not much else. It is a relic of a store, with ancient merchandise. Sorry, that is just true...
To which I might add, they carry an interesting collection of items - i found green chili salsa in there one day - not out of date even - for less $ than at Safeway. Malama did not have it and I didnt want to drive to town so on a whim I stopped in there.
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What's more atrocious than the exterior building is what the damaging interior supplies for the legal druggie dependence of our community. Everybody harps on jobs and the best thing we've got are Bugger King and the likes, necessitating Long's? Stay away from the fast junk and we won't need to depend on the drugs.
"I know we are all taking drugs" Really??!! I've never been in a drug store to buy drugs nor popped a prescribed anything in my life and I'm a damn old fart.
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Only about 42% of CVS general store sales are prescription drugs (pharmaceuticals) and prescription durable goods (monitoring equipment, breathers, etc).
About 53% are CVS general store front sales (candy, light bulbs, toilet paper, sun tan lotion, aspirin, batteries, nail clippers, chia pets, band aids, cosmetics, condoms, etc).
The balance of about 5% is service (film development, ink cartridge refills, passport photos, etc).
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Interesting, people commented on the "LONGS" sign being lit at night, but no one is concerned that it is also burning during the day! Check it out. I wonder how many kilowatt hours are burning away during the daylight hours?
What a waste! Definitely FUGLY!!!!
"Any intelligent fool can make things bigger and more complex... It takes a touch of genius - and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction." - Albert Einstein
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I hear whet many of us are saying about the desire to have design standards for new businesses. But it's a weak argument, in my opinion, as long as the design standard for existing businesses in Pahoa appears to be "Early Firetrap". Building a new store or restaurant in Pahoa is a risky investment as it is (there's not a huge population here, not a lot of disposable income, tourist traffic is highly dependent on Pele's flow, "oh wait, you want us to build a store near an active lava flow???, etc.). As to the examples mentioned above, where cities were able to impose mandated design standards, all were cities that were financially attractive locations with an established base of steady customers. Pahoa, I'm afraid, is none of these. If we start imposing costly mandates, it may tip the balance and make the decision not to build here an easy one.
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No, I think the look of Pahoa is "old, wet, Western town" --very far West. That fact that some of the buildings could use some freshening up doesn't detract from the underlying style. 100 people could repaint every building in Pahoa in an afternoon, by the way. So there is a style, and it needs to be amplified and built upon. Long's was an opportunity to do that, or at the very least to construct a building that is at odds with the syle but which is invisible, thanks to generous landscaping --- not landscaping with local mint that grows a foot high. Again, see the Wal-Mart in Lihue. Oh, that's right -- you can't see the Wal-Mart in Lihue because they landscaped it.
So:
1. Landscape it.
2. Let's get to work on a design district.
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I'm not sure Pahoa is in such a precarious delicate position anyway. The actual danger of a destructive lava flow (in Paho) is arguably diminished by the influx of tourist spending generated by the current flow. And forget about tourist money for a second... the population of Puna has been steadily increasing for years. There are tens of thousands of unoccupied lots sold decades ago that are continually being built out and occupied. The last redistricting effort carved parts of Puna away from District 5 precisely because the population has been steady growing, while that of the surrounding population centers has been diminishing. And Pahoa is more central to Puna than Keaau. If I were a developer or a big box, I believe I'd jump at the chance to get in early on what seems to be a good thing moving forward. The fact that we all seem to be determined not to rock the boat of commerce by insisting on a few mandates about design, building style, signage, etc., is just icing on the cake for those guys. They're not doing us a favor by building here. If they want to, it's because they see a chance to make money. If we, by insisting on a few quality of life issues, diminish that amount of money, I'm sure they'll grumble, but what's left over will still be plenty green, so I'm sure they'll still go after it. Let's make sure we get ours...
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What a thread, an entire societal design and CDP microcosm! But back to what is everyone's favorite anger subject, at one time or another: roads, our convenient path to commerce.
It would seem we have evolved as a species, motor vehicle dependent for our very existence, as we live and breathe. And so must our wheels roll? On paths clear of hazard, or even offensive sights? Must the scenes be muted, and our neighborhoods declared immune from product encroachment? Maybe so, in somebody else's idea of a perfect world.
Still, we have a radically fragmented transit management system in this State. And even worse, we have a hugely inefficient material waste stream system in this county, in that the number of road miles are logged in transiting our rubbish accelerate the deterioration of our roads.
There's a good solution to this: close most of the transfer stations, and contract curbside rubbish pick up, recycling, too. Before you howl, no worries, it'll not happen. It's just what 'should' happen. Like high deposit return/refill bottles. Works in some communities, why not here?
Well, to start with, roads. When I say radically fragmented, they truly are, because they are ill defined, and in many private situations, voluntarily maintained. As Glen suggested way back at the beginning, he wants a vigilante volunteer group to perform landscaping on the Longs site. I think it's more likely volunteers will be picking up more beer and fast food rubbish along the highway. Drugs, food and fuel; our highway of commerce, indeed.
Glen, agreed that Pahoa has that old West style, plus it is advertised in every guidebook as an outpost of the Wild West. The reality is just so forlorn and depressing looking. I read Tridadvisor regularly, and I cannot remember the last time anyone wrote up Pahoa as a charming experience or recommended stopping by the Village. It is just the place to eat on the way to or from lava viewing, to the tourists.
Compare that to Hawi/Kapa'au, where people frequently recommend the towns as a shopping/browsing/dining destination for a day trip, or Holualoa, or the coffee towns, and of course downtown Hilo If Pahoa had a farmer's market in town rather than at Maku'u, that would add to its draw, but then the parking would be insane.
There's just something about Pahoa that feels too wild. The last time I went to Luquin's, I felt deeply uneasy not being able to see my car. I just don't feel that way in Hilo. Maybe my unease was totally uncalled for, but it was the look of the situation that caused my paranoia, not some preconceived idea.
Like you say, Glen, if it were just painted and the walkway was all in good shape, and some flowers and stuff wouldn't hurt none.
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