Help Paint Downtown Hilo

[Susan]

Psyched! Downtown Hilo is beautiful now. Imagine how "she" is going to look with a creative make over!

[hotinhawaii]

Just saw this today: http://bigislandnow.com/2013/09/17/kameh...paint-job/

Here is the line that grabbed my attention: "All the buildings in the designated area will be cleaned, prepped and painted on the first-floor only from the sidewalks up to and including the eaves!"
First floor only?! What kind of makeover is that? So the street levels will now be different colors that the rest of the building and the whole scene will look no different when driving by?

I am now sorry that I was a big proponent of this lame contest.

[kalakoa]

Once again, a perfect lesson in "the intended scope or effect":

The goal was to create an effective marketing campaign, not to actually paint buildings -- but don't worry, I'm sure County will find a way to "fix" the "problem".

[KeaauRich]

I agree..we were had. Most of the street level facades of the buildings are predominently plate glass windows, so what's getting painted but trim? Benjamin Moore should rethink this decision...

[PaulW]

No matter what happens, some people will always feel better complaining about it.

I look forward to seeing the result. That street is the one most tourists see and it is looking run down.

[KeaauRich]

Paul,
I for one don't feel better complaining. And I, too, look forward to seeing the result. But if the news report is accurate, what we're going to see is a bayfront that will look great on the ground floor, and look as run-down as it does now from the second floor up. That isn't what Benjamin Moore led us to believe would happen. What I expect might happen is that once the first floors look great, some one (property owners, downtown community association, community groups) will say "we need to make this look right," and will end up buying, guess what, lots of Benjamin Moore paint to match what was on the ground floor. They'll buy it from HPM, the local company that spearheaded our local campaign. So I'm sorry to sound cynical, but for the small amount Benjamin Moore pays out of pocket to paint the trim around shop windows, they'll end up with lots of good PR and lots of additional sales, as will HPM. If the entire buildings do get painted, Hilo will look spectacular. But since most building owners on the bayfront haven't taken much interest in painting their structures up till now, I wouldn't be surprised if we end up with a tale of two cities, a nice ground level and a dilapidated second level.

[Greg]

Being in a tsunami inundation zone, it's difficult for Bay front property owners to get financing for renovations. Notice the number of vacant businesses?

I'm sure they're greatful for any help they can get.

[rainyjim]

Fyi those buildings are, with little exception, completely unsafe. Out of date eletrical wiring and plumbing. Termite breeding facilities. Mold breeding facilities. Cockroach breeding facility. The entire waterfront, with few exceptions should be demolished. "For the keiki".

Merely slapping a new coat of paint on would be the typical westerm approach of solving a symptom of the problem - rather than fixing the problem itself.
It's just one of many. Another I could highlight would be forcing tourists/keaukaha visitora to be subjected to the industrial district, sewage treatment plants, and gas/petroleum refineries when traveling via downtown-keaukaha. These are gross leftovers from a time the county/state was ran by the grossly incompetent - a time with little difference from now.

[kalakoa]

I hate to sound like I'm complaining, but the "grandfathered" status of downtown Hilo borders on the ridiculous, especially after the building code was "updated" to include all those new "safety" requirements.

If you can afford to rent commercial space: everything is okay just like it is.

If you want to run a business out of your recently-constructed modern house: welcome to Special Use...

[EightFingers]

Maybe the building owners will paint the second floors? Of course, that's the hardest part of a paint job -- doing aerial work.