07-12-2023, 07:43 PM
. The eighth quarterly Revitalize Puna meeting was held at the Pahoa gym on Saturday, and was it ever a gloomy affair. With nothing but delays and inaction to report on the Pohoiki highway, waterline, and boat ramp pipedreams, this rainy day get-together was, suitably, focused on: Mental Wellness. As in, why would anybody be crazy enough to believe that Zendo and Mitch are competent enough to channel millions of dollars of federal disaster relief money into recovering from a disaster? But heck, consultants and planners are getting huge payouts, so it's all good.
Everybody from Al-Anon to health insurance enrollers had tables set up to distribute information on their services, but the couple of dozen private citizens strolling through the gym seemed sane enough not to need help. Except for me.
Thankfully, the formal program was brief. The apparently authentic Native Hawaiian opening ceremony took longer than the speeches by Planning Director Kern, Mayor Roth, and Disaster Specialist Douglas Li. Which probably had a lot to do with the fact that the only news they could have given was that nothing was going to happen anytime soon.
So just what is the latest scoop on when something will actually be accomplished? "FEMA has encountered many challenges that have kept them from being able to complete their portion of the draft Environmental Assessment," according to a recent County press release. So what's the new target date for the County to begin their portion of the process that includes "publishing the document, holding an informational meeting on the EA, and allowing for the 30-day comment period?" Early August, with construction of the new road to be completed before the end of the first quarter of the year after next year.
What's depressing about this is that it couldn't have been more predictable:
January 2023 Meeting: Construction completed by September 2024
April 2023 Meeting: Construction completed by December 2024
July 2023 Meeting: Construction completed by March 2025.
If this keeps up Mayor Mitch is going to get through his second term without any asphalt ever being laid. And no road means there's no reason to dredge Pohoiki. Jeez, you can't count how many old growth kamani forests will have to be decimated to allow double-axle, extra-wide trailers to tow fully rigged fishing boats down the Red Road. And how many EA's will that require? And how many tree huggers will have to have their knuckles broken before being pried off the trunks and locked up?
So what's up for the future of the perennial, federally funded Revitalize Puna meetings with steadily dwindling attendance? Pretty soon they'll get renamed Resuscitate Puna.
Cowabunga, Dudes!
Everybody from Al-Anon to health insurance enrollers had tables set up to distribute information on their services, but the couple of dozen private citizens strolling through the gym seemed sane enough not to need help. Except for me.
Thankfully, the formal program was brief. The apparently authentic Native Hawaiian opening ceremony took longer than the speeches by Planning Director Kern, Mayor Roth, and Disaster Specialist Douglas Li. Which probably had a lot to do with the fact that the only news they could have given was that nothing was going to happen anytime soon.
So just what is the latest scoop on when something will actually be accomplished? "FEMA has encountered many challenges that have kept them from being able to complete their portion of the draft Environmental Assessment," according to a recent County press release. So what's the new target date for the County to begin their portion of the process that includes "publishing the document, holding an informational meeting on the EA, and allowing for the 30-day comment period?" Early August, with construction of the new road to be completed before the end of the first quarter of the year after next year.
What's depressing about this is that it couldn't have been more predictable:
January 2023 Meeting: Construction completed by September 2024
April 2023 Meeting: Construction completed by December 2024
July 2023 Meeting: Construction completed by March 2025.
If this keeps up Mayor Mitch is going to get through his second term without any asphalt ever being laid. And no road means there's no reason to dredge Pohoiki. Jeez, you can't count how many old growth kamani forests will have to be decimated to allow double-axle, extra-wide trailers to tow fully rigged fishing boats down the Red Road. And how many EA's will that require? And how many tree huggers will have to have their knuckles broken before being pried off the trunks and locked up?
So what's up for the future of the perennial, federally funded Revitalize Puna meetings with steadily dwindling attendance? Pretty soon they'll get renamed Resuscitate Puna.
Cowabunga, Dudes!
