Letters to the editor | 8-22-14

Thanks for the thanks

Regarding the letter to the editor appearing in the Aug. 13 edition of West Hawaii Today, HELCO has been contracting out scores of projects replacing old underground cable with new underground conduits and hand-held pull box vaults. In this case, a large Norfolk pine had lifted and broken the sidewalk fronting Rowena’s house. Since every property owner is responsible for the public infrastructure fronting their lot (See Ch. 22 ordinances) it became my responsibility to make the sidewalk safe. My kudos to Rowena for her understanding of the hard job I have enforcing these ordinances. Their cooperation with this issue is what keeps me going. Thanks again.

Bob Northrop

Honokaa

Who got ‘Ige’d’?

I can’t help but smile after reading letters like the one from Ms. Bell. How quickly she (and others) forgot how Abercrombie “Ige’d” (definition by Ms. Bell: duped) the whole state when he resigned from his former position to run for governor that cost the taxpayers almost $2 million.

Abercrombie was a disaster waiting to happen, and no one with a little knowledge of politics is surprised he lost the primary election. He has done nothing good for this state during his four years in office.

Obviously, the supporters of Duke Aiona hoped Abercrombie would prevail, knowing Aiona would have a much better chance beating him than Ige in November.

John S. Rabi

Kailua-Kona

Mass burn incinerator will prove costly

I just read an article on elevators in super-tall high-rise buildings. There are only five elevator companies in the world that can handle these projects and they compete fiercely to get these jobs.

They always take a big loss up front and then make their profit on the maintenance contract afterward. I know that manufacturers of big diesel engines use the same business model for their motors. They will sell you a giant motor for about 3/4’s of what it costs to make the beast. Maintenance and parts for their motors are where they make their profits. The nice folks that make mass burn incinerators follow the same practice. Sell the original installation cheap and then make your big money on parts and maintenance.

Beware, Big Island, you are being suckered into a sweet looking deal and you will pay and pay over the years to keep the fiery beast running. I say keep the trash solution simple: sort, recycle, compost here and send the plastics and metal to Oahu by barge. Their big burners have a large enough waste stream to make an incinerator practical. The puny amount we have, and the distances it would have to travel to Hilo, make the trash burner a very bad idea.

Richard Swann

Captain Cook