Shipman plan lacks traffic vision
I just heard discussion on NPR about the Shipman Project adding 940 residential units on 125-plus acres of land smack dab in the middle of Keaau. Is there even land to provide yards with these houses? You are talking nine homes per acre.
The justification given for this project was that over 700 homes were lost in lower Puna with the last lava flow yet I don’t see where Shipman is offering any of the 970 lots to the 700 owners. Instead, the units are planned to range from approximately $250,000 to $450,000 with no mention of gifting land to the people who lost theirs.
When I look at the date on the draft environmental assessment, it looks like this project started around the time of the 2014 lava flow heading toward Pahoa. I remember hearing about mass meetings in a warehouse in Hawaiian Paradise Park, where our government officials were meeting with stakeholders and planning the future of lower Puna. I can’t help but connect the two.
Regardless, Shipman claims there are plenty of roads and schools and highways 11 and 130 are perfectly able to handle an influx of new businesses planned, plus 940 families, who usually have several cars each.
That is false. Look how the traffic piles up for a mile at the elementary school, there is no room for more vehicles. Look how traffic is every morning and evening on 130 and 11, there is no room for 1,000 more vehicles. Look how full the parking lots are in Keaau, there is no room for 1,000 more cars. Shipman is counting on people just living and walking around Keaau, but I don’t think that is realistic, unless part of the agreement to the buyers is they don’t own cars, only bicycles or walk everywhere, which you know is not happening.
I think Shipman and the residents of Puna could do well if the project area was turned into businesses such as a Costco, car maintenance, building supplies, and state and county offices to provide services to people so they don’t have to drive to Hilo. That is what the project should be all about. Maybe a few nice houses for people with money, but don’t act like this project is geared to provide homes for the 80 percent low-income population of the Puna District.
Sara Steiner
Pahoa
Protect the women
I would like to weigh in on the professor Ford-Kavanaugh issue. What I find most distrubing is when women and especially men say, “Why ruin a man’s career over a single incident?”
Around 70 percent of my women friends have either been molested, abused or raped in their young lives. Each and every one has been living with this life sentence because of the abuse.
So please, rather than protecting the men, support and protect your women.
Marilyn Davis
Ocean View
Letter case of pot calling kettle black
This letter is in reply to Lathrop’s letter criticizing Democrats. He and Republicans make a big deal about alleged mistaken identity. None of the Fox-watching crowd discusses Dr. Ford’s passed polygraphed test or her willingness to talk with the FBI.
The Republicans continue to bully Ford, saying the FBI won’t be involved! Yet, President Bush already set the precedence when Anita Hill came forward with similar accusations and had the FBI investigate. Now we have a second accuser, Ms. Ramirez. Shouldn’t we pause and let the FBI conduct a thorough investigation?
Lathrop also rants like a typical Republican about Clinton’s improprieties. What I find so ridiculous about these old claims is that their leader and chief has had at least 15 women come forward telling of Trump’s improprieties and we even have him on tape bragging about grabbing women’s ____. And then Lathrop states “Bill even lied under oath.” Here we have the lying-ist president ever, 4,229 lies as of Aug. 1 and counting!
Lastly, Lathrop lists two others — Ted Kennedy and a recent infringer. Don’t even get me started on the litany of swamp dwellers (yes, I know Trump said he would get rid of them) who have violated ethic norms, e.g. Carson, the secretary of HUD, who was not only completely unqualified to run the department but also was guilty of excess furniture purchases, hiring unqualified staffers, firing qualified staffers, etc.
Then there is Scott Pruitt, former head of the EPA who is the subject of 13 federal investigations into allegations of legal and ethical violations. Pruitt tried to dismantle dozens of environmental regulations that Trump wanted to give oil companies so they had a better climate to pollute and make profits. Pruitt’s replacement, Andrew Wheeler, is a former coal lobbyist. The list goes on and on but I need to keep this relatively short.
Tlaloc Tokuda
Kailua-Kona