Audit needed
I’ve written the newspaper about various failures of the Hawaiian Paradise Park Owners Association “road crew,” but recently they had their scraper on the road, scraping up all the mud and road-tailings along with grass clods, and moved it to the center of the road. “Crowning.”
You need real material, gravel, to actually make that work. These sandcastle mud pies only look good on the day that you roll it.
First rain? Gee, all the potholes are back.
Why?
They fill them with mud. God forbid any of those equipment operators ever climb down and fill a pothole with rock and concrete so it will be permanent. This is just job security.
Band-aid repairs that last at best a week before the cover-up job shows.
So, the road fees were less than $80 when I moved here from the Hamakua side. The Parker Ranch Road from Ahualoa to Waimea was never as crappy as this road has been for the last 20 years plus.
Thousands paid to this owners association and a half-dozen managers, none as bad as the current one, and they still can figure out how to fill a pothole properly.
Millions collected every year. Goes where? No forensic audit, even after it was voted for twice by the membership. Why?
Peter Frost
Hawaiian Paradise Park
Filing deadlines
So, the federal government extends the tax deadline, but Hawaii doesn’t.
Why do we continue to support and elect stupid?
Rik Parker
Volcano
Art and the park
This is a response to “Rainy Side View” (March 22, “Keep artwork in museums, galleries”).
Rochelle delaCruz expresses her relief that Mr. Henry Bianchini’s sculpture will be removed from Liliuokalani Gardens. Sometimes artwork is not accepted. OK, too bad, no pilikia.
Mr. Bianchini’s King Kalakaua statue remains an integral part of our lives, witnessed by the numerous lei draping it on the monarch’s birthday. May we find a way to accept his thanks graciously.
That said, Ms. delaCruz goes on to make general comments regarding the place of artwork generally. There is a place for art outside of museums.
Gardens are aesthetic compositions that are typically founded in cultural tradition. Hilo Bay’s Japanese garden has been my place of refuge for seven decades now. The Kasuga-style stone lanterns, the tea house, the stone walkways’ placement, the boulders, and especially the Heian-period curved bridge all dance with the plants, flowers and ocean to all of our delight.
I hope folks don’t take up Ms. delaCruz’s unwitting proposal to remove all park artwork and the park itself.
Peter Charlot
Volcano
‘Rush to judgment’
A most delightful experience in life is to discover a work of art as we explore our environment.
The site of Henry Bianchini’s sculpture, depicting the Hawaiian mythological Ku‘ula-kai figure, that was offered to Henry by county officials is the best possible location for such a work of art.
Anyone taking the most beautiful walk in Hilo town will be presented with a bit of Hawaiian culture that they likely didn’t know about before the encounter.
With the backdrop of Hilo Bay and town, the setting becomes a heroic diorama that honors fish and fisherperson. I love Liliuokalani Garden, but I have to wonder why a Japanese garden cannot have a Hawaiian mythological creature next door.
Now politics and prejudice have reared their ugly heads, so that the county, after supporting and offering this site, has now rejected Henry’s gift and ordered its removal?
Auwe!
Henry is due a public apology from the highest level of county government, and a public referendum to approve this site.
I urge our county officials to do the right thing and rethink this unfortunate rush to judgment.
Aza Summers
Hilo