Your Views for September 28

In defense of Connections

Mr. Hansen Tsang attempted to use propaganda in his letter (Your Views, Tribune-Herald) dated Sept. 26 protesting Connections’ second attempt to build a school in his neighborhood.

If Tsang is truly concerned about a “bottleneck” on Edita, perhaps he should be supporting efforts to connect Mele Manu Street to the new Puainako extension that is less than 2,000 feet from his house.

The real issue is that Tsang and most of his neighbors do not want to connect the 60 homes in Pacific Plantation subdivision to the Puainako extension. The school has not taken a stance on this issue but would be interested in hearing Tsang’s perspective.

Tsang goes on to talk about the “small water tank up the hill” that supplies water to Kaumana. Please check your facts, Mr. Tsang. That “small” water tank is Reservoir One that supplies water to much of Hilo (including numerous schools much larger than Connections).

Finally, Tsang ends with his description of the waste the school will create that will eventually end up in Hilo Bay. The school will use a state-of-the-art waste water system like the one used at the Puna Kai shopping center in Pahoa. None of their waste will end up in Hilo Bay.

Most of the residents of Pacific Plantation have cesspools. Their waste definitely ends up in Hilo Bay.

John Thatcher

Principal, Connections Public Charter School

‘County did not listen’

As a former resident of Kapoho Vacationland, I got a kick out of the editorial cartoon on Sunday where the county doesn’t think anyone should ever live in that area again.

Many of us expressed sincere desire to start planning for when we could go back and restart the community, but the county did not listen and instead pursued a mentality started by the previous administration.

Over centuries of time, the entire state of Hawaii was created by volcanic eruptions, including Waikiki, Kailua-Kona, Hilo and, most recently, Kalapana.

But who would ever want to live there?

James Lehner

Keaau