Put residents first
I proceeded to the transfer station in Keaau on Friday, Oct. 7, only to find it closed. The same for the Hilo station.
I found out after researching that it was because of Ironman. All transfer stations on the island were closed.
I find it hard to believe that the residents of this county have to go without garbage service for the sake of an event that only benefits a small group of people and businesses and causes so much delay that its route affects everyone on the island.
Please, Hawaii County, put the people, the residents who live here first, and find a workaround so we do not have to be inconvenienced at next year’s event.
James Lehner
Keaau
Missed the point
Starting with a misleading “We cherish this coast” headline, the front-page article (Tribune-Herald, Oct. 2) regarding a Saturday gathering at the Waipi‘o lookout not only included inaccuracies but a clear bias in favor of MaKa.
Rather than a rally organized by MaKa and attended by hundreds, MaKa’s supporters, who at best numbered a few dozen, were welcomed by dozens of Protect Waipi‘o Valley ‘ohana, who have manned a kupuna checkout 24/7 since Sept. 19, when Mayor Mitch Roth’s amended emergency declaration went into effect.
Instead of focusing on the reason for the checkpoint — erected after the mayor failed to consider the needs of Waipi‘o residents and farmers, who must travel the dangerous Waipi‘o road neglected by Hawaii County administrations for decades — the author made the article about ocean access.
In addition, he sandwiched the urgent road safety concerns of Waipi‘o’s farmers, who supply all of Hawaii Island with taro and poi, in between the self-centered demands of a handful of outside surfers who sued the county for access to Waipi‘o for recreational purposes, which often means nothing more than partying at the beach.
So sad reporter John Burnett failed to understand that the issue has never been about a few well-connected and well-off surfers who can’t wait until the road is repaired.
The article instead should have focused on the fears of Waipi‘o kupuna, whose families have planted taro for over 1,000 years, for the future of the wahi pana of Waipi‘o and the protection of its invaluable resources for the next generations, if protective measures are not put in place as soon as possible.
Ku Kahakalau
Kukuihaele