Why we removed trees at Waiakea
Why we removed trees at Waiakea
This response is written to address Ms. JoAnn Frances Garrigan’s comments printed in Your Views on June 28 about the recent tree removal fronting the Waiakea Office Plaza on Kekuanao’a Street in Hilo.
Planted about 40 years ago by the previous owners of the property, the trees presented a safety hazard to pedestrians, clientele and staff, as well as to surrounding traffic, parked cars and property. While Phase One of this landscape replacement project focuses on tree removal in order to mitigate these hazards, Phase Two will address replacement of the trees by establishing and installing a native landscape plan.
The department shares your sadness in the loss of the beauty and stature of the trees. However, to address safety as the main concern, the Water Board approved the project to move forward on March 20 to serve the best interest of the facility patrons, staff and surrounding property owners.
Quirino Antonio
Manager/chief engineer,
Department of Water Supply
Big waste of money
In spite of their use-it-or lose-it warning to us last year, the County Council has dumped another $17,300 into its Ka‘u videoconference site this year. That equals $360 per meeting, or $120 per minute, if they are lucky enough to get even one testifier.
The Ocean View Community Association owes their contract renewal to cronyism and log-rolling. Those cronies must be some heavy hitters, because nobody dared to pull the plug on that place. The county is subsidizing a private club out there.
Post offices and libraries must adjust their locations according to public use trends. The County Council is not capable of making those same decisions.
Jerry Warren
Naalehu
Not-so-alien invasion
I enjoy the Tribune-Herald (even more than I enjoyed the Star-Advertiser when I lived in Honolulu), but your over-hyped photos about the UFO “landing pad” in Puna on A1 in Sunday’s edition went too far.
Hippies have been “landing” in Puna for decades! No news there!
What a waste of time and energy.
A. Yamamoto
Hilo