Comical county ADVERTISING Comical county Every morning, I go out to the newspaper box to fetch the Tribune-Herald and come back into the house to sit and read the paper while having a nice cup of hot coffee. I work
Comical county
Every morning, I go out to the newspaper box to fetch the Tribune-Herald and come back into the house to sit and read the paper while having a nice cup of hot coffee. I work my way through the paper and eventually end up at the comics section to read my favorite, “Dilbert.”
But alas, Friday the comics were on the front page with the three featured articles, all about the county.
The first had to do with the restriping of the new road from Keaau to Shower Drive. Residents have long cried for the shoulder lane to be open 24/7. It only makes sense since the long-range plan is to have a four-lane highway all the way to Pahoa, so why not make this portion four lanes? Oh, well, what’s $100,000 in restriping costs.
The second is the theft of county cars. How many people leave their keys in the cars, even in locked garages, or much less an unsecured open lot? But what’s the theft of a couple cars, not to mention a couple of buses, in a county that is self-insured with taxpayer money?
Then there’s the Honomu Park banyan tree. I guess you get what you paid for.
The arborist donated his expertise to the county and probably freed himself of any liability by doing so. I wonder how many engineers and architects were cringing when the first report of how the tree was manicured came out. How could one cut a tree in half, discard one section, and expect it to remain upright without a skyhook? It defies gravity?
Speaking of you get what you pay for, an article earlier in the week noted the county managers need a pay raise? Maybe we don’t get what we pay for. Ha, ha, ha. I have tears in my eyes, but it’s not from laughing.
James Lehner
Pahoa
Not so stable
The story of the banyan tree that recently was trimmed, and a few days later had fallen by accident, was apparently given the thumbs up by an arborist stating the tree appeared fine and stable after it was trimmed.
Arborists are well-trained in the maintenance and integrity of plants, from the smallest to the largest of trees. However, they are not engineers. Although the tree might have appeared to have been healthy and stable, it might have been the way it was trimmed, shifting its weight toward a weaker portion of the tree, that caused it to fall. I speak from experience.
Thankfully, no one was under that tree when it fell. This island has enough pending lawsuits as it is.
Rick LaMontagne
Hilo
