$250,000 guardrail could be unnecessary

According to Rosemarie Bernardo’s article ("City finally tackling Hanauma Bay repairs," Star-Advertiser, Aug. 11), workers are replacing guardrails with galvanized pipe, a temporary fix estimated at $13,000. Then the article says that "a permanent marine-grade stainless-steel guardrail estimated at $250,000 is slated to be submitted into the fiscal year 2012 capital improvements budget."

The obvious question is why spend $250,000 on installing a stainless-steel guardrail later when the galvanized pipe guardrail that will be installed now for $13,000 could just be painted periodically and would last a few years? If, in a few years, it needs to be replaced, then spend another $13,000 for a new one. How many years would a painted galvanized pipe guardrail last?

I call on our city government to please use our tax dollars responsibly and intelligently.

Oahu really does need a city office of housing

The commentary by Craig Watase is a thoughtful response to the article written by the Rev. Alan Mark, statewide chairman of Faith Action for Community Equity. Mr. Watase, as a developer and past chair of Mayor Hannemann’s Affordable Housing Advisory Committee, contends that there is no need for a city housing office to focus on affordable housing and homelessness.

A major cause of homelessness is the lack of affordable housing. Even the former mayor and his administration have touted the Housing First model as one that offers hope in solving the homeless crisis. That model requires affordable housing be readily available.

Mr. Watase states that, "The vast majority of federal and state funds for … affordable housing programs comes through … the state." However, almost all of U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development funding for homeless services and housing on Oahu comes through our city government.

FACE supports rail transit precisely because of the opportunities it can provide for jobs and the development of affordable housing. A city housing office needs to be expertly and actively involved in its planning, coordination and facilitation.

Offshore nuke plant a dangerous idea

"When questioned about land use, Prevedouros suggested building floating nuclear plants about 15 miles offshore, which ‘doesn’t affect the aina at all.’" (Star-Advertiser, Aug. 11).

So mayoral candidate Panos Prevedouros wants to build a floating nuclear reactor to power Honolulu. I wonder what they’re smoking in the engineering department at the University of Hawaii these days? Nuclear reactors may work well on heavily armed naval vessels, but I certainly wouldn’t want one parked off Waikiki Beach. What an inviting target for an enemy or a tree hugger. Imagine having our own Chernobyl in Mamala Bay.

Hawaiian is also an official language

While Pamela A. Larsen was pleading with me to remember that I live in the United States, where English is the national language, I happened to remember that I live in Hawaii where Hawaiian is also an official language ("Students need to know English," Letters, Aug. 12).

Which then begs the question: Why don’t we have standardized Hawaiian tests?

Though that wouldn’t be necessary, because, contrary to popular belief, the students of immersion schools can speak English. Yes, just like you and me. They just don’t start studying it until they’re close to 9 or 10. The very point of immersion schools is to create a new generation of manaleo, people whose native language is first and foremost Hawaiian. If they learned English first, that would defeat the whole purpose.

But it is a whole separate thing entirely to accuse immersion students of being ill-equipped to face the real world. This is a slap in the face of those who have graduated with bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate degrees in the Hawaiian language.