Governor, mayor ruining Honolulu

Gov. Neil Abercrombie and Mayor Kirk Caldwell have lost my vote.

Caldwell said, "We may not be big as a Shanghai or Hong Kong or a Tokyo, but we have the same quality product" ("High-rises set stage for future, mayor says," Star-Advertiser, June 8).

What quality product? Tall buildings, crowded roads and sidewalks, few parks, no views?

By allying with big developers, Caldwell and Abercrombie abandoned any chance that Honolulu will remain a beautiful and desirable place to live. Why not have the quality of a Stockholm, Paris or Boulder?

In making plans for Honolulu, why not talk about the issues of additional cars, parking, stalled traffic, pollution, crowding, water, sewers, schools, parks and open space?

Ah, they say, more jobs! Is it OK to ruin the island just to have jobs?How about fixing what we have and making it better? Why allow rich developers to design whatever they want? Enlist urban planners who have no connection with construction, and pay attention to constituents.

Geoffrey E. Hill
Waikiki

Put learning center on Kakaako land

I find it highly disturbing in reading the article, "Isles file pitch for Obama library" (Star-Advertiser, June 16), that one of the proposals justifying the building of the library is the "nearly universal support of leaders from across the state."

Who are these leaders and did they ever take a sampling of the people to see if this is what they really want built on prime Kakaako land? Wouldn’t it be more feasible to build an open-air Hawaiian Cultural Learning Center incorporating the customs, language, education and mediation process within the Hawaiian culture, where locals and tourists alike can convene and learn together the true nature of the Hawaiian culture?

Wouldn’t it be more practical to have the library on the mainland for researchers and have this Hawaiian learning center for locals and tourists alike, overlooking a Hawaiian setting where education can really take place?

Randall Ng
Kapahulu

Pool at Natatorium would serve many

I have two issues to consider about the War Memorial Natatorium:

» It is a war memorial. Memorials are not built to be torn down later. They have a purpose. We are not going to tear down the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall because the Vietnam War is over. Leave the Natatorium in place.

» If we can restore it, including a pool, so much the better, but a volleyball court? I have nothing against volleyball but who benefits from a volleyball court but a dozen or so players and fans? A pool will benefit hundreds of people, locals and tourists alike. There is not a single pool on Waikiki Beach from where it starts on the "gold coast" down to Ala Moana Beach Park and beyond.

There are plenty of local people and tourists who are afraid of ocean swimming because they fear sharks, jellyfish, etc., but would feel fine in the shallow end of a public pool to refresh themselves after some beach sunning.

Geoffrey V. Davis
Aiea

Local wealthy need to step up for UH

Finally, a sizable donation to the financially maligned University of Hawaii ("UH to get $40M for ocean studies," Star-Advertiser, June 17).

Sadly, it comes from the New York City’s Jim Simons.Aside from Jay Shidler’s magnificent donation to the School of Business in 2006, there have been very few large donations to the university — this despite the fact that Hawaii has more millionaires per population than most other states.

The problem is many of them move here long after they have made their money and have no roots in the university.The piles of money being made in Kakaako have not found their way to UH. But certainly there is a wealthy alumni and fan base.

Where are the donors to supplement research, scholarships and athletics? Does UH not go out seeking donations aggressively enough? Other schools have whole departments and athletic programs financed by single donors. Koa Anuenue does its part for athletics, but as a community we need to support our university better.

Pat Kelly
Kaimuki

Styrene threatens health, environment

An Island Voices commentary criticized City Council Bill 40, which would ban polystyrene foam containers and encourage eco-friendly alternatives ("Ban on food-grade foam containers would raise prices, hurt environment," Star-Advertiser, June 8).

The writers’ stance and credibility is questionable because, as executives in the food and restaurant industries, they have a financial stake in the issue and thus a conflict of interest.

The FDA’s approval of polysterene as "safe" is based on a 1958 decision. The Centers for Disease Control now admits the link between styrene and respiratory and neurological illnesses.

Compostable products are non-toxic and increasingly affordable, and there is movement to manufacture them locally, which would create jobs and tackle a major environmental issue.

The writers say they want to "increase H-POWER’s waste-to-energy conversion," yet one compostable container produces more energy than its foam counterpart, which releases toxins into our atmosphere.

Styrene is a known carcinogen and Hawaii is uniquely threatened by plastic pollution. Let’s embrace progress to protect our island from outdated, harmful practices being prolonged by industry stakeholders.

Doorae Shin
Waikiki