Older buildings build community

Recommended reading for members of the Hawaii Community Development Authority, politicians and developers is a study released last month by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

The study examined block-by-block data of three major cities: Washington, San Francisco and Seattle. The study found that older, smaller buildings become magnets for young people, shops, restaurants and small, vibrant businesses.

These neighborhoods have a greater concentration of jobs and creative businesses than those with new massive skyscrapers. These streets, with a mix of old and new buildings, have greater population density and more businesses per commercial square foot than with large, new buildings.

They get more bang for development bucks. They also produce neighborhoods that make for a better "live, work, play" (sound familiar?) experience.

It’s also a fact that super-tall buildings are not ideal for walkable urbanism.

William Kibby
Makiki

Help appreciated on internment site

The Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaii has worked with a cross-section of schools, civic organizations, local, city and state government and private companies like Monsanto to educate folks about Honouliuli and the internment of Japanese-Americans in Hawaii.

Since it purchased the land in 2007, Monsanto committed to preserve the internment camp, and opened the site to National Park Service archaeologists for research and placement on the state and national Registers of Historic Places.

The University of Hawaii-West Oahu has sponsored archaeology classes on site. Working with Monsanto and the National Park Service, we’ve led tours for hundreds of students, community groups and individuals.

We have appreciated the partnership with Monsanto’s Fred Perlak and the assistance of Alan Takemoto. Collaboratively, we have charted the best possible course to establish this invaluable resource as a unit of the National Park System to enable public access in perpetuity.

Betsy Young and Jane Kurahara
Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaii volunteers

World owes a debt to Harding and King

I was impressed with the article on the recently deceased Vincent Harding ("Author wrote anti-Vietnam War speech delivered by Martin Luther King Jr.," Star-Advertiser, May 22).

What was saddest was Harding’s belief that the anti-Vietnam speech hastened King’s assassination a year later.

The world owes a debt to Harding and King for saying and standing by their unpopular anti-Vietnam remarks.

All countries need to see and hear what opposing sides believe about issues thataffect them, their children and grandchildren. We need those protesting voices to remind us that much and many could have been saved had the power brokers took that speech seriously — then!

Is it too late?

Peter Coleman Jr.
Makiki

Lassner best choice to be UH president

If the choice for the next University of Hawaii president is between David Lassner and retired Lt. Gen. Francis Wiercinski, then the former is clearly the best qualified by far.

Lassner earned a doctorate like the 13 previous UH presidents. He knows UH from the inside, successively as a student, teacher and administrator. He has been on the faculty since 1977, teaching in several colleges and departments, working systemwide on information technology and serving as interim president since last September. He is a recognized leader in higher education nationally and internationally.

Wiercinski’s academic experience is mostly limited to military institutions and an honorary doctorate from Lackawanna College. Academic and military institutions and operations are extremely different. Distinguished long-term experience and achievements in either clearly does not qualify an individual to lead in the other.

Also, the differences are obvious in their campus talks, as evidenced in videos available on the UH website.

Leslie E. Sponsel
Hawaii Kai

Wiercinski would be transformative

The University of Hawaii Board of Regents has a difficult decision, which entails risk either way.

Choose the status quo and lack of accountability as normal business, and the risk is another Stevie Wonder fiasco or worse.

Choose a proven transformative leader and the risk is it will force change at UH.

Having grown up in Hawaii and being back for almost 20 years, my guess is the regents will go with the safe, known risk of the status quo. However, having known Frank Wiercinski for almost 40 years, my recommendation to the regents would be: Risk transformative change for the betterment of Hawaii.

Bruce Fink
Makiki

Kudos to Girl Scouts for adorning graves

A warm and heartfelt mahalo to Marissa Lum and Girl Scout Troop 1018 ("Girl scout leads peers to decorate vets’ graves," Star-Advertiser, May 26).

I lost my mom in December and this was her first Memorial Day spent at the Hawaii State Veterans Cemetery.

As a proud military family member, seeing the flag and lei on her tombstone made me so proud that others are thinking about her besides her family.

Donna M. Cadiente
Waipahu