I cringed when I read that the City Council might turn the Honolulu Zoo parking lot into a two- to three-story parking structure (“Council to vote on proposals to fund zoo, parking structure,” Star-Advertiser, May 3).
This would be yet another example of urbanizing the last remaining open spaces in Waikiki.
The existing lot is nicely landscaped, recently repaved and home to dozens of mature trees, making this entrance into Hawaii’s most famous tourist destination a shady, pleasant place.
I have yet to see any multi-story parking structure that even remotely resembles the inviting, serene ambience of the existing lot. Besides, do we really need to double or triple parking volume? I have always been able to find a space in the existing lot since the city raised the hourly rate.
Let’s think hard before we cut down dozens of beautiful trees and concrete over some of our last open spaces in Waikiki for no discernable purpose.
Chip Hughes
Lanikai
Online voting could boost voter turnout
Wow. Over half of Hawaii’s voters vote absentee.
If the state really wants to save some money and increase voter turnout, why not allow voting online instead of mailing out ballots to everyone? You might even be able to reduce the volunteer staff at the polls.
And, by the way, no presidential results should be released until the last poll closes.
Fred Fogel
Volcano
Just keep up with park maintenance
Our mayor should ask his parks director the following: What have you done to address the many dirt patches, the crumbling walls and warped picnic tables and benches throughout Ala Moana Regional Park?
What about weed control, lawn maintenance and repairing and adjusting sprinkler heads that transform dirt patches to mud pits?
What are the park personnel expected to accomplish on an eight-hour shift?
The $1.2 million spent on consulting fees could have been used to make immediate improvements to the park. I suggest keeping the makai parking and the small bridges over the waterway. That’s the charm of Ala Moana. Forget the Piikoi entry and the wider walkways. It’s a beautiful park. Maintain what is there and provide a safe and clean environment. Most of us would be OK with that.
Ray Otaguro
Makiki
Iwo Jima flag-raising re-enacted for photo
My father witnessed the flag-raising at Iwo Jima from his battleship, the USS Arkansas.
He told me that the iconic photo that has come to symbolize the American victory was actually a re-staged shot of the event.
If we are to get every detail right, including the names of the Marines in the photo, we need to know that during the intense heat of battle, the flag was raised, but not as the photo depicts it. That came a bit later, after things calmed down.
Jean Risvold
Wailupe Peninsula
Rail is real so critics should get on board
Many have said that they will believe it when they see it.
Well, the Star-Advertiser showed rail with the headline, “Rail makes its first stop,” on the front page (May 3). So believe it, rail will happen.
Let us all get behind the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation’s board, with its new chairwoman, Colleen Hanabusa, and new member Colbert Matsumoto. HART members are volunteers and are putting the community first.
They will need all the help they can get because the tough part of building rail through urban Honolulu is going to take the maximum effort of all concerned. Yes, there will be more costs. Projects of this size require change orders to solve unforeseen problems and situations.
The Slaters, Cayetanos, Roths and others must now get on the wagon to make rail the best it can be.
Roy S. Tanouye
Waipahu
Health care system still seriously flawed
The controversy over Hawaii Medical Service Association’s preauthorization of imaging tests highlights the underlying cause of our health care system failures (“HMSA pre-authorization policy delaying critical tests, some doctors say,” Star-Advertiser, April 27).
HMSA’s need to cut costs and maintain revenues underscores the need to remove insurance company profit-making from the system. While Obamacare has expanded coverage to millions of previously uninsured persons, the concession to insurers to be made part of the costs of delivering health care is undermining its commendable purposes, as UnitedHealthcare’s abandonment of its insureds demonstrates.
It’s time to reconsider single-payer or Medicare for all to bring America’s health care policies on par with more effective and universal health care systems throughout the developed world.
Francis M. Nakamoto
Moanalua Valley
Charity to homeless often can backfire
Homelessness gives rise to all manner of silly ideas for solutions.
Homelessness will never be solved by giving homeless people the same things the rest of us must work for.
As it becomes easier to be homeless, more and more people will adopt the attitude of “Why work? The liberals and politicians will provide.”
Donald Chambers
Mililani
