LETTERS for June 12 issue

Support a park at Kahoma Village site
On Saturday, May 31, about 100 supporters of the Kahoma Park came down to the empty field adjacent to Lahaina Cannery Mall to support saving the field from development and turning it into a community park. Signs were waved, petitions were signed, ideas were shared, and people drove by and honked horns in support. Greta even baked delicious cookies for all in attendance. We also found out that this site may have possibly been David Malo’s homestead given to him by King Kamehameha. This would not only help to get a park, but it is of great cultural importance to all. We would love to preserve this open space. The last public hearing is scheduled for Tuesday, June 24, at the Kalana Pakui Building at 250 S. High St. in Wailuku at 9 a.m.
This is your last chance to testify, wave a sign or just be there in support. If we don’t show up in numbers on the 24th, Kahoma Village will be a done deal. Please don’t let them pave over the last open space makai of the highway. We owe it to our children and future generations to fight for this park.
Please write to the Planning Commission, c/o County of Maui Department of Planning, 2200 Main St., Suite 315, Wailuku, HI 96793, or call 270-7735 and urge them to deny this development. If you are free, please try to plan a trip to Wailuku on June 24 to save this area. If we don’t come together and voice our opinions, this park will not happen.
Thanks to all the people who attended the rally on Saturday, as well as Flo Bayol, Island Printing, Lahaina Skate Company, Whalers Locker, Saltwater Signs, Tropic Water, Greta, Constantino Gallery, and especially Lahaina News, which is such a great asset to this community. They provide information on important issues and events, as well as a forum for residents to voice their concerns, great news coverage and advertising for local businesses. A big mahalo to you all.
ERIC SALAWICH, Lahaina
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Park plan should include funding
The letters continue to stream in concerning the proposed Kahoma Village. It now seems that, after years of neglect, the property has become a political Frisbee being flung back and forth between the evil developers and the passionate park proposers.
One correspondent calls for a rally to gain support for a park. That’s all well and good, but a more effective move might be to figure out where the money will come from to both build and maintain a park. Neither will be cheap.
Another wants the county to investigate Stanford Carr’s track record on past developments. Really? If the County Councilors and Planning Commission haven’t figured out what Stanford Carr Development’s deal is by now, they never will.
A third apparently claims the denuded field is a gathering place. For what? Field mice, anoles and mynah birds? The last real gathering on the field was the shopping cart rustlers.
I’m all for open space, but the passionate letter writers need to be realistic. Money talks. They need to come up with a plan to build a park that includes how it will be funded. Present that to the county. They’ll be much more receptive if you present a problem and have the answers already figured out.
Regardless of whether housing or a park wins, it was pretty sad to see some innocent, mature trees turned into mulch because of some homeless chefs.
MIKE SOWERS, Lahaina
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Highway speed limits should be increased
Speed limits are artificially low on Maui highways. Frequent lane changes are less during normal traffic, as 90 percent of the drivers operate at the 85th percentile (Solomon Curve) – the safe speed of 65 mph on Mokulele Highway.
Writing speeding tickets does not change driving behavior nor increase traffic safety. Ironically, we have all seen that when the police are visible with their laser guns on the side of the road, many drivers slow down to 25-30 mph and lane changing is rampant – an obvious safety hazard.
Check out the video “When speed limits can kill,” which helps to debunk the antiquated “Speed Kills” mentality.
ROBERT ALDRICH, Kihei
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The Lahaina Raceway
I have written about this before, and so have others, on the complete lack of enforcement of the speeding that occurs on Highway 30, especially fronting the Lahaina Police Department headquarters. Why? Lazy!
How about the trucks with extra wide, illegal tires that throw stones onto windshields in cars behind. Why? Lazy!
Now that the road has been repaved fronting the Lahaina Police Department, there is another reason to drive way too fast. The speed limit here is 40 mph; however, it is now a construction zone, so signs state 30 mph.
RON TATE, Lahaina
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Letter writers making false claims about Monsanto
It is unfortunate that recent letters continue to make egregious and false claims about Monsanto Hawaii.
While we respect people’s right to express their opinion, making false and frightening accusations with no credible evidence behind them only serves to confuse and mislead the public.
Even worse, such false claims are hurtful and demeaning to our 1,000-plus hardworking employees who know that the work they do is not harming the environment, but is helping farmers and communities around the world improve their yields and reduce their environmental footprint.
When our employees in Hawaii work on projects with organizations like the Gates Foundation to help the poorest of the poor in the world grow more food to sustain themselves, it’s hard for us to understand why there are such hateful and false accusations being made about an industry that’s making a positive difference while maintaining a stellar safety record.
We understand people have questions, and we are happy to share information and engage in constructive dialogue. All we ask is that people start with an open mind and a sincere desire to separate fact from fiction.
Please visit www.MonsantoHawaii.com. There, you can read about our farms, our community service projects and our commitments to safety and stewardship. You can also send us questions and request a farm tour to learn more.
DAN CLEGG