Email
Print
del.icio.us
digg
yahoo!
Comments
FeedLetters 8/07
What our readers have to say
Green Meets Accessible
 |
We enjoyed your recent June 2007 “Green Issue”. A national trend to build more accessible homes is just starting to merge with the trend towards “greener homes”.
The Maui County Council on Aging will be submitting a Maui Lifespan Housing Policy to our County Council after Labor Day for its consideration. If all goes well, it could become codified early next year.
We’ve been gratified by the positive response this initiative had been getting from architects, builders and county officials alike. It seems everyone is aware of the approaching age wave and the urgency of building homes, which people of all ages, abilities and incomes can live in safely, comfortably and independently.
Our mantra is: A home without accessibility is like a car without seatbelts: it doesn’t make sense.
Peter Durkson
Maui County Council on Aging
Makawao, Maui, Hawaii
Via email
‘Maui’s Worst Nightmare’
I read with interest your (July 2007) article relative to David Cole and Maui Land & Pine. Until recently, I was the President of the Plantation Estates Lot Owners Association.
When I first met David Cole he was “selling “ the members of the Plantation Estates board on his vision for Kapalua and West Maui. His primary motivation was to get our agreement to develop Honolua Ridge and use our roads. David spoke about his commitment to the environment and the preservation of Kapalua as an environmental showcase. After dealing with him and his subordinates on the Honolua Ridge project as well as witnessing his step by step dismemberment of Kapalua I am now convinced his entire environmental gig is a sham. The reality is he has significantly damaged the quality of life in Kapalua with his ill conceived projects all of which are covers for more condos, timeshares and a lot of negative environmental impact.
The reality is this man in a short period of time has destroyed landmarks like the Kapalua Bay Hotel, developed every piece of land he can get a permit for in Kapalua and has closed golf courses supposedly to develop a private course some time in the future.
But that was not enough, he then turns around and makes a proposal which will once again deprive us of one of our great West Maui treasures so he can try to sell more homes and condos. All of us who truly care about the environment and preserving the Maui we love owe a debt of gratitude to the Save Honolua Coalition for standing up to the David Cole PR machine and exposing it for what it really is “Maui’s worst nightmare.” I believe your article is a first step in exposing a wolf in environ-mental clothing.
Bob Miller
Kapalua, Maui, Hawaii
Via email
Trains of Thought
I enjoyed reading about the Pineapple Express train in Hawaii Business June issue.
I was the president, Commercial Division of Castle & Cooke Hawaii from 1989 to 1999, and during that time I was asked to take over the management of the Dole Plantation in Wahiawa, which I did. In exploring ideas with store management to increase revenues by changing the operation from a so-called pit stop on the way to the North Shore to an agricultural themed visitor attraction, the world’s largest maze was built as a first step in testing the destination concept. This maze idea was the result of a summer vacation my family and I took in Colorado where we just happened to come across a maze made of plywood in a small town.
To make the claim that it was indeed the world’s largest maze I researched the Guinness World Record book and sure enough there was one in Europe at 93,000 square feet which meant ours had to be larger. So I decided on 100,000 square feet which is what it is today.
Once the maze was open and became a popular success with visitors and locals alike, I began to explore other ideas to continue building the destination concept one of which was a train running through the pineapple fields, which surround the Dole Plantation facilities. Studies of possible routes through the pineapple fields were made and the name Pineapple Express chosen. However, it was about then that I left Castle & Cooke, and later learned they decided to let an outside company build and operate the Pineapple Express. I was glad to read that it, too, is a success!
Lucien P. Wong
Senior Advisor
Actus Lend Lease LLC
Honolulu, Hawaii
Via email
| Letters to the editor may be sent to
Address: Hawaii Business 1000 Bishop St., Ste. 405 Honolulu, HI 96813 All letters to the editor must include the writer's name, address (at least city or town, and state) and daytime and evening phone numbers. Writers should also disclose any relationship with the subject of their letter. We reserve the right to edit letters for clarity and space and to use them in all electronic and print editions of Hawaii Business. |
Do you like what you read? Subscribe to Hawaii Business Magazine »
