Palani Road Crumbling,Former State Senator/Councilwoman Virginia Isbell Still Has Not Filed The Required Campaign Spending Reports,Big Island Weekly Publishes My Hokulia Bypass LTE,Impact Fee Thoughts

It seems former State Senator/Hawaii County Councilwoman Virginia Isbell still has not filed the required campaign spending reports. By my count as of today these reports are week over due. Thus consequently the more substantial fines should be kicking in.

“Pursuant to Act 244, HB 661 (effective July 8, 2008), please take note that there is a large increase in fines for late reports as follows:

1. Increases fines for late reports to $50 per day the first 7 days, $200 per day thereafter, except for the 2nd Preliminary Primary Report and the Preliminary General Report, for which the fines are $300 per day. There is a cap on these fines.

2. Increases fines for deficient and defective reports that are not amended and electronically filed within 14 days of the notification letter mailed by the Commission, to $50 per day for the first 7 days after the 14 day notification, and $200 per day thereafter. There is a cap on these fines.”

I find it very perplexing that neither West Hawaii Today or the Hawaii Tribune Herald have published this letter to the editor about the Hokulia bypass debacle I wrote.I’ve already submitted it twice to both papers. That being said, the only local newspaper that published it thus far was the Big Island Weekly.

There was interesting letter to editor in WHT in response to the County Council’s proposed impact fee system proposal. I agree the current fair share system is a joke and has been deemed illegal. But we shouldn’t be railroading  long time local families in the process. Hawaii has a severe affordable housing crisis. Thus adding another fee will make it more expensive for local families to build that first home here.

I know it is pretty common on the mainland to impose impact fees to offset the impact of new homes. But Hawaii is not the mainland. For starters, the cost of living here is much more than on the mainland. In my opinion, this impact fee should be imposed only on large scale housing developments which have a far more bigger effect on the local infrastructure than a local family who wants to build their first home.

Lastly I sent this e-mail to Councilman’s Pilago’s office, along with Bruce McClure, etc in regards to the poor condition of Palani Road.

Aloha,

I’m getting very frustrated with the rapid disintegration of Palani Road by Grace Church and between Henry Street and Queen Kaahumanu Highway.This morning I nearly ran over a football sized pothole up by Grace Church. The condition of the Palani Road between Henry and Queen Kaahumanu is not much better.

Both of these segment of roadway need to be repaved immediately. In the case of the Grace Church segment, we cannot wait for the church to obtain the needed easements to re-align the road. At the rate that the latter is going, it will probably be another 10 years before the church obtains the easements (This has been dragging on since 2002).

I drive on Palani Road everyday to get to town. So the condition of this critical artery is very important to me. Thus this needs to be addressed immediately.

Best Regards,
Aaron Stene