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Politics, Commentary
Politics, Commentary Tuesday
20Feb
West Hawaii's $58 million civic palace
Tuesday, February 20, 2007 at 03:27PM West Hawaii can't find too much to complain about in plans for a proposed new $58 million West Hawaii civic palace. It's the county's biggest public works project ever and growing.
Hilo Councilman Donald Ikeda sought to trim back some of the grander aspects of it, like the amphitheater, museum and play area, and just keep the space needed for county offices. But dour Donald's resolution, defeated Feb. 6 in the Public Works Committee, will come back to the Council for another vote Thursday with an opportunity for public input.
The good news is you don't have to travel to West Hawaii to testify. You can participate in Wednesday's Council committee meetings and Thursday's Council meeting via videoconferencing in the Hilo Council Room, above Ben Franklin Crafts on Kiluaea near Ponahawai.
Jason Armstrong has good background on the escalating size and estimated cost of the civic center in this Hawaii Tribune-Herald story. Public Works Director Bruce McClure said the recently added museum, amphitheater and play area can be removed if the costs get too high. Weren't we already there maybe a few million dollars ago?
Credit Puna Councilwoman Emily Naeole for joining Ikeda and Stacy Higa in the minority on the committee vote on this one. Ikeda and Higa may do it just for stink, but surely Emily sees the gross insensitivity, even negligence, toward the more important needs of the island that this excessive civic palace project represents.
Curiously, what wasn't mentioned in Armstrong's story is whether the two new roads needed to make the civic palace accessible are included in the $58 million. (I'll bet they aren't.) And whether the new roads would reduce any traffic congestion or just serve the new civic palace. How much will they cost? Nevertheless kudos to Armstrong for calling Pete Hoffmann on his transportation-saving claim. Armstrong pointed out that people will have to drive five miles or so out of their way to get to the new civic palace from Kailua.
(It's resolution 46-07. Public statements on all resolutions are taken beginning 1:30 Thursday.)
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Reader Comments (6)
On one hand, its good that all of the County's offices will be under one roof, on the other hand, it will become a major traffic generator and make it harder for me to get there since I live 5 miles from that location. I hope some of you folks from Puna send in testimony asking that the center be scaled back so that other neglected parts of the island get some needed County infrastructure.
I haven't viewed any plan details, but sounds pretty over the top. Do it in phases? Private sponsorship for the playground? ampitheater? ...
Not matter if it's nine cubicles for offices, a tin shed for meetings, and a rent-a-lua or, a spectacle of self indulgence and opulance, IT MUST BE DESIGNED AND BUILT TO MAKE MAXIMUM USE OF RENEWABLE ENERGY AND MINIMUM USE OF THE OTHER STUFF; AS WELL AS TO BE EFFICIENT IN USE OF WATER.
We shouldn't have any trouble at all getting tourists to attend since there are soooo many of them in Kona. And after all, unless they are from Louisiana, Taiwan, or Honduras, they probably have nothing back home that compares to the Hawaii County Political Circus.
The Lack
The problem with the current design is that I don't think they used a good architect to incorporate all the ideas into a few buildings. They need to go back to the drawing board and keep it simple.