The church community of First Assembly of God in Kahaluu, by pioneering a promising model of housing the homeless, has added a hopeful note in these closing days of a harsh year for the unsheltered.
Assisted by donations from other churches, First Assembly of God has opened The Shelter with 12 domed prefabricated units. Along with providing common areas, the new housing cluster offers nine domes for single mothers with their children.
This project was three years in the making, after the first fiberglass dome was tested at the church’s Moanalua campus. But now that it’s been expanded, state and city officials ought to be considering efforts to expand it further — much further.
For starters, the state should look at these as candidates for solutions in its “ohana zone” initiative. The church already has a waiting list — and its rules are fairly restrictive. Surely many more could be helped on state land in a less-restrictive, but secure, alternative to tent cities on the street.
The domes are produced by InterShelter Inc., an Alaska-based company, for sale at $10,000 each. According to its website (intershelter.com), the company touts that the white reflective coating keeps the interior cooler — a plus in Hawaii’s heat.
State officials and lawmakers will have a chance to see how well this works in the coming months. Surely there are similar, easy-assemble solutions on the market that could be considered. But there should be no hesitation in tapping one good idea now.
Dairy discharge difficulties
Monday’s sewage discharge by Big Island Dairy must have other large-scale animal and agricultural ventures taking notice. The dairy illegally released about 600,000 gallons of sewage from its lagoon, contaminating coastal waters through Kaohaoha Gulch, in an effort to “maintain the structural integrity” and “prevent an uncontrolled discharge” into Alaialoa Gulch, which runs through Ookala town. State-posted signs warned the public to stay out of Kaohaoha Gulch due to stormwater contaminated with animal waste.
This latest problem for Big Island Dairy conveys one difficult reality for any venture as Hawaii pursues food sustainability: the delicate balance between operations and environment. The impulse is to root for home-grown food ventures, but the challenges can be eye-opening.
For instance, Kauai’s proposed Hawaii Dairy Farms, which wants to reduce Hawaii’s reliance on imported milk by using sustainable agriculture practices, has run into objections raised by environmentalists and an adjacent resort. The project has been on hold, with a decision on its future expected next month.
As for Big Island Dairy: It will close next year and lay off 24 workers, due to financial and regulatory troubles that included a 2017 lawsuit alleging violations of the federal Clean Water Act, and a $25,000 fine from the state Department of Health alleging an unlawful discharge.
“The residents of Hawaii are better off with a local, sustainable food supply that includes milk and dairy products,” Big Island Dairy said in announcing its shutdown last month. That’s true — but clearly, attaining the ideal is much harder than it seems.
Another Diamond Head path
State Parks Administrator Curt Cottrell has described Diamond Head State Monument’s climb to panoramic South Shore views as “one of the must-do hiking experiences for Hawaii visitors and residents alike.” Each year more than 1 million people ascend the trail and those 99 steep steps near the top.
That’s a lot of foot traffic. Currently, the only public access to the crater is through narrow, two-way Kahala Tunnel — a path pedestrians share with cars, trolleys and other vehicles. It’s often overcrowded, creating potential safety hazards.
So, plans underway to establish another passage, Kapahulu Tunnel, as a pedestrians-only entry seem to be a sensible improvement. The state Department of Defense will transfer previously closed lands, including Kapahulu Tunnel, to the state Department of Land and Natural Resources for public use, as part of an overall effort to reduce is own footprint within Diamond Head Crater.
In decades past, the monument’s parking lot capacities had more bearing on the daily count of hikers. Today, more visitors are arriving by way of ride-sharing and shuttle drop-offs; bicycling or walking from Waikiki.
Access changes are slated to be implemented in the next year. The state is also sizing up a long-term plan that calls for restricting Kahala Tunnel’s entrance to staff and those with disabilities, while limiting parking to the crater’s exterior. The majority of visitors would then enter through Kapahulu Tunnel.
