Allow me to explain,

Mac and I went to the meeting last night. After sitting through the usual self congratulatory pap, a new board appointment and some general whining we finally reached the portion of the meeting where the Mayors Rep. Tim Houghton gave his report. Apparently "Liza" Lockard, another new board member, had asked him at the last meeting if noise mitigation was being included in the plan for the range "improvements". His answer was "No". Apparently this meant little or nothing to her, as she didn't look up from her smart phone or acknowledge him in any way. However, our good buddy GK seemed to get quite the thrill out of it! { read between the lines, as you will } He responded at the end of the report, making a comment about Sen. Slom's range protection bill { SB 955 } and how he was "glad it didn't pass because it would've given the range a free pass on noise issues and even injuries". Sen. Slom gave his usual succinct report on the sad state of affairs at the state level then responded to GK's comments "Either you didn't read the bill, or you didn't understand it. It doesn't give the range a free pass, it protects the state from frivolous lawsuits brought by people looking to get a quick settlement". GK started to argue the point, but Sen. Slom cut him off saying "I don't come here to argue with you! If you want to talk to me about this, come down to my office, my door is always open."

It was the best smackdown I've seen there and the look on GK's face was priceless!

Well worth the price of admission!

wow, ed
didn't know you have a photographic memory
usually you are writing down notes, but you weren't yesterday

sen slom also added that his bill was extending protection to the city and state because people view them as "deep pockets"
and that the same protection already applies to most city and state services like lifeguards

Thanks very much guys for sitting through that and giving us a report.  Look on GK's face....priceless!  Lol

You're welcome!

I attend every meeting I can. I'd like to say it's my pleasure, but mostly it's not. Listening to whiners is not my forte. The urge to stand up and shout "Just shut the f*ck up! You've pissed and moaned about this for the last five meetings and we're all tired of hearing it!" is sometimes difficult to control.

Then there are the nights like this one, where you leave with a spring in your step and a little grin.....

There was also a great discussion on the rail project. Natalie Iwasa, who's a CPA, found hundreds of millions in discrepancies between what HART is telling the public and what their books actually say they've spent and received. While her motion to deny the boards support of HART was squelched by.....guess who, I have to say I agreed with her. A first!   

If you have a chance catch this on OLELO or read the published minutes.

You're welcome!

I attend every meeting I can. I'd like to say it's my pleasure, but mostly it's not. Listening to whiners is not my forte. The urge to stand up and shout "Just shut the f*ck up! You've pissed and moaned about this for the last five meetings and we're all tired of hearing it!" is sometimes difficult to control.

Then there are the nights like this one, where you leave with a spring in your step and a little grin.....

There was also a great discussion on the rail project. Natalie Iwasa, who's a CPA, found hundreds of millions in discrepancies between what HART is telling the public and what their books actually say they've spent and received. While her motion to deny the boards support of HART was squelched by.....guess who, I have to say I agreed with her. A first!   

If you have a chance catch this on OLELO or read the published minutes.

did you go to the beer summit, ed?

Thanks Ed and Macsak for being active in your boards. I can relate to the whining and other nuances as I was the treasurer & president of our AOAO and now the vice. I saw vendors look at us homeowners as a cash cow as they are not required to bid (vs govt. projects). I put a stop to that. Told our prop. mgr. to take quotes from several vendors instead of just picking one (probably favored). It is not illegal for property managers to receive kickback or a percentage right?? I'd imagine there are no laws to prevent this as we are a private AOAO.
Now with the rail - it is a magnified problem of our small AOAO.

did you go to the beer summit, ed?

No, I was tempted, but in the end I chose not to listen to all the evasive answers and BS. Grabasskiss will hang himself with his own lies, but not before the C&C wastes a couple more billion of our money.

Besides, I have to go to work tomorrow. I don't have time to get arrested for beating the sh*t out of him.

Has anybody thought of planting a grove of Norfolk Pine or Ironwood trees Between the range and the homes at Hawaii Kai, maybe in the Koko Head Regional Park. I suppose trees could dampen the sound of the gunfire from the range. I know that the gunfire noise at the houses are distant, but there are times they bother people like the sound of a dripping faucet.

Funny.  I've driven to the range many times with the windows down.  I don't hear gunfire from the highway.  The noise isn't noticeable until I turn into the crater near the archery range. 

I believe the shape of the crater already dampens the sound plenty.  If you park near the restrooms in the center, you can easily hold a conversation and not need hearing protection even with heavy rifle range use going on. 

Since good quality ear protection takes gunfire noise down to about 30dB, it's very difficult for me to believe anyone in a HK home hears enough gunfire to be bothered.

Therefore, planting any sort of trees or shrubs to absorb noise would not be cost effective, since the level of noise is already at acceptable levels, and any additional sound absorbed by trees would be negligible.

Funny.  I've driven to the range many times with the windows down.  I don't hear gunfire from the highway.  The noise isn't noticeable until I turn into the crater near the archery range. 

I believe the shape of the crater already dampens the sound plenty.  If you park near the restrooms in the center, you can easily hold a conversation and not need hearing protection even with heavy rifle range use going on. 

Since good quality ear protection takes gunfire noise down to about 30dB, it's very difficult for me to believe anyone in a HK home hears enough gunfire to be bothered.

Therefore, planting any sort of trees or shrubs to absorb noise would not be cost effective, since the level of noise is already at acceptable levels, and any additional sound absorbed by trees would be negligible.

I can speak to this, as I live in the area. I live about 1 mile, as the crow flies, from the range and family members that we visit regularly live on Anapalau St., the road that takes you to Koko Head District Park.

You can definitely hear the gunfire from my house, and the closer you get, the louder it gets. It becomes more or less noticeable depending on atmospheric conditions as well. Sometimes it's barely noticeable pops, but when the wind is right it gets much louder. Having lived here for 20 years, I've grown accustomed to it. As have the relatives.

The bottom line is, if you bought a house next to a gun range, hoping for peace and quiet, you made a grave error and you should move.

Thanks Ed and Macsak for being active in your boards. I can relate to the whining and other nuances as I was the treasurer & president of our AOAO and now the vice. I saw vendors look at us homeowners as a cash cow as they are not required to bid (vs govt. projects). I put a stop to that. Told our prop. mgr. to take quotes from several vendors instead of just picking one (probably favored). It is not illegal for property managers to receive kickback or a percentage right?? I'd imagine there are no laws to prevent this as we are a private AOAO.
Now with the rail - it is a magnified problem of our small AOAO.

In the state of Hawaii there are special circumstances surrounding being a property manager. I won't get into the details unless someone asks. But under most circumstances a property manager has to be licensed. If a licensed property manager gets caught taking any sort kickback they can lose their license. Unlicensed property managers don't play by the same code of ethics a licensed property manager does.

Funny.  I've driven to the range many times with the windows down.  I don't hear gunfire from the highway.  The noise isn't noticeable until I turn into the crater near the archery range. 

I believe the shape of the crater already dampens the sound plenty.  If you park near the restrooms in the center, you can easily hold a conversation and not need hearing protection even with heavy rifle range use going on. 

Since good quality ear protection takes gunfire noise down to about 30dB, it's very difficult for me to believe anyone in a HK home hears enough gunfire to be bothered.

Therefore, planting any sort of trees or shrubs to absorb noise would not be cost effective, since the level of noise is already at acceptable levels, and any additional sound absorbed by trees would be negligible.

Possible the sounds can only be heard in certain areas due to reflection off the mountain, wind, or heavy cloud cover reflecting sound back down.  Also the sound of traffic and ocean can mask the sound which might be heard in quiet areas.  When things are just right, in Aiea I can hear the artillery firing at Schofield at night when it's quieter, wind is blowing down, and overcast skies.

Still the homeowners fault for moving there when they know a gun range is next door. 

I live about a half mile as the crow flies from the range.  If I'm outside I can hear the shots, but they are pretty soft - if one of my neighbors is weedwacking I won't hear any of the shots.  If I'm inside and the kids are watching TV I don't notice any noise from the range.  When my kids were still infants, it wasn't the noise from the range that annoyed me - it was the Blue Hawaii helicopter tours going overhead every day, multiple times each day.  Those helicopters are loud and annoying.  We've lived here for almost 11 years now; although it wasn't a priority for us, being a few minutes drive from the range is great for me. 

I live about a half mile as the crow flies from the range.  If I'm outside I can hear the shots, but they are pretty soft - if one of my neighbors is weedwacking I won't hear any of the shots.  If I'm inside and the kids are watching TV I don't notice any noise from the range.  When my kids were still infants, it wasn't the noise from the range that annoyed me - it was the Blue Hawaii helicopter tours going overhead every day, multiple times each day.  Those helicopters are loud and annoying.  We've lived here for almost 11 years now; although it wasn't a priority for us, being a few minutes drive from the range is great for me. 

Agree completely about the helicopters. I've actually called the FAA to complain in the past. The regs are that they must be 1000 ft. or higher, if you can get the tail numbers they'll contact and possibly cite the pilot.

I remembered trying to look up FAA regs and seeing the 1000 ft rule.  Thanks for the tip on getting the aircraft's registration number.

Has anybody thought of planting a grove of Norfolk Pine or Ironwood trees Between the range and the homes at Hawaii Kai, maybe in the Koko Head Regional Park. I suppose trees could dampen the sound of the gunfire from the range. I know that the gunfire noise at the houses are distant, but there are times they bother people like the sound of a dripping faucet.

How about planting a whole bunch of these?

.

Thanks Ed and Macsak for being active in your boards. I can relate to the whining and other nuances as I was the treasurer & president of our AOAO and now the vice. I saw vendors look at us homeowners as a cash cow as they are not required to bid (vs govt. projects). I put a stop to that. Told our prop. mgr. to take quotes from several vendors instead of just picking one (probably favored). It is not illegal for property managers to receive kickback or a percentage right?? I'd imagine there are no laws to prevent this as we are a private AOAO.
Now with the rail - it is a magnified problem of our small AOAO.

   Actually Ren, the scenario you describe is illegal.
Your property mgr is bound by fiduciary duty.
To " receive kickback or a percentage"  for the purpose of acquiring a particular vendor is more than unethical, it is ILLEGAL.

Ed and macsak, your presence at these meetings are definitely keeping these antis under control.  They know we are watching,  and at a moment's notice ready to pounce in retaliation.  Awesome resource to have a immediate play by play of the situation!   THANK YOU

Ed and macsak, your presence at these meetings are definitely keeping these antis under control.  They know we are watching,  and at a moment's notice ready to pounce in retaliation.  Awesome resource to have a immediate play by play of the situation!   THANK YOU

Plus 1 guys! Thank you!
Gordy