There are two subjects I'm pretty passionate about
guns and boats.
I had to sell my 45 foot sail boat because
Hawaii government is so fucked up..
I tried to start a boat pumpout business
to make sure people don't illegally
pump overboard.
county said NO we have funds for pump out stations.
I've been playing with boats for years and I know
nobody uses those, most don't work anyway.
Full disclosure; I am a journeyman shipwright, I professionally
built big sailboats (34 to 50 feet), Privately built them from scratch,
and re-built neglected ones. I know a lot about marinas and boats.
My dad insisted I learn a trade as well as get a university education.
.
Okay, but not sure what any of that has to do with the story.
As part of the proposed settlement, the state also will be required to install a
new wastewater treatment plant, which will likely cost several million dollars.
In 2018, the DLNR received $1 million to build a new plant but the bids submitted
exceeded that amount. Last year, state lawmakers gave the department $3 million
for a new plant. The procurement process is now underway.
“A new wastewater treatment plant has already been planned, and CIP funds
have been allocated, and yet they were still delays,” said Aduja.
In 2018 (reminder, that was 5 years ago), DLNR had been given $1M for a new plant, but bids exceeded that. Last year (4 years later), lawmakers gave them $3M.
In the settlement that included the $600K fine, the state acknowledged the plant would cost "several million dollars."
I'm always confused by these kinds of stories. If the DLNR got money in 2018, that had to be in response to a funding request. I mean, lawmakers don't sit around telling DLNR when they need a new waste water plant and how much it'll cost. It's DLNR's job to get bids for the job, and then go to the legislature to request funding.
Saying they got $1M, but bids came in higher, and the state already knows it'll cost several million just sounds like something suspicious is going on. Did they spend the first million already on studies? On stop gap fixes? Is the $3M appropriated last year on top of the $1M already appropriated?
This is not incompetence. This is gross negligence and failure to act. I guarantee they know what they need to do, but they are content to ignore the problem while getting paid for ALL THOSE YEARS.
And why is the health department not able to do anything for over 5 years other than fine DLNR? Why can't they go after the Governor? Isn't he the responsible person in all this? Money was given, and nothing was fixed. Sounds like an Executive branch problem. How long was Ige overseeing this problem while it got worse?
No accountability in government. They created the system, so why would we expect them to hold themselves accountable?