1.The title of this article should be: SHORELINE HAZARDOUS WASTE IN PUBLIC BEACH PARK IGNORED BY COUNTY PARKS AND RECREATION DIRECTOR. 2. Although the Ironwood tree area where the campers were is looking pretty good right now, that was because of a beach clean up organized by a private citizen. The real problem area is over on the Paia Bay side (Lime Kiln). There is a LOT of trash there. The County clean up consisted on pushing the rubbish around with a couple of backhoes. I’m sure they carted some away, but it’s still trashed. Way more than an “occaisonal soda can or plastic fork.” Here’s a link to a video shot just a few days ago on 9/20/17. This was provided to the Maui News reporter that authored this article on 9/20/17. (sorry for the poor audio) It’s only a small part of the area becasue it’s kind of sketchy going back there in the bushes with a camera rolling: https://youtu.be/Z3bNXJuqHa0 3. David Nakama’s (Housing and Human Concerns) suggestion of clearing the brush back there is a great one! Is anyone listening?! 4. I’m really pissed off at hearing that The Director of the Parks and Recreation Department, Mr, Buenconsejo, can’t figure out what to do with the leftover batteries, oils, and needles littering our shorline areas in a PUBLIC BEACH PARK which happens to be adjacent to a community youth center! Mr. Buenconsejo’s complete disregard for the health and safety of our beachgoing public and our natural shoreline areas along with his inability to find safe way to dispose of the toxic and hazardous waste (that he is obviously aware of) suggest to me that he’s not even close to being qualified to manage our public areas. 5. While I am sympathetic to anyone that is homeless for any reason, I am not sympathetic to anyone that allows our natural public areas to be desecrated with trash, hazardous waste, needles, human waste, etc, etc. I don’t blame the homeless for this, I blame the administration at the Parks and Recreation Department and the lack of leadership in the Mayor’s Office. The Big Island Mayor just set up a Safe Zone for homeless folks that provides showers, restrooms, social services, and other resources to help people get back on their feet and to keep people from living on the beach. It won’t solve all the problems, but it’s a creative program that doesn’t cost much money. In fact, with a caretaker and a few improvements, the Lime Kiln area could, in fact, be an awesome safe zone for homeless people, but it would need some management and administration skills that are non-existent at The Parks and Recreation Department at this time. 6. I’m looking forward to hearing what the Environmental Protection Agency says about our Park Director acknowledging that we have batteries, oil and needles in a shoreline area, in a Public Beach Park, next to a Community Youth Center. 7. I could tell Mr. Buenconsejo where to put the hazardous waste, but then I’d be doing his job. 8. The comment about homeless folks knowing exactly when the Park Rangers are out there is laughable. Do they send out announcements or something? Geez!
*This is an excerpt from that full story “Baldwin Beach” originally posted on MauiNews.com