March 2009

Home   Newsletters April 2009

May 2009

Annual Meeting EPA Agrees with League's Comments on City's Transit DEIS (Jackie Parnell) Member Urges Help with Budget (Claire Shimabukuro) Welcome New Members Outdoor Circle Opposes Rail Transit (Pearl Johnson) Calendar of Events

Outdoor Circle Opposes Rail Transit The Outdoor Circle (TOC) announced that it cannot support the Honolulu rail transit system. In its comments regarding the Draft Environmental Impact Statement, TOC found that it did not sufficiently present all of the project’s impacts and describe measures to mitigate those impacts on the community. “After three years of meetings, hearings, analysis, field trips and consultation with experts on both sides of the issue, we were left with the conclusion that this project will cause irreparable damage to our scenic environment,” said CEO Mary Steiner. TOC’s greatest concern is the impacts that the above ground fixed guide way and more than two dozen huge elevated transit stations will have on the view planes and overall character of the communities through which the transit project would run. TOC also said it has serious problems regarding the removal of more than 800 street trees with no specific plans presented for relocations or replanting. “The city’s contractor says some of the trees will be replanted but failed to say where and when this would be done,” said Steiner, “and that is not the level of detail necessary to satisfy our members or the community.” TOC’s newsletter states: “In the end TOC’s board believes that the elevated transit system will create too much damage to the visual environment of our island and recommends that the city pursue an alternative plan.” Pearl Johnson

March 2009

Top   Home   Newsletters

May 2009