Kauai residents don't wait for state to repair road

[nathanm]

http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/04/09/hawaii.volunteers.repair/index.html?iref=topnews#cnnSTCText

 

 

The state Department of Land and Natural Resources had estimated that the damage would cost $4 million to fix, money the agency doesn't have, according to a news release from department Chairwoman Laura Thielen.

"It would not have been open this summer, and it probably wouldn't be open next summer," said Bruce Pleas, a local surfer who helped organize the volunteers. "They said it would probably take two years. And with the way they are cutting funds, we felt like they'd never get the money to fix it."

 

And if the repairs weren't made, some business owners faced the possibility of having to shut down.

 

Ivan Slack, co-owner of Napali Kayak, said his company relies solely on revenue from kayak tours and needs the state park to be open to operate. The company jumped in and donated resources because it knew that without the repairs, Napali Kayak would be in financial trouble.

 

"If the park is not open, it would be extreme for us, to say the least," he said. "Bankruptcy would be imminent. How many years can you be expected to continue operating, owning 15-passenger vans, $2 million in insurance and a staff? For us, it was crucial, and our survival was dependent on it. That park is the key to the sheer survival of the business."

 

So Slack, other business owners and residents made the decision not to sit on their hands and wait for state money that many expected would never come. Instead, they pulled together machinery and manpower and hit the ground running March 23.

 

And after only eight days, all of the repairs were done, Pleas said. It was a shockingly quick fix to a problem that may have taken much longer if they waited for state money to funnel in.

 

[Filip S]

Tom Woods put it really well, in regards to the infamous "who will build the roads" question:

 

"If we didn't have forced labor, the argument runs, there would be no roads. There'd be a Sears store over there, and your house over here, and everyone involved would just be standing there scratching their heads."