Kauai: Home Of Housing Woes
Donald Becker is the new tennis director at Hanalei Bay Resort PBI photo
I often wonder whether I’ll ever be able to purchase a house on Kauai. Right now, with the median home value at some $700,000, there’s no chance, and if it continues at this rate, pretty soon it’ll be near $1 million. That means that if I want to make this goal an actual reality, I will have to eventually face the music and move somewhere I could get my feet on the ground and make the investment. I know I’m not alone, and it makes me wonder how many others won’t be able to continue living here in the years to come. Yet those who will be able to afford to live here (but most likely don’t fulltime) will still inevitably need the jobs we hold — yard work, restaurant service, you name it. In other words, the working class is what makes a community work, but we need places to live, too. Kauai Planning and Action Alliance is holding its annual meeting this week, called “Squeezed Out: Understanding Kauai’s Housing Shortage” It will feature a panel presentation by Kamuela Cobb-Adams, county housing agency director, and Marie Williams, county long-range planner. The free public meeting will be held on Thursday (June 25) at Kauai Community College in the OCET Building, Room 105, from 2 to 4 p.m. Call 632-2005 or email infokpaa@kauainetwork.org to RSVP …
Tennis management company Peter Burwash International has appointed Donald Becker as its new tennis director at Hanalei Bay Resort. He will be taking over the position that was held by Corley Ward for the past three years. Becker is originally from upstate New York and has been PBI’s tennis director at the Caribbean resort Caneel Bay the last three years. His responsibilities will include tennis instruction and managing local membership. Players who participate in the classes and competitions at Hanalei Bay Resort also will get a chance to enjoy the new surfaces on each of the eight tennis courts. Call the Pro Shop at 826-6522 or email donald.becker@pbitennis.com for more information …
The Hotel Coral Reef is proposing to add another floor to its building that is located on state lease land Photo courtesy Wailua-Kapaa Neighborhood Association
National Tropical Botanical Garden was selected as the “Best Public Garden” by Sunset magazine. Limahuli Garden and Preserve and McBryde Garden are featured in the June issue of the magazine. Visit sunset.com for more information …
The Wailua-Kapaa Neighborhood Association will host Joseph Figora, manager of Hotel Coral Reef, who will speak about the history and proposed changes to be made to the structure. The plans are to add a third story to the building on state lease land if permits are approved. Historian Andy Bushnell will also share his insights about the area, including cultural features from the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries. The event will be held at the Kapaa Library Meeting Room from 2 to 4 p.m. on Saturday (June 27). Visit wkna.org for more information.
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