Big Island

O‘ahu’s Rail System Costs, While Big Island’s TMT Pays

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Yesterday’s Honolulu Advertiser headline story tells how O‘ahu’s planned elevated rail system will cost each resident of O‘ahu $4,000. Wow, and they’ll still have to pay every time they ride the rail!

In contrast, the Thirty Meter Telescope will benefit each person on the Big Island. After the TMT receives its permit, it will give $1 million a year for our community to administer for the education of our keiki. That’s a total of $58 million—and all that money stays here on the Big Island. The quality of this offering greatly overshadows Target and Safeway’s $77 million—where local businesses will suffer and profits will leave the Big Island.

In addition to giving $1 million a year, after “first light” the TMT will also give a combination of viewing time and cash.

This is how President David McClain described the commitment:

After discussions with academic and community leaders on the Big Island, and review with the Board of Regents, I can say that should TMT come to Mauna Kea, the Hawaiian community and community-at-large will benefit through an annual $1 million community benefit package, which will provide funding for locally chosen and managed educational programs on Hawai‘i Island. This will begin once all permits for the project have been received. 
The compensation to the University of Hawai‘i, which is expected to begin at “first light,” will be split equitably between a higher education package to be used for selected initiatives of the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo and Hawai‘i Community College on Hawai‘i Island, and observing time for University of Hawai‘i scientists. 

— David McClain
, President, 
University of Hawai‘i

This is the first time that the Big Island, through the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo and Hawai‘i Community College, will share in the benefits of a Mauna Kea-based telescope. It’s a very far cry from the $1 yearly leases telescopes have paid to date, which people have been so frustrated about.

I read President McClain’s statement to say that of the total TMT package, half will come to the Big Island. This is huge and could be another $5 million of value each year coming to the Big Island through UHH and HCC.

So just to compare — the TMT could be bringing $6 million of value annually to the Big Island, while O‘ahu’s new rail system will cost each resident $4,000, and they will still have to pay each time they ride it.

This accounting of the TMT’s benefits doesn’t even include how many local people will be employed in running the telescope, nor the business that will benefit from the TMT being here. Nor does it take into account the secondary benefit of strengthening our higher-level education systems.

Not to mention the psychological benefit to our people, as they take pride in hosting the biggest and best telescope in the world, one which reinforces the fact that Hawaiians were once the best navigators in the world. Our keiki and future generations will be looking up to the heavens and not down in the mud.

Everyone wants to do good for Mauna Kea; this is a given. There are lots and lots of volunteers. No one is advocating taking any short cuts. I would not support it if this were the case.

Finally, this is not about you and me — it’s about the keiki and future generations. I don’t know of any other instance where an entity is offering a community this much value for its children and future generations. Right now, we see the opposite: jobs being cut, businesses closing up shop and the most defenseless among us being left to fend for themselves.

So try, try explain again how this will be bad for our keiki and future generations?

One thought on “O‘ahu’s Rail System Costs, While Big Island’s TMT Pays”

  1. Thanks for pointing out the Rail comparison.

    Do you know when the TMT project is going to start hiring local folks?

    I understand there are probably lots of local folks already employed, but, now that the project has been approved, is there a time line set in place for trying to get a staff on board?

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