Laura H. Thielen, the newly appointed interim chairwoman of the state's Department of Land and Natural Resources, is right on the mark in saying the finger-pointing has got to stop when it comes to who should pay for much-needed repairs at the state's 21 small-boat harbors.

Harbor conditions have drastically deteriorated to a point where many boat slips will need to be fully replaced. Time is surely not on our side.

It's understandable that to help fund the estimated $200 million in repairs, Thielen is looking at increasing parking and slip fees — user fees here are historically low, and our mooring fees are among the lowest in the nation.

But given the decades of neglect, boaters are right to demand results and quick action. And they know exactly what needs to happen: "Implement an immediate maintenance plan and start putting money into replacement and repair of the harbor facilities that produce income, which means the slips," says longtime Ala Wai Small Boat Harbor resident Tom Bashaw.

"The state keeps stalling. We would like to see anything — just some initiative."

So it's refreshing to hear Thielen's proactive approach, rather than waiting for a legislative response.

In addition to raising parking fees to be in line with what city and county employees pay, she intends to phase in slip-fee increases over three years and eventually tie future hikes to the Consumer Price Index, so that increases will be predictable and incremental. Any fee hikes must come with a clear explanation of how the funds will benefit tenants.

Thielen also wisely plans to make the most of the state-owned lands adjacent to harbors by leasing them out to commercial tenants, provided the vendors' services are in sync with the harbor community's needs.

She acknowledges that these efforts alone won't generate enough income to cover the cost of repairs that are now needed; she hopes matching funds from the Legislature will help to close the gap.

"I want to focus on what we can do, what we can take responsibility for and not spend any more time waiting or pointing fingers," she says.

That's good.

But the DLNR also must keep its eye on the end goal, which should be to secure the financial footing for our small harbors over the long haul.

Right now, fees generate $14 million in revenue; operating expenses total $12 million.

Thielen has asked the Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation, which oversees the small-boat harbors, to come up with a sensible fee-increase schedule and a list of improvements that will be supported by those fees. The draft plan should be available for public input in the fall.

In the meantime, she said she'd like to offer harbor users a truce: "We need to stop the endless cycle of fighting. It's not working; the harbors are just falling apart," Thielen said. "I'm offering that DLNR hold itself publicly accountable for what it will do with the funds and what time frame it will accomplish that in."

That's a good start.