The big problem for me about the boreholes is that there doesn't seem to be a plan to demonstrate to the world how they bring value to Hive. I think this is a great example of how blockchains can do something that governments won't or can't and of self-governance. However, we're not seeing that reflected in how the project is reported or promoted.
I'd welcome a breakdown of the budget and actual spend. The first boreholes may have been easy wins, the later ones may have had more complex challenges. Globally, we've seen an increase in the cost of materials. You have a valid point about maintenance: what is the plan and what does it cost?
In terms of people joining Hive: I wouldn't worry about that too much if there was a plan to promote the boreholes more generally: a kind of "look what it is possible to do, think how we could build new economies" approach, and there was a costed plan in place for, say, five years, together with an exit plan.
I actually think we should stop griping about this project and look at how it would need to be to add value to Hive, which, for me, is mainly about having some focused audience-building activity running alongside it.