I wouldn't say H-E is dead. Some people, including Hive account@ecoinstant are working on keeping it alive. That said, it seemingly isn't improving very much. Perhaps, as Hive account@shmoogleosukami writes, VSC will be the answer to this problem. I haven't actually read about that so I have no idea what that even is, but I have heard the word being thrown around enough these past few months as a H-E replacement that I know it's a thing.

Anyway, I'd favor #1 as a first step. For the growth of this project, I might even suggest a lower rate. 8% maybe. I don't know if investors were be happy about that, but it would help the project survive and grow, and the rate could always be adjusted back up if things improve in the future.