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WHEREAS, Section 2-218(a) of the Code provides, in pertinent part,that: "The council
<br /> shall, by resolution, select the land or lands to be preserved ..."; and"[w]here there are multiple
<br /> lands under consideration at any one time,priority shall be given to coastal lands..."; and
<br /> WHEREAS,Ke Ala Kahawai `o Waimea is a longstanding 30-year grassroots
<br /> community project led by the Waimea Trails and Greenways Committee, a group dedicated to
<br /> the perpetuation, protection, and stewardship of greenway corridors along the Waikoloa and
<br /> Keanu`i`omano streams for future generations to access and explore historically and culturally
<br /> significant lands within the Lalamilo, Keanu`i`omano, `Ouli, Kawaihae, Pu'ukapu, and
<br /> Waimea/Waikoloa ahupua'a of South Kohala; and
<br /> WHEREAS,the Waimea Trails and Greenways Committee envisions the Ke Ala
<br /> Kahawai `o Waimea project taking place in six major increments that will eventually stretch
<br /> from the town of Kamuela to the shoreline south of Kawaihae and connect to the larger Ala
<br /> Kahakai National Historic Trail system; and
<br /> WHEREAS,the acquisition of trail easements for the Ke Ala Kahawai `o Waimea
<br /> properties would be significantly beneficial to the County and our island,community for the
<br /> following reasons:
<br /> (1) To protect cultural and natural resources, including native plant habitats and
<br /> portions of an ancient trail system;
<br /> (2) To preserve a key portion of the Kohala watershed, which positively impacts
<br /> downstream coastline ecosystems;
<br /> (3) To create a safe greenway corridor for gathering, walking, bicycling, and
<br /> recreation;
<br /> (4) To expand opportunities for education, volunteerism, and community engagement;
<br /> (5) To facilitate legal and responsibly-managed public access;
<br /> (6) To ease traffic congestion by providing non-vehicular connectivity between
<br /> residents,businesses, and schools;
<br /> (7) To enable community-based management and stewardship; and
<br /> (8) To perpetuate the lifestyle, culture, and history of Lalamilo; and
<br /> WHEREAS,the Waimea Trails and Greenway Committee has signaled their
<br /> commitment to work with the various landowners,the County, and the broader community to
<br /> secure, establish, and maintain the proposed acquisitions in the public interest; now,therefore,
<br /> BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE COUNTY OF HAWAI`I that,
<br /> pursuant to Chapter 2, Article 42 of the Code,the Director of Finance is hereby authorized to
<br /> enter into negotiations for the acquisition of lands and conservation easements across the
<br /> properties identified as tax map keys (3) 6-2-001:018, 019, 051, 074, 075, 088, 089; (3) 6-2-
<br /> 002:006; (3) 6-2-007:001; (3) 6-4-001:032, 053, 054, 060, 114, 146, 155, 999; (3) 6-5-003:001,
<br /> 002, 004, 005, 031, 044, 045; (3) 6-5-004:007, 012, 015, 025, 056, 063, 099, 108; (3) 6-5-
<br /> 005:001, 009, 018, 020, 021, 023, 025; (3) 6-5-009:102; (3) 6-6-001:002, 010, 038, 050, 077; (3)
<br /> 6-6-003:006, 007, 010, and 013, situated in the ahupua'a of Lalamilo, District of South Kohala,
<br /> utilizing the Public Access, Open Space, and Natural Resources Preservation Fund.
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