COM 0045.012 2002-2004 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Recommendations To inform the ongoing planning process, additional data still needs to be collected by the HHCDC in We following areas: 1. Statistics on the numbers of jobs that will be required in the region today and over the next 20 yeazs in order for most residents to work within the coastal region; 2. An inventory of natural resource ownership patterns; 3. An inventory of sacred cultural sites worthy of protection and preservation; 4. Analysis of current human, solid, agricultural, and industrial waste disposal methods, including the impact of current agricultural practices and pesticide and herbicide use on local soils, waterways, and ocean life; 5. Examination of all current agricultural mazketing efforts and analysis of their success; 6. Analysis of land use regulations and how they impact local communities; and 7. Assessment of existing health and social service providers statewide regarding their interest in and capacity to offer services along the coastal region. In addition, the HHCDC needs to reach out to and involve key private and government stakeholders in the next phases of planning efforts. These include current major owners of property, assets, and businesses, as well as such government departments as county planning, police, public works, and transportation, the state land and water agencies, and the university agriculture reseazch and development department. Many of the issues prioritized during this visioning process are the responsibility of government and/or would require the participation of government or other entities. Our planning process revealed common themes, which aze reflected in the Plan's goals and objectives: Goal 1. Use local knowledge, skills and native raw materials, and increase loco! business ownership, incubation, and purchasing habits. The Hilo Hamakua Coast has a wealth of human and natural resources which can solve local problems and generate economic opportunity. The HHCDC has the responsibility to identify this knowledge and skill base and to coordinate the effective use of these community resources. Economic development initiatives should provide local people with opportunities to own businesses, as this will keep profits on the island and reduce the need to import companies from elsewhere to provide employment opportunities. The Plan recommends that HHCDC and its three community associations work collaboratively with the County of Hawaii and the Small Business Development Center at the University of Hawaii to continue to establish numerous types of locally-owned small businesses which aze based on readily available materials in the bioregion. Such endeavors should focus on creating products and services for residents so that local people can shop within the region rather than in towns outside it, as every dollar spent at a local business circulates many times in the local economy. Training programs may be required to cultivate the skills necessary to start such enterprises. The HHCDC should also explore the development of purchasing cooperatives which would purchase goods and services for communities in bulk, thereby reducing costs to individuals. Objective 1. Support regional agriculture by ?eading [he effort to consolidate and expand marketing approaches and support groups for small independent farms, form agricultural cooperatives and new local markets, and expand the medicinal herb, value-added food, and hardwood forestry niches of the industry. Community gardens, greenhouses, and agro-forestry centers can also attract resident and tourist interest. 16