COM 0045.012 2002-2004 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home

Introduction to the Plan C aac his Pl,.n There are several purposes of this plan: (1) To articulate the consensus short- and long-term priorities of the various communities along the Hamakua coast; (2) To reflect the views of all citizens young and old who participated in the visioning process; (3) To provide a time line for community development activities; (4) To synthesize the data necessary for HHCDC to secure additional grants and investments in support of these projects; and (S~ To serve as the basis for collaboration among the districts and communities along the coast. The community development planning process consisted primarily of surveys and meetings. A detailed survey was distributed via the community associations to all residents of the Hamakua Coast. The associations received 615 completed surveys, and used them to begin to identify community assets and needs. Building upon these priorities, HHCDC held three visioning conferences in 1999, one per coastal district, to hear directly from hundreds of residents about their economic development ideas and other infrastructure issues and services that warrant further attention. In January 2000, HHCDC hosted a concluding Coastline Visioning Conference, during which the ideas brought forth in the surveys and the three community meetings were synthesized into a bioregional vision of essential priorities. From this information, key community development goals and objectives were identified. While the integrity of each district's priorities were maintained, planning efforts have focused on finding commonalities among the districts. Key strategies were identified in the following topic areas: Economics, Education, Public Safety, Environment, Values, Recreation, Agriculture, Health Care, Transportation, and Arts. Each community was then asked, through another survey and local meetings, to comment on and refine the goals and objectives, as well as prioritize each community development strategy according to when they believed it should be implemented. From this data, a time line of action was developed (see page 9); it indicates the strategies that should be addressed within 1-3, 3-5, and 5-2A years. Estimations of the numbers of potential businesses and jobs to be created during this time frame are provided. 6