COM 0904.001 2004-2006 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Center Road, the current County Councilman, Pete Hoffmann, lobbied Mayor Kim to shelve this road project once the environmental study is completed. He explained that there was no point to disturb any of the Lalamilo farmers' land in the absence of construction of Parker Ranch's Town Center Road. It is as if the County is held hostage to Parker Ranch's control over construction of the "Town Center Road" section of the Mini-bypass So what does Parker Ranch want in order to now complete the Town Center Road? Simple: Parker Ranch will allow the County (us taxpayers) to pay for and build the Town Center Road and the County's ten million dollar bond fund could be used towards this purpose. Over the past year, Parker Ranch has approached members of the County Council suggesting that the County use the ten million dollar bond fund to build Parker Ranch's Town Center Road, and at some future date Parker Ranch would repay this cost (at least in part) based on the complicated and easily manipulated "unit/count" road obligation formula. Of course, by that future unknown date, there may be further modifications of that road trigger formula, or further reinterpretations thereof, to allow for a reduction or elimination of this repayment plan. According to the Public Works Department if the County were to agree with this proposal, then there would not be funding to construct the County's Mamalahoa Highway to Kawaihae Road portion of the mini-bypass. At the February, 2006 Waimea Community meeting County Council Chair Stacy Higa advised the community that Riley Smith, Vice President of Parker Ranch, who is also the President of our Waimea Community Association, had been discussing this funding arrangement with him. As set forth in the Waimea Community Development Planning Committee website, Parker Ranch's current proposal is described as follows: Parker Ranch has Indicated that, if the County's Waimea Traffic Circulation Study consultants concluded that constructing (all or portions of) the Waimea Town Center Connector Road made sense now, Parker Ranch would be willing to discuss allowing the County to build It now, with Parker Ranch would reimbursing the County at some future date, when Parker Ranch would otherwise be obligated to construct the connector. As an alternative, Parker Ranch has indicated that, if the County wanted to construct a temporary road within the same alignment, with a "ford" instead of a bridge at the Kamuela Stream drain channel, Parker Ranch would be receptive to discussing that option also. This could possibly be a daytime use road, that would be locked at other hours. It would eliminate the choke point that results from Mamalahoa Hwy being the only way for traffic to move from east to west and west to east in the vicinity of the hospital and civic center. Well it doesn't take a rocket scientist or a traffic consultant to figure out that it construction of all or portions of the Town Center Road make sense to do now. So, in the context of the Luala'i III final subdivision approval, Parker Ranch is seeking to avoid its legal and civic responsibility to pay for and construct any of the Town Center Road, and at the same time is offering the County the opportunity to now pay for and construct this road, based on some possible future repayment schedule. Does this situation pass the "you got to be kidding" test? Well I am not kidding. 12