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<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> August 1, 2006 <br /> <br /> Honorable Stacy Higa, Chair <br /> Hawaii County Council <br /> 25 Aupuni Street <br /> Hilo, Hawaii 96720 <br /> <br /> Subject: Support for Proposed Resolution No. 383-06 <br /> Dear Chair Higa and members of the Hawaii County Council: <br /> <br /> I am here this morning to give testimony in support of Resolution 383 06. <br /> <br /> I am a forty year resident of Kailua Kona and successfully managed Kona Village <br /> Resort for 30 years, before retiring last year. <br /> <br /> I have served on the executive board of the Hawaii Visitor's and Convention Bureau. <br /> I am past president of the Big Island Visitors Bureau, past State Chair of the Hawaii <br /> Hotel and Lodging Association and past director of the Hawaii Island United Way. I <br /> am a 30-year participant at the Hawaiian International Billfish Tournament and <br /> presently serve as its president. <br /> <br /> Our Kona community has needed and wanted the harbor to be expanded and its <br /> facilities upgraded for a long time. <br /> <br /> As a former manager of charter boat operations for Kona Village Resort and <br /> presently the president of the Hawaiian International Billfish Tournament, I know of <br /> the acute shortage of mooring slips at the present Honokohau Harbor. The list to <br /> obtain a slip is long and people are discouraged from even applying for one, often <br /> feeling that it is a hopeless pursuit. Many boats are presently moored in open waters, <br /> such as Kailua Bay and are at great risk to their owners and crews. The additional <br /> moorings created within a marina would allow these boats to be accommodated <br /> within a safe area. <br /> We must make this marina and mixed-use project economically feasible for the <br /> developer. You cannot ask for a marina and road to be built without allowing the <br /> project to be economically sustainable. Allowing the resort component to be put back <br /> into the land use will provide the economic means to see this project through. <br /> <br /> Let's face it, we will not see any additional slips in Kona in the near or distant future. <br /> The state, from my understanding, does not have the financial resources or the desire <br /> to expand the harbor and its facilities. The West Hawaii boating community needs <br /> this harbor expansion at Honokohau. <br /> This project is an opportunity for Kona to support a development that has proven <br /> environmental responsibility, cultural respect and economic stewardship. With the <br /> support of our County, this mixed-use marina can become an example of a successful <br /> public/private partnership for others to follow. Comm. No. • 3 <br /> Ref. To: <br /> Ref. Dote AUG 0 1 2006 <br />