COM 0176.020 2006-2008 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home

Councilperson Brenda Ford-Chair Hawaii County Public Works and Intergovernmental Relations Committee 25 Aupuni St. Hilo, Hawaii 96720 Re: Testimony to March 20, 2007 Committee hearing on Flood Drainage Concerns Aloha Chair Ford and County Council members: Thank you for accepting this testimony. I apologize for being unable to speak personally to this committee today. My job and other obligations prevent me from being there. Please find the appendix included with this testimony, which outlines some of my past history with flood drainage issues in the Holualoa area, and speaks to some of the issues currently presented. As can be evidenced by some of the other testimony you are receiving today, problems identified in my June 1, 2006 open letter to West Hawaii Today are continuing. Please note that there has not been a dramatic rainfall event that has precipitated the complaints you are hearing today, just normal rainfall events that occur in Hawaii's many micro climates. If we were to have a real 25, 50, 100 year storm, the complaints that you are hearing and the impact to the community would be far more devastating. The problems presented are not specific to one PUD application or property developer, but to the broader issue of Department of Planning and Public Works approving permits, strings of zoning variances (PUDs) and development without adequate infrastructure. In this case this is represented by no requested regional flood study, no comprehensive flood planning, inadequate grubbing and grading enforcement, and adequate fines and recourse against people who disregard the impacts of their actions on those who live around them. This has to stop or there will be great expense in litigation for County in abrogating its mandated responsibility in protecting the public. I appreciate recent actions that the Council has taken to temporarily step back from rezoning until the Community Development Plans can be implemented. This is being answered outside your purview by the Planning department and the developer community, however, by increased numbers of PUD applications approved by the Planning Director and the Planning Department. I ask that the County Council take action to stop Dept. of Planning PUD application approvals in flood zones without the necessary regional flood studies to protect the public. I also ask that the Council initiate rules which also prevent grubbing and grading permits in flood zones until such flood studies can be completed. In order for such rules to have any real impact, it is necessary to have enforcement able to impound bulldozing equipment found operating with or without the operator present at the time of discovery, in these flood zones until such time as an investigation determines whether it is in compliance with grubbing and grading ordinances. The cat and mouse games currently being played by developers and their agents (i.e. illicit bulldozer operators) must stop. Thank you.