Laserfiche WebLink
Murashige, Laura <br /> From: Janice Palma-Glennie [palmtree7@hawaiiantel.net] <br /> Sent: Sunday, June 03, 2007 11:31 PM <br /> To: county council testimony <br /> Cc: Ford, Brenda <br /> Subject: Save Punalu'u forfuture generations ::.uf JUI~ L~ ~[r? r <br /> Importance: High <br /> ~,~i_,_, <br /> PO Box 4849 <br /> Kailua-Kona, HI 96745 <br /> Aloha, Councilmembers: <br /> It's ironic that there's even a glimmer of discrepancy over the public purchase and long- <br /> term protection of coastal land at Punalu'u. It seems that even when the community and <br /> government finally get something so "right", there'll always be someone who disagrees. <br /> Meanwhile, the corporate sharks school around, awaiting the spoils. It's up to this County <br /> Council to ensure that the public is the clear winner on this one! <br /> The ability to preserve even a tiny bit of the coastline as public property, public open <br /> space, public domain is a gift that most residents around the island only dream of having <br /> come true. Yes, jobs are needed in Kau, but at what price? Haven't the folks in that <br /> region been to Kailua-Kona? Waikoloa? <br /> <br /> Waikiki? So many new ideas are coming forward for ways to earn a living that don't destroy <br /> the land and social structure of an area. Ecotourism, agriculture,..these must be expanded <br /> upon (locally, not corporately) to help the people of Kau thrive in the natural, <br /> beautiful environment. It may seem a bummer to have to drive 45 minutes to a job, but when <br /> you can cover 40 miles in 45 minutes, compare that to having to sit in traffic snarls <br /> where you're lucky to get 10 miles in 45 minutes because of the traffic. (Welcome to <br /> Kailua-Kona!). You pass development after cancerous development with house after house, <br /> condo after condo in look-alike neighborhoods that grow like cancer across the region <br /> housing that costs a king's ransom! The jobs that were once close to home get farther away <br /> as the land near resort developments is priced increasingly out of the reach of local <br /> residents (affordable only to those who come from far away, who never live there, who <br /> speculate...). Those are the realities of what happens when a community gives away their <br /> <br /> precious natural resources to the highest bidder. <br /> The tragedies of mega-resort development are just around the corner, unless the mistakes <br /> of Kona, Maui, and Oahu aren't repeated. <br /> I urge this council to grab this gift the ability to save a crown jewel for the public- <br /> before it slips away. And I ask those who might question this wonderful gift to please <br /> not fall for the "same old, same old" false promises that any giant resort development <br /> <br /> will bring long-term hope for a community's well-being.* <br /> Let's all stick together as one island voice to protect those areas we can for the public <br /> good, for the protection of nature, and for the perpetuation of native culture. <br /> <br /> Mahalo for voting to fund the purchase of this precious land for the Public. <br /> <br /> Best regards, <br /> <br /> Janice Palma-Glennie <br /> *Low-paying, unsustainable employment provided by corporate ventures has cost West Hawai i <br /> <br /> more than it could ever give back. For those who were born and raised on this island and <br /> <br /> who are often stuck in low-paying, dead-end service jobs, or unsustainable construction <br /> jobs, this dead-end cycle of mega-resort development demands more, more, more development <br /> and destruction of the land and culture of hawai'i. ~,p <br /> Comm. No. 3 T ~ • ~ 3, <br /> Ref. Toy <br /> Ref. Dote JUN <br /> i <br /> <br />