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<br /> her arthritis. As a result, the family dubbed it, "Pelekumu's Pond."
<br /> "I hear his voice in my ear daily, 'take care of this property for generations to come, "' Cooper Springer said of
<br /> Kealoha. "Grandma would say, 'Take care of my pond. "'
<br /> Envisioning what to do with the 510 acres, "in a perfect world," Cooper Springer would like to see that both the
<br /> needs of keiki and kupuna are met. "Kids are lost. There is no source of wisdom, of the old style. There is no
<br /> sense of morals or ethics. Kupuna can teach the kids that." Cooper Springer would like to see a cultural park at
<br /> Pohoiki, in which native plants such as the orange and yellow Ohia, the hawaiian flag plumeria and acid free
<br /> pineapple grow in abundance. She doesn't imagine a Polynesian Cultural Center so much as a recreation of
<br /> Hawaiian culture — with canoe building, a community garden that would include the gourds and ti leaves
<br /> necessary for hula instrument and skirt making, an amphitheater for hula festivals, an area for lu'au, arts and
<br /> crafts, food vendors, a kupuna center, a 24 -hour health center or wellness clinic, even a birth center, and a
<br /> Hawaiian cultural lab school.
<br /> Beyond the cultural park, Cooper Springer envisions a development that would be a mix of a Kona Village -type
<br /> resort along with self -help or affordable housing and homes for the middle - class. She notes, with the proposed
<br /> resort and housing, there has to be a means to generate capital for all the amenities that would be offered to
<br /> the public with the public swimming area and cultural park
<br /> Cooper Springer noted that the vision for development of the Pohoiki property is still being sketched and she
<br /> and the rest of the Kealoha Estate welcome the community's input. A website is being put together for the
<br /> Kealoha Estate, www.kealohaestate.com, and there will be a link on the website for the public to offer input.
<br /> Cooper Springer acknowledges the Pohoiki development may not come to fruition in her lifetime. But, in the
<br /> short term, she is amenable to a lease with the County of Hawaii for "Pelekumu's Pond," being a testament to
<br /> her grandmother. She is concerned about upkeep and maintenance of the proposed public swimming area.
<br /> She worries that the community as a whole may not respect the pond. She and other members of her family
<br /> have pulled out trash and abandoned vehicles from the property, even had to chase off squatters.
<br /> "People want, want, want. I want people to respect the aina. Don't just talk, walk it," Cooper Springer said.
<br /> Married to the late Emory Springer, a police officer and member of the Hawaii Labor Relations Board, Cooper
<br /> Springer is all too familiar with the poor police protection in lower Puna. Cooper Springer and the Kealoha
<br /> Estate have offered to the County a portion of their Pohoiki acreage for a police substation there. Cooper
<br /> Springer would like to see the County take her family up on their offer for the police substation land. In the
<br /> interest of public safety, she would also like to see the old section of Highway 132, or Red Road, between the
<br /> Pohoiki "Shacks" parking lot and the intersection with the new section of Highway 132, closed off. She would
<br /> like to see speed bumps or raised cross walks installed in the section of the Red Road from the intersection of
<br /> Pohoiki Road and the "Shacks" parking lot. "I don't want to see a child die from a drunken fool speeding or
<br /> drag racing," Cooper Springer said.
<br /> Resolution 391 -10, which authorizes the County of Hawaii to enter into negotiations with Cooper Springer and
<br /> the Kealoha Estate for a multi -year lease, is expected to be approved by the Hawaii County Council on
<br /> Wednesday, Oct. 6, 2010.
<br /> Early this year, prior to the resolution being introduced by Naeole- Beason, Resort Management LLC prepared
<br /> an artist's rendering of the public swimming area and Pohoiki Cultural Center, estimating the design and
<br /> construction would be $36.7 million. Resort Management LLC did not return a phone inquiry as to who
<br /> authorized and paid for the rendering and estimate. The Resort Management LLC rendering and estimate was
<br /> included in an appropriations request from Naeole- Beason to U.S. Sen. Daniel Akaka's office seeking $40
<br /> million in federal funds for the project. Akaka's office did not return a phone message seeking comment on
<br /> what has become of this appropriations request.
<br /> The appropriations request does not include a cost for leasing the land necessary for the public swimming area
<br /> and cultural park. However, $260,000 is listed to pay salaries for six board of directors of a non - profit
<br /> organization proposed to manage the swimming area and cultural park. Among the potential board directors
<br /> listed in the appropriations request are Desmon Haumea, Larry Kuamo'o, Jerry Konanui, Kimo Blankenfield,
<br /> Melissa Dixon, and Cooper Springer.
<br /> Cooper Springer said she was not consulted prior to being listed as a potential board director in the
<br /> appropriations request. She admits that the appropriations request was the cart before the horse," since it
<br /> preceded the resolution authorizing lease negotiations.
<br /> Naeole- Beason did not respond to a request for comment on the appropriations request, on details of the
<br /> proposed non - profit organization, on how the potential board directors were decided upon, why they would
<br /> need to be paid, and generally on her vision for the Pohoiki public swimming area.
<br /> Mayor Kenoi, meanwhile, said County property manager Ken Van Bergen has met with Cooper Springer, but
<br /> won't be negotiating a lease agreement until after the resolution makes its way through the County Council. It
<br /> is not yet known how much the lease will cost the County. Kenoi assured that "a lot has to happen before any
<br /> development can take place in that area." He noted, for the development of a pond, there needs to be an
<br /> environmental assessment and the involvement of the Army Corps of Engineers. He said he has heard of
<br /> conceptual designs and proposals for the cultural park and public swimming area, and he dismissed a rumor
<br /> that they include white sand and fake rocks.
<br /> Any proposal is a long way off," Kenoi stressed.
<br /> He said he appreciates the willingness of Cooper Springer and the Kealoha Estate to offer up land for
<br /> expansion of the Isaac Kepo'okalani Hale Beach Park and he is open to discussing the possibility of land being
<br /> donated for a police substation. "I am very open to conversations and discussions that would make the
<br /> community safer," the mayor said. He also said he is agreeable to traffic mitigation on the Red Road, such as
<br /> speed bumps and /or raised crosswalks.
<br /> 10/5/2010
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