2006-04-07 Tgp-amendment - Laserfiche WebLink

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GRAHAM:I think I understand your concern, Dr. Bergin, about the impact on farmers and all. But given what Ms. Wille has said and with the way I read whats in the General Plan, somehow it feels like your concern is greater than what it would seem to me to be called for by the words I see here. So let me just flesh that out and hear what you think. The words say to relieve traffic congestion, implement construction of, and then theres an A and a B. And A is the Parker Ranch Road that runs from Kamamalu Street to Mamalahoa Highway, which is not the part youre concerned with. And then B is the Countys extension of this road between Mamalahoa Highway and Kawaihae Road in the vicinity of the Waimea Solid Waste Transfer Station. So it seems like what its saying is it is the direction of the County and the plan of the County to make that connector road across that section. And obviously Lalamilo Farmlots are in that area where the connector is going to be, but it has not given any specific location or it has not given any specific plans on how it will be built or not be built. So my sense is if the road is really needed, which I think we all agree it really is, that there does need to be a good bypass road. The specific issues will get worked out, not at the General Plan level but before anybody startsdiggingandbulldozingandthingslikethat.Sounlessitscleartoyouthattheresnoway it can get worked out, it seems to me that its good to leave it in there cause its a real need, and this is a way to address that need. So do you feel real clear that theres just no hope for making this section of the bypass without doing bad damage to the Lalamilo Farmlots? BERGIN:Some information that might help you understand the gravity of the th situation is that if I include it today this is probably the 12 meeting that Ive been to with some form of regulatory or government agency. And most repeatedly in those presentations that are given in regard to the pathway of a connector road, Lalamilo to Kawaihae, theres Plan A and Plan B. Plan A would be attempt to utilize the restricted by State covenant an 80-foot pathway, a paper road going down there. That would be to the immediate east, immediately windward, of all of these farm lots that parallel that boundary. GRAHAM:So this is an alternative way to deal with traffic thats not whats talked about in the plan, is that what youre saying? BERGIN:Itisadescription,ifyouletmefinish,itsadescriptionoftwoproposed routes of the connector road. And for the sake of clarity, lets not use the term bypass because thatswelloutoftownandnotimmediatelyanattempt,Ithinkaverynobleattempt,totryand get traffic through Waimea. So as I was beginning to say Connector Road A would parallel the eastern border, boundary of 7, or 8, or 9 lots. Okay? Connector Road B would utilize the existing Lalamilo Farmlot Road, which is a farm road that carries a lot of very slow tractor traffic. Many of the tractors are pulling large booms that are used to extend the arm of pesticide sprayers or fertilization. Theres horse traffic on that road. It would be, I think, a huge setback for the farming community to put it there. The risk exists even with Connector Road A, if you carefully read the Food Safety Act. And their imposition of what they describe as a buffer is a deep buffer; and that, again, would probably cause the reduction of that degree, that depth of farming within that area to comply with Federal law. So the reaction of the farming community has an awful lot to do with the imposition of the Food Safety Act, to be in compliance of that. This is predominantly a leafy vegetable community. Many of those products go directly from the farm after being processed only by washing, and not cooking and heating into the mouths of our community. And thats the nature of the Food Safety Act, is to go ahead and protect those types of foods that dont go through any process that would sterilize it or at least minimally reduce the contamination. So I think the general community of farmers are really trying to 10EXHIBIT C