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want to devalue anyone’s property; and I just ask you to consider that. We’ll see you
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<br />September 4. Thank you all for your time, Commissioners.
<br />WATANABE: Okay, great. Thank you for your testimony. Well, at this time maybe I
<br />should ask -. Is there anyone else from the public that would care to testify on this topic? Seeing
<br />none, Ms. Bowman, you wanted to discuss the written testimony provided by Surety Kohala
<br />Corporation?
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<br />BOWMAN: I have a comment and I think I made this comment in the August 7
<br />meeting. And I think Mr. Kanuha says it very well in that, I underlined it, that the reference to,
<br />it’s on the second page and he’s talking about public access, “The reference to ‘public’ in what is
<br />more appropriately a ‘community access’ issue….” And I just want to comment on this because
<br />I think a lot of these trails and roads are from the old plantation days, and back then everybody
<br />could go up mauka and could go to the beach. And I think a lot of long-time residents
<br />acknowledged this and see this as public access. My concern, again, that I said is that public
<br />means anyone from anywhere, and especially if you have vehicular access. You know, I just
<br />can’t imagine what’s the landowner’s, you know, liability which is what this letter refers to. So
<br />I’d like, you know, us to, in the community, to really look at what kind of access is realistic for
<br />the community. And I think if we, you know, we go back to the drawing board or the Steering
<br />Committees when this comes about to really look at this. Are we opening a big can of worms or
<br />do we just want the access to go pick opihi, to these kinds of community activities that we have?
<br />So I would, you know, really pay attention to that because we don’t want to open a can of
<br />worms, and as this letter states, you know, a lot of the taking questions and acquisition and the
<br />private landowners. And don’t take me wrong, I really want more access. I run a program for
<br />kids, we have a hard time hiking anywhere because of our insurance policy and the landowner’s.
<br />So I hope that there can be this even balance worked out. Thank you.
<br />IWASHITA: Mr. Chair?
<br />WATANABE: Yes, Mr. Iwashita.
<br />IWASHITA: Thank you, Mr. Chair. I want to put in my 3 ½ cents, I guess, about this
<br />issue, and that is, you know, as far as -. To me the big picture where the Community
<br />Development Plan lies and the value to North Kohala and the other communities is that this
<br />discussion can take place and it’s a vehicle.I guess with the adoption of the action committee
<br />legislation, and there will be a continuous process through the action committees to give life to
<br />the various concerns that are raised both as Mr. Luce raised in his testimony, as raised by Surety
<br />in terms of what the owner’s rights are, and balance that with the community, what the
<br />community, in this case North Kohala community, would like to see in terms of building. In my
<br />mind, I think everybody -- whether they’re a private landowner, a large private landowner, or a
<br />homeowner and the other members in the community -- that they all have an interest in building
<br />a vibrant community, both economically and otherwise. And so, you know, I see this whole
<br />process, I look at it as a process, you know. And the various concerns that are brought up by the
<br />different parts of the community, I think the most important thing is that persons like Mr. Luce,
<br />you know, and Commissioner Bowman and others in North Kohala can continue to participate
<br />with the action committee and give life to the Community Development Plan, and in the end or
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