Comm 25-028 re Sugg. 25-06 - Laserfiche WebLink

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implementation. HKN is already engaged in: co-stewardship of the state park and trail, makai watch, coral restoration, caring for Hikiau Heiau, Wailokoali`i pond, Ka`awaloa, and hosting volunteer community workdays. Scoring Criterion 3A. Acquisition is feasible (Private Loan & Matching Funds Secured): TPL & HKN applied for Legacy Land Conservation Program funding in October 2024. In January 2025, the Legacy Land Commission recommended $700,000 in funding for Kokua Kealakekua. In April 2025, the Board of Land and Natural Lands approved the Commission's recommendation. The majority of funds are now secured (65%) and PONC's estimated $385,000 contribution (35%) is all that is needed to protect Kokua Kealakekua. Scoring Criterion 3B. Property and Conservation Easement are available for acquisition: There is a high level of urgency for the acquisition. The property is being actively listed for sale and the landowners have received firm offers on the property. The landowners are under severe financial pressure to sell the property as quickly as possible. The landowners signed a Willing Seller Letter which expresses their willingness to participate in a conservation sale to TPL if an agreement can be reached on price and terms. TPL secured approval from a private foundation for a loan to buy and hold the property while we work to secure public funding. TPL very rarely does buy and hold transactions to step in as a bridge landowner and only does so in the most dire and compelling circumstances. In order to be able to take on the risks of a buy and hold, TPL needs to know that all of the public funds are secured for the purchase. TPL is currently in the final stages of negotiating a Purchase Agreement and securing PONC funding is the critical piece we need to be able to put the property under contract. We are now humbly asking for the PONC Commission's priority ranking for the County of Hawaii to purchase a Conservation Easement over Kokua Kealakekua with the goal of returning this precious `aina and the rest of Kealakekua Bay to community-led cultural stewardship for generations to come. Mahalo nui Ioa, iM GF Reyna Ramolete Hayashi Aloha `Aina Project Manager Trust for Public Land