2007-08-13 Public Access, Open Space and Natural Resources Preservation Commission Minutes

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Mr. Yada stated that a conservation easement may not be the best avenue as it may not give you use to the property but instead restrict the right to do anything. He then suggested that an easement may be obtained to access the State accreted land area, however in the past, burial sites in the area have been tampered with due to access by the public. He stated that attempts have been made in the past for a proposed park, however, County Parks & Recreation (COH P &R) and DLNR, Division of State Parks (SP) have been resistant mainly because no funding is available for maintenance and management of the property along with a lack of resources. Ms. Aste then asked what would be the "breakthrough" to make this proposal happen. Mr. Yada then replied that the property is protected from development since it is almost entirely zoned conservation and that if COH P &R or DLNR SP is willing to work with PFOTP for the establishment and management of a park then it could be possible. Mr. Campbell suggested that PFOTP possibly write up a management plan, of which he could provide assistance with, due to the lack of resources with the County and State. Ms. Garcia then asked for clarification of whether they were asking for a public access easement and how much lands would be needed. Ms. Aste replied yes, and that the easement would be for approximately 7 -10 acres. Mr. Campbell did note that the area is currently being used by some businesses for commercial operations and suggested that maybe the property could be turned into a park and franchised by private or community groups. Ms. Aste mentioned that the closest example of this would be Malaekahana State Park in Oahu, of which Mr. Gilmartin suggested that she use the management plan for ideas. Ms. Schuster did highlight that Cape Kumukahi was #6 on the prioritized list last year and more interest may be generated if PFOTP work with the public, community and by lobbying private groups for assistance. Ms. Aste concluded by saying that "Puna deserves and needs a regional recreation area." Mr. Flores thanked Mr. Oda for attending the meeting and his willingness to work on negotiations for an access easement. GAIL BYRNE Ms. Gail Byrne spoke on behalf of five organizations who represent almost 400 families in the North Kohala area for Communication Nos. 07 -052 (Kaiholena), 07 -053 (Kukuipahu- Hd'ena), 07 -054 (Pao`o), 07 -055 (Mahukona). Ms. Byrne summarized that in regards to Pao`o, the landowner wants to sell and do a conservation easement to turn over management back to the State, and TPL has been actively involved in submitting applications for funding to National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the DLNR Legacy Land Fund (LLF).