MIN RDC 2011-10-21.tif - Laserfiche WebLink

Home

take Puako; this is the trade off for Pa`ahau now. You can take Waiki`i, but then you still have to get Puako or Waimea. MR. KANUHA: We have heard testimony from Puako that they would like to be contained with District 9. MR. MELROSE: It's Val's call; and it's a tough one. MS. POINDEXTER: But Pat, I would love to hear your opinion, because Puako wants to stay in Waimea, but, to me Puako, my opinion, is more resort people there than locals. You can count on maybe one hand how many local people own property down there, because of taxes. What is your opinion on that? MR. CARVALHO: I think the census had like 780 or 720 people there, and they were on the upper scale. Talking to the Pastor and a few other people, the demographics have really changed there because the local people couldn't afford their taxes. So you are right, Puako is demographically now, although historically with Kohala and Waimea, demographically they are more like the hotels. MS. POINDEXTER: I agree. MR. KAHAWAIOLA`A: I also heard, I think at the Waimea meeting, is where they made their plea. Mr. Robertson made the plea that they should and want to because of years prior, have been part of Waimea. As we go around, we are looking at people who came forward, grassroots, and made that plea to stay there. I think that, for lack of any other observation that I have made, that Waimea was the only place that I saw Hawaiians making input. And I take that pretty seriously. CHR. SIRACUSA: District 9 can shed some bodies into District 1. MS. POINDEXTER: I think what Pat was saying is that what he got to hear from the public hearings is that they want to remain in Waimea. But I was wondering, is it in Waimea, or the district itself that included Waikoloa, that is why, they had something in common there. It was specifically Waimea that the testimony was? MR. CARVALHO: It is more being in the corridor with Waimea and Kohala. They say Kohala and Kawaihae, that area. And we not only heard it at our hearings, I am also Chair of the Kohala Action Committee, and heard it there too, because I was making reports on the redistricting. MS. POINDEXTER: Then I would say, if at that point, then we should just take Pa`auhau out. Because when we put Pa` auhau in, we did with the numbers and put Pa` auhau in, right across the highway, there are homes we are not including up there. So they consider themselves to be Pa` auhau; but Pa` auhau Mauka. If we are going to draw the line, then take Pa` auhau back into Hamakua. MR. KAHUI: I remember at the Kona hearing, much like what happened in Waimea, although I was not there; but in the Kona hearing there were a constituency out here wanting Puako and 33