MIN RDC 2011-11-21 PH-KONA CHAMBERS.tif

Home

CHR. SIRACUSA: Thank you, Greg. Now we move to Waimea. MR. HIRT: Our last testifier is Margaret Wille, representing herself, here to make comments. MARGARET WILLE (At this time Margaret Wille came forward via videoconference from Waimea to address members of the Commission.) MS.WILLE: Good evening Commissioners, and thank you very much for all you have gone through and all your workings with myself, and all of the communities to come out with something that is overall fair and works to do the best for the most communities. Clearly, with the 5% deviation, that was very restrictive; and I think that is one question that you might consider in your report. If it were 7% or 8 %, would have been mathematically possible to have included Volcano in Puna or Lakeland in Waimea? A lot of those choices may not have been what is best, but those minimum restrictions of 5% is what made is impossible to address some important community concerns. I do think, given that, that Council members need to have a new consciousness of these boundaries, and that those communities or those individuals that live perhaps closer to another district center, or consider themselves closer to that other community, or say the east portion of Waimea is largely cut off, that they consider themselves welcome in any district office that they enter. I don't think that anyone should ever be sent and told you are not welcome in this district office because my line stops before your house. A couple of things; I want to say to Greg, who just testified about Kea`au. I have toyed with this map, and have worked with it, just to see - - -I was a little concerned that District 4 was cut off Rather than going down Kalapana 130, I know that Commissioner Siracusa had mentioned that; if you shift 4 so that it does go all the way down that road 130, and you then shift 5 to incorporate Kea`au; you can maneuver those. If someone wanted to do it, that is possible to do. That issue is adjustable, and I think that partly not looking at how to extend it was just a matter of time. It takes some maneuvering and moving that area of the homestead so that all of it is included in District 5. If you don't follow what I have said, I would be happy to explain it to someone. It can all be shifted a little to do a little better job, in my mind, over there. Lastly, I just want to say that I think there was more attention paid here to the mauka areas; the areas that don't have population. And what is significant and who is running along Saddle Road; there is a shift here; the top of Mauna Kea is now in District 2 rather than in District 1. In a way I think all of those areas, we all share that interest. On what Brenda Ford said about Saddle Road and the Waiaka [sic] area. The people that I have spoken to are very happy that they are in District 9 with Waimea; and I know that was the intent. I understand what Brenda was saying; but there is a road there. I don't know if it is called trail or jeep; the connectivity is not illegal there. You can include more along the Saddle Road in District 8, but I would be very upset if you were to move Waiaka [sic] out of Waimea. Waimea bled quite a lot in order to get an overall fair map to ensure there was a 0