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part of the expansion after years of just sitting there. Now I mean, cause what the Legislature
<br /> did, the elation of the commercial lots, elation of the Banyan Drive people, what they can go
<br /> forward now. Those two places, you know, if I'm wrong, I'm wrong, but I think they all are
<br /> eligible for a lease extension of 40, 50 years, or whatever it is to fix it. I don't know if I'm
<br /> wrong then I stand corrected. But here's the best part, coupled with the worst part, that eruption
<br /> still goes on, the demand for people coming to Hilo to me is unbelievable. I've never, this is my
<br /> home for all my life, I've never seen it like today. People are really interested in Hilo, of
<br /> wanting to visit, wanting to live, and wish they could work here. But it's a, I'm very grateful for
<br /> Naniloa, of reaching out to the County and said you need parking lot for your beach, we're
<br /> willing to negotiate with you part of our property for a parking lot. I'm not trying to be, you
<br /> know,just Mr. Optimistic. I really see all that. So the only thing holding us back is some of the
<br /> nitty-gritty things in regards to the EIS. To me that's just money. And we were going full speed
<br /> on that until we got into some nature's bad luck, but we'll get it. And I really feel all of that. We
<br /> made a commitment to do a better job in maintaining the banyan trees on Banyan Drive, and
<br /> maintaining the whole place. We are making plans right now to see how, what kind of picnic
<br /> park area we will make next to Reed's Bay Park because of the extreme popularity of that place.
<br /> At first it was going to be just a parking lot and we thought, no, that's just a waste. Look at the
<br /> pop-tents and those things that people do every nice weekend, and birthday parties, etcetera. I'm
<br /> not trying to criticize your concerns because they are real, but I'm saying look at that beautiful
<br /> place and what has become. Turn the clock back just ten years. That place at Reed's Bay was
<br /> hardly used except for one or two cars. Nobody went swimming there anymore except the
<br /> druggies in the back until the State gave us that so we could clean it, and now it's a beautiful
<br /> swimming hole again. And we'll fix it. We'll fix it within two years. You know, right now it's
<br /> a design phase of what shall we make, a bigger parking lot, I think it's a waste, if we can
<br /> negotiate with Naniloa and use that place for a parking lot and make that a nice, bigger picnic
<br /> area because the demand there. And look at the sidewalk plans for Kalaniana`ole, look at Kuhio
<br /> Park. That was all within the past few years. That was a community coming forth and saying
<br /> give us permission to make that park. That's all they asked, and look at what we have today.
<br /> And the plan was to make it a connector to Reed's Bay. I don't know when that will be done,
<br /> but it will be done. And just visualize how great that will be. I really feel good about Banyan
<br /> Drive.
<br /> DELIMA: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. I appreciate those comments. Nathan?
<br /> GADDIS: So, actually, I'm just kind of following up on the Mayor's comments. I agree with
<br /> his observation that victories tend to be incremental here and really happen over time. But I also
<br /> want to follow up on something Senator Kahele mentioned, and also I think Mr. DeLima, which
<br /> is we have the lava flow issue sort of happening in sync with these things that we're trying to
<br /> figure out. And I don't know funding mechanisms, how they work exactly, but you know, if for
<br /> instance a similar disaster event were to happen in Honolulu, I'm sure there would be the
<br /> political will and everyone would be scrambling to come up with some sort of rescue fund, you
<br /> know, some sort of major redevelopment plan for Honolulu. And I do wonder if there's some
<br /> opportunity there. I don't know if we have the political power from the outer islands as much,
<br /> but if there's some opportunity there to use a bigger push for some sort of rescue package,
<br /> economic redevelopment package, you know, due to the flow that's happening cause it's
<br /> changing our geography in real time and changing, displacing residents, you know, there's a
<br /> major big picture shift happening like Mayor Kim said into Hilo especially. So I wonder if
<br /> there's any opportunity there to have a grand strategy this coming session for, I'm sure you guys
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<br /> Banyan Drive Hawaii Redevelopment Agency
<br /> July 25,2018 Minutes
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