HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0339.003 2022-2024 P OEAC
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HILO HAWAIIAN
HOTEL
Kendall Kelson h.�
71 Banyan Drive w r
Hilo HI 96720 �--
Kkelson@castleresorts.com "#
808) 935-9361 ext. 564 ILA) `
June 30,2023yr,
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Council Member Cindy Evans, Chair ui ' ;'4"""-
Council
'""`Council Member Sue L.K.Lee Loy,Vice Chair
Committee on Governmental Operations and External Affairs
Office of the County Clerk
County of Hawai`i
25 Aupuni Street
Hilo,HI 96720
RE: Support for Hawaii County Resolution No. 199-23 Draft 1
Dear Chair Evans,Vice-Chair Lee Loy, and Members of the Committee on Governmental
Operations and External Affairs,
I'm writing this in support of Hawai'i County Resolution No. 199-23 Draft 1.I'm employed at
the Hilo Hawaiian Hotel as the Rooms Division Director;we are located next door to the
property formerly known as the Uncle Billy's Hilo Bay Hotel.Permanent action is needed to
address not only the decay of that property but the safety of everyone else who visits, lives,and
works on Banyan Drive and especially the Hilo Hawaiian Hotel.
The houseless individuals inhabiting Uncle Billy's Hotel creates a dangerous and unhealthy
environment for our guests and employees alike. They gain access to Uncle Billy's via our pool
deck which is merely steps away from that building.These individuals inhabit the second and
third floors of Uncle Billy's.They have tapped into our water spigot on the pool deck,which
they used in part fill their toilet tank to flush their bodily waste. Gravity takes this effluence to
the first floor where it sits.A pump would be needed to send the waste to the sewage line out on
Banyan Drive. Since the closure of the hotel in 2017 that pump is no longer operational. So,it
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Comm No
Ref. Daae . .JUL .., 5 2023
sits there backed up on the first floor. The stench that comes from that is utterly horrible. They
also wired into a ground level light fixture to access electrical power for their use. We have cut
off the water and lighting to our pool deck to stop the inhabitants from tapping it again. Syringes
and even a bullet have been found on our pool deck.They also dump their trash onto our
property every day,which our Grounds Crew must dispose of,putting them in harm's way
should there be a sharp object like a syringe, in the trash. A video was taken where you hear a
woman shouting"just kill me already"all of which we submitted to the Police and Senator
Lorraine Inouye which resulted in numerous DOCARE raids on that property,but these
inhabitants are back in a matter of an hour or two.
These dangerous and hazardous conditions warrant your immediate action. Banyan Drive once a
beacon of hospitality and beauty has lost that appeal due to the beleaguered conditions of these
properties. But most of our visitors have nowhere else to stay while visiting Hilo but on Banyan
Drive. Our visitors and kamaaina alike deserves a safe place to stay while visiting Hilo.
Below is a recent comment from John, an Expedia guest.
Staff were wonderful and very polite, the area around the hotel was rather dubious and I felt somewhat
uncomfortable and unsafe. It seems to be an area that is in decay(?)and there seemed to be a number
of homeless people in the area around the hotel.
I respectfully request your support for Resolution No. 199-23 Draft 1,to promote the well-being
of our Banyan Drive by addressing these hazardous conditions for a safer environment for us all.
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Sincerely,
ea:,e,<LTh
Kendall P. Kelson
Rooms Division Director—Hilo Hawaiian Hotel