HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0159.093 2024-2026P/5. council
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From: Alan Kasameyer
Sent: Tuesday, May 20, 2025 8:59 AM
To: Council Testimony
Subject: Testimony in Support of Communication 159.41 — Funding Waikoloa's Second Road
Aloha Chair and Members of the Council,
My name is Alan Kasameyer, and I've lived in Waikoloa Village since 2014. I'm writing in strong support of
Communication 159.41 to amend Bill No. 32, Draft 2 and urge you to fund the initial engineering for
Waikoloa's second arterial road.
For over a decade, my family and I have made our home in this community. Every summer, as the dry
season sets in and wildfires flare up, we worry. The 2021 fire came within three miles of our village, and
evacuation traffic was gridlocked for hours. That wasn't a close call —it was a preview of what could
happen if we don't act. If the winds had shifted, people would have died in their cars.
Waikoloa has grown significantly since] moved here, and more housing is on the way. Yet we still rely on
a single road for emergency evacuation. That's not just poor planning —it's dangerous. The Attorney
General's second report on the Lahaina fire identified Waikoloa as being at even greater risk. We have a
responsibility to learn from Lahaina and act before tragedy strikes here.
This isn't a new issue. The County's 2008 plan called a second access road a "very high priority" for fire
safety. Seventeen years later, nothing has been built. The community is still waiting while the danger
grows.
I understand there are many demands on the budget, but this is about preventing loss of life. Waikoloa
generates over $25 million annually in real estate tax revenue. Funding the engineering phase of this road
is a small, smart investment to protect lives, property, and long-term county revenue.
Please vote YES on this amendment. We need more than thoughts and prayers —we need action, and we
need that second road.
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Mahalo for your time and your leadership.
Sincerely,
Alan Kasameyer
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