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From: carolewied
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Sent: Monday, May 19, 2025 12:04 PM
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To: Council Testimony
Subject: Vote YES on Waikoloa's second arterial road amendment
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Aloha Chair and Members of the Council,
My name is Carole Wiedmeyer, and I have lived in Waikoloa Village since 2014. 1 am testifying in support of "
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Communication 159.41 to amend Bill No. 32, Draft 2. 1 fully support this amendment for funding the initial engineer-ing
of Waikoloa's second arterial road.
I will never forget the feeling when my husband and I evacuated during the Mana Road fire in 2021. 1 hobbled on
crutches to help him load our most valuable possessions into our pickup truck. We headed out the evacuation road not
knowing where we would spend the night, and whether our home would still exist once the emergency had passed. We
were among the first to evacuate, and later heard about the large backup at Paniolo and the Hulu evacuation road that
caused major delays for many.
Then two years later, it looked like we might need to repeat the experience, when the winds whipped up a major fire in
Kohala, the same day as the devastating Lahaina fire. Once again we were packed and ready to go, but were spared due
to the heroic efforts of firefighters and farmers in containing the fast-moving blaze. It could easily have gone the other
way.
It is again two years later. The previous and current administrations have done nearly nothing to address this very
pressing problem. A PR photo op was taken of a "ground breaking" that led to no action. Recently, the mayor has
reallocated funding to study the issue. In my opinion, a study is a waste of time and resources. We know the problem,
and the solution is to add a second road. This is a crisis waiting to happen, and real action to start on establishing a
second road should start immediately. The fact that the County of Hawaii has allowed development without this second
road is unfathomable to me. If casualties and loss of property occur because of failure to act, I believe the County should
and will be held liable for its failure to fulfill its duty to its citizens.
I have heard the current mayor say that we are not the only community that wants an additional road. He cited Waimea
as an example. While that may be true, there is really no comparison. Waikoloa has much higher wildfire risk, and only
one dependable road in and out.
Waikoloa Village is one of the fastest -growing communities on the Big Island, with housing plans set to double the
population over the next 20 years. No community should have to rely on a single road in an emergency. Especially not a
community as vulnerable to a major wildfire disaster as Waikoloa Village. In 2021, the largest wildfire in the history of
the state burned within 3 miles of the Village. This is a very real danger to our community.
This is a rare opportunity to prevent disaster rather than react to it. Your "YES" vote will save lives.
Thank you for your "YES" vote on this critical amendment.
Carole Wiedmeyer
Waikoloa Resident
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