HomeMy WebLinkAboutRES 504 Draft 01 2024-2026A RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE STATE OF HAWAI‘I, BOARD OF LAND AND NATURAL RESOURCES, TO RENAME KOLEKOLE GULCH PARK AS “KOLEKOLE PARK”.
WHEREAS, the State Department of Land and Natural Resources, through its Board of Land and Natural Resources and Division of State Parks, oversees Hawai‘i Island’s State parks, which
includes a long-standing maintenance agreement with the County Department of Parks and Recreation, to manage and maintain Kolekole Gulch Park, located along the Hāmākua Coast in South
Hilo; and
WHEREAS, Kolekole Gulch Park is a community asset, having long served as a valued public shoreline and recreational area for residents and visitors to enjoy picnicking, swimming, cultural
gatherings, and access to scenic coastal views, cultural landscapes, and historic features; and
WHEREAS, the gulch of Kolekole was central to the sugar industry on the Hāmākua Coast, boasting operations such as the first Kolekole bridge, a railroad bridge constructed in 1910, and
the Onomea Sugar Company, which functioned near the gulch; and
WHEREAS, the term “gulch” in the current park name references Kolekole Stream, yet the park itself is known to the community only as “Kolekole Park”; and
WHEREAS, “Kolekole Park” more accurately reflects the park’s history, ʻike, identity, character, and use as a shoreline recreational destination while retaining the cultural place name
“Kolekole”; and
WHEREAS, removing the word “gulch” improves clarity, consistency in public communications, and alignment with common community usage; and
WHEREAS, the County recognizes the importance of place names in honoring local history, cultural significance, and community identity; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE COUNTY OF HAWAIʻI that this body hereby respectfully requests the State of Hawaiʻi, Department of Land and Natural Resources, through its Board of
Land and Natural Resources, to rename Kolekole Gulch Park to “Kolekole Park”.
BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED that the County Clerk shall transmit a copy of this resolution to the Honorable Joshua B. Green, Governor of the State of Hawaiʻi; Dawn N. S. Chang, Chairperson
of the Board of Land and Natural Resources; Curt A. Cottrell, Administrator of the Division of State Parks; Luisa Castro, District Superintendent of the Hawaiʻi Parks Section; the Honorable
C. Kimo Alameda, Mayor of the County of Hawaiʻi; and Clayton S. Honma, Parks and Recreation Director.
Dated at _____________, Hawai‘i, this ______ day of ___________________, 20___.
INTRODUCED BY:
_______________________________________
COUNCIL MEMBER, COUNTY OF HAWAI‘I