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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0846.003 1998-2000 , r To: Curtis Tyler Fax: (808) 969-3291 From: M. Eileen O'Hora-Weir Date: August 21, 1997 Re: Bill on Papaya Quarantine Project Pages: 1 CC: ? Urgent ? For Review ? Please Comment ? Please Reply ? Please Recycle . . . . . . . . . . Notes: Could you please give me a call concerning the Resolution & Bill passed Tuesday, August 194 bq'i ioinance Committee regarding S 150,000 appropriation for the Papaya Quarantine Project. There are some issues that the County is unaware of and which I would like to speak to w,n you about. I can be reached today at 969-0144 (work) or tomorrow at 965-9206 (home). Starting next week 1 will be working in town M-F, teaching one class in the Econ Dept at UHH (M,W, & F at 9am) and the rest of the time at HELCO where I am assisting in designing and developing solar electric programs (remote lighting & residential). • RE ~Y Tlrne_~.--- By~--~-•• '7,~o C Date- Camty C otrndl, ! ' p' Comm. Nos, O 03 File No.A ~.._a Ref. To: ~~,,((JJ - Ref. Date `M- 2 s man AL SMFrH " Phone: (808) 961-8267 Vice Ciwinnan FAX: (808) 969-3291 COUNTY COUNCIL Countyyf Hawaii , Hawaii County Building 25 Aupuni Street Hilo, Hawaii 96720 November 25, 1998 TO: Margarita Hopkins, Economic Development Specialist Department of Research & Development FROM: Al Smith, Vice Chair Hawaii County Council RE: Papaya Quarantine Project Per your conversation of November 23, 1998 with Jackie Neumann, please provide me with an update on the Papaya Quarantine Project and written response regarding the attached letter from the Pakaka Road Association. Thank you. cc: Pakaka Road Association AS/jmn Pakaka Road Association Wa'aWa'a Subdivision P.O. Boa 1786 Pahoa, Hawaii %778 August 10, 1998 Margarita Hopkins, Agriculture Specialist Department of Research and Development 25 Aupuni Street Hilo, Hawaii 96720 Dear Ms. Hopkins: We understand that the County of Hawaii is a partner in the Papaya Quarantine Project being conducted on the Kahuwai parcel owned by the Bishop Estate. The Kahuwai parcel shares a 5,000-foot boundary with the Wa'aWa'a subdivision in lower Puna. Since the Bishop Estate first leased the property for papaya production in 1982, our community has had occasion to negotiate with the companies holding the lease on that parcel. After bulldozing the native forest that was intact before 1982, long-term residents of the area noticed a demise in the population of native bird species, in particular the Hawaiian hawk and owl, and an increase in noxious exotic plants and rodents. Some of the full-time residents expressed concerns about chemical sprays used extensively in papaya production drifting and settling in home water catchment systems. Additionally, opening up illegal accesses to the subdivision through careless bulldozing, resulted in a rash of home burglaries and break-ins. After verbal negotiations with representatives of the companies who previously held the lease on the parcel, a 600-1000 foot buffer zone was established along the mutual border. We trust that the County of Hawaii, who through action taken by our County Council has leased the land for this project, will be as responsive to the concerns of the surrounding community as private enterprise was in the past. We would like to make an official request that the existing buffer zone remains intact. Furthermore, we would like to bring it to the attention of the County of Hawaii that the operator of the bulldozer that performed the initial clearing on the piece violated the requirement to use a lowboy to haul heavy machinery on a public right-of-way. When exiting the Kahuwai piece several weeks ago after heavy rains had softened the cinder/dirt roadway, the operator walked the bulldozer from the entrance to the Kahuwai piece all the way to the pavement in Kapoho along the Government Beach Road. This left the already fragile roadway `washboarded" such that it has become nearly impassable. Therefore, we would also like to request that the County remedies the degraded condition of the Government Beach Road from the entrance to the Kahuwai parcel to the pavement at Kapoho - a distance of nearly 1% miles. Papaya growers who previously used the Kahuwai piece entered from the Railroad Road access, which alleviated considerable wear and tear on the Government Beach Road. As confirmed by Mr. Myron Isherwood, the entrance to Railroad Road from the Hawaiian Beaches Subdivision has been blocked off to prevent the dumping of junk cars on that vacant land. We would like to propose that the County constructs a gate at junction of Railroad Road and Hawaiian Beaches with access being granted only to lessees of the Kahuwai piece and use that roadway as access to Kahuwai piece. At the very least, when additional farmers sublet plots from the County and more clearing is required, heavy machinery must be hauled in on a lowboy if the Government Beach Road is the public right-of-way used as access to the Kahuwai parcel. We thank you for taking the time to consider these issues in coordinating the Papaya Quarantine Project and please feel free to contact us if we can be of further assistance. Sincerely, Russell Ruderman President Ri Timberlake Vice President Eileen O'Hora-Weir, Ph.D. Secretary/Treasurer cc: Mr. Myron Isherwood Stephen Ferriera, Ph.D. Councilman Al Smith Stephen K Yatnashiro ?x I).ane S. Quitiquit Mayor Director \I.i" n '.1 Tounfli of xu nii DEPARTMENT OF RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT 25 Aupum Street. Room :19 • ,i Hawaii 96 720-025 2 HILO: (808) 961-8366 • Fax (8081 935-1205 - KC>. k. 808) 329-5226 • Fax (908)326-5663 E-mmi: chresden-,:voroac.net December 28, 1998 Mr. Russell Ruderman President, Pakaka Road Association Wa'aWa'a Subdivision P.O. Box 1786 Pahoa, Hawaii 96778 Dear Mr. Ruderman: This is in response to your letter dated 10 August 1998 regarding your request for the following: a) buffer zone between Wa'aWa'a subdivision and the Kahuwai Papaya Quarantine area to remain intact. The major permittee currently farming a section of the project area was involved in papaya production in 1982 when the parcel was first leased for papaya production. He is very familiar with the negotiated 600-1,000 foot buffer zone established along the mutual border. The buffer zone was left as it was and I personally surveyed the bulldozed section of the project area to ensure that the clearing did not intrude into the established .d-4 h , +1,- -4ge ^Oihe old bufferzone. Asa attzrot•rac , the new _!ear ng e.- . clearing. b) remedy the degraded condition of the Government Beach road from the entrance to the Kahuwai parcel to the pavement at Kapoho. Councilman Al Smith upon the permittees' request, fixed the Government Beach Road from the entrance to the Kahuwai parcel to the pavement at Kapoho. We agree with you that the bulldozer operator should have used a lowboy to haul the heavy machinery. We will bring this to the attention of the future permittees so this mistake can be corrected. Mr. Ruderman Page 2 December 28, 1998 c) the County construct a gate at junction of Railroad Road and Hawaiian Beaches with access being granted only to lessees of the Kahuwai piece and use the road«av as access to Kahuwai piece. The Public Works Deputy Chief Engineer will look into this matter and will consider your suggestion if it proves feasible. Currendv, all the permittees are accessing the Kahuwai parcel through Kapoho We appreciate 6arina 06 -is your concerns We will try not to impose unnecessary hardships on the communities surrounding the project area. Sincerely, 01am opkins Development Specialist Cc: Mr. Myron Isherwood Stephen Ferriera Councilman Al Smith Ri Timberlake ,/Eileen O'Hara-Weir PAKAKA ROAD ASSOCIATION P.O. Box 1780, Pahos, Hawaii 98778 = e eye=; n.~~ January 22, 1999, Margarita-Hopkins, Agricultural Speclalistf :.1 . Department of Research and Development Hawaii County Building 25 Aupuni Street Hilo, Hawaii 96720 Dear Ms. Hopkins: This is in response to your letter dated December 28, 1998. On behalf of Pakaka Road Association, we would like to express our appreciation that you took a few minutes. of your time to respond to our expression -of concerns.. about the misuse. of the Government Beach Road access by bulldozer operators hired in connection with the Papaya Quarantine Project. Unfortunately.,. the.information you provided is incorrect and typical of the miscommunication that plagues the employees of our County. Specifically, the portion of the Government Beach Road from the entrance to the. Kahuwai pardbl'to the pihvement at Xapoho'that had been severely damaged. by the illegat transport of a buildozecwas partially fixed during routine annual maintenance that the County is required to conduct on that roadway under Resolution #289-94. The work requested by Councilman Al Smith through the application of $24,000 of discretionary funds under Resolution 254-98 was completed in June of 1998 while the damage done to the Government Beach Road by the bulldozer occurred in July of 1998. For your edification, the County of Hawaii is required to conduct annual maintenance on this roadway and has assumed financial responsibility for the lack of maintenance provision as determined by the outcome of. Mr. Richard Timberlake's claim against the County dated February 23, 1998. Pakaka Road Association maintains a record of the annual budgets for this mandated road maintenance from 1994 through 1998. The maintenance conducted on the Government Beach Road subsequent to the bulldozer incident in July 1998 was requested and negotiated through a meeting of Jiro Sumada, Deputy Engineer for Public Works and Eileen O'Hora-Weir,. Pakaka Road Secretary; not as a result of permittees' request to Councilman Smith. We sincerely hope that you continue 'to pay attentioih to the concerns of the citizens of this County when'eonducting busine"'kt behalf of those citizens. We would also recommend that the.40, Mlelnpt to oorrect the lack of ; communication between Its own Departments so that it does not fall on private citizens to use their own time and resources to remedy the inefficient and ineffective use of our tax dollars. Furthermore, as requested by Councilmen Smith's office on behalf of Pakaka Road Association, we are still awaiting a status report on the Papaya Quarantine Project. In 1997, the County expended $150,000 on the lease fof the Kahuwai property owned by Bishop Estates. At the time, it was assumed by the Council members passing the resolution that those funds would be recovered in the subletting of the property to papaya farmars.~;Less than 111Qth of,the.available.•'' acreage on the Kahuwai piece has actually been prepared for planting papayas and it has been two years since the money was requisitioned , Given the budgetary shortfalls the County is currently experiencing, we request that the status of that project be made public. Sincerely, Eileen O'More-Weir, Secretary/Treasurer r „ cc : Russell Ruderman, President, PakakaRcad~AaWiatioft ~r Jiro Sumada, Deputy Chief Engineer, Department of.Public Works AI Smith, "Councilman