HomeMy WebLinkAboutJanet Marshall and Kawika Young
Testimony for the Legislative Approvals and Acquisition Committee for the August 18
meeting on RESOLUTION 632-26.
Dear Committee Members,
I strongly urge you to pass resolution 632-26 protecting two critical areas in the
Waiakahi’ula Village area (alongside subdivisions Hawaiian Beaches and Hawaiian Shores
in Pahoa).
Kawika Young and I submitted the original proposal to PONC for the ocean access
properties. At that time, the most critical lot to get control over, that is used the most by
the public for ocean access, was on the market for sale. The owner has withdrawn it from
the open market but he is ready to consider an o?er from the County. He recognizes the
importance of public access for the community. He is willing to support that e?ort by
selling at a market price. If he does not sell it to the County he intends to build on it, which
would be very unfortunate for the community.
The properties in the ocean access proposal are used all day long by people coming to
enjoy the ocean by just stopping by, bringing their chairs and sitting by the ocean or fishing.
Tourists come to photograph it from the site or from the road above it. People in our area
have relatively little ocean access and these properties will be very reasonable to acquire.
People in the neighborhood already keep trash picked up. Toilets are available close by at
the Waiaki’ula park. Adding the additional lots will provide for parking and keeping the site
open for people to enjoy viewing from the road.
I also attach to this email testimony from the community submitted with the original
proposal.
Turning to the burial site – this is a wonderful archeological treasure that absolutely should
be preserved. Happily, it is also directly alongside of the Waiakahi’ula Park which has other
archeological sites. Together with the sites that have recently come under PONC
ownership at Honolulu Landing the County is leaving a legacy for future generations to
appreciate the history and lives of the original Hawaiian people living in the Puna coastal
area.