HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0606.000 2000-2002
James Araka, Council Chairman Friday, Aprill9, 2002
County Council Member, District 3
Hawaii County Council - : ; ,
25 Aupuni Street = `J ~ ~ ~ 1 ( ~
Suite 209
Hilo, Hawaii 96720 r:; t"" ; ' _ ,
Dear Council Chairman Araka
My name is Gil Gagnon. My wife and I own a home in Kapoho, Puna. As such, we have
an interest in the health of cultural affairs in the Hilo area. We support local business and
cultural endeavors to the best of our ability.
One such enterprise which we have supported in the past several years by our attendance
and a considerable amount of monetary donations is the Palace Theater. We have
watched with pride as plans progressed toward reviving the grand old building into a
showplace of which Hilo could be proud.
Sadly, I have been very disappointed at recent changes in personnel and philosophy
within the Palace, which I view as counterproductive and very suspicious. From the
casual perspective of a passer-by and attendee, the day-to-day operation has become
sloppy and seedy. Worse, I have a strong belief that large sums of money donated to the
Friends of the Palace by enthusiastic and sincere members of the community have been
ineptly misspent or callously misappropriated.
I have come to understand that an attempt is being made to transfer ownership of the
Palace from the Hilo Downtown Improvement Association to the "Friends of the Palace".
Based on my observations of the "Friends' stewardship of the theater, I can only
imagine that this would be a detriment to downtown Hilo and a calamity to the Palace.
I further understand that any such transfer of ownership may occur only with approval of
the County Council. I feel that there must be an alternative solution to this attempted
power-grab. There must be an individual or group of individuals who possess the
technical skills to operate such a theater, and whose primary interest is not to line their
pockets but to provide Hilo with a fine historical and cultural landmark of which we can
all be proud. Please consider any alternative before accepting any proposal which would
result in the Palace Theater ending up in the hands of the "Friends of the Palace."
Thank you for your time and any attention you can give to this matter.
Sincerely,
RR2 Box 4048
Pahoa, HI 96778 ` ~
965-8968 Gil Gagnon
Comm. No,
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