HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0493.097 2000-2002 P.O. fox 36
Kapaau, s-11 X6755
1189-687
889-6126 fax ,
_ ~ a .
cjdav€st:~interpac.net
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July 25, 2002
Planning Commission
County Council
25 Aupuni St.
~~diio, X01 96720
To those I hope it may cancern,
I felt the need to address the €~lanning Commission as well as the County
Council on the issue of public access that was addressed at the meeting
in IV. Kohala on Thursd~°~t, July 18.
As the list of speakers was quite long, and I really have never been
comfortable as a public speaker, @ wanted to write this to offer my
testimony as a long tirr~e resident as we@@ as business owner ()en's Kohala
Cafe) of the Oml. Kohala area, In addition, may husband and myself have
been in escrow with Surety Corporation {formerly Chalon) for near@y 2
years with the property direct@y adjacent to the lighthouse - a property
that is sure to be involved ?pith all future proceedings involving tl~e topic
of public access.
@t is c@ear that we all have a responsibility to preserve and protect our
beautiful coastline for al! to enjoy as well as for future generations. As
grandparents, +~se understand that as potential landowners of this
beautiful area, we wiPl never OWN this spot, but will become caretakers
entrusted with the preservation of the area's natural beauty.
;APe would like to make clear that we are totally in favor of public access,
but need to point out that are several issues that we believe need to be
addressed from the prospective landowners point of view.
First and foremost is the liability issue. Just last month there were 2
injuries on our prospective fsroperty, one quite serious.'~'e cannot afford
to pay for that type of liability insurance. a would like to create a safe,
level hiking trail along the e~oast, about 50 ft. away from the cliff line to
prevent injuries and accidents. 'fie are against vehicular access because of
noise and the higher risk of injury, such as recently occurrezl. In addition,
because this area presently has vehicular access, it has become over the
years a major illegal dump spot for abandoned ears, tires, appliances,
furniture, and all other forrr~s of trash. It real@y does detract from the
beauty of this coastline.
~6/e are also concerned about the setback area of 1500 feet {equivalent to
5 football fields!) that is beirsg requested. That seems quite unreasonable,
especial@y ire our case as we -have the smai=lest property with over one
third of our land area along the coast. That request would designat ~ ~I~a
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nearly our whole property as setback area, and not even allow us room to
build our home. ~°e believe a 50 foot setback is adequate to provide a
hiking trail a safe enough distance from the cliff line.
We are not wealthy, we are a hardworking couple that will use every
penny we have saved and go into debt to secure this property. ~1e are
willing to work hard to realize our dream, but we will also need the help
of the community as well as your support in the cleanup of this area and
establishment of a lateral public access hiking trait, which is what
everyone seems to desire. ;agile understand that your pockets are empty as
well, we are requesting that you consider the cost effects to fihe
prospective property owners that some of the measures that are being
requested would incur. In our case, it may force us to reconsider our
purchase. As local residents with the desire to give something back to
our community, we believe that we would be a much more preferable
landowner than big money developers that could really make your job
harder. I think we all have the same dream, and really need to work
together without animosity to move forward.
Thank you for your time and consideration of our issues, If you have any
further questions, I will always be available to discuss any of the above
matters.
Sincerely,
fifer Davis