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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0508.000 1996-1998 O„tY Oi C O DOMIIVIC YAGONG `p'~~=.. ~ ~e Phone: (808) 961-8264 Cuurrcilmembn : , FAX: (808) 969-3291 tom-` ~~f OI~ML'M' 1 COUNTY COUNCIL ~ ~ S ~ ' ~ y ii ~;'1 1f1 ~ 0 County of Hawaii Hawaii County Building CnU'~'d I ~ ! lr~d l~-~l 25 Aupurti Street Hilo, Hawaii 96720 September 19, 1997 Mr. Mike Cochran Mass Transit Agency 25 Aupuni Street Hilo, Hawaii 96720 Dear Mike: I received a letter from Mr. Andrew Iwashita requesting action to establish a mass transit plan that includes a fixed rail system. Mr. Iwashita's letter has spazked interest from fellow councilmembers, and we all asked the same question. What is the administration medium and long term plan in addressing the County of Hawaii transit needs? Is there a plan in place, and if so, does it include utilizing a fixed rail system? I would like to place the letter written by Mr. Iwashita on my Public Works Committee agenda, and give your department an opportunity to share with the council immediate and future plans regarding transportation needs. I hope to get this on the agenda on the October 28, 1997 Public Works Committee meeting. Please call me if you have any questions, and we look forward to your presentation. \W\\\a\rmest Aloha, Cq'cI i In Dominic Yagong Chairman Public Wo & Par Hawaii County Council cc: Mr. Andrew S. Iwashita Cocu~ Ya~~. P7{a l~s '~~1~~up.~~7 u~~=r 5~' 2 4 1997 Hilo Law Center Phone: (808) 935-6011 77 Mohouli Street Fax: (808) 935-7030 Hilo, Hawau 96720 email address: trustlaw@interpac net Andrew S. Iwashita Attorney at Law • A Law Coryoration September 10, 1997 Mr. Dominique Yagong Hawaii County Council County of Hawaii 25 Aupuni Street Hilo HI 96720 Dear Dominique: Re: Long Range Mass Transit Plan Thanks for taking the time to talk with me the other day. At your suggestion I am writing this letter to ask that the County Council take immediate action to establish a mass transit plan for the County of Hawaii that include<.: a fixed rail system as an integral part of the Big Island's transportation system. No one needs to be imaginative to see the future of the Big Island in, say, forty years. We have all the planning and regulatory laws that Oahu and Maui have used since the 1950's. We only need to catch the next plane to Honolulu or Kahului to see the future of the Big Island if we continue to rely solely on these laws. If we want a "preferred future" for our children, then we need to do something other than rely upon planning laws. A commitment to a mass transit system including a fixed rail component will provide many benefits to our economy, and give us a concrete mechanism to guide development. We need to start now to plan for our children's "preferred future". I believe that we are less than twenty yeazs away from Maui's current congestion, and perhaps as little as thirty yeazs from Oahu's daily tra c chaos. I appreciate ur interest and hope that action will fallow soon. Yours e truly, rew S. rwa