HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0964.085 2004-2006
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Murashige, Laura
From: Lynn Duerr [lynnduerr@hawaii.rr.com]
Sent: Tuesday, October 24, 2006 1:30 PM
To: Isbell, Virginia; counciltestimony@co.hawaii.hi.us
Subject: Bill 309
Attachments: Jacoby 10 24 06.doc
Please accept this testimony regarding Bill 309. 1 am sorry to send it to you this late and via email, but our printer
suddenly went on the blink and is not responding.
Thank you, Fred Duerr
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10/24/2006
October 24, 2006
Honorable Stacy Higa, Chair
Hawaii County Council
25 Aupuni Street
Hilo. Hawaii 96720
Subject: Support for Bill 309, proposing changes to the Land Use Pattern
Allocation Guide Map E4 from Open to Urban Expansion for the lands surrounding
Honokohau.
Dear Chair Higa and members of the Hawaii County Council:
#1: 1 have lived in Kona for over 40 years and have been actively involved in our
community. I have served on the executive board of the Hawaii Visitor's and Convention
Bureau. I am past president of the Big Island Visitors Bureau, past state chair of the
Hawaii Hotel and Lodging Association, and past director of the Hawaii Island United
Way. I am a 30-year participant in the Hawaiian International billfish tournament and
presently serve as its president. I am a member and past president of the Lions Club of
Kona, past district chairman of the Boy Scouts of America, and a past member of the
West Hawaii Fish Council. I worked at Kona Village Resort for 38 years, retiring from my
position as General Manager of the resort in November 2004.
# 2: Our Kona community has needed and wanted the harbor to be expanded and its
facilities upgraded for a long time. As a former manager of charter boat operations for
Kona Village Resort and as the president of the Hawaiian International Billfish
Tournament, I know of the acute shortage of mooring slips at the present Honokohau
Harbor. The list to obtain a slip is long, and people are discouraged from even applying
for one, often feeling that it is a hopeless pursuit. Many boats are presently moored in
open waters, such as Kailua Bay, and are at great risk during storms. The additional
moorings created within a marina would allow these boats to be accommodated within a
safe area.
When I first arrived on this island the population was in decline. Our graduating high
school seniors were leaving the island to further their educations and to take advantage
of the better job opportunities elsewhere. Our roads were poor, but very little used. Our
old hospital did its best but lacked in so many areas that if you were seriously ill you
went to Hilo or Honolulu.
I know the area of Honokohau well. From 1966 to 1969 1 flew to work at Kona Village
almost every day from the old Kona airport. There was no access to Kona Village
except by plane or boat. The coast at that time was desolate and rarely visited by locals
or tourists. Queen Kaahumanu Highway had yet to be built.
Today we have seen the result of our growth, both good and not so good. We have
more and better roads, although not enough to handle today's traffic. If bill number 309
moves forward and Jacoby develops the new harbor, they have promised a new road to
Kailua-Kona.
The opening of Queen Kaahumanu Highway provided access to the coastline between
Kailua-Kona and Puako where none existed before. New state and county parks have
come into existence along this coastline area. Development has opened additional
coastal access for the people. Development and oversight of cultural resources is
another concern. One of the major concerns with all of this access is the potential for
the desecration of cultural monuments: heiaus, petroglyphs, and other native Hawaiian
sites. How do we protect the coastal resources from the public unless those resources
are monitored? It is in a developer's interest to protect those cultural resources, and
they have the personnel to do so.
The reclassification of these lands and the accompanying development will provide jobs
for our working people, tax revenues for our state, and income for the land owners.
#3: Part of the area covered under Bill 309 was designated by the State of Hawaii for
future harbor expansion when Honokohau was built. Neither the state nor the county is
interested in expanding the harbor. In fact, the state would like the county to take over
the harbor, which in my opinion would be a bad idea due to the cost involved.
We must make this marina and mixed-use project economically feasible for the
developer. You cannot ask for a marina and road to be built without allowing the project
to be economically sustainable. Allowing the resort component to be put back into the
land use will provide the economic means to see this project through.
The West Hawaii boating community needs this harbor expansion at Honokohau. This
project is an opportunity for Kona to support a development that has proven
environmental responsibility, cultural respect, and economic stewardship. With the
support of our county, this mixed-use marina can become an example of a successful
public/private partnership for others to follow.
I hope the County Council will support the passing of this bill which would allow the
expansion of our harbor to become a reality.
Mahalo,
Fred Duerr
Retired General Manager of Kona Village Resort
President of the Hawaiian International Billfish Tournament