HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 1155.012 2004-2006
Testimony of Robert Pagliai
Nov. 28, 2006
County Council Meeting
Hilo
Agenda Item: Tradewinds
Good Morning Chairman Higa and other members of the Council. Thank you for listening to my
community's concerns on this issue.
My name is Robert Pagliai and I've been a resident of O`okala for over six years. I built my
home three years ago in Skilled Camp, which is across the street from the mill site. I currently
serve as president of the O`okala Community Association. I speak to you today in my capacity as
co-facilitator of the Protect O`okala Ad Hoc Steering Committee, the group in opposition to the
mill and power plant planned for O`okala.
The Protect O`okala Ad Hoc Steering Committee speaks on behalf of sixty-three (63) of the
community's total of eighty-nine (89) households. The homeowners have signed a petition
stating that an industrial business in our residential community will cause unacceptable health,
safety and welfare risks to the residents of O`okala. Here's the stack of petitions from O`okala
homeowners who oppose the mill and power plant; and here are the few who signed in support.
At a public meeting in O`okala on June 27, Don Bryan stated that if the people of O`okala did
not want the mill and power plant in their community, then he would leave. On behalf of the
majority of homeowners in 0bkala-71% to be exact-, I am asking Mr. Bryan once again to
be a man of his word and please leave O`okala. I'm offering to work together with Mr. Bryan to
find an appropriate place for his veneer mill and power plant, away from our families and away
from our children. It is my hope that the County Council will encourage and support this
collaboration between the developer, the community, and government to find a suitable location.
It may seem like the O`okala mill site is a suitable location because of it's industrial zoning. But
if this property was not already zoned industrial, this project would never be allowed this close to
a residential community. In fact, the revised County General Plan states that "...noxious heavy
industrial uses must be separated from residential and other incompatible uses" (14.4.1).
Just because it's already zoned industrial from the old days when the sugar plantation owned the
whole town and employed everybody, it doesn't make it right, or safe, or healthy or in the best
interest of our residents-especially our retirees and our children-in the 21" century.
I have no idea what Don Bryan is going to present to you today, he's an expert salesman and his
story changes with each one of his sales pitches. But our opposition group has done extensive
research on this development, and the community would like to have the opportunity to present
our findings to the council in the near future. In the meantime, if you want to know the truth
about what's going on, you can visit our website at protectookala.org for more information.
Thank you. J SS . ~L
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