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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0349.943 2006-2008 Page 1 of 1 Jarman, Casey From: Hoffmann, Pete Sent: Monday, September 17, 2007 2:43 PM To: Jarman, Casey Subject: Kent Associates Report Casey: attached is the two page Report Summary from James Kent Associates regarding the issue relating to Resolution 169-07 which will be heard in Council on Wednesday, 19 September. Please put a Communication Number on this document and distribute. Pete Hoffmann r. f J 4-~ 1~ Comm. No ~ R' ~ 3 Ref. To: SAP i 9 Ref. Date 9/17/2007 Report Summary The Ka'u Listening Project: "Talk Story until There is a Balance" Background The Mayor of Hawaii County, Mayor Harry Kim, asked James Kent Associates (JKA) to field a team in the Ka'u District to talk with people about their concerns involving development and change. Two questions focused the JKA listening project: 1. What do people in Ka'u want for their future? 2. What balance is possible between conservation of resources and economic health of the community, especially related to the Sea Mountain Five proposal? JKA fielded a team of 7 between August 2 and September 7, 2007, who talked with more than 500 people in the Ka'u District by: a) mingling in the community at local gathering places; b) continually asking, "Who else should we talk with?" c) attending over 22 public events; d) attending over 37 community organizations and churches inviting participation; and e) posting a flyer during the last ten days of field time, inviting people to call. People were eager to talk and appreciated the confidential nature of the talkstory. We strived to get broad geographic coverage in the area as well as talkstory with every kind of person in terms of ethnicity, occupation, age, interest, and time on island. Findings ualities. The people of Pahala, Na'alehu, Ocean View and surrounding settlements were found to have vitality and talent, bringing to bear enormous resourcefulness and creativity to make a life for themselves, their families and their communities. These four human qualities--vitality, talent, resourcefulness and creativity--are the core upon which the future can be built. Natural Resources and Families. People want to take care of both the natural resources and their families. They are especially concerned that their children will have options in their Iives~ptions in Ka'u. They are also concerned about the extent of long commutes out of the area for those who have jobs and the exodus from the area of young people who do not have jobs. Physical, Social, and Financial Capital. The Ka't7 area is rich in natural capital (physical resources) and social capital (people resources), but weak in financial capital (economic resources). Residents believe active efforts to promote economic development are necessary to foster a balance among the three capital elements for sustainable communities and resources. Conservation vs. Preservation. People reflected in their talk the concept of conservation rather than preservation. The notion that a resource would be locked up and taken away from people (preservation) was foreign to them. Instead they want a future where the people resources can interact with the natural resources-to the benefit of both. Save Both the Turtles and the People. The concern for taking care of natural resources was virtually universal, and there was full agreement about the importance of preserving access to the ocean, a local feel to the Punalu'u beach, and protection of shoreline resources. At the same time, residents don't want people to be sacrificed for environmental protection-"Save the turtles and save the people, too, " was a theme throughout the communities. James Kent Associates 1 Controlled Development. People want some form of economic development but want to be very careful about what it is. People are most concerned about the scale of development. They want "controlled development" to avoid the problems of Waikiki, Honolulu and Kona, and to maintain the rural character of Ka'u. Takin Sg ides. People do not want to have adecision-making process that is based on having to "take sides" in the debate about resource use. They want instead to use the Island cultural process of talk story until a balance in resource use is found that works for the people in the present and in the future Ownership of Important Values. Ka'u Preservation's focus on resource preservation for the ocean, land and turtles symbolizes for many the important values that they want to see addressed in policy choices. These values, along with taking care of the people, are embedded in the values of the larger community. Therefore it seemed misplaced to many of the people that Ka'u Preservation would fight for these values as though they "owned them"-as if they had a monopoly or exclusive attachment to these values that did not exist in the rest of the community. Their advocacy position created resentment and a concern that the organization does not care about the needs of the community. Moreover, the tactics and methods used to implement "preservation" by Ka'ta Preservation leadership created fear among the citizens for their safety, and a reluctance to go to formal meetings where confrontation rather than talk story is routine. Scale and Size. The majority of people had issues that concerned them regarding the Sea Mountain Five proposal. Scale and size of the development were common fears expressed as "not being able to absorb the development" into the existing communities. People had an intuitive sense that Sea Mountain Five was out of proportion to what would be beneficial to the area. Even citizens who favor more economic development think that the size of the present Sea Mountain Five development proposal is too large. People don't believe that the community can absorb the growth-the additional demands from all the additional workers and visitors who will impact the infrastructure and the social support systems. "It is too big." Community Benefits Package. The absence of a completed process to build a community benefits package was of critical importance. Residents wish for a safe environment in which to work out the details of a community benefits package that is of appropriate design to enhance their physical, social and economic environments. They want to be involved in working out the details of such a package. The Listening Project. Many residents expressed appreciation that decision makers would make an effort to listen to their points of view and a few expressed anger at what was considered a waste of taxpayers' money. Conclusions The people want a future that secures the natural environment and increases their economic opportunity to enhance the quality of their lives. Neither of the two major options on the table--buying a part of the Sea Mountain land or accepting the Sea Mountain Five proposal in its present state-- moves the community to where it wants to go. Further, the forced choice of having to choose between only these two options is out of sequence with the proposed forthcoming Ka' u Community Development Plan. Contact: Kevin Preister, James Kent Associates, P.O. Box 1214, Kailua-Kona, HI 96745, (808) 895-5356 James Kent Associates 2