HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0193.041 2008-2010
MAR-30-2009 11:52A FROM:KARFN CLARKSON 8087759050 TO:9618912 P.1
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COM IA. P/ Fe,
March 30, 2009
i G cc,RR 30 Phi 1.2 03
J. Yoshimoto, Chair, and Members of the Hawaii Coon~y ouneil, and Mayor Kenoi
25 Aupuni St.
CCLJ' ' , { ;tJ t
Hilo,, HI 96720 ; .r_ ;n i
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RE: Testimony on proposed sale of Hamakua Lands, Proposed 2009 Budget
Dear Council Members and Mayor Kenoi,
The Mauka and Makai Access Committee, which was formed as part of the Hamakua
Agriculture plan process, hereby submits the following testimony regarding the proposed
sale of Hamakua lands,. We oppose the sale for the following reasons::
1. It is poor policy to sell assets to pay for operating expenses; it's like selling your
house to pay your Visa bill.
2. Hamakua residents oppose the We of these lands. Please study the public input
that was received at the meetings the Dominic Yagong hosted in 2004.
3. You should wait until the Hamakua CDP is completed . Residents should have
the opportunity, like residents of other districts, to determine the future of their
district.
4. Public access through these lands must be further researched and resolved so that
public access can be preserved. It is of significant value to ranchers, emergency
workers and residents to be able to traverse through these lands rather than have
to travel great distances down to the highway and then back up.
5. Existing infrastructure (especially old plantation roads and quarries) are a
valuable resource that should be preserved for public benefit.
6. Land prices are depressed, why sell in a down market?
7. The remarkable regeneration of koa in upper elevations should be studied.
8. Future possible public needs for this land (energy production, sustainable
agriculture) should be studied before any sale. The highest and best use for these
lands should be thoroughly studied.
9. In the long run, development of these lands, including the construction of homes,
will cost the taxpayers more than they will gain, because the cost of providing
infrastructure (road improvements, police and fire protection, etc.) will exceed the
tax revenues generated.
110! Public auction will drive the prices beyond the ability of longtime residents to
afford
11; Once the land is gone it's gone forever.
Sincerely yours,
Karen Clarkson, Chair
Mayk$.pnd Makai Access Committee P.O. Box 1396, Honokaa, HI 96727
Comm. No_ 1 9 3 • 41
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