HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0193.070 2008-2010
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Murashige, Laura
From: hanohanopuni001@aol.com '-t-. " I r f
Sent: Tuesday, March 17, 2009 7:08 AM 2009 APR 6 Pig 5 2 7
To: Ford, Brenda; Greenwell, Kelly
Subject: Please vote against the suspension of the 2% Land Fund for(-two'.years..i9Ne'have
alternatives COUNi't > ~I= I?"-;ti,1/fVl
Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Yellow
Aloha Councilmembers Ford and Greenwell,
Please honor the 57% of voters who voted to save Hawaii Island's treasured places. My
name is Cindi Punihaole and I am a kama'aina of Kona. I am testifying as an individual
against suspending the deposits to the Land Fund. Our "open spaces" are tremedous assets
to us. I manage the Kahalu'u Bay Project and our volunteers speak with thousands of
visitors a year educating them on how to take care of our reef. Last year over 348,000
visitors came to Kahalu'u Bay, that is over 25% of all the visitors to our island. The most
common statement and question that they ask are " I can relax here, the pace is so laid back
and slow. It gives me a sense of what Hawaii is all about." "Why don't you have more areas
that we can visit to experience the real Hawaiian culture?"
the buzz word today is "stimulus" and we are very fortunate that we currently have the open
spaces to create controlled eco-cultural tourism. In fact, we can create jobs immediately by
working with hotels and businesses in our area to create these kinds of tourism packages.
Tour guides to our open spaces can provide the visitor with a wholesome knowledge of our
Hawaiian Culture. We could even create packages where the visitor can participate in
helping take care of the land by clearing of fountain grass or harvesting pili grass. Visitors
are looking for real experiences that they can take away with them. I receive calls from
visitors asking if they can be trained as reefteachers and help us during their stay in
Hawaii. Design of open space areas for cultural educational programs, like the one at
Kaupulehu, would also add to our coffers. It would be a win, win for everyone.
Please look at the benefits that this fund can provide to our economy NOW not 2 or 3 years
from now. We all need to think outside the box to make things happen.
Kelly, you said once that we should be looking at opportunities to find money not just cut
budgets. In these hard times we need to be working together to take care of our
community-to think of ways to stimulate the economy so our people can survive.
Mahalo for your consideration... G
Cynthia Punihaole Comm. No. I 3-70
Ref. To:PieSeafed
Ref. 'Dote APR 7 X009
4/6/2009
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4/6/2009