HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0180.000 1998-2000 BISHOP MUSEUM
CELEBRATING A
CENTURY OF DISCOVERY
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County Council , .ir
February 23, 1999
Mr. Dominic Yagong
Council Member
County Council
County of Hawaii
Hawaii County Building
25 Aupuni Street
Hilo, Hawaii 96720
Dear Council Member Yagong:
I am writing to you to ask for the assistance of the Hawaii County Council. More
specifically, I believe you are in a position to help as chairman of the Council's Public
Works Commission.
Bishop Museum is one of the major land owners in Waipio Valley on the Big Island of
Hawaii. We own 164 separate parcels comprising nearly 538 acres within the valley.
The parcels range in size from 74 acres to 2/100 of an acre. Most of the parcels are
leased to individual tenants for the purpose of farming taro, although many of the parcels
are not leased at all.
The leases currently in force were signed in 1993, just prior to my joining the Bishop
Museum. They are for slightly less than 20 years in duration, short enough to avoid
falling under the leasehold conversion laws, but long enough to give the lessees the
ability to get farm loans and other financing. The leased parcels are not contiguous, but
many are bunched in the mid-valley area.
Real estate management is not among the core functions of Bishop Museum, a fact that
may become apparent based on the questions I am going to ask your assistance in
answering. Aside from this land, we are the leased fee owners of approximately 25
single family home lots on Oahu, and part owners of some commercial real estate. I
oversee these "investments" as the museum's chief financial officer.
For as long as I have been at the museum, the issues of access across our lands, and
tourism (including bed and breakfasts as well as van/horse/wagon tours) have been flash
points for conflict in Waipio. We have convened or attended many meetings in which
these issues were the major points of conversation. Recently, you have been in
attendance at several of those meetings. p
Comm. No. / O O
The State Museum of Natural and Cultural History File No. ~ OL
yagong2239902/25/992:04P}~25 Bernice Street • Honolulu, Hawaii • 96817-dyY[i2~D~ PwPL'
Ref. To:
Telephone: (808) 847-3511 Fax: (808) 841-8968
Ref. Date MAR 2 1999
When our lessees voice complaints about what they view as illegal tourism operations in
the valley, we suggest they contact the local authorities. They have, with seemingly no
results. They in turn imply that the reason they get no results is because Bishop Museum,
as the land owner, is not making the complaint. We complain, but still to no avail. On
the opposite side of the issue, other residents of the valley complain to us about the lack
of access to their lands. Many of them are either landlocked by museum-owned lands, or
required to take circuitous routes to reach their lands in order to avoid conflicts with our
lessees over trespass.
With this as background, I am asking you to help us obtain definitive answers to a
number of important questions regarding our land ownership in Waipio Valley. Among
those questions are:
1. Where on the ground do the County awned and maintained roadways end in the
valley?
2. Are there any legal easements in the valley for landlocked or otherwise impaired land
owners across Bishop Museum lands? If so, how were they established? If not, what
legal responsibility do we have to grant access across our lands?
3. How is the land in Waipio Valley zoned? What activities are allowed under that
zoning?
4. Under what circumstances can nonconforming uses be permitted? What is the
process to obtain such permission?
5. What is the process to report violations of permitted uses or trespass?
6. What government agency takes the responsibility to prosecute violators and help
prevent future violations?
Waipio Valley is a special place. While our lease operations bring us a nominal amount
of revenue, we truthfully spend much more administering those leases than we take in.
We have not, obviously, been motivated'oy money. We also believe we should do our
best to preserve the valley as a cultural treasure. Your assistance in dealing with the
issues outlined above will greatly improve our chances of doing so.
Please call me at you convenience, so we can set a time to meet and begin to resolve
these issues. My direct phone number on Oahu is (808)848-4161.
Sincerely,
Jeffrey A. Bell
Senior Vice President, Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer
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