HomeMy WebLinkAboutCommunication No. 2018-30- North Kohala CDP Pololu Lookout Proposal John WinterComm. No. 2018-30
*Submitted by John Winter for consideration by the North Kohala CDP Action Committee*
A Pololu Lookout Proposal
North Kohala Community Development Plan
November, 2018
North Kohala residents understand that the Pololu valley is an important tourist draw to the area. Tourism
brings commerce and local income, but also displaces residents from favorite recreational places. Most
members of the North Kohala community, particularly residents near the end of the highway, and indeed
recognize that increasing visitor traffic at the end of the highway presents severalalams that we need to
address. Principal among these problems are:
• Heavy traffic congestion and inadequate parking space, particularly
• Lack of toilet facilities: many visitors use the bushes, creating an A
• Safety and sanitary issues.
• Blocking driveways.
• No organization for car parking.
• Cars parked on the highway, sometimes restricting aceto
We realize a dilemma: while something ought to be done t address
"Keep Kohala, Kohala" (as it states boldly on the cover of our CDP)
tourist seasons.
ealth challenge.
many residents want to
roiniz the Pololu Lookout
may invite even more congestion. A reasonable solution therefore must strike a delicate balance. It should keep
the area rustic while still safely accommodating visitors and allowing continued resident use.
IL
Several state and county offices would be involved in solving the problems at Pololu. We realize that the
chances of getting action from them are greatly improved if our community can come to agreement on actions
we'd like to see taken. We believe the various departments would also benefit from a clear proposal on which to
base their efforts to help. It could also encourage our political represeqots to help us get results. Toward that
end we held several communit o hear cohcerns and favored solutions. The most recent one, open to
all North Kohala residents, d o ember 14th. In attendance were representatives of DLNR, Na Ala
Hele Surety Kohala and Re 0sentatveias. Coun ' n Richards' office also sent a representative. The
attendees and panel discussed our optio we sought table consensus. The following were points of
general agreement:
Seeking an Agreeable Solution:
Start with ' g the parking stalls at the lookout soon.
Toilet faciliti e necessary. Sanitation and health issues are paramount.
Keep the visit to ololu Valley focused on a wilderness experience.
two lanes.
it too big. Deal with the problems we have now, not future ones
-ustic.
Keep the
rking signs along the highway to restrict parking to the parking lot.
(cases of vandalism and no parking will have to be enforced).
The residents at all m Wgs, with very few exceptions, agreed that a balance between a rustic feel and safely
accommodating visitors can best be achieved by creating a parking area on the mauka side of the highway, with
toilet facilities (full -featured if possible, port -a -potties if not). Mr. Bill Shontel, representing Surety Corporation
of Kohala, which owns the land in question, said that they would be willing to donate up to 5 acres for such a
facility. The community expressed appreciation for such a magnanimous offer with their full support. It was
clear that any parking lot should only accommodate the traffic that now clogs the highway and no larger, lest it
invite even more visitors and even tours. The idea is to acquire enough land for future expansion should it
*Submitted by John Winter for consideration by the North Kohala CDP Action Committee*
become necessary, but only develop a portion now for adequate parking and toilets. We certainly do not want to
repeat the process of land acquisition years from now because we lacked the foresight today.
A Proposal.
Taking all of the features of a consensus solution into consideration, we believe the next step is to put forth a
concrete proposal that we can place before the departments who can carry this project forward. At this early
point we believe those departments are:
• DLNR/DOFAW Authority over the trail, lookout and land matt s.
• Na Ala Hele Authority over the trail and permits for tou
• HDOT Authority over the highway and right -o
• Planning Dept. Permitting of Consolidation and Re- of land with Surety and
State to allow for the donation par ea.
• Dept. of Parks and Rec. Maintenance of lookout (trash removal and eve toilets).
• Police Enforcement of parking, patrols for theft, emergen
We believe DLNR must now take the lead in identifying the land ownership and number of p and the
Planning Department in processing Consolidation and Re -subdivision of lA&We offer to suppo CIP budget
*Submitted by John Winter for consideration by the North Kohala CDP Action Committee*
items for DLNR to cover the costs of development. We hope that supplying a summary of the will of North
Kohala residents we will help the project to proceed in a timely fashion. The proposal is illustrated in Figure 1:
Figure 1. A Proposal for Pololu Lookout (indicating TMK boundaries and property owners)
Although many aspects of this project will certainly require the experience and expertise of the government
organizations, we hope to start the process off by offering the following:
Acquire 5 acres from Surety Kohala. DLNR/Planning. Placing the parking area mauka of the
highway leaves the ocean and valley views on the makai side more pristine are less obvious). Later
we can consider how large to make the first phase of the parking lot. Bifer
el says there are time
limits on theme offer, so this should be done as soon as possible. There land trades with Surety
in the valley proper that would also benefit the state.
2. Paint new parking striping on the lookout. HDOT. Parking is quitrdis ed, and cars sometimes
block the gates of residents.
3. Consider signs to restrict parking along the highway. HDOT/Police. Cars p the pavement,
encroaching on the lanes. This is dangerous. An increased police presence is necess minimize
illegal roadside parking and parking area crime.
4. Develop a pedestrian walkway along one side oOheroad from thharking lot to the lookout.
HDOT/DLNR/Planning. There might be additional right-of-way and land acquisition issues.
5. Consider the type of toilet facilities and maintenance issues for the facilities and walkways.
Planning/Parks and Recreation. There may be issues with water supply.
We believe this proposal addresses the problems
future visitor growth without inviting excessivel,
large tours and buses, wishing to keep the Akoni
bridges.
4
erly developin the area. It also allows for natural
more ti ala resid�t stressed their desire to limit
'ule High tis, with narrow stretches and