The grassy acre fronting Akoni Pule Highway
Money is available through the 2% Fund, the landowners are still willing, the County committed to purchasing the parcel. Please encourage the County to purchase the lot from the landowners now! See below.
How
With strong community support, a purchase resolution was passed by the Hawaii County Council in spring of 2014 authorizing the County administration to move forward with purchasing this land with 2% County Open Space Funds. The funds are available and the landowners are still willing to sell if the County acts quickly.
All that needs to happen is for the County and landowners to agree on a purchase amount. Both the County and landowners have had appraisals completed.
In May of 2014, the County Administration communicated a commitment to purchase this lot in September of 2014, but due to staff turnover, the process slowed down. The landowners thought they would be bought out by now and have incurred considerable expense waiting.
The landowners are kind, middle class folks who sunk their life savings into this parcel and building plans for their home and gallery. They have incurred considerable expense continuing to rent over the last 18 months, when they could have been in a new home on this land by now. Due to significant personal reasons, they can't wait anymore. They are exhausted and feel let down. Let's show the landowners and the County appreciation and encourage a speedy purchase for the win-win for all.
The Opportunity
We have a unique opportunity to preserve for our children and grandchildren the grassy one acre in downtown Hawi next to the Banyan Trees. This area has been used informally for a park and community gathering area for more than fifty years and has hosted the Kohala Fair and a variety of classes. The popular Farmer's Market often spills over onto this parcel. Preserving this parcel would ensure a permanent home for the Farmers Market and a great community space for festivals, concerts, plays, etc.
A long-time Kona couple purchased the land in 2013 to build their home and gallery. Shortly thereafter they learned that a project initiated ten years ago by a downtown businesspersonto preserve the area as a park had been resurrected. Because the new landowners have invested much of their own energy and resources in preserving Holualoa above Kailua town, they decided to give us a chance to raise the funds to buy them out and preserve this area. Let's extend the warmest of Aloha to the landowners for giving us this opportunity.
What you can do
1) Calling Mayor Kenoi's office at 961-8211 and kindly ask him to secure this land now and email him at cohmayor@co.hawaii.hi.us and copy the Director of Finance, Ms. Nancy Crawford, at ncrawford@co.hawaii.hi.us and politely ask her to negotiate a fair price with the landowners, reflective of the appraisals already completed. Ms. Crawford’s phone number is 961-8234. Please thank the Mayor for his support of Kohala open space purchases in the past. If you don’t mind, please copy park4hawi@gmail.com on the email so we can track how many contacts are made. Your email address will not be used or forwarded.
2) Sign the petition on this site and like Hawi Park on Facebook. Give a positive shout out to the County and Landowners.
3) Come to the Farmers Market at 10:30 AM on Saturday December 20th and we'll take a photo of supporters and forward it to the County. We'll have complimentary coffee and muffins to ward off the chill. Have your morning coffee under the Banyans Tree.
