Peace returned to Pahoehoe
My appreciation and gratitude goes out to Hawaii Police Department especially officer Adam Cho for their efforts and resolution at Pahoehoe Park. The two vehicles that had moved in, spent many days and nights disrupting and creating an unsafe park environment, have been moved.
Thank you so much for your efforts in restoring our peaceful and serene setting at Pahoehoe.
Contacting hawaiicounty.gov/office-of-the-mayor works!
Click on concerns and complaints, state your story and see results like ours. If you see something, say something because it works.
Patrice Rammer
Kailua-Kona
Move where you can afford
I keep reading about all these people who complain about rising costs for rental, land and house prices in Hawaii, San Francisco, Southern California, Florida, etc.
I grew up on an island (Balboa Island) in Newport Beach, California. My family had a home there since the early 1900s. By the time I graduated from college in 1963, prices for land and houses were way more than my new husband and I could afford. We didn’t look around for someone to blame for the elevated prices but took off in a little 36-foot boat for Hawaii.
You need to move if the prices go beyond your means even though your family has been in the area for generations. New York, San Francisco, Newport Beach, San Jose and many other places are out pricing many people who want to live there — so move.
In recent years, we have traveled across country in our motorhome and found so many nice places for sale for very low prices. Our country was populated by people who found conditions in their homeland not ideal so they moved to somewhere they could live the way they wanted to live.
Even the early Tahitians did that. When their homeland got too crowed they got on boats and went looking for new homelands and found Hawaii.
Pat Hall
Waimea
Support 2% Land Fund propositions
The Charter Commission meets at 9 a.m. Friday in Hilo. The Charter Commission is appointed by the mayor every 10 years to serve the citizens of Hawaii County by refining the County Charter.
About 95% of all the testimony at the Charter Commission meetings were about strengthening the 2% Land Fund Program. Remember 63% of voters voted in favor of this program three times. Since 2006, the 2% Land Fund has preserved 4,400 acres, with 2,200 acres being added when Waikapuna (Ka’u) is purchased. The stewardship groups who care for these lands have received only 9% of all monies deposited in the maintenance fund. We can do better! Please support our proposed amendments to preserve more of Hawaii Island’s treasured places for our keiki and grandchildren.
Charter Amendment 9 explains how the 2% tax funds can be spent. We have proposed to pay the salary, wages and benefits for one staff person to work only on the 2% Land Fund program in addition to an already existing position to help the Public Access, Open Space and Natural Resources Commission. Mahalo to commissioner Hopkins for this clarifying proposal!
Charter Amendment 18 deals with the Maintenance Fund and was proposed by commissioner Rice. All of the groups that have received funding are requesting that they are able to pay people to work on the land. This will enable them to continue their good work in caring for the 2% lands.
We humbly ask you to support our efforts to preserve Hawaii Island’s great places for the future enjoyment for all of the residents of Hawaii County.
Debbie Hecht
2% Land Fund campaign coordinator
