I find it questionable that Kamehameha Schools is wrapping the development of a high-end resort in the envelope of honoring the Kamehameha III birthplace. It is smart of them to get the buy-in of the Daughters of Hawaii, who are the stewards of the Kamehameha III monument. I wonder if it was mentioned to the Daughters that once the land clearing starts for the resort area, one good rain will cause silt and debris to flow over the cliff onto the sacred monument and park, and, quite conceivably, into the adjoining ocean, fouling the already fragile waters of Keauhou Bay. There will be promises of erosion control and other mitigations but then a big rain comes along and excuses will be made that it was a 50-year or 100-year storm, so it couldn’t be helped. Many times over the last 30 years I have seen failed erosion controls and silting of shoreline waters from construction projects.
May I remind you that several waterfront homes on the north side of this bay have only cesspools. And even the few that have septic tanks are at too low an elevation and likely are too close to the ocean to have adequate leach fields, thus adding to the bacteria levels in the ocean. This problem is compounded by runoff after it rains. Absolutely no improvements should be made near Keauhou Bay until the sewage problem is resolved by getting these parcels connected to the nearby local private sewer system or the county sewer lines, if the private system is not workable.
Recreational use of Keauhou Bay is heavy. Parking is a disaster for individuals who live in the community. The plan put forth develops slightly better boat parking but nothing specific for vehicles of the commercial boat patrons, nor locals. Many boats, both commercial and personal, launch there every day. Take a look at the boats and people who flock there between 6 and 10 a.m. Many outrigger canoes, paddleboarders, and swimmers use this bay every day. The State Clean Water Branch does occasional monitoring of the bay waters showing average bacteria counts are rising over the years. After very heavy rains the bay occasionally turns green from algae blooms creating unhealthy conditions for users of the bay. Added development stresses to this bay may reverse its health permanently. Do we really want to add to the already fragile and congested conditions with a resort that only one-percenters can afford to enjoy? At least the old Keauhou Beach Hotel provided affordable rooms for kama’aina on island and for family visiting from other islands. It also was an inappropriate land use but at least it provided some benefit. Can we not learn from why the Keauhou Beach Hotel and Kona Lagoon Hotel were eventually demolished? Just because you have the zoning for resort use, doesn’t mean it is the best use of the land.
In 2008, Kamehameha Schools said this when demolishing these hotels to add a more appropriate cultural park: “Our charter for future development here is to make things pono, or right, to solve the mistakes of the past and move ahead. We want to make sure that any and all future development in Keauhou, first and foremost, is culturally correct.” Kamehameha Schools, please put your money where your mouth is.
I say to Kamehameha Schools, advocate for getting those parcels on the north side of the bay onto a local sewer system and then implement the management plan without building the resort. Honor the Kamehameha III monument, be good stewards of the land and ocean but find a more appropriate use of the vacant resort-zoned land that honors the Hawaiian children you represent.
Kathy McMillen is a resident of Kailua-Kona.