Naalehu land purchase on hold ‘for the sake of transparency’

The Hawaii County Council on Tuesday delayed authorizing the purchase of former Makahiki grounds after a testifier accused the owners of having “inside information” regarding the Naalehu property.

The agricultural land fronting Mamalahoa Highway is known to have hosted festivals honoring the god Lono and Native Hawaiian sporting events. But, as of a few years ago, the county was considering using it for a new wastewater treatment plant.

Those plans were abandoned when the cultural resources were discovered during an archaeological review, prompting the land instead to be considered for protection through the Public Access, Open Space and Natural Resources Preservation Fund.

Since current owner James Weatherford worked as a legislative aide for former Ka‘u Councilman Bob Jacobson in 2005 and 2006, Naalehu resident Jerry Warren told the council he thinks something nefarious was going on with the proposed land sale.

“Today, you will bail out an insider trader,” Warren told the council. He told the Tribune-Herald he thinks Weatherford and his wife knew the county wanted the property as part of the sewer plant project through their political connections when they bought it in 2008.

When that didn’t work out, Warren accused the council of trying to take it off their hands through the preservation fund since it’s no longer developable after the discovery of cultural resources.

Weatherford, also a former County Council candidate, called those comments “slanderous” in a phone interview.

He said they knew nothing about the sewer plant plans until about 2011 when the county approached them about buying the land. The property’s cultural significance wouldn’t be discovered until later, Weatherford said.

“We knew zero about any historical significance when we bought it,” he said.

Weatherford said they bought it for farming and possibly a produce stand since it remarkably has few rocks in the soil. The couple told the council they are willing to sell it for less than the $240,000 they paid for the 13 acres.

The land now is assessed at $179,000.

But Warren’s comments prompted the council to delay approving the resolution until its Nov. 4 meeting to ensure everything is aboveboard.

“Perhaps there is no wrongdoing,” said Hilo Councilman Aaron Chung, who asked for a delay. “We really should, for the sake of transparency, throw all the cards on the table.”

Email Tom Callis at tcallis@hawaiitribune-herald.com.