Preserve it for all
Preserve it for all
I am writing in support of County Councilwoman Valerie Poindexter’s Resolution No. 535-16, the acquisition of Hakalau Point, using the Public Access, Open Space and Natural Resources Preservation Fund. I have lived in the Wailea/Hakalau area for the past five years and on the Big Island for more than 40. I am a very active and concerned member of this diverse, multicultural and precious community.
In response to the needs of the community’s desire to save Hakalau Point from development, I volunteered to go door to door with the petition written by the Hakalau Point Preservation Association. The petition is an appeal to acquire Hakalau Point from the current owner, Shropshire Group LLC. The purpose then would be to establish a memorial park to educate and honor the legacy of all those who labored and lived at the Hakalau Sugar Plantation.
The pending plan of rezoning and private development of Hakalau Point is strongly opposed by the community at large. The current owner’s vision includes a subdivision of 11 house lots near the bluff and adding two new warehouses for industrial and commercial use. Hakalau Point is the only remaining plantation site that has not been developed and is steeped in history as well as breathtakingly beautiful.
I started out at the Hakalau Food Share, the Tuesday afternoon local farmers market at the veterans park in Wailea. I also walked through the community of Wailea, the businesses in Honomu and, finally, I went down to Hakalau Bay on Memorial Day weekend.
Everywhere I went, I met people with deep connections to the old Hakalau Sugar Plantation who poured their hearts out to me. I met people who worked at the mill, lived on the plantation and labored in the cane fields. Down at Hakalau Bay, I met past residents visiting from Oahu, showing their grandchildren their old playground from little-kid time. And I heard stories of loss, property taxes rising and hard economic times.
We have 516 signatures in favor of saving Hakalau Point from development. On June 2, after hearing testimony, the county Finance Committee unanimously passed Resolution 535-16, enabling the county to begin negotiations with the Shropshire Group to purchase Hakalau Point.
Let’s honor the memory of our rich plantation heritage by doing the right thing and, in return, giving the people a place to respect and enjoy — Hakalau Point.
Barbara Alford Lee Loy
Hakalau