FoPF testimony to County Council on PCDP

[Rob Tucker]

As we approach the last two days before the council again takes up the Puna Community Development Plan it is important and quite simple to provide letters to the council in support of our PCDP.

Some of you have I know. Many of you still need to.

Do it now! It doesn't need to be a book. Keep it as short and sweet as you like.....

One letter should go to the whole council with the following subject line and email address. This is called Written Testimony and is part of the official record. A Second letter should go to our District 5 representative Emily Naeole.

Addresses (2): Council Testimony <counciltestimony@co.hawaii.hi.us>
Emily Naeole <enaeole@co.hawaii.hi.us>

Subject Line: Testimony in Favor of Bill 318


Do not underestimate the value of sending letters into Council.....

Also you could send a short letter (300 words or less) to the editor at the Herald-Tribune. Go To:

http://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/share/letters/

Do All Three and forward this message to a friend.

Friends of Puna's Future (FoPF) will be posting it's testimony here in a couple hours.....

[Rob Tucker]

Friends of Puna’s Future
P.O. Box 1959, Pahoa, HI 96778

July 26, 2008

Honorable Angle Pilago, Chairman
Hawaii County Council Committee on Planning

Re: Council Bill 318 - Puna Community Development Plan
In support of passage without amendments.

Aloha Chairman Pilago and fellow Council Members,

I am writing as president of Friends of Puna’s Future (FoPF) which was organized last year largely, but not exclusively, in support of passage of the Puna Community Development Plan (PCDP). I ask you to consider the following compiled statements in support of the PCDP.

The Puna Community Development Plan was initiated by the Planning Department and carried forward as a broad community effort. As a personal participant I found it was an enlightening undertaking which brought forth a diverse range of residents with little prior acquaintance.

The operative word and function of this plan was “community”. In it’s workings and mechanisms it functioned rather well and above expectations until the last weeks when the Final Draft was prepared.

We believe that the final, last minute changes, deletions and insertions made in the PCDP have resulted in the current environment of massive amendments and considerable tension.

We believe that the lack of sufficient community involvement in both the final stages of the PCDP draft effort and NO involvement in the amendment process have resulted in the current environment of massive amendment proposals and considerable tension. The council, as it is poised to continue on July 30th, will face the choice of either enhancing community involvement or diminishing community involvement.

It is an important choice. The community is watching.

FoPF does not want to see the word ”Community” removed from the The Puna Community Development Plan.

page 1 of 5


On July 1st, walking into council chambers, I was aware of six proposed amendments. The next day I learned that there were then twenty seven. Walking into last Friday’s meeting in Pahoa I thought there were "only" forty one. At the end of that meeting I understand that there are now fifty nine.

If you need a calculator to count the amendments you better be able to understand what's going on.

At this writing the final thirty two (32) proposed amendments are unknown to us. It is not an effective community building approach to minimize community participation and keep people in the dark. The handlers of the PCDP may say “trust us” as they draft and redraft amendments. We respond with the same intent. Trust us to pursue a community based amendment process. How can so many amendments be contemplated by interested and concerned residents in so short a time?

What is a bit sickening is that people such as Councilwoman Emily Naeole and Bill Walter of W.H. Shipman, who insist the the amendments must precede passage, depend on a process which essentially eliminates the community's ability to thoroughly understand or appreciate the impacts of each amendment. Too many amendments, not enough time and not enough community process. So now the effort is placed in the hands of the “professionals”. We wish that gave us hope. It does not.

Many, if not all, of the proposed amendments would benefit from a lengthy amendment process. Larry Brown explained to me that the most recent proposed amendments are being put forth to "improve" some of the earlier amendments.

So it seems the "repairs" needed some "repair".

It also seems that if the special interests and those with minimal knowledge who promote and demand amendment to the PCDP at this time are having trouble writing them correctly and to their purpose then some help from the community might not just be justified but actually be required.

The "best case scenario" for passing the PCDP (from Larry Brown of the Planning Department) involves everything going smoothly and quickly to pass the plan by December 1st. Every step on that path provides opportunity for more amendments and proposals. Are there any signs or indications that this process is going smoothly?


page 2 of 5

Last week we asked Chris Yuen what was the “worst case scenario” for the PCDP. Mr. Yuen replied that there were too many worst cases to describe.

Last Friday’s meeting in Pahoa VIllage brought for an intriguing and valid point, hIghlighted in Saturday’s Hilo Herald-Tribune that people from some subdivisions came to the meeting to complain.

God Bless the Complainers.

We have to say that we are so pleased that people from various quarters are showing up to complain about the PCDP. To complain requires some degree of interest and to actually get up and go somewhere in public and complain shows a commitment bordering on activism.

Everyone I know of that participated on the PCDP was always wishing more people would come forth. Many hands make light work. It can be annoying to have those that were not working on the plan complain about the work product but if we can pass the PCDP and actually bring it into existence I am confident that many, many more residents of Puna - concerned about the impacts of the plan on themselves - will come forth to participate on the amendment process.

This is all very good and provides credibility to the argument to:

Pass it Now / Amend it Later.

The Amendment Song: “Me, me, me”.

A new level of participation in the PCDP will be engendered by a lengthy participatory amendment process. People who did not take the time or show interest in the earlier phases of the PCDP are beginning to step forward as they perceive their self interests are at stake.

The song that will get sung regularly in a community driven amendment process could be titled “Me, me, me”. You can imagine the lyrics. It is not inappropriate to sing this tune. Democracy is built with it. W.H. Shipman sings this tune today. It is the tune of self interest. Others with less access will sing it when they are motivated and can get in the door . It is part of the process.



page 3 of 5


The PCDP Song: We, we, we.

Uniquely perhaps, the song that was sung throughout the Working Group efforts could be titled “We, we, we”. Bill Walters of W.H. Shipman knows this to be true. He was there regularly at Land Use Working Group meetings. He was part of the “we”. While he expresses his displeasure at not having a seat on the Steering Committee he cannot complain about his welcome or participation on the Working Group level.

The issue of who speaks for those who do not speak up was raised regularly by some advocates. Hannah Hedrick and others were very vocal on that topic. It was hard to find a magic mirror or crystal ball to inform us of the opinions of the uninvolved. But we tried.

Why amend it later? Because...

1. We can and will anyway.
2. The process is designed to provide for amendment.
3. The community needs to be part of the amendment process.
4. The people who created the bad clauses are being invited to work on it some more.
5. More residents will come into the process to amend.
6. The PCDP will immediately achieve a measure of success if passed and that will inspire improved community involvement.
7. Major landowners, despite talk of retaliation, will
immediately work to effect their desired amendments- as they should.
8. No community plan can be “perfect” in everyone’s eyes.
9. The opportunity is at hand.
10. The times demand a new approach to development in Hawaii.
11. Thousands of hours of effort are at risk of being wasted.
12. The purpose of government is to serve the will of the people.


FoPF’s Intended Amendment:

FoFP proposed at the Planning Commission that the Implementation Process of the PCDP be amended to extend the PCDP and include separate “steering committees” to be formed around each individual Village Center. We are convinced that this mechanism will increase participation and involvement to a degree so far only wished for. If the PCDP survives the current process we will promote this amendment to an upcoming Action Committee.

page 4 of 5

An Analogy:

Imagine that the PCDP is a plane flight coming in from Puna. It has been a long flight through turbulent weather and the passengers are tired and cranky. The plane is low on fuel. Repairs are needed.

The flight controller - Chris Yuen - says to divert the landing and circle the airport while repairing the plane in mid air. Not surprisingly the passengers find this alarming. Their preference is to land the plane, unload the passengers and baggage and send the plane to the maintenance hanger for inspection and repair. To do otherwise risks the flight crashing and burning.

Meanwhile the flights from the Kona CDP and the Kohala CDP are approaching.

We say: LAND THE PLANE

We maintain:

If there is a Puna Community Development Plan it can and will be amended.

If there is no Puna Community Development Plan then amendments will be meaningless.

In Closing:

To those council members that understand and support a community effort and want to see it expand and continue within the County of Hawaii -

Mahalo,


Rob Tucker, President


page 5 of 5

[janet]

Just sent the following message to the Council Planning Committee. Can't make it any shorter or "sweeter". Feel free to use any part of it in your own e-mails.

The Honorable Angel Pilago, Chairman
Hawaii County Council Committee on Planning

Reference: Bill 318 on the Puna Community Development Plan

As a registered voter of Puna, I wish to wholeheartedly and unequivocally associate myself with and support the message conveyed in the letter to the Committee dated 26 July from the Friends of Puna's Future.

[Name and address appeared here]

[Mitzi M]

Thanks for posting FOPF's well crafted letter.
I know it is late in the game but I got my letters emailed today.
I know it's not too late!

See you all tomorrow....early[|)]

Aloha,
Mitzi