Uncle Billy's Property Gets 24 Hour Law Enforcement Protection

[Sphamayle]

[b]DEPARTMENT OF LAND AND NATURAL RESOURCES
[/b]

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sept. 18, 2023

 

24-HOUR LAW ENFORCEMENT INSTITUTED AT UNCLE BILLY’S HOTEL PROPERTY

Governor Green Extends Emergency Proclamation

 

(HONOLULU) – Governor Josh Green, M.D., signed a second Emergency Proclamation last Friday, regarding the former Uncle Billy’s Hilo Bay Hotel. It extends the first disaster emergency relief period designated in the July 18, 2023, proclamation, until November 13, 2023.
 
A hazardous materials survey consultant indicated preliminary findings of suspected asbestos in the closed and dilapidated Uncle Billy’s building. Contractors will be required to remediate hazardous materials prior to the demolition of the building.
 
Vegetation around the property has been cleared and a perimeter fence has been constructed. However, several breaches of the newly installed fence have already occurred requiring repairs by a contractor.
 
DLNR Chair Dawn Chang said, “We’ve asked people repeatedly not to enter or occupy the abandoned building for their own safety. That’s even more important now that suspected asbestos has been discovered. We will have DLNR Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement (DOCARE) officers begin an around-the-clock presence and patrols of the Uncle Billy’s area to keep people out. For everyone’s safety, we urge people to stay out of the building and to not expose themselves or first responders to the unsafe conditions there.”
 
Several DLNR divisions remain in close collaboration with Hawai‘i County to schedule and plan each phase of the demolition. Asbestos remediation is not expected to significantly delay previous timelines.
 
Specific details about what is covered during the emergency relief period are detailed in the second Emergency Proclamation.
 

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RESOURCES

(All images and video courtesy: DLNR)

 
 
Video – Uncle Billy’s DOCARE patrols (Sept. 13, 2023):
https://vimeo.com/864990300
 
Photographs – Uncle Billy’s enforcement sweep (April 5, 2023):
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/hnyv17aa19qov59njuwss/h?rlkey=adh3d4xh9wjlem2kx1dqylfvw&dl=0
 
Governor’s Emergency Proclamation:
Attached
 
Media Contact:
Dan Dennison
Communications Director
(808) 587-0396
DLNR.comms@hawaii.gov

[Durian Fiend]

“We’ve asked people repeatedly not to enter or occupy the abandoned building for their own safety. That’s even more important now that suspected asbestos has been discovered"

LOL. Asbestos wouldn't stop me, much less an unbridled ne'er-do-well.

[randomq]

Ok, it's a dangerous building, but why am *I* the taxpayer paying for security? What about Honolulu-based developer Peter Savio who bought the place last? Isn't it his problem? Why are we socializing the losses here?

[kalakoa]

Why are we socializing the losses here?

If "we" didn't, nobody could afford to do business in Hawaii.

[HiloJulie]

Ok, it's a dangerous building, but why am *I* the taxpayer paying for security? What about Honolulu-based developer Peter Savio who bought the place last? Isn't it his problem? Why are we socializing the losses here?

Hold my beer! The security costs will be the cheapest cost that the taxpayers will eventually be forced to pay once this blight is completely gone!

[terracore]

Just my interpretation: but I thought that this was state leasehold land, The State failed to renew or sell the lease, put Uncle Billy's on a month-to-month, making maintenance or investment in the property impossible, everything predictably crapped out, and us taxpayers inherited the unleased land with all the "improvements" or depreciations therein.

This "could" have been avoided, but the bureaucracy chose not to avoid it. So we will all fund the security at the property, the demolition, and whatever it costs in the decade(s) in the future while the bureaucracy continues to spend taxpayer's money without any tangible end goal.

Welcome to Hawaii.

[Rob Tucker]

Not many people may know this but an awful lot of county offices are in failed commercial ventures in which the poor local property owners were bought out at inflated prices and the county moved in. The current building department, for example, was once a J.C. Penney. The Price Kuhio Mall killed the downtown Hilo shopping center. County paid, as I recall, over $6 million for the boarded up mall. About twice what it was worth.

[randomq]

Now prince Kuhio has military recruiters, social security, and dialysis... Won't be long...

TMK confirms Uncle Billy's lots are owned by the state now. https://qpublic.schneidercorp.com/Application.aspx?AppID=1048&LayerID=23618&PageTypeID=4&PageID=9878&KeyValue=210050350000

Seems like leasehold is not really benefiting the taxpayers, when other tools like imminent domain and zoning could be used. Maybe we should just sell that lot to a large hotelier as is, and let them clean it up and invest in a nice new resort.