Kapoho Beach Road may be public, official says

[Bullwinkle]

http://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/arti...ocal02.txt

http://books.google.com/books?id=9iAJAAAAIAAJ&pg=RA2-PA18&lpg=RA2-PA18&dq=1906+surveyor's+report+to+Hawaii's+territorial+governor&source=bl&ots=u8jPVS-Jky&sig=W7c3qGKq93m0mqGV2BoguxZ3gzg&hl=en&ei=f0CMSp_VC4XasQPlkeS0CQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2#v=onepage&q=&f=false



"We do realize that previous Planning Department communications have confirmed that the roads in Kapoho Beach Lots are private roads," Leithead Todd added in her letter. "However, it is the opinion of the department that these determinations were made without knowledge of the 1880 map."

one to watch

edit = better link

[Rob Tucker]

The private road I live on may be public too. Anytime the County wants to come repair and maintain the road they are certainly welcome to.

[Obie]

I would imagine this would be tied up in court until we are all very old.

Even if she finally succeeds and they take the gate down,There is no place to park.The county could maybe buy the Lyman property where the tennis court is to make a parking lot.

Might be easier and cheaper to improve the lighthouse road and make a parking area just before champagne pond.

[Kelena]

You have to hand it to her: It was good detective work. Kapoho is a beautiful place and they have a nice community. Champagne Pond is a great resource, but it cannot support visitors who disrespect it. Both the community itself and disrespectful visitors affect the quality of the resource. If there were a government, we would have a solution. The solution is not to simply open the place up to the hordes. The current arrangement actually works pretty well. The Kapoho community has always let me in (thank you) and I have been appreciative of that.

I think posting a guard at the entrance on the weekends is likely to have given offense to the larger community. Thus the backlash.

The whole situation needs a mediator.

[Greg]

The people of Beachlots say they exclude outsiders for health reasons; Yet they turned down an ecotour company's offer to provide portable toilets at Champain Ponds.

They refuse to address the fact that their own outdated septic systems contribute greatly to pollution in the Bay.

I can only conclude that they want to keep this beautiful place to themselves and deny other residents the right to access.

There are many problems that heavy use brings, but the Beachlotillians have lost all credibility in my eyes. The Beachlots association is more interested in maintaining a private enclave than resolving any ecological problems.

I would support mass condemnation, and development for public recreational use, much as we've done in another tsunami prone area; Waikea/Wailoa.

punatoons

[Obie]

There is just one small problem with your idea.The county cannot even afford to provide a couple of lua's ,let alone pay to develope this area.Even if they evicted everyone and provided no compensation it would never happen.

Where do you live? I think your place should be a public park too ! Do you allow camping,picnics and wild parties in your back yard??
Why not ???

[John S. Rabi]

The road was supposedly turned over o the developer during th subdivision process and became private.

Aloha,
John S. Rabi, GM,PB,ABR,CRB,CM,FHS
808.989.1314
http://www.JohnRabi.com
Typically Tropical Properties
"The Next Level of Service!"

[missydog1]

The Beach Lots' collective attitude makes me sick (by collective I'm referring to the prevailing attitude, which probably doesn't represent all owners). They are denying public access to one of the few protected areas of coastline in East Hawai'i.

All you have to do is read the Beach Lots vacation rental ads on VRBO. Over and over, you see PRIVATE, GATED, and they have the nerve to call it "Old Hawai'i" at the same time. A typical ad reads "located in a secluded, quiet, gated community in Kapoho and features its own thermally heated, crystal-clear pool fed by the ocean in the backyard." Crystal clear is the buzz phrase for so many ads - the opposite of polluted. Protected, gated, private, secure, it is selling a piece of Hawai'i where the public is kept at bay, pure and simple. In fact, the phrase "private access" appears over and over again in the ads, which proudly advertise there is no public access to the area. (which is not true, but if you read the ads you will be surprised to find there's a 4WD road in).

Take a look at the ads:
http://www.vrbo.com/vacation-rentals/usa...ict/kapoho
"Gated" "safe" "private" is how they market themselves to differentiate themselves from Vacationland.

Not one ad warns that there are hazards to swimming in warm ponds, not a word about septic systems. All those visitors coming and paying to put their faces in the ponds on property, not realizing about the cesspool leaching. Ugh.

They really irritate me. Another thing that really bugs me is probably half the ads offer snorkeling with sea turtles as a draw. Not one of them explains that turtles are protected. They may disclose that after you give them your money and check in, I don't know, but it's just wrong to entice people with the idea of snorkeling side by side with honu when the guidelines say to keep well back from the honu.

I would love to see the gate ruled illegal.

[Seeb]

This is an economy size can of worms, i bet the mayor is telling this person to find a new hobby

[Greg]

Obie,
I bet if you asked the people of waikea/Wailoa area in Hilo the same question (Do you think your place should be a public park?), back in 1960, they would have thought you crazy. But I really enjoy picnicing on their property today.

I know enough about ocean science and hydraulics to recognize the area is going to be scrubbed eventually. I'm not trying to be mean, but Beachlots is a sandcastle lying in the path of a large wave.

Condemnation isn't that far fetched.

Here's a cartoon on the subject.

punatoons