01-20-2010, 12:12 PM
I have had discussions with many of my neighbors here in HPP regarding the PMAR. I also brought it up at the last General Membership meeting of the HPPOA, and there was some discussion. The County Planning Director, Ms. Leithead-Todd was present, and I thought she might have something to add to the discussion. Unfortunately, she and James Weatherford were having a conversation in the parking lot instead of participating in the meeting at the time. It would have been nice to have had both an official and a candidate for office bring attention and/or a point of view to this important issue.
There is the usual apathy that one always gets in HPP regarding the PMAR, but there are also some folks who have given it thoughtful consideration. I have made it my business to talk to quite a few of those people because I think this is a big community issue. There are some in HPP who are opposed to it in any form or fashion, either as an emergency-only escape route or as a full-time route into Hilo. There are others who would only consider an emergency-only gated road. There are some who would support a regular route if it were placed and designed with minimal disruption to the community and adequate compensation and remediation for the affected homeowners. (I belong to this group, but have little faith in the County to do it right.) And finally, there are people (seriously, folks) who say anything would be fine since it would be a way to get the County to pave at least one road and set a precedent for some County responsibility for HPP roads. (The last is the smallest in my very unscientific sampling of opinions.)
HPP and the PMAR is a situation far more complex than simple NIMBY. We are a community that has unfortunately not come to an official or unofficial consensus on the issue, but we are a community that needs to be heard. If we are patronized or disrespected, expect passionate resistance. If we are presented with something reasonable that takes our concerns into account, it might be accepted. Emily Naeole has on more than one occasion more or less told HPP "deal with it because it's coming." While I didn't particularly agree with her tone, the basic advice to come up with a position was good advice. We need to deal with it.
There is the usual apathy that one always gets in HPP regarding the PMAR, but there are also some folks who have given it thoughtful consideration. I have made it my business to talk to quite a few of those people because I think this is a big community issue. There are some in HPP who are opposed to it in any form or fashion, either as an emergency-only escape route or as a full-time route into Hilo. There are others who would only consider an emergency-only gated road. There are some who would support a regular route if it were placed and designed with minimal disruption to the community and adequate compensation and remediation for the affected homeowners. (I belong to this group, but have little faith in the County to do it right.) And finally, there are people (seriously, folks) who say anything would be fine since it would be a way to get the County to pave at least one road and set a precedent for some County responsibility for HPP roads. (The last is the smallest in my very unscientific sampling of opinions.)
HPP and the PMAR is a situation far more complex than simple NIMBY. We are a community that has unfortunately not come to an official or unofficial consensus on the issue, but we are a community that needs to be heard. If we are patronized or disrespected, expect passionate resistance. If we are presented with something reasonable that takes our concerns into account, it might be accepted. Emily Naeole has on more than one occasion more or less told HPP "deal with it because it's coming." While I didn't particularly agree with her tone, the basic advice to come up with a position was good advice. We need to deal with it.