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Aloha Kale,
Do I "support" the PCDP?
It is certainly the right thing for the Planning Commission to refer it on to Council with a positive recommendation.
Almost all of what is in the PCDP that the Planning Commission will ultimately have control over is the zoning. Zoning is a big deal in PCDP and I can live with the recommendations in that part of PCDP ("join consensus").
There are other parts of PCDP that the Council will need to be willing to be educated about and listen carefully to what the community has to say directly to the Council: Transportation , of course; also, Agriculture and Economic Development.
Individuals who have been directly involved in the PCDP Parks & Recreation Working Group are likely to want to make sure the lens and the filter of the consultant and Planning Dept are removed from what the Council comes to understand is the reality on the ground and the needs of the community.
As one of the Planning Commissioners pointed out to my Councilwoman: the Planning Commission was only one step.
James Weatherford, Ph.D.
15-1888 Hialoa
Hawaiian Paradise Park
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Aloha James,
I am not one to try and read between the lines. Again, I ask are you and your councilwoman for or against the Puna CDP moving forward? Just a simple question looking for a simple answer....yes or no...
It was good to see you and your wife at the "Puna Bash" yesterday...
Malama pono,
Kale
Posts: 1,779
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My position:
Move forward for discussion? Yes.
Rubber stamp without any amendments? Not likely.
Thanks for the music and food - uala ono!
Uncle Sam looked like he was all spent by the end of the day!
James Weatherford, Ph.D.
15-1888 Hialoa
Hawaiian Paradise Park
Posts: 1,779
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Joined: Aug 2006
btw:
As everyone would know -- at least those involved in the PCDP working groups (where the work was done) -- my use of "consensus" was contextual: our mission was not to 'get what we wanted' (as individuals or cliques) but to find something we could live with -- that is, "reach consensus" with others in the working group and wider Puna community.
Kale, which PCDP Working Group were you in?
James Weatherford, Ph.D.
15-1888 Hialoa
Hawaiian Paradise Park
Posts: 1,779
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Joined: Aug 2006
To be perfectly clear, the determinaiton of "support" or "not support" PCDP when it gets to Council depends on precisely and very precisely document is agendized? Necessary: the details of working group reports being official and legal (i.e., ordinanced) the same as whatever the consultant and Planning Dept put in.
James Weatherford, Ph.D.
15-1888 Hialoa
Hawaiian Paradise Park
Posts: 31
Threads: 7
Joined: Jun 2008
Aloha James,
No I was not on any the working groups of the PCDP, however, I have read the final draft several times and support the Puna CDP knowing the fine effort and hardwork that the people of Puna put into it. I was not in the working groups because I was busy with the Kanaka Council Moku O Keawe trying to preserve our resources on this island with the following issues:
1.Putting a stop to Kyle Dong's attempt to harvest 12,000 acres of koa forest above Hilo...were you aware of that issue? If you were, I didn't see you or our Puna councilwoman at the meetings. We entered objections during the DEIS phase and Dong and his co-horts could not come up with the answers and therefore withdrew their application from DLNR. Where were you and your councilwoman?
2.Putting a stop to the illegal buoys that West Hawaii Fisheries Council placed in ko'a grounds(ancient fishing grounds) from Kona to Ka'u so dive and tour boat operators could chase the almighty tourist dollar while destroying these fishing areas and preventing Hawaiians from gathering as protected under Article XII Section 7 of the State of Hawaii Constitution. We met with the head of Army Corp of Engineers at Fort Shafter in Honolulu and met with Mazie Hirono's Office to lodge a complaint. The illegal buoys have been removed and the Army Corp of Engineers has now implemented a policy to seek advice from the Hawaiian community when there is a question of infringement of gathering rights and impacts on the native people. James...where were you and your councilwoman? I didn't see you at any of these meetings.
3.Standing up against the Stryker Brigade when they held their meeting at Waiakea Intermediate School. Uncle Sam Kaleleiki, Jim Albertini and many others were there. Where were you and your councilwoman?
4.Serving on the Bioethics Council and standing up against GMO, Monsanto and the University of Hawaii in their conspiracy to deceive the public with their scientists and RCUH's Kawika Lovell. Where were you and your councilwoman?
5.Protecting our religious freedom at Ahu'ena Heiau when the new owners of the King Kamehameha Hotel declared that they owned Ahu'ena Heiau. We held a statewide vigil with many dignitaries, organizations, hula halau, churches and many others paying their respects and in support of our religious freedom to worship in our church "Ahu'ena Heiau" and recognizing that it belongs to the Hawaiian people. Where were you, James, PhD and your councilwoman?
6.Filing a contested case hearing against Kona Blue Ocean Fish Farms to prevent the expansion on ceded lands illegally. In addition, the pollution levels of this fish farm is horrendous and continues to have a negative impact along Keahole. Other Corporate Fish Farmers have been eyeing Hawaii to move their operations to Hawaii because of the pristine conditions and the readily available transportation to ship all over the world making money while polluting the oceans around the island. Kona Blue withdrew their application for expansion....we won! Where were you and your councilwoman?
7.Testified against the Superstores before the Planning Commission and County Council because of the negative impact it would have on our island community. Your Councilwoman voted to kill the ban on Superstores.
8.Testified against the development of Punalu'u to protect the aina and the nesting grounds of the Green Sea Turtle driving to Kona, Ka'u and Hilo. Working closely with Auntie Pele Hanoa and many others in Ka'u to prevail.
9.Testified before the joint State Senate Committee in opposition to the OHA Settlement with the State on ceded lands on behalf of the Kanaka Council and the Hawaiian silent majority. We prevailed on the vote.
This is just a sampling some of the things that myself and members of the Kanaka Council have done in the last 2 years and doing all of this because we "Aloha and Malama Aina" and did this all at our own expense.
Your inference that I was doing nothing during the PCDP process is far from the truth. Members of the Kanaka Council monitored the progress and provided updates.
Mahalo, James for giving me the opportunity to inform you of some of my activities in the last 2 years....
Kale
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Yeah, yeah, I know, we're all busy.
James Weatherford, Ph.D.
15-1888 Hialoa
Hawaiian Paradise Park
Posts: 1,779
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Aloha Kale,
I was busy and in a hurry above. Another beautiful day and so much wonderful life to live -- outside and not in front of this screen 
This thread is about Puna CDP.
The legislation of interest to me on this thread is that which will go before Council as The Puna Community Development Plan.
The heart and soul of Puna CDP is in the Working Group Reports.
No matter what is or has been said or done by you, the Kanaka Council, the Chamber of Commerce, the planning consultants, the Planning Commission, the Planning Department, any (present, former, or wannabe) Council member, the Puna Community Development Plan Working Group Reports are what matters. (btw: to my knowledge, not any of the three 5th District Council challengers were a member of any PCDP WG; I stand to be corrected if in error by stating this.)
Anything that varies substantially from the Puna Community Development Plan Working Group Reports' goals, objectives, and recommendations is not acceptable in the bill that is to be agendized before the Council as "The Puna Community Development Plan" for passage as an ordinance.
People from all over the community gave their time and energy to the Working Groups. These people did not stop doing the other myriad of things they do in their lives -- caring for keiki and ailing kupuna, jobs, businesses, farms, and other community issues beyond CDP just kept on being done anyway, even as the Working Groups had a very tight time line to meet.
The Puna Community Development Plan Working Groups will have their day and get the final say.
James Weatherford, Ph.D.
15-1888 Hialoa
Hawaiian Paradise Park
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James,
In your post above you said: to my knowledge, not any of the three 5th District Council challengers were a member of any PCDP WG brings forth some PCDP issues that have been on my mind for a while now.
You, I know, logged many days and hours on the transportation Working Group (TWG). I was on the Land Use WG (LUWG). It was a long and arduous process which involved a lot of people.
At the time the WGs were formed at Pahoa High School in 2006 a couple hundred people (it seemed) signed up to participate. We were invited to select one of ten Working Groups to join. You went to the Transportation table and I went to the Land Use table. Each of these two WGs was fairly large.... 25+ people I’d say.
2006 was an election year and I noticed that the Land Use group included three candidates for office. Gary Safarik, Emily Naeole and Brian Jordan. I was elected to be coordinator for the LUWG.
I later ended up with the feeling that these candidates were at the PCDP WG launch primarily for a photo op because I never noticed any of them at any meetings over the next two years. But because they had signed up I kept them in the email loop for all meeting notices and discussions.
I understand that running for office takes a lot of time and energy. I suspect that Safarik and Jordan were emotionally drained from the election effort. I also suspect that Emily Naeole, upon winning office, was faced with a whole new set of challenges and demands on her time.
It may also be that they had decided to focus on other WGs and I was not aware of their choices or participation.
I bring this up now not to be gratuitously negative. But for this reason....
A number of people have made statements which imply that the PCDP is compromised by the lack of diversity in the make up of it’s groups and committees. Emily Naeole has made this point several times on the record and off the record. Kanaka Council members have said or implied this as well.
It is quite frustrating for those of us who did participate to be faulted for the lack of participation by others. Emily Naeole is one case in point. She signed up to participate and then did not.
I did attribute her lack of attendance to her new obligations as council member. However, the LUWG specifically invited her to speak with us more than once as our elected representative. Her signing up for the group in the beginning indicated an interest. She declined all invitations. So we were left to proceed without the benefit of her opinion and the diversity she could have afforded us.
Obviously many, many others could have (and by that I mean have the ability) participated if they so chose.
At this moment no one knows where Emily Naeole stands regarding approval of the PCDP. It will soon be before council. I would certainly hate to see it fail by one vote.
So to everyone who reads this and is interested in the passage of the Puna Community Development Plan I will say the same thing I told our LUWG in early 2007.
Please go talk to Emily......
I really mean this. In lieu of accepting or denying whatever anyone else says contact our council representative by email, phone or face-to-face visit and talk to Emily.
Emily Naeole <enaeole@co.hawaii.hi.us> 961-8267
Assume the best and ask questions.
Punaweb moderator
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* 10 out of 10, Rob.
btw: I was on both the Transportation and Agriculture Working Groups at the outset -- that became impossible and I focussed on Agriculture, while continuing to share info and input with the Trans WG up to and including draft of the TWG Report.
James Weatherford, Ph.D.
15-1888 Hialoa
Hawaiian Paradise Park
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