09-11-2009, 10:09 AM
Yesterday, September 10th, was the first birthday of the Puna Community Development Plan. Mayor Harry Kim signed it into law on this date in 2008.
We are all amazed at the lack of progress a year has wrought. The PCDP was the first to become law and is poised to be the last to be implemented. Can this be an accident?
FoPF has now made ten written requests to meet with our honorable Mayor to discuss Puna issues and the PCDP. To date we have not received any acknowledgment of our requests to meet. While we understand that the mayor is a busy man and we, as a group or as individuals, have no automatic entitlement to a meeting we do feel that any citizen or citizen group should merit at least an acknowledgment of a simple request to meet. None to date.
This is reminiscent of the passage in 2008 where the Planning Director Chris Yuen and Council members Naeole and Yoshimoto met only with the largest landowner in the district to plan proposed amendments.
The actual and real application of the PCDP will remain with the community no matter what slow hand performance takes place by our county administration.. I do want to recognize Larry Brown and Rachelle Ley of the Planning Department for their consistent efforts and thank them for being there for this long year and beyond.
So on this first birthday of the Puna Community Development Plan I want to renew Friends of Puna's Future's pledge to pay attention, not lose spirit and continue on the path which the County of Hawaii invited us on - the mobilization of community interests to determine the future and shape of our home district. Our numbers and abilities have been growing this past year and continue to expand.
Best wishes for the 2nd Birthday to the Puna Community Development Plan too.
Rob Tucker
www.fopf.org
We are all amazed at the lack of progress a year has wrought. The PCDP was the first to become law and is poised to be the last to be implemented. Can this be an accident?
FoPF has now made ten written requests to meet with our honorable Mayor to discuss Puna issues and the PCDP. To date we have not received any acknowledgment of our requests to meet. While we understand that the mayor is a busy man and we, as a group or as individuals, have no automatic entitlement to a meeting we do feel that any citizen or citizen group should merit at least an acknowledgment of a simple request to meet. None to date.
This is reminiscent of the passage in 2008 where the Planning Director Chris Yuen and Council members Naeole and Yoshimoto met only with the largest landowner in the district to plan proposed amendments.
The actual and real application of the PCDP will remain with the community no matter what slow hand performance takes place by our county administration.. I do want to recognize Larry Brown and Rachelle Ley of the Planning Department for their consistent efforts and thank them for being there for this long year and beyond.
So on this first birthday of the Puna Community Development Plan I want to renew Friends of Puna's Future's pledge to pay attention, not lose spirit and continue on the path which the County of Hawaii invited us on - the mobilization of community interests to determine the future and shape of our home district. Our numbers and abilities have been growing this past year and continue to expand.
Best wishes for the 2nd Birthday to the Puna Community Development Plan too.
Rob Tucker
www.fopf.org
Assume the best and ask questions.
Punaweb moderator
Punaweb moderator