Federal funds have been allocated for the design of a new scenic stop that would overlook Hanalei Valley, but no decision has been made by the state to go ahead with the work. U.S. House Rep. Patsy Mink (D-Hawai’i) announced
Federal funds have been allocated for the design of a new scenic stop that
would overlook Hanalei Valley, but no decision has been made by the state to go
ahead with the work.
U.S. House Rep. Patsy Mink (D-Hawai’i) announced
portions of a $1.3 million grant for the Kaua’i project and a larger highway
project on the Big Island.
But the state Department of Transportation is
still deciding whether to improve and expand the existing site or to relocate
the viewing spot to adjacent land owned by Princeville Corp.
A spokesman
for Mink’s office said the congresswoman would look into the matter.
The
new lookout, if is approved, would be built within a mile of the current site.
A popular stopover for residents and visitors, the lookout offers a
panoramic view of the valley, including a federal bird refuge of more than 900
acres, mountain ranges, waterfalls and taro farms that produce up to 65
percent of the state’s supply of taro for poi.
The state transportation
agency is proposing a relocation partly because the current site has inadequate
parking and opens the risk for traffic accidents.
The proposed project
would consist of a visitor center with a bookstore and interpretative
displays
If the project is developed, it would be eventually owned by the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, according to the federal agency’s Tom
Alexander, who oversees three federal refuges on Kaua’i.
The agency has
jurisdiction over the bird refuge of more than 900 acres in the valley, a
complex in Kilauea and outside of Lihu’e.
No decision has been to either
improve and expand the existing site or to relocate the site to its new home,
according to Glenn Yamamoto, acting district engineer with the DOT’s highway
division on Kaua’i.
A consultant hired by the highway department –
Parsons, Brinckerhoff, Quade and Douglas Inc. — is studying the feasibility of
moving the site and possible alternate sites and environmental impacts,
Yamamoto said.
The new site, if it is approved, would provide a view of the
valley and the ocean. The existing lookout provides a view only of the
valley.
The project would only fly if Princeville Corp. donates the land.
“Otherwise, the main option for the DOT would be to improve the existing site,”
Yamamoto said.
Michael Loo, director of real estate and development for the
Princeville Corp., said the company has agreed to donate the land but “we have
to see what the plan involves.”
“Everybody is seeing what the consultant
will do,” Loo said.
Princeville is offering the land as part of its master
development plan for its residential-resort community on Kauai’s North
Shore.
Yamamoto said a decision on the project will be made after the study
is completed, possibly as early as next spring.
Two public information
meetings have been held on the proposal so far, one in August and one last week
at the Hanalei Elementary School. At the latter meeting, Yamamoto said, most
of the 20 or so people in attendance voiced a preference for keeping the
existing site.
“They felt it was adequate and didn’t see the need to spend
additional money for a new facility,” Yamamoto said.
About $250,000 has
been spent so far for the work done by the consultant, he said, but no money
has been set aside for construction work.
If the project is approved and
construction funds are available, it would be built by a contractor following
a bid process.
Funds for the design of the proposed relocated project are
part of $1.3 million in federal grant funds for highway improvements on the Big
Island and Kaua’i.
The money will be used to improve 12 miles of a state
highway within the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Mink said.
Staff
writer Lester Chang can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 225) and [
HREF=”mailto:lchang@pulitzer.net”>lchang@pulitzer.net]