Not every member of the Kaua’i County Council is a believer in the old adage, “Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth.” Or a donkey, either. Mayor Maryanne Kusaka recommended Thursday that the council approve a dedication deed from
Not every member of the Kaua’i County Council is a believer in the old adage, “Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth.” Or a donkey, either.
Mayor Maryanne Kusaka recommended Thursday that the council approve a dedication deed from Kealia Plantation Co.’s Makai Holdings for 50 acres of beachfront property including Donkey Beach – a “gift” to the county from developers Justin and Michele Hughes and their partner, Thomas McCloskey.
The proposed development of large houses is on the bluffs above the beach.
Two public accesses also would revert to the county with the stipulation that they’re gated at night, according to county spokeswoman Beth Tokioka, though Councilman Gary Hooser pushed successfully for an exemption for fishermen to continue using the area after dark.
According to Kusaka administration officials, the developers were legally only required to give the county 8,000 square feet of access.
The deal was first broached in January 2000. And although it is still likely to be approved, the deal between the county and the developers was not completed Thursday.
Hooser and Councilman Kaipo Asing objected, for slightly different reasons, and the matter was returned to the council’s Planning Committee for review next Thursday, but not before there some heated discussion involving the two council members and Kusaka.
Kusaka told the council that the projected gift needed to be accepted before the developers changed their mind. The mayor’s top assistant, Wally Rezentes Sr., expressed similar sentiments.
But Asing, who wasn’t on the council last year when the deal was brokered, was in no such hurry Thursday.
“I appreciate this gift,” Asing said, but added that the developers “get some gains, too.” He said proposed county legislation for beach access, which hasn’t yet passed, “would have mandated five more beach access areas, rather than the one you see there now.”
And Asing objected to the lack of restrooms for the beach.
“I’m not saying I’m going to change it. I just want to review this. I don’t see any big deal,” Asing said.
Hooser asked, “What’s the rush? This council is not known for rushing anything. Red flags go up. A two-week delay is a reasonable request, since we do this on most issues.”
Not everyone agreed. Councilman Bryan Baptiste said his vote won’t change by delaying a decision.
The matter will likely culminate in approval in either one or two weeks by the full council, since only Hooser and Asing have voiced any objections.
There has been other controversy over Donkey Beach, including allegations last year that the developers had hired private security to try to control certain activities on Donkey Beach, including nude sunbathing. And when Kusaka and citizens’ groups cleaned portions of the beach last winter, they publicly expressed dismay at the conditions they discovered.
Staff writer Dennis Wilken can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 252) and mailto:dwilken@pulitzer.net
