Thursday evening, more than four hours after the latest interminable public discussion of whether or not Kaua’i County should accept 59 acres of beachfront, including Donkey Beach, from Colorado developer Thomas McCloskey, the County Council sent the proposed deed back
Thursday evening, more than four hours after the latest interminable public discussion of whether or not Kaua’i County should accept 59 acres of beachfront, including Donkey Beach, from Colorado developer Thomas McCloskey, the County Council sent the proposed deed back to McCloskey.
“We’re waiting for the developer to submit a new deed, with new restrictions. I don’t expect it will happen any sooner than Dec. 20,” said Councilman Gary Hooser.
When the discussions about the beach gift began two months ago, there were many disputed issues.
McCloskey has since agreed to allow 24-hour public access to the beach and the surrounding area.
He has also waived any credits for future development he would have earned for ceding the land to the county.
The final remaining bone in the deal’s throat is security. McCloskey wants a private security force that can protect the Kealia Makai subdivision on the bluffs above the beachfront acreage. Many members of the public, and at least two council members – Hooser and Kaipo Asing – don’t want that.
If McCloskey retools his proposal but leaves security in, the council is expected to vote on it the same day.
Councilmen Bryan Baptiste and Jimmy Tokioka have been unwavering in their support for accepting the deeded land. Fellow council members Daryl Kaneshiro, Randal Valenciano and Ron Kouchi have been less direct about their position.
But even Hooser, the council member most vigorously opposed to the current proposal, said that if McCloskey dropped the request for private security, he would gladly vote to accept the “gift.”
Commentary from citizens on the issue is the reason the discussion took as long as it did Thursday. The council allows citizens to comment for three minutes at least twice on every agenda item. With nearly 20 speakers, many of them saying the same thing twice, council members didn’t begin their own discussion in earnest Thursday until nearly three hours had passed.
Staff writer Dennis Wilken can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 252) and mailto:dwilken@pulitzer.net
