LIHU’E — Abel Medeiros, a former member of the Kaua’i County Council and former state legislator, has agreed to advise a community group that wants the developer of the proposed 1,002-acre project at Kukui’ula in Po’ipu to address potential traffic
LIHU’E — Abel Medeiros, a former member of the Kaua’i County Council and former state legislator, has agreed to advise a community group that wants the developer of the proposed 1,002-acre project at Kukui’ula in Po’ipu to address potential traffic impacts from the development.
Greg Schredder, chairman of the Koloa-based Lawai Road Action Committee, has said Kukui’Ula Development Co. Hawai’i’s project will create more traffic problems on Lawa’i Road in Po’ipu.
Schredder said there is a need for a “comprehensive understanding of various issues” related to the project.
But representatives for the developer said concerted efforts have been made to address traffic concerns, including building a western bypass road and building a construction road within the proposed resort site to route construction and supply trucks away from Lawa’i Road.
Schredder said Medeiros has been sought out to find answers to other traffic issues, including the possibility of turning an emergency road into a paved access road that could route traffic from the resort to Lawa’i Road.
The additional traffic would further remove the sense of privacy many homeowners on Lawa’i Road have now, Schredder said.
“Having someone of Mr. Medeiros’ stature is invaluable not only to the people who live there, but to the rest of the community at large,” Schredder said.
Medeiros has been a longtime civic and community leader in the Koloa and Po’ipu area.
John S. Carroll, an attorney with offices on O’ahu and the Big Island and who is representing Lawai Action, said he sought out Medeiros because of his experience in politics and his experience with issues of the South Shore.
“I have known him for 30 to 40 years. There is a need for someone of the stature and background of Mr. Medeiros,” Carroll said.
Medeiros said he is ready to serve. “I don’t mind serving. I am familiar with the area. But I need to get more information from him (Carroll) and find out what the program is.”
Medeiros, 83, of Po’ipu, finished a one-year term as a member of the board of the Kaua’i Island Utility Cooperative last year.
He announced last summer that he would not seek re-election to board due to illness at the time.
Medeiros said he has since recovered, and that he decided not to run again because “there should be new blood on the board, and KIUC is going to be around for a long time.”
Staff Writer Lester Chang may be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 225) or mailto:lchang@pulitzer.net.
