Letter to the Editor for Friday — February 20, 2004

• PMRF letter

PMRF letter

I would like to respond to Juan Wilson’s letter to The Garden Island forum about PMRF and the 6000 acres for the passive buffer zone. I think that Juan had some valid points that need to be addressed by the military soon. The problem is he suggested that everyone come to the next Ka Leo o Kaua‘i meeting at the Kekaha Neighborhood Center on the fourth Tuesday — February 24 from 7 to 9 p.m. I have a problem with this, as do many others in the community because this is not the time for the entire island to comment at this town meeting, it is the time for the Kekaha community to comment on their local issues. To have an island wide information meeting at a local Ka Leo o Kaua‘i meeting distracts from the local communities agenda, as there is only two hours a month to address each communities concerns. If people from Kekaha are interested in coming and getting involved in the Kekaha Ka Leo o Kaua‘i meeting to address the concerns they have about Kekaha please attend the meeting, the more local residents the better. As far as forums to present your questions and concerns about PMRF and other topics, such as beach access, to our government officials there are two other meetings coming up this week which are more appropriate venues to address your concerns about this very important issue in which PMRF wants to have CONTROL over what is done on the 6000 acres of land in Mana agriculture district. A meeting before the County Council Committee meeting was held on Thursday, February 19 at the Historic County Building on Rice Street, with the first item on the agenda requesting “agenda time for Commanding Officer Capt. Jeff Connelly of PMRF to discuss the proposed Agriculture Preservation Initiative” (a 6,000 acre non-exclusive restrictive use easement from west of Kekaha to Polihale). The second meeting is Representative Ed Case’s Talk Story town hall meetings which are on Saturday, February 21 at the Hanalei School Cafeteria from 9 a.m.-10:30 a.m., at the Kapa‘a Middle School Cafeteria from 12-1:30 p.m. and at the Kekaha School Cafeteria from 3:30-5 p.m. where Representative Ed Case is coming to Kaua‘i to answer your questions and listen to your concerns, and to find out how he and his office can assist you and your communities. It is extremely important for all citizens of Kaua‘i to attend these two meetings and present their feelings to our duly ELECTED officials. Please feel free to participate in these meetings and bring a written copy of all of your concerns for Kaua‘i to hand deliver to our ELECTED government officials at these meetings if you can as it is this written word which is so powerful in our democratic society. Thank you and I hope to see all of you in the coming week at these two important meetings as it will have a great effect on the outcome of these issues that will decide the direction of change that our small island will experience in the future.

Greg Holzman

Kekaha