On July 1, a “Silent March” took place in Kekaha, Kaua‘i, Hawai‘i to express the community’s disdain about graffiti that appeared overnight on several buildings and on the smokestack of the sugar mill. It was a march to express the
On July 1, a “Silent March” took place in Kekaha, Kaua‘i, Hawai‘i to express the community’s disdain about graffiti that appeared overnight on several buildings and on the smokestack of the sugar mill. It was a march to express the community’s solidarity and concern about the future of a town that has had no economic base since the sugar plantation closed down nearly a decade ago.
A developer from the state of Washington had purchased two mill sites on Kaua‘i several years ago, one in Lihu‘e and the other in Kekaha. The mill site in Kekaha became a dumping ground for abandoned vehicles for awhile, and because the community complained, the vehicles were removed and the area was fenced in. Yet, there are those who continue to congregate nearby under the cover of dark and with access to dirt roads that lead hither and yon to clandestine areas for deals and intrigues that take place at all hours of the night into the wee hours of the morning. Cars have been heard careening recklessly all over Kekaha, indubitably the result of the debilitating effects of “ice.” Thus, the town of Kekaha, once serene and insulated, has become a part of excesses that pervade any town and any city, USA.
An inquiry was made in 2006 about the purchase of the Kekaha Mill with the intent to provide alternative electric energy sources to the local co-op. An RFP was submitted and declined. A year later, another proposal was submitted for consideration. That, too, was put on hold. In the meantime, surveyors have been at the mill site, signaling again, an inquiry on the possibility of the mill site being purchased.
Once more, speculation arises. The Kekaha community wants to know. At one time, we had been told by the developer from the state of Washington that if he had access to the water, he would build 400 condominiums in the middle of town. He made that statement at a town meeting held at the Kekaha School cafetorium. We have “heard” that the ditches that surround Kekaha are the subject of concern in terms of the financial burden and responsibility for maintenance. Twice since the plantation shut down, Kekaha town was flooded over because of inadequate maintenance. Will the community be held hostage to this peril at each rainy season? The community needs to know.
Old-time residents of Kekaha are familiar with a hydro-electrical plant that is connected to Kekaha Mill. So is the one in Lihu‘e. Both mills were run by American Factors, which had the foresight of attaching both facilities to hydro-electrical plants to augment the operations of each site.
Now that the mills are no longer in operation, the control, distribution, and disbursement of the water are of prime concern to all stakeholders. Water, essentially, is the key component to development, to industry, to health and to survival, period.
The decision to be made about the control, distribution, and disbursement of water as it directly impacts the community of Kekaha is certainly of primary concern to the residents of Kekaha. That decision will impact the kind of growth in our community in terms of time and numbers. Should not the residents (for being directly affected) be prepared to be pro-active participants in that decision and in the procedures to follow?
Who can provide us the answers to the array of scenarios being considered? What are the rights of the constituency being directly impacted? Who will be responsible for providing the mechanisms by which adjustments can be made because of the growth in the community and the demands that will come with it?
Already, Kekaha is the fourth largest community on the island of Kaua‘i. Already, the proliferation of transient vacation rentals has mushroomed in an undesignated area to provide accommodations for visitors. Already, the community is surrounded by genetically modified agricultural industries. Already, Kekaha is the community that directly interfaces with the Pacific Missile Range Facility, the strategic defense component for the entire free world. Add to all that, Kekaha is one of the community gateways to the “crown-jewel of Kaua‘i,” the Koke‘e mountains, which attracts over a million tourists annually.
Thus, as the southwestern-most small town in the United States of America in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, the residents of Kekaha community need and want to know.
To those of you who are in positions of authority, to those of you who have the power of decision, to those of you who hold our destiny in your hands …
What say you?
• Jose Bulatao Jr. is a resident of Kekaha, vice chair of the Kauai Westside Watershed Council and a Kaua‘i Museum living treasure.
