• Thankfulness • Truth versus fantasy Thankfulness There are many things to be thankful for on Kaua‘i this time of the year and I would like to lighten things up in a somewhat sardonic way and share what I am thankful
• Thankfulness • Truth versus fantasy
Thankfulness
There are many things to be thankful for on Kaua‘i this time of the year and I would like to lighten things up in a somewhat sardonic way and share what I am thankful for on our awesome cosmic island.
1- We have a mayor that can sing and dance, which of course is a priority when deciding who to cast your vote for.
2- We have a bus service which eliminated the most popular bus stop at Walmart giving us the opportunity to stretch our legs while getting off at Wilcox Memorial Hospital, the closest bus stop to Walmart.
3-We have no ferry service even though we are an island community in the middle of the Pacific. The airlines now have an monopoly on flying and it feels wonderful spending in excess of $160.00 on a round-trip to O‘ahu (approximately 60 miles one way), the approximate same price to fly cross country on the mainland with Southwest Airlines special holiday fares.
4-We have time to relax waiting in traffic almost everyday, therefore allowing us time to burn excess gas and catch up on texting and phone calls.
5- Last but not least on a serious note, the main thing we have to be thankful for is freedom of speech and being able to express ourselves in letters to the editor in The Garden Island newspaper.
I believe everyday is Thanksgiving, but it’s still nice to have a holiday to give thanks and give! May G-d, Darwin or whoever and whatever you believe in bless America and bring our country out of the worst recession in our remarkable nation’s history!
Happy Thanksgiving.
James “Kimo” Rosen, Kapa‘a
Truth versus fantasy
The Garden Island published an article Nov. 18 regarding activities at Lepe‘uli property owned by Waioli Corporation, a non-profit corporation that owns and operates the Grove Farm Homestead Museum, the Waioli Mission House Museum and other cultural and historic properties on Kaua‘i. The article contained inaccurate and incomplete information.
Earlier this year Waioli Corporation entered into a contract for rock sale and removal with Jennings Pacific LLC, which has been contracted by the State to perform rehabilitation and repair work on two reservoir dams on Kaua‘i. Jennings Pacific is required to provide the rock necessary to rehab the reservoirs. The rock used on those jobs must be processed to various sizes to comply with the State contract.
The only rock that has been removed from Lepe‘uli is surface rock, much of which was piled throughout the property by past agricultural uses. The history of the piled rocks was confirmed prior to commencement of the work by a study conducted by Dr. David Burney, Ph.D. with the National Tropical Botanical Garden and Terry L. Hunt, Ph.D., Department of Anthropology, University of Hawaii on a coastal archaeological site earlier in the year. There has been no quarrying activity on the property as that term is normally understood. A quarry is usually defined as involving excavation. This does not define Waioli Corporation’s or Jennings Pacific’s activities.
Waioli’s lessee Paradise Ranch has a Soil Conservation Plan that has been developed with and approved by the Natural Resources Conservation Service and the East & West Soil Conservation District. The Plan encourages the clearing of additional pasture areas and other improvements consistent with good pasture management standards. Based upon the Plan the County Department of Public Works on Feb. 28, 2011 issued an agricultural exemption from the County’s normal grading, grubbing and stockpiling requirements for the property. Initially Waioli and Jennings believed that this exemption covered rock gathering, processing and removal activities.
The rock activities were relocated by Jennings Pacific from mauka portions of the property to lower makai portions (still over 2,300 feet from the shoreline) in order to minimize noise and sight impact on neighboring owners. A letter from Waioli Corporation Museum Director Robert J. Schleck dated August 5 to neighbors explained the reasons for the rock work, apologized for any inconvenience caused, and assured the neighbors that the work had been relocated to minimize the impact on them.
On Aug. 23 the County Planning Department informed Waioli by way of a Zoning Compliance Notice that rock processing came under the definition of “Industrial Mineral Processing (Quarry Operations and or Rock Crushing)” and Waioli was directed to cease and desist the rock processing within 15 days. The County Notice did not prohibit gathering, stockpiling or removal of the rock. Waioli complied with this requirement, all rock processing was halted and the County was so notified in writing. Since that time there has been no rock processing or crushing on the property.
The Lepe‘uli site has been inspected by County and State inspectors. With the exception of the County’s August 23 Zoning Compliance Notice no violations have been found and Waioli has complied with all requests made by the government agencies.
The Nov. 18 article states that Waioli has been engaged in rock quarrying. As stated above that is an inaccurate description of the work. The Garden Island article also implies that quarrying is continuing. This is not true.
The article was accompanied by photographs taken by trespassers on Waioli’s property and a map. It suggests the existence of archaeological features including a heiau in the middle of what is now an existing pasture. This map is a false representation of fact and it was irresponsible of The Garden Island to represent it as an accurate depiction of the property without making any effort to verify its accuracy or to disclose the source of the map.
Ms. Kallai has at various times been joined in her attacks on Waioli Corporation by certain leaders of the Kaua‘i Sierra Club, Richard Spacer (the Naturist Action Committee Hawaii Area Representative for the Naturist Society) and one or two others, all of whom claim to represent “the community.” Despite their self-appointed status, these people do not represent anyone in the community but themselves. Their false and misleading information regarding ancient trails, imperiled archaeological sites, alleged illegal activities and physical violence against “the community” have been costly to Waioli and are without merit.
Truth is not always as exciting as fantasy.
Donald H. Wilson, Attorney, Waioli Corporation
