Monthly Archives: May 2019

OPEN LETTER TO HONOLULU MAYOR KIRK CALDWELL

The Waimanalo General Public was alarmed when they noticed bulldozers grubbing the wooded Sherwoods Forest Beach Park on and around mid-April 2019. The Waimanalo Bay Beach Park Master Plan Environmental Assessment (EA) was completed on June 12, 2012

Photo by Jody Green

Date: May 23, 2019

To: Office of the Mayor
City and County of Honolulu
530 South King Street, Room 300
Honolulu, Hawai`i 96813

Subject: An open letter to Mayor Caldwell requesting community consultation and further environmental review on the Waimānalo Bay Beach Park Master Plan

We are writing in support of community efforts to obtain consultation and clarification on the 2012 Waimānalo Bay Beach Park Master Plan. Our groups support community engagement with public processes and proper review of environmental impacts of projects planned on public lands and especially our treasured beach parks. Many longtime Waimānalo residents and leaders, including Nā Kuaʻāina o Waimānalo, expressed that this plan does not reflect todayʻs community needs and priorities.

We understand a final environmental assessment was accepted in 2012, but since that time the community, Waimanalo, and even the Master Plan project have undergone significant changes. 

– The Plan identified uses of R-1 water, but the Waimanalo water treatment plant does not recycle water to an R-1 level. Where will the water be sourced from? 

– How will new traffic projects planned for areas adjacent to the park exacerbate the previously reviewed environmental impacts?

– The initial project provided that grubbing wouldn’t occur between April 15 and August 15 to avoid interfering with the breeding season of the endangered ʻōpeʻapeʻa (Hawaiian hoary bat). However, the final plans changed the time period to June 1 to September 15 without a clear explanation. How is the City certain that this important species will be protected? 

– The community has documented instances of archaeological monitoring violations during grubbing. How can the community be better assured iwi and historical sites are protected?

Communities that value Waimanalo beach park have many concerns. Neither the Master Plan nor the environmental review documents have answered them. We urge project proponents to immediately cease tree-clearing and call together a public hearing to answer the community’s cogent questions. Further environmental review and consultation is prudent and needed.

We are a coalition of Hawai‘i-based nonprofit groups organized around protection of our communities’ parks, open spaces, and cultural resources. 
Nā Kuaʻāina o Waimānalo is a community association of ʻaloha ʻāina assembled to protect Waimanalo.
KAHEA: The Hawaiian-Environmental Alliance has been advocating for the rights of Hawaiian communities in our precious natural resources since 2000. 
Hawaii’s Thousand Friends is a non-profit environmental, land and water use organization dedicated to ensuring that Hawaii’s natural and cultural resources are protected for present and future generations. 
O‘ahu Island Parks Conservancy advocates for sustained protection and preservation of public landscapes and open spaces including historic parks, scenic byways, greenways, natural spaces, and related view planes, to benefit the people of Hawai‘i and future generations. 
The Outdoor Circle’s mission is to conserve and enhance the natural beauty and resources of our islands for future generations by providing and promoting environmental education and activities that cultivate respect and appreciation for Hawai‘i’s unique natural environment. 
The Hawai`i Alliance for Progressive Action seeks to catalyze community empowerment and systemic change towards valuing ʻāina and people ahead of corporate profit. 
Save Ala Moana Beach Park Hui is a community association dedicated to principles of preserving our public park spaces.
The Hawaii Audubon Society has been fostering community values that result in protection and restoration of native wildlife and ecosystems and conservation of natural resources through education, science and advocacy in Hawaii and the Pacific since 1939.

Mahalo for considering our concerns.

Please contact Kalani Kalima , Donna Wong or Bianca Isaki bianca@kahea.org with any questions.

Me ke aloha,

Kalani Kalima, Nā Kuaʻāina o Waimānalo
Bianca Isaki, KAHEA: The Hawaiian Environmental Alliance
Donna Wong, Hawaii’s Thousand Friends
Michelle Matson, O‘ahu Island Parks Conservancy
Winston Welch, The Outdoor Circle
Anne Frederick, Hawai`i Alliance for Progressive Action
Shar Chun-Lum, Save Ala Moana Beach Park Hui
Linda Paul, Hawai`i Audubon Society

Cc: 
Council chair Ikaika Anderson
Councilmember Heidi Tsuneyoshi
Councilmember Tommy Waters
Councilmember Anny Kobayashi
Councilmember Carol Fukunaga
Councilmember Joey Manahan
Councilmember Brandon Elefante
Councilmember Ron Menor
Councilmember Kymberly Pine
Kamakana Ferreira, Office of Hawaiian Affairs
Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu, O`ahu Island Burial Council
Alan Downer, State Historic Preservation Division
Senator Laura Thielen
Representative Cynthia Thielen
Representative Chris Lee 

IMPEACH Honolulu Mayor Caldwell Now!

We the citizens have watched with horror the escalating mismanagement and runaway costs of the outdated Honolulu Rail  Transit project. The Rail project was estimated at $2.7 BILLION in 2006. Today, it’s climbing to $10 Billion, with unknown future costs. Even the Operations & Maintenance (O&M) costs and ridership revenues are unknown. The Rail project is under federal investigations.

Consequently, core services are being undermined while our taxes and fees are escalating. Our property taxes have increased. Our vehicle registrations have increased. Our sewer fees have increased. Mayor Caldwell now wants to even charge us garbage fees.   Our mainstream residents will not withstand these escalating costs of living.

More of our people are leaving Hawaii the past two years, due mostly to “high costs of living”. Young parents are holding down two or three jobs to make ends meet only to face more escalating fees and costs. We’re being priced out of our house and home.

Furthermore, we the citizens are angry at the malfeasance, misfeasance, and non-feasance behavior that have been happening at City Hall. 

The list of corruption and mismanagement is long! The independent Ethics Commission Director Mr. Chuck Totto was ousted. The Mayor’s chief Corporate Counsel Donna Leong is on paid leave due to federal investigations. The former Honolulu Police Chief Kealoha is on trial at the federal courts. The city’s Prosecutor Keith Kaneshiro is being investigated and on paid leave. 

Homelessness, crime, environmental degradation, monster homes, violations of residents’ civil rights, violations of state and US Constitution that force the city to pay for settlement awards, abuse of the Community Development Block Grants and so on. Mayor Caldwell is not responding to severe concerns relating to the Ala Moana Regional Beach Park, the Sherwood Forest in Waimanalo, the cries of residents to have basic clean and well-managed beach parks and other public facilities in all parts of Oahu.

We the citizens see the Mayor’s bad behavior; we feel angry but helpless. We see our beloved island worsening. We see ourselves being forced to pay the price for his bad management and bad decisions. 

We cannot afford to give Mayor Caldwell any more time to further destroy our island values and push us out of our homes and island.

Today, let’s take a stand and rise up. We need and want new leadership based honesty and transparency and putting residents first! We don’t need a mayor who disses ordinary people in his city hall kuleana but holds a second job as a Bank Director for $250K a year.

We want fairness, even application of the law and city’s funds across Oahu. 

We want to do away with political “pay to play” games at the taxpayers’ expense. 

We want our neighborhoods to be clean and safe. We need public facilities to be managed well and consistently. We don’t want to have to beg for core services for our communities.

 We want to protect Oahu for our children and their future.  We want an
Oahu where all have the opportunities to work hard and succeed!

We want to live happily in our beautiful island and not be priced out!

We want to take back our government!

REGISTER TO VOTE now if you’re not a registered voter.