Two Big Issues

There has been a lot of attention on the Mamalahoa Bypass and the Wheelabrator waste-to-energy proposal that is before the County for consideration. I would like to talk about both those issues here.

Wheelabrator's Waste-to-Energy Facility:
There has been a lot of misinformation regarding the Wheelabrator contract that the council finance committee is looking at. I asked County Finance Director Bill Takaba to help explain the terms of the contract.

I have not made up my mind regarding the proposal, as I would like to see more information on what the actual and true price will be. Looking at the letter, the council in the inital development period would be requiring the vendor to perform certain tasks that would get the council more information. This development period stretches from 1-6 months.

All during this time, as Mr. Takaba states, there will be time for the council to terminate the process at no cost to the county. Mr. Takaba's comments of should not exceed 1 million dollars is very important in understanding the million dollar cap that is included in the contract. If the cost does exceed one million dollars, then we are responsible for the difference above the one million dollars.

The bottom line, The initial development period is the 6 months, and the balance of development period will be after the sixth month. The real decision which is probably binding will be if we agree and vote to continue into the balance development period. I hope that people will understand what is involved in the process. If there are any questions, please post a comment, and I will respond to your questions. I would just like to get more information, especially if it will not cost the county anymore money.

Mamalahoa Bypass:
I submitted a resolution a few weeks ago to proceed with construction over the former Richards/Coupe property. The land became property of the County on Dec. 3, 2007.

I am against the idea of diverting traffic through Halekii Street because of safety and community issues. Halekii was not designed to handle the traffic of Mâmalahoa Highway. Besides the safety issues, the costs for the County's Dept. of Public Works to implement safety and mitigation measures would more than quadruple costs for that portion of the project. And the County has also made agreements with the community 8 or 9 years ago which say Halekii will not become a major thoroughfare.

I am glad the County is trying to solve the bypass, but routing traffic to Halekii Street is not the answer. I am concerned the County is recklessly rushing things along for Halekii Street without fully understanding the implications. The bypass solution needs to be the correct one, done the right way, in the right order.

My resolution to proceed with construction of the Bypass has been approved at the committee level and should be placed on the agenda to be voted on by the full Council at the April 9th Council Meeting.

Aloha,

Stacy Higa

Hokulia Bypass Resolution

Six months ago, the Third Circuit Court ruled the County of Hawaii had the legal right to use a small piece of land owned by the Coupes as part of a larger road that would greatly improve the quality of life for all. Since then, the previous owners have filed an appeal because they disagree with this ruling.

I have submitted a non-binding resolution to the County Council to urge the Dept. of Public Works to move forward and build the 1,000 feet of road over the Coupe property so the last 2.05 miles of the Hokulia bypass can be finished. I am doing this for several reasons:

First, no matter how the courts rule, the County will be financially responsible for this road. That’s because if Hokulia builds the road, then Hokulia will have the County issue a “Hold Harmless Indemnification,” which would protect them from any liability. In other words, the County would be forced to pay if the courts find in favor of the Coupes. My resolution tries to simplify the process by leaving Hokulia out of the court issue. The resolution will also make the County's court case stronger when the appeal is heard. Therefore, this seems to be the best solution for our County and for our citizens.

Another reason I am proposing this is because this road affects everyone living in Hawaii County, not just people living in Kona. I think about all the people who live and work in District 4 who have to commute to Kona for business and personal errands. I personally have family and friends in Kona, as do many people living in Hilo. I am just one of many Hilo residents who have to drive back and forth across this island.

A third reason I came up with this idea is because people were telling me they didn’t like any of the other alternatives. When I mentioned this idea, everyone seemed to really like it and said it had the best chance of working.

I think to solve our County’s problems we have to stop thinking about just our own districts. We have to be willing to reach out and work with others. Our problems have become too big and too complex. We can’t just think about our own neighborhoods anymore. That might have worked 20 years ago, but we are growing and we are all connected.

As Mayor, I will continue to listen, no matter how difficult things become. I hope you will join me in coming up with creative solutions that will get the job done. Please let me know what you think about this idea.

Stacy Higa