Island Breath: Hapa Trail - Kauai Archaeologic Site

SUBJECT: HAWAIIAN SACRED PLACE

SOURCE: TEDDY BLAKE tkblake@mac.com

POSTED: 10 DECEMBER 2008 - 9:30am HST

Knudsen Trust Setback

image above: Foreground is Hawaiian setlement on land claimed by Knudsen Trust
Aerial photo by Kauai Historic Sociarty

by Teddy Blake on 9 December 2008

The subdivision committee of the Planning Commission approved the final subdivision of the Village at Po'ipu by a 2 to 1 (Hollinger voted against) vote.

Commissioner Raco kept insisting for approval in such a pushy way that it made many in the audience wonder what was actually motivating him to act this way. Check him out on the Ho'ike coverage. The Planning planner, Dale Cua, recommended that the committee not approve because the applicant had not fulfilled mitigation plans SHPD had requested for a proposed preservation site the developer had completely obliterated and SHPD refused to sign off until this was fulfilled by the developer.

When it came before the Commission as a whole, Raco again was very pushy in his quest for approval. He may have even gone overboard demanding that Planner Cua author and get into the hands of the developer a letter of approval so the developer can request the same from SHPD. He actually directed Planning to do the developer's work.

Two points worked in Hapa Trail's favor with the Commissioners. The first was a strong, powerful and detailed letter from OHA authored by OHA's administrator Clyde Namu'o. OHA demanded the Planning Commission withhold approval until all archeological sites were duly reviewed by OHA as they were not informed of the significance of the Koloa Field System. The second was the proposed breaching of Hapa Trail with no Environmental Assessment for Hapa Trail's breaching as is required by law as Hapa Trail belongs to the County of Kaua'i. Another important issue raised by the community was that the developer needed Council's approval for an permanent easement over Hapa Trail.

The Commission by a 5 to 1 vote voted to defer the matter until January 13, 2009 meeting. We need to step up vigilance now. SHPD needs to be informed in writing, emails and calls about this. If they sign off, Hapa Trail is toast.

The big issue is that Hapa Trail is proposed to be breached and there has been no Environmental Assessment for Hapa Trail's breaching or plans showing how the breaching will occur and what is will look like. We need to get the County Council members on board, the Mayor and our representatives. Any one who has a connection or knows any politician needs to make a call and follow up with an email or letter.

Hapa Trail is also an numbered State Historic Site, 50-10-30-992. SHPD needs to approve whether or not Hapa Trail can be breached or an alternative route used to Po'ipu Road.

The Planning Director, Public Works Director and the County Attorney need to be apprised of what is going on with this application and applicant. We need to keep them informed of what is going on here. I have the email addresses to some listed below...

mayor@kauai.gov Kauai Mayor
cokcouncil@kauai.gov County Council
tbynum@kauai.gov Councilman
dchang@kauai.gov Councilman
jay@jayfurfaro.org Councilman
dkawakami@kauai.gov Councilman
dkaneshiro@kauai.gov Councilman
lkawahara@kauai.gov Councilwoman
dfujimoto@kauai.gov County Planning
icosta@kauai.gov Planning Director
iaiu@kauai.gov Planning Deputy
nmcmahon@hawaiian.net State Historic Preservation Department Kauai
pua.aiu@hawaii.gov State Historic Preservation Director
senhooser@capitol.hawaii.gov State Senator Hooser
repmorita@Capitol.hawaii.gov State Representative Morita
reptokioka@Capitol.hawaii.gov State Representative Tokioka
rds3@kikiaola.com State Representative Sagum
sengaluteria@Capitol.hawaii.gov State Senator Galuteria

SUBJECT: HAWAIIAN SACRED PLACE

SOURCE: JUAN WILSON juanwilson@mac.com

POSTED: 8 DECEMBER 2008 - 7:30am HST

Knudsen Trust Sneak Attack

image above: Aerial of Goodfellows squatting on Knudsen claimed land opposite St Raphael Church

by Juan Wilson on 8 December 2008

Well, those pesky developers continue tp plague south Kauai. They have not dried up and blown away in the wind with all that phoney money.

In fact they threaten another attack.

Two items come up before the County Planning Commission tomorrow. Both should be turned down. Kauai needs your voice there to help make that happen.

First is final approval for the The Knudsen Trust (read Stacey Wong and lawyer Walter Hong) are going for a final approval on plans for Phase One of the Village at Poipu subdivision.

This, as you may know, is planned to stretch from Poipu to Koloa and displace and destroy much of the most significant Hawaiian settlement remaining on Kauai, or anywhere else. Knudsen Trust has not gotten a sign-off on this project from the State on this.

VILLAGE AT POIPU

WHAT:
Planning Commission Hearing
Final Subdivision Action: The Village at Poipu
S-2003-48 = Eric A. Knudsen Trust 65-lot Subdivision
TMK: 2-8-014:019-021, 030 Po‘ipu¯, Kaua‘i

WHEN:
Tuesday, 8:00am, 9 December 2008

WHERE:
Planning Commission Hearing
Lihue Civic Center, Moikeha Building
Meeting Room 2A-2B
4444 Rice Street, Lihue, Kauai, Hawaii

image above: Goodfellows "temporary yard" next to Saint Raphael's Catholic Church in Koloa/Poipu
Picture by Juan Wilson 11/21/08

GOODFELLOWS SQUATTER CAMP

WHAT:
Planning Commission Hearing
Request (10/30/08) from Jonathan Chun on behalf of Goodfellow Bros., Inc., to
Amend Condition #4 of Special Permit SP-2007-04, Use Permit U-2007-21 and
Class IV Zoning Permit Z-IV-2007-25 to allow an extension of time not to exceed
five (5) years in order for the Applicant to continue its baseyard operations, located
in Poipu, Kauai, further identified as Tax Map Key 2-8-14: 01 (Portion).

WHEN:
Tuesday, 9:00am, 9 December 2008 (this agenda item probably will before lunch)

WHERE:
Lihue Civic Center, Moikeha Building
Meeting Room 2A-2B
4444 Rice Street, Lihue, Kauai, Hawaii

WHY:
The other item is related. Goodfellows, the contractors for much of the terrible disruption and futile development in the Poipu area are squatting on land claimed by Knudsen Trust. Goodfellows have created a multi-acre industrial wasteland that is on land designated agricultural. Their temporary permit is to expire and they are looking for an inappropriate five year extension. They do not want to pay for a lease on a site in industrial Puhi or other acceptable site. Needless to say they will be well situated when the Village at Poipu gets rolling.

image above: Goodfellows yard appears to include illegal tire dump, barrels of chemicals and other violations. Picture by Juan Wilson 11/21/08

SUBJECT: HAWAIIAN SACRED PLACE

SOURCE: JUAN WILSON juanwilson@mac.com

POSTED: 17 NOVEMBER 2008 - 9:00pm HST

Deny the Knudsen Trust

image above: Detail of existing conditions at proposed "Village at Poipu" Phase One

by Juan Wilson on 17 November 2008

Our island, our state, our country, and the world, are at a turning point. The importance of these days before the next American administration cannot be exaggerated. Western civilization is deciding whether to continue careening down the highway to extinction or finding an off-ramp.

Between now and the Obama inauguration we have a moment to catch our breath and reflect. Do we bet everything we have left to restart the hyper-growth economy? Or, do we invest in another way of living on this planet?

Near Koloa, in the Waikomo Stream watershed, lies a region that was densely occupied by pre contact Hawaiians from mountain to ocean. It was a region that was crisscrossed with waterways that nourished a complex system of agriculture (and aquaculture). This system fed thousands of kanaka maoli for a thousand years. People; along with yams, taro, fish, chickens and pigs; thrived.

Through a fluke of history, hundreds of acres of this land, between Waikomo Reservoir to Poipu Beach, was never developed by westerners. It is an uninterrupted landscape that rises from the ocean to the foothills of the Haupu Mountains. Over time there was a little sugarcane grown there; a little grazing done; but it was never paved over, or its remains physically removed, by the dominant plantation culture.

The results of that “neglect” is the windfall for us now. The site has hundreds of archaeological remains. This area is largest, richest and densest field of its kind anywhere in Hawaii. There is detailed evidence of how people, maintaining a rich culture, lived well on this island.

It is evidence of how we might live here in the future. The importance of this will be clearer shortly, as we experience further collapse of the world’s economic systems. What we learn here could save us.

This part of Kauai is not an agriculture wasteland, as the developer has stated.
This part of Waikomo was where the whalers came to get provisions for their journeys. It was where the yams and sweet potatoes were grown to feed the California gold-rushers. It was where the mainlanders came to start sugar production in Hawaii.

The Knudsen Trust plans to subdivide this amazing place into suburban lots. At this point in time, to bulldoze this area for a network of cul-de-sacs, to satisfy a speculative real estate scheme, is an abomination.

We need to enforce a moratorium on development in this area. We need to understand the archaeological record to know what worked here for a millennium. We need to emulate, and yes, maybe even improve on those techniques. What we do not need is a rush to pave over this knowledge with a bankrupt system with a dim future.

Two upcoming public events will engage this issue. The Koloa Community Association Meeting at 6:30pm on Thursday, November 20th 2008 at the Koloa Community Center, Koloa, Kauai and the Hapa Trail Walk at 8:00am on Saturday, November 22nd 2008 - about 2.5 hours duration, starting from Saint Raphael's Church in Poiou, Kauai

TOOLS
A series of base maps (8.5"x11") have been produced for the walk in order to specify the location of observations in the context of aerial photography and identified archaeological sites.

They are available here as PDF files:

Hapa Trail Keymap 144k PDF
Hapa Quadrant C3 3.9mb PDF
Hapa Quadrant C4 3.4mb PDF
Hapa Quadrant C5 3.3mb PDF
Hapa Quadrant C6 3.2mb PDF
Hapa Quadrant C7 3.8mb PDF

Feel free to download the files and distribute copies.

SUBJECT: HAWAIIAN SACRED PLACE

SOURCE: JUAN WILSON juanwilson@mac.com

POSTED: 14 NOVEMBER 2008 - 9:00am HST

Hapa Trail Area Development

image above: Detail of existing conditions at proposed "Village at Poipu" subdivision showing some
archaeological sites to be buried under blacktop and Chemlawns by Stacey Wong of Knudsen Trust

by Juan Wilson on 14 November 2008

Remember a year ago when residents of Koloa were fighting to save the doomed Monkeypod trees in the heart of their town from the chainsaws of Stacey Wong and the Knudsen Trust?

Well, it's time to gird your loins for another battle. Wong and Knudsen are moving ahead with "The Village at Poipu" subdivision that promises to turn the largest undeveloped Hawaiian archaeological site into more San Diego sprawl of cul-de-sacs. It will feature a power walking path for its spandex wearing, latte drinking, ipod listening residents.

BACKGROUND
The area of archaeological interest in this map runs from the foothills of the
Haupu Mountains at the base of the Waikomo Reservoir down to the ocean at Poipu Beach Park. It is the largest area of its kind in the Hawaiian Islands.

It is an undeveloped area with countless of Hawaiian historic remnants on hundreds of sites that once was home to a large and vital Hawaiian community.
The archaeological record shows a sophisticated infrastructure of waterways that fed fields, lois, fishponds and all that was needed to support life in this community.

The project proposed by the Knudsen Trust is to pave this area with cul-de-sacs to access obsolete suburban lots. This in order to make a quick killing. At best this will not be a sustainable community.

Better, we should cherish this area and examine the evidence of how Hawaiians lived with self reliance on the southside of this island.

STRATEGY
It is important to associate the Hapa Trail with the historic Hawaiian use of this area and disassociate it from being an amenity for more speculative suburban sprawl.

If you want to live on a sustainable island, help stop this project. It is a dead end. Join those walking and examining the Hapa Trail. See article here for more.