HomeMy WebLinkAbout06/13/2012 Public Hearing Transcript re: RES#2012-42 PUBLIC HEARING
JUNE 13, 2012
A public hearing of the Council of the County of Kaua`i was called to order by
Jay Furfaro, Chair, Committee of the Whole, on Wednesday, June 13, 2012, at
2:44 p.m. at the Council Chambers, Historic County Building, 4396 Rice Street,
Suite 201, Lihu`e, Kaua`i, and the presence of the following was noted:
Honorable Tim Bynum
Honorable Dickie Chang
Honorable KipuKai Kuali`i
Honorable Nadine K. Nakamura
Honorable Mel Rapozo
Honorable JoAnn A. Yukimura
Honorable Jay Furfaro, Committee Chair
The Clerk read the notice of the public hearing on the following:
"Resolution No. 2012-42, RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE
ACQUISITION OF THE FEE SIMPLE INTEREST IN LANDS REQUIRED
FOR PUBLIC USE, TO WIT: THE PEDESTRIAN AND BICYCLE PATH
WHICH CONSTITUTES PART OF PUBLIC PARK SYSTEM, SITUATE AT
WAIPOULI, DISTRICT OF KAWAIHAU, COUNTY OF KAUAI, HAWAII,
AND DETERMINING AND DECLARING THE NECESSITY OF THE
ACQUISITION THEREOF BY EMINENT DOMAIN,"
which was passed on first reading and ordered to print by the Council of the County
of Kauai on May 23, 2012, and published in The Garden Island newspaper on May
30, 2012.
The following communication was received for the record:
1. Glenn Mickens, dated June 12, 2012
The hearing proceeded as follows:
Chair Furfaro: First of all, Mr. Mickens, may I ask you, have you
gotten a diagram of the proposed acquisition.
MR. MICKENS: No, I did not get that yet, Jay.
Chair Furfaro: Staff, could you please give this to Mr. Mickens.
Mr. Mickens: Thank you.
Chair Furfaro: Staff, would you also so note to the Administration
that in the future, this is our third request, that maps should be included in any
acquisition, whether it is Parks, Planning, or Public Works, for any purpose for the
County, that maps and tax key references should be a part of the communication to
the Council. Thank you, Glenn.
Mr. Mickens: Thank you, Jay. You have copy of my testimony, I
had it for another item on the agenda but they are basically the same, so I will be
able to read it now.
PH re: Resolution No. 2012-42 - 2 - June 13, 2012
When will this impossible dream of a 23.6 mile multi-use path ever end? I
have attached articles from the Garden Island giving the length as sixteen (16) to
twenty-three (23) miles. I am not sure that the builders of this path even know what
the final product will be. As Communication 2012-186 states, we are again needing
to acquire private land at a cost of $18,551.00 of taxpayers money. Remember that
about a year ago, Councilman Rapozo's research uncovered just one (1) glaring
example of those pushing this path were underestimating costs. The original
projected cost by path proponents was about, I think it was $3,000.00, whereas the
contractor's actual estimate was over $300,000.00 as you remember, Mel. We have
spent $30.2 million on 6.8 miles of finished path, $4.4 million per mile, that has
taken ten (10) years to complete. Again, those pushing this project said that the
23.6 miles when completed would cost around $50 million. Whereas, real math and
actual numbers show the cost will be $105 million or possibly more as property is
bought and condemned, plus inflation. These numbers are verified by the State
Department of Transportation so they are not skewed. I ask those proponents of
this path once again what this obscene amount of money being spent on a low
priority project is going to do for the mass of the people on Kaua`i. Saying that it
will get people in shape is a red herring, just as all the exercise equipment sitting in
a room gathering dust is getting anyone in shape. People only need will power to get
in shape, and not a multimillion dollar path. I know like I sound like a broken
record, I have been on this thing for quite a while since they proposed it. But there
are so many important projects that we are leaving go while they are pursuing this
bike path in the millions of dollars it is going to take to finish it. And again, people
are not going to drive from all over the island to walk on a path if it is ever finished.
You see the problems, you read the article probably in the Garden Island today, and
the letters to the editor about right there at the Wailua Beach Park as you come
across the bridge going Northbound. It is falling into the ocean, there is hardly any
sand left there, somebody called me the other day about it, the lifeguard station, I
do not know, they moved it, I do not know. I heard before that somebody said it had
actually fallen over, the lifeguard station. So there is many, many issues that need
addressing that we should be devoting our time and energy to doing. Thank you
very much, Jay, and thank you for the map.
Chair Furfaro: I think Vice Chair Yukimura has a q uestion for
you. I saw your hand up, I am sorry. You do not have a question? And then you have
the map, Glenn?
Mr. Mickens: Yes, Jay, thank you.
Chair Furfaro: We will make that request to the Administration in
the future.
Mr. Mickens: Thank you.
Chair Furfaro: Thank you.
There being no further testimony on this matter, the public hearing
adjourned at 2:48 p.m.
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Administrative Ass'ant
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