HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.C.R. NO.

194

TWENTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2004

H.D. 1

STATE OF HAWAII

 
   


HOUSE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

 

requesting the department of land and natural resources to INITIATE condemnation PROCEEDINGS to purchase real property owned by the galbraith estate.

 

 

WHEREAS, the region of Central Oahu possess significant geographical and land assets that are of scenic, historical, spiritual, archeological, cultural, and agricultural value to the State of Hawaii; and

WHEREAS, nestled between the Koolau and Waianae mountain ranges, the plains of Central Oahu epitomize the beautiful and panoramic open-space resources of distinguished historic landmarks such as Kolekole Pass, Lihu'e, Pu'ukalena, Kumakali'i and Oahu's highest peak, Mount Ka'ala, and serve as the visual gateway to the North Shore; and

WHEREAS, numerous land parcels, approximately 2,400 acres, that are essential to maintaining the beauty, lifestyle, heritage, and economy of Central Oahu, are owned by the Galbraith Estate, which plans to dissolve its property holdings in 2007; and

WHEREAS, among the most crucial and vital property owned by the Galbraith Estate are the land parcels at and surrounding the sacred birth stones at Kukaniloko, the historic plantation Village of Poamoho, and portions of Lake Wilson; and

WHEREAS, Kukaniloko was one of two sites set aside for the birth of royalty in ancient Hawaii, assuring the privileges and purity of their lineage as ali'i and leaders, with petroglyphs and shapen stones foretelling the "mana" of the site; and

WHEREAS, the Hawaiians used the sun, moon, planets, and stars in relationship to features of the landscape of Kukaniloko to mark time and place; and

WHEREAS, Kukaniloko was the first ancient site on Oahu to be officially recognized, preserved, and protected under the stewardship of the Daughters of Hawaii in 1925, and was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973 and on the Hawaii Register of Historic Places in 1994; and

WHEREAS, the protection of Kukaniloko was a paramount issue addressed in the 2002 Central Oahu Sustainable Communities Plan authored by the Honolulu Department of Planning and Permitting adopted by the Honolulu City Council pursuant to ORD 02-62, 2002 (B 26(2002), CD1, FD1), which provided that the protection should be determined through consultation with the Hawaiian Council of Elders, the State Historical Preservation Officer, and others; and

WHEREAS, Poamoho Village, established in the 1930s, is a community of current and retired Del Monte pineapple plantation workers and families, with some residents living at the Village for over five decades, and is one of the few living examples of a simple and rustic lifestyle reminiscent of rural Hawaii; and

WHEREAS, the 60 homes in the village proper have maintained their unique plantation character and architecture, and have the qualities to be considered for placement on the Hawaii Registry of Historic Places; and

WHEREAS, Del Monte's lease with the Galbraith Estate expires on June 30, 2004, possibly leading to the eviction of the residents of Poamoho and the property being restored to the same condition it was received, resulting in the destruction and removal of the homes and structures; and

WHEREAS, the City & County of Honolulu recognizes the importance of preserving the plantation heritage of Poamoho, and states in the 2002 Central Oahu Sustainable Communities Plan that the existing village should be rehabilitated or adapted for reuse; and

WHEREAS, total sales of diversified crops in 2002 posted a record high of over $370,000,000, helping to sustain jobs in the agriculture industry numbering over 38,000; and

WHEREAS, to continue the support for the growth of independent agricultural farmers on former plantation lands in the Central and North Shore areas of Oahu, a reliable and inexpensive source of water must be available to support their crops and livelihoods; and

WHEREAS, the water in Lake Wilson in Wahiawa currently provides water for these downstream agricultural operations, up to 9,500,000,000 gallons per year; and

WHEREAS, the Waialua Sugar Company, which currently leases portions of the Lake Wilson reservoir from the Galbraith Estate and has the water rights to the outflow of the Lake, halted its sugar production in 1994 but has elected to hold over the lease on a short-term, month-to-month tenancy; and

WHEREAS, through the efforts of citizens and government agencies, Lake Wilson has been cleared of the overgrowth of the invasive plant Salvinia molesta, facilitating the resurgence of a fresh water fishery and sport fishing industry; and

WHEREAS, the Wahiawa Town Master Plan (1994), Findings and Recommendations of the Wahiawa Reservoir Task Force (1995), "Report on a Request to Establish a Task Force to Study the Feasibility of Establishing a Freshwater Fishery at the Wahiawa Reservoir, Oahu (2003)," and the City and County of Honolulu envision further developing freshwater fishing in Lake Wilson and the Wahiawa Freshwater State Recreation Area with facilities for picnicking, hiking, and boating; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-second Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2004, the Senate concurring, that this body requests the Department of Land and Natural to initiate condemnation proceedings on real property owned by the Galbraith Estate in the areas of and surrounding Kukaniliko, the Village of Poamoho, and Lake Wilson; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Governor, Mayor of the City and County of Honolulu, Councilmember of the 2nd Council, District of Honolulu, President of the Wahiawa Neighborhood Board, President of the Whitmore Community Association, Chairperson of the Board of Land and Natural Resources, Chief Executive Officer of Bank of Hawaii, President of the International Longshoremen's & Warehousemen's Union of Oahu, Chairperson of Malama O Wahiawa, North Shore Community Land Trust, The Nature Conservancy, Historic Hawaii Foundation, The Trust for Public Land, Conservation Council of Hawaii, Outdoor Circle, Malama Hawaii, Life of the Land, Hawaii's Thousand Friends, Sierra Club, Hawaii, Pacific Islands Land Institute, Friends of Kukaniloko, and Hawaiian Civic Club of Wahiawa.

 

 

Report Title:

Central Oahu Land Condemnation and Purchase