With the clock ticking down to the expiration of the purchase option held by erstwhile developer Pat Blew’s Sea Mountain Five partners, ownership of the decaying remnants of the Sea Mountain resort on the Big Island at Punaluu, Kau, will soon again be placed in question.

At a meeting of 50 Kau residents Jan. 14, Councilman Bob Jacobson whose district includes the Punaluu area, attempted to begin formation of a 501c3 non-profit to manage the publicly held lands now in the area. According to Jacobson, the Hawaii County Department of Parks and Recreation requires that the 501c3 be independent of all other organizations in the area.

Supposedly the non-profit would contract with the county to manage any additional public lands acquired in the Punaluu area. They would replace jobs normally filled by unionized public park maintenance workers. The county currently leases the ground under the Punaluu County Park and the state owns all shoreline lands up to the shoreline certification line.

Jacobson’s Resolution 169-07, passed with a bare five vote majority of the Council Sept. 19, directs County Finance Director Bill Takaba to initiate negotiations to purchase part of Punalu`u with Blew and his partners. All indications are that those negotiations have gone nowhere and have no prospect for success.

Additional public lands may be in the offing but not County lands. Asked about the status of negotiations to purchase the property, Jacobson said, “We are in the process of obtaining it.”

Jacobson then told the audience he had no idea what if anything Takaba had done to negotiate a purchase. Blew has publicly stated he is unwilling to sell on the terms dictated by 169-07. Jacobson then added: “OHA has expressed an interest, just like Wao Kele O Puna. (OHA Trustee) Bob Lindsey has expressed interest. The $8 billion Kamehameha Schools has also expressed interest in acquiring the land it once owned.”

The Big Island’s 25,856 acre Wao Kele O Puna tract was placed under the control of Dedman’s Pele Defense Fund after OHA took ownership last year.

Jacobson’s original version of Council Resolution 169-07, Jacobson sought to assign control of Punaluu to KPI. Guy Enriques is a leader of O Kau Kakou (OKK) and is campaigning to win Jacobson’s council seat. Enriques asked Jacobson for an independent outside moderator to be brought in to ensure that everybody is able to participate equally in the new 501c3. Jacobson rejected the idea. Instead Barbara Lively, a Jacobson staffer, will moderate. Resolution 169-07 passed only after other council members removed Jacobson’s language assigning control of Punaluu to KPI. Both OHA and Jacobson have provided tens of thousands of dollars in funding to KPI.

In essence OHA has paid for activists to block Pat Blew’s development plan and thereby deliver to OHA the Sea Mountain property at what will likely be a deep discount price. Some might term this an illegal anti-competitive practice. Everything about KPI’s history shows that it is very unlikely that KPI will simply allow others to take management control over OHA’s purchase. Some might term that a violation of civil rights by a state agency.

Jacobson’s original version of 169-07 would have also confiscated all the Punaluu kuleana plots of Dedman’s neighbors. This caused many of the neighbors to distrust KPI and join OKK. This clause was also removed over the objection of KPI President Pele Hanoa who still demanded eviction of her neighbors from their kuleana plots at a public meeting June 4, 2007, saying: “There are three families living at Punaluu. Get those three squatters off the land!”

For years, all attempts to bring together Kau community members have ended in failure. In 2005 the state Legislature directed the state Department of Land and Natural Resources to form the “South Kona-Kau Coastal Conservation Task Force” consisting of many of the same individuals present at the Punaluu meeting. The Task Force quickly collapsed. Kau remains the only Big Island community which has not begun the professionally moderated Community Development Plan process enacted under the 2005 County General Plan.

Speaking to Hawaii Free Press, a Kau resident last June described the experience of trying to work on the Task Force: “It was a terrible experience. Kau Preservation intimidated everyone who opposed them, and they were very disrespectful. The yelling, ‘stink eye’ and really sick gestures were ignored by DLNR and other government representatives. After five four-hour meetings, we were still being trained on how to respect each other. After 100 hours of meetings a minority report was written because only eight of us ‘outsiders’ survived.”

In addition to attempting to obtain government seizure of their neighbors’ kuleana plots at Punaluu, KPI failed after fighting for years to force the destruction of the nearby home of David and Mary Carroll. The state DLNR has rejected all KPI’s complaints and closed the case with a ruling that the Carroll’s house is fully in compliance with all permits yet Kau Preservation still demanded the house be destroyed.

Mary Carroll, a retiree from Philadelphia, spoke up at the meeting questioning whether the new 501c3 will truly be independent of KPI. Said Carroll: “We are worried that someone like Danny Miller, the spokesperson for KPI, will become the spokesperson for this new group. It looks like you’re in bed with KPI.”

KPI Vice President Earl Louis immediately leapt up. Standing inches from the retiree he waved his arms shouting: “That is a bunch of crap. The bottom line is you talk to us Hawaiians first.” Apparently KPI believes it can attempt to take the Carroll’s house and at the same time silence them.

The Hanoa family, who control the majority of KPI’s board of directors, have repeatedly asserted that they are “the last real Hawaiians left.” But they have been driven out of the leadership of the Kau Hawaiian Civic Club by other Hawaiians outraged at their tactics. As Lewis finished his tirade, a fearful Lively, who describes herself as “90 lbs,” positioned herself in the inches between him and Carroll.

In response to the outburst, KPI leaders including Pele Hanoa blamed Carroll. Questioned by some in the audience, Jacobson and Pilago declined to speak out against Louis’ behavior. Lively told participants that they were going to have to start getting along “or don’t come.” It was not clear who that suggestion was addressed to.

In spite of the long history of failure and the attitude of KPI’s leaders, residents on both sides signed up to participate in forming the 501c3. These include KPI leader and California part-time resident Danny Miller, and KPI opponent, Guy Enriques, head of O Kau Kakou born and raised at Punaluu and Pahala. KPI President Pele Hanoa also signed up. The next Punaluu 501c3 meeting will be held at the Punaluu shoreline pavilion 6 p.m. Thursday Jan. 29.

What is needed is supervision by the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice.

Andrew Walden is the publisher and editor of Hawaii Free Press, a Big Island-based newspaper. He can be reached via email at mailto:andrewwalden@email.com

HawaiiReporter.com reports the real news, and prints all editorials submitted, even if they do not represent the viewpoint of the editors, as long as they are written clearly. Send editorials to mailto:Malia@HawaiiReporter.com

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