Ka‘ū News Briefs Wednesday, November 29, 2017

A cane truck helped celebrate the 2012 Plantation Days in front of the old mill site that will be auctioned off on Dec. 20. Photo by Julia Neal

AN AUCTION IS SET FOR THE OLD KA‘Ū SUGAR MILL SITE on Maile Street in Pāhala. There is no upset price for the public auction at noon on Wednesday, Dec. 20 in Hilo. The Mill site includes the Radio Station Building, which currently houses the Hawai‘i Public Radio feed, and an old restaurant and store that was once the Office of Economic Opportunity, after the sugar plantation shut down.
     A proposal for a Ka‘ū Sugar Mill Park site is number ten on the county Public Access, Open Space and Natural Resources Preservation Commission list of lands for acquisition. However, the county is unable to consider buying it unless there is a willing seller, the price is no higher than the appraised value and the commission decides to proceed.

Clyde Sylva supports preservation of the the Ka‘ū Sugar Mill. Photo by Julia Neal

     The land also includes a metal warehouse, the mango orchard and house sites that were a neighborhood of sugar workers during more than 100 years of thriving Ka‘ū Sugar Co. plantation days in Pāhala. Remnants of old mill walls, waterways and smokestacks remain. The view from the property is of the ocean and the mountains behind Pāhala. The total acreage, according to the Notice of Foreclosure, is a 66 acre lot and a 0.06 acre lot - where OEO was located.
     The PONC application from a group of Pāhala citizens, who would like for the county to consider purchasing the old mill site, focused on the land as a historic site and a possible park for the community that could take pressure off Punalu‘u and Honu‘apo coastal parks.
     Pāhala resident Clyde Silva wrote about the sugar mill wall: “It would be most desirable to recognize one of the most significant structures in Pāhala town. This wall has been there for over 100 years and played a key role in the sugar cane production." Trucks full of cane drove up the ramp on one side of the wall, dropping their load over the wall as the first step in the processing. Truck after truck after truck went up beside the wall. It was important, and it is one of the few remaining structures from the sugar era. The wall is approximately 110 feet long, 12 feet in height, with the ramp about 20 feet wide.
     “There has been a sense of sadness as the town has watched this memorable structure decay.
     “This seems like the perfect time to plan for this symbol of the past, a symbol of our history to be a part of the plans. A part of the plans for the future," wrote Silva.

Old sugar mill wheel across from the mill site, now renamed for Royal Hawaiian Orchards, a macadamia company. Photo by Julia Neal

     The PONC application states: "The historic sugar mill site would make an excellent park for Pāhala with historic sites from sugar plantation days, the remains of the mill and three possible recreation buildings. The old plantation tunnel access to spring water could possibly be developed in the future for backup county water for the community in times of drought.
     "Ka‘ū Sugar Mill Park would also be a buffer between the macadamia processing plant and the residential town. In the long term, some of the open space could possibly become a county campground to take pressure off nearby Punalu‘u and to provide the closest campground to Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. A campground could also be used by groups coming to Pāhala for sports camps and competition at the new county owned Ka‘ū Gym, which is in walking distance."
     Recent plans for the place initiated by the ownership group that faces the foreclosure, included building a water bottling plant and shopping center with parking lots for tour buses and vans and cars and a giant water feature.
     The water to be bottled would have come from the old sugar mill spring with access through a tunnel that begins on the land and reaches a large chamber and water source across the street.
     When the water bottling plant developers approached the County Planning Department for approvals, the Sierra Club, Hawai‘i Wildlife Fund and Surfriders Foundation expressed opposition.

The Sierra Club circulated a flyer concerning the proposed water bottling plant.

     Sierra Club objected to the taking of the spring water from Ka‘ū to export off island. Sierra Club pointed to its legal arm, Earthjustice, referencing a 2014 Hawai‘i Supreme Court decision in a Kaua‘i Springs versus Kaua‘i Planning Commission case. The decision, which upheld rejection of the bottling plant permit, "strongly reinforced principles that water is a public trust, and that private companies profiting off these resources bear the burden of justifying their diversions and showing the resources will not be unduly compromised...." The Sierra Club quoted the Hawai‘i Supreme Court: “No person or entity has automatic vested rights to water."
     Sierra Club also pointed to the use of plastic bottles: "80 percent of water bottles—38 billion a year—end up in landfills, not recycle bins, costing taxpayers money. Often caps can't be recycled. The PET (polyethylene terephthalate) from bottles doesn't biodegrade, but breaks down into tiny fragments. These absorb pollutants, which can contaminate water and the food chain," stated the Sierra Club.
     The auction will be held at noon on Wednesday, Dec. 20, at the entrance to Hale Kaulike, the Sate Judiciary Building in Hilo at 777 Kilauea Avenue.
     The court appointed commissioner is Attorney Louis P. Mendonca, who can be reached at 961-6690. An open house to view the property was held earlier this year.

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THE TRANSIENT ACCOMMODATIONS TAX for staying in B&B's, vacation rentals, condominiums and hotel rooms for less than six months goes up by 1 percent statewide on Jan. 1.
     The additional 1 percent charge to guests goes directly to fund the building of the railway on O‘ahu. An organization called Rental by Owner Awareness Association also points out that proposals could arise on Hawai‘i Island regarding limitation of vacation rentals, bed and breakfasts and Air BNB type accommodations to resort zoned properties.
     A statement from RBOAA says, "The County of Hawai‘i currently has little to no regulation concerning vacation rentals, however, there is movement toward some degree of regulation in the County. We aren't sure of the details yet, but there could be restrictions on rentals located on agricultural lands and general restrictions in the name of addressing homelessness and affordable housing. The latter might be addressed through a basic registration system and/or perhaps a property tax change. Vacation rentals could be restricted to resort zones."
     Television advertising, recently by Air BNB in the Hawaiian Islands, has defended such rentals with testimonials saying that they help older folks earn income to pay their bills and stay in their homes through vacation rentals and that the money earned stays in Hawai‘i. The ads show kūpuna hosting guests, Hawaiian style.
     A meeting was recently held in Ocean View to study any proposals to change rules and regulations of the accommodations business. RBOAA has posted a petition concerning protection of vacation rentals.