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[As printed in the Leeward People Current, January 3, 2007 Volume 19 Number 1]
The Waimano Ridge Task Force is seeking residents' input on planned uses for the 242-acre site during a January 10th meeting at the Pearl City Cultural Center.
Senator David Ige, co-chairman of the task force, said the 7 p.m. meeting will give residents time to offer comment on the issue before the state Legislature convenes on January 17th.
"We want to collect possiblilities for a master plan for the property," the area senator said.
"This upcoming session, we'll go after funds appropriations (for the plan), which could be $500,000 to $1.5 million."
Ige, who shares the chairperson position with the state Department of Health deputy director Larry Lau, calls Waimano Ridge "one of the largest parcels of state land that's undeveloped."
He added that it's critical for residents to have a say in what the area is used for, which is why the task force was formed.
When plans fell through last year for a regional biosafety lab in Waimano Ridge, it was an opportunity for the community to "step back and see what can be done with the area," he added.
Ige called a master plan for Waimano Ridge that dates back to the early 1990s "not a real master plan. There was no real input from the community."
That plan, he added, earmarked the area's primary use for "developmentally disabled adults".
But changes in laws and treatment practices for the developmentally disabled have made that use of the property "not relevant", Ige said. "The facilities have gone into disrepair and we need to get rid of the safety issues and know down unsafe buildings."
One goal of the task force is to help develop a consensus between state agencies including the Department of Health, stakeholders and the community that could lead to a new master plan.
Pearl City Neighborhood Board Chairman Albert Fukushima said there are several board representatives already involved with the task force, but encourages more community members to participate.
"We don't want undesirable uses, like the juvenile sex offender facility that the community didn't want," Fukushima said.
Neighborhood board member James Pickard Sr. added that the Department of Health still has plans for Waimano Ridge, which could include another lab. This is why "this meeting is very important to attend." he explained. "They're planning to put things there."
For more information about the meeting, call Senator Ige's office at 586-6230.
-Chris Aguinaldo of the Leeward People
Posted on January 8, 2007 11:35 AM | Permalink