Wednesday, December 30, 2015

Musings: On Camps

Opponents of Kumu Camp are collecting signatures against the Anahola tourism project to present to the Department of Hawaiian Homelands at its January board meeting.

The petition calls for closing Kumu Camp, which rents 10 “high end” tentalows, two yurts,15 campsites and a “mobile certified kitchen” on Hawaiian Homelands in Anahola. The petition states that the project “has created unnecessary controversy and dissent in our community.”

The petition also states that the developers, who include Kauai County Councilman KipuKai Kualii and Robin Danner, “have been operating without regard for the laws and regulations that protect our land, water, and culture.”

“There should be NO development of an area known as a site of 'iwi kupuna,” the petition states in bold lettering, referencing the presence of ancient burials.

The petition also expresses a “lack of support” for DHHL to award a permit for the adjacent parcel, Camp Faith, to the same developers.

As I previously reported, though Kumu Camp has been in operation for three years, it only recently completed an after-the-fact Environmental Assessment.

The DHHL board voted to defer accepting that EA at its November meeting, in response to community complaints about the project, including construction of an unpermitted, above-ground waste water treatment system.

According to Anahola resident Pat Hunter-Williams:

A petition to DHHL was circulated in 2012 expressing concerns about Kumu Camp and the lack of information shared by the developers before the land clearing began, along with the lack of the developers engaging the community in addressing concerns.  Concern was expressed about the area known as the Anahola Sand Dune Burials and the environment.  Unfortunately, that petition was never sent at the time, but was recently found and has now been sent to the DHHL Commission.

Opponents are bolstering that with the second petition that is now being circulated.

Pat also noted that DHHL Commissioners had asked people testifying at its October meeting, held on Kauai, if they would be agreeable to relocating Kumu Camp — perhaps to the Anahola Beach Park area (across from Smith's Beach). However, the developers did not think they should have to "compromise" with a relocation, Pat said.

This time of year makes me think of a much different "camp" — Koloa Camp. During the holiday season of 2011, Grove Farm sent out eviction notices to the 13 families living there. This created great anguish and angst, partly because of the timing, and also because many were longtime  — even lifelong — residents of the former sugar plantation camp.

The state Legislature actually weighed in with a resolution urging Grove Farm to spare Koloa Camp. But the company refused to budge. Instead, it pushed ahead, claiming the evictions were needed to make way for an affordable housing project. 

At the time, residents wondered why they had to get out before Grove Farm had even submitted its plans to the county, and whether the project would ever go. And now here we are, four years later, and those questions still remain. Why did Grove Farm evict all those local families, and then just let the property sit? 

It was such a cruel and seemingly unnecessary action — especially for a company that takes great pride in being named, for the fourth year running, one of Hawaii's Most Charitable Companies. 

48 comments:

Anonymous said...

KipuKai KipuKai the great deceiver!!!


Doesn't matter what you know! It's what you can prove.

Anonymous said...

danner and DHHL are not on good terms. she went to great lengths to block the reappointment of the sitting director, has publicly discredited their land management program but is still able to build the camp on DHHL land three years before an EA is even filed. If the land is a burial site, where is the burial council in this. how or why did DHHL allow this situation to get so far out of hand? whether they knew it or not, looks like DHHL was snookered and is now caught between AHHA and the community. smells bad to us.

watchful beneficiaries

Anonymous said...

The house that burnt down is right down the road. 4223 Anahola Road. Just checked the records

Public Records
Beds: 3Rooms: House size: 976 sq ft Stories: 1Lot size: 7,606 sq ft Heating: UnknownCooling: UnknownConstruction: Wood FrameYear built: 1962Property type: Single familyStyle: RanchDate updated: 08/14/2015Units: 1

When is your "Abuse Chronicles" Local Style coming out Joan?

Anonymous said...

Good research. Now study up on how to pull your head out of your ass.

Anonymous said...

9:27 Let the Hawaiians figure out their own issues.
Kipukai seems to be a fair man, a smart thinker. If he is involved in some sort of illegal vacation rental business it hurts my feelings.
He has been the center of moral ground and level headed thinking in his role as Council member. I hope he doesn't get hurt by this.
Hawaiian lands should be in Hawaiian hands. All of these folks should be working on opening up the 6000 mauka Anahola acres for homes for the Hawaiians. AND changing the bizarre 50 percent blood quantu.

Anonymous said...

My non profit group booked Kumu Camp for to host guests for a few days because of the affordable rates. During are walkthrough we where told that we would have access to working bathrooms, power for lighting, hot water showers, and locking doors. Turned out none of these promise where kept. The management is inept and rude and will not return phone calls.

Anonymous said...

Joan's only interested in the illegals rentals on the ocean side of the road not the other side. Had it been one of the vacation rentals across the street that burnt down she would be writing for days about it. There are about 35 "illegal" vacation rentals in Anahola and way more "illegal" single family homes that are used as multi-family rentals.

The house that burnt down was a single family home paying homestead taxes. The owner, was renting the house out to a family and the carport shed to someone else. Where was that guy going to the bathroom? showering? cooking?. The owner doesn't live on the property so he should have been paying taxes on the rental and it would no longer be a "homestead". Plus, it is in a flood zone which seems to be Joan's biggest beef. Seems to meet all her standards for her abuse chronicles but not her agenda.

Joan Conrow said...

Seems like you're the one with the agenda, 9:35. There are hundreds of illegal TVRs on the island and there's no way I can write about them all. And if you can't see the difference between renting to visitors and locals then you've got some serious blinders on. Why don't you start a blog that focuses on what you think is important, rather than bitch at me for not writing want you want?

Anonymous said...

10:42, your response is a good one. made me smile and at the same time it makes me think, this person could be one of your heckler's, that really don't get most of your points presented in your blog.

not a thinker, just fire away to challenge your postings.

Joan, I wish you have a great New Year's celebration. Bang it up! Scare away the bad spirit's for your 2016 year.

Silent Majority follower.

Joan Conrow said...

Thank you! I'm always happy when one of the silent majority weighs in.

Happy New Year to you, and thanks for reading!!

Anonymous said...

people that have a caged dog PLUS while they themselves are home!! is deplorable. That's what karma is about...

Anonymous said...

KPD dirty pigs, verizon, county IT dept, state IT dept and KCC IT dept Go Kill yourselves!!!

Happy New Year!!! Fuck the Kauai mafia and their slaves.

Another great year destroying the Kauai syndicate pigs.

#DaLivingLegend #ConqueredKauai

Anonymous said...

#untreated schizophrenia

Anonymous said...

Joan,
All the best in the coming year, and thank you so much for what you do, and the forum you provide...

Anonymous said...

Joan- Happy New Year.
You get a lot of people thinking.
You get news to the people.
You deserve the best in 2016.

I am against TVRs and most BnBs BUT-
Laws should be enforced equally. Law is the core of civilization. Once laws become whimsically enforced all of society is in peril. The powers that favor you today may change and you will be the target tomorrow.
The Planning Department Director and Assistant Director are real assholes. There are many many good qualified people in the department, why the Mayor appoints such arrogant sleaze-balls is mind boggling. These two are a pair of double-dealing, gobbly gook talking, power hungry turd-burglers.

Anonymous said...

Kauai's laws and our future is being made by the beer drinkers at that Beer Pub on Rice Street. A powerful new face in town.
This business has no parking. They ( Big Mike Dahlig) allowed the huge parking discrepancy ( should be 18 parking spaces) to be grandfathered. The law says that there IS NO grandfathering if a business didn't operate for year. The commercial space was vacant for many years. Open and obvious violation.

So a brewery opens. The big shots -Planning Director Mike ( who is Arryl Kaneshiro's blow pal, along with big Mikes asst...2 of Arryl's BFFs), Derek Kawakami, Justin Kollar etc all drink and have funsies there. What a joke.
So laws are ignored. If you are friendsies with the Prosecutor, Planning Direvtor, Derek, Arryl etc and drink a few at the Pub, you are in.

Beer Pub owner wants a Carmel-like Lihue so he pushed the political elites to "fix Lihue up" and voila! Lihue gets millions of dollars for an upgrade, in a community where the merchants and residents haven't done anything to lift the area up. Kapaa, Hanapepe and Waimea have been doing their clean-ups and retro-fitting on their own dime.
Lihue beer guzzler new comer comes to town...gets the elites to imbibe, they all play footsies, Lihue gets millions, Beer Pub puts unfriendly gates/fences on sidewalk (he owns sidewalk), huge parking leniency.
So if you want big dough and easy living...go rub elbows at the Beer Bar.
C'mon Mel, even a dumbshit like you should see that this type of political maneuvering and pay-offs is purty bad. No justice. We were hoping you would get some stuff done. Nope..it is worse, in the open elitism and favoritism, raising the GET, bad roads, overspending etc.
Maybe if we bring Bynum back, Felicia, Gary H, Gary H's kid- Dylan and JoAnn things would be better. Heck, even Barca would be better than the horseshit that is happening right now. Just sayin', just prayin' that after all these years it would get better. No way, same old BS, only now it is in the open. It was better when political favoritism was done in a smoke filled room.

Anonymous said...

danner, kumu camp, tvr, opportunist

Anonymous said...

Echo 6:44 PM!

Anonymous said...

Thanks for your insightful blogs....too bad folks can't determine the difference between helping another local family just get along and those just out to make the big buck! I.E. Those with compassion and those with greed. Although we don't always agree I admire your courage and fortitude. HAppy new year to us all!

Anonymous said...

This is the same with the big unions getting the no bid contracts.

They half ass do a job then go back and re do the job over again and again. They call this job security but its really called fraud, waste and abuse.

The county and state reps are the biggest crooks in the state of Hawaii and Mayor Carvalho is just another Jesse Jackson Jr.

These same Beer clowns are probably the same ones that bitched and complained about the former PA and her first deputy parading around the island in county vehicles Bar hoping.

Anonymous said...

The reason why I was pissed about the dirty pigs and their hackers is: I had bought a tablet with a windows OS. I had created a user account with a password. I used that user account and password and used my iPhone as a hot spot to get internet connections so I could take my test for an online 4 yr college. The new Windows OS have a built in firewall to block you from your email accounts. You have to change the settings and add your email accounts to your outlook email. I didn't have access to the Internet while using the mobile hotspot because it was being blocked. I had used it a few days before and it worked perfectly fine. My mobile hotspot has a password that is stored on my iPhone. So I turned off the tablet for 10 minutes doing other things. I then reopened the tablet and turned it on and the user account gui came on and I typed the password that I used 10 minutes ago. The password didn't work. I tried 20 times using the same password and checking if cap locks were on and still it didn't work. So I knew that the IT hackers had remote access and blocked me from Internet use using the mobile hotspot and second they changed my password on the tablet. The only way they can do this is if they have inside connections with verizon. The dirty pigs and the IT depts have been doing this to me for years on my other electronic devices.

Are they mad because they have to wear body cameras? Hell yeah! That's unprecedented that little Ol KPD has their dirty pigs wear cameras to keep tabs on their rackets.

Over 8 years of being targeted by the dirty pig mafia and their slaves and I am still here doing work.

Are they mad cause I asked Mark Zuckerberg to help fund rewards for the unsolved murders on Kauai? Hell yeah because they know once a significant reward is advertised then they will be caught.

2016

#DaLegendContinues

Anonymous said...

Did your grandmother bark at the moon?

Anonymous said...

You can't pick on one side of the road and ignore the other side. You want to enforce illegal rentals you need to enforce both sides.

Anonymous said...

Your commenters seemingly have lost their minds, one, Grandfathering applies to non conforming uses, not commercial uses, so the one year thing has nothing to do with commercial business areas. The county has always worked on a complaint basis, always, your argument that they have to enforce everything is wrong, for example the cops may not catch everyone speeding, and when you get caught speeding, an argument that they didn't catch the other speeders fails. Same as when you were a little kid and Mom disiplined you, not your brother and didn't want to hear what your brother did last year. No way can the county know everything so they do the best they can. And the paranoid writer should get help.even at the airport they chose only some people for extra checks based on nothing, but is serves to keep everyone a littles safer by the ramdomness of the checks. Some of your commenters appear to have lost it.

Anonymous said...

Best crazy post of the new year!

Anonymous said...

9:30
You are incorrect. One year for "grandfather" is the rule. Obviously you have not been in business on this island or you wouldn't feel that the County Director is doing a good thing. Mike is only here until he gets enough credibility to advance to a real Big Boy State job. He is arrogant and controls the Planning Commission like they are his li'l children. Not one independent brain the commission. That is another story.
If the Planners and Council let certain people go on a continuing basis it is wrong.
Laws are there for everyone. The rule of law is the foundation of society.
The places that have consistent preferential treatment are rampant in history. Third Reich, USSR, PRC, Zimbabwe etc.
A little oversight here and there is part of life. But LAW IS LAW.
Again, I am against TVRs etc. but this Mayor and Director took law and enforcement into their own hands, let hundreds of known illegal units slide and went after the Haoles. Hanamaulu, Kapahi, Puhi..a gajillion illegals. Shucks, even Big Boy Bynum got away with his illegal rental and got 300K to boot. And then the Planning Director composed the Bynum Ricecooker rule which addresses electrical plugs. This made every large kitchen illegal. No plug can be X number of feet from the sink..Crazy!

“We cannot expect people to have respect for law and order until we teach respect to those we have entrusted to enforce those laws.” Thompson
“If you have ten thousand regulations you destroy all respect for the law.”
― Winston S. Churchill
“Laws are spider webs through which the big flies pass and the little ones get caught.”
― Honoré de Balzac

“The only stable state is the one in which all men are equal before the law.”
― Aristotle

I am one of the lucky guys who have had many violations overlooked on many of my properties, but I have been here a while. So maybe I are in the "good guy club". You are cornfused on the "grandfather" dealybob....The Iniki law allowed Coco Palms....unless you fall under Iniki the laws apply. Mike Dahlig's beer place is a direct violation. The guy who did the first build out was held to standard. The beer swiller guy was exempted. ........The Planning Director picks and chooses who to go after or who to let slide. This is not justice.
Plus the Planning Department did NOT ask most of the owners on anything with the weird expensive Rice Street build out. Most Rice Street owners (they are kinda old, y'know) only learned what was happening via the coverage in the GI. Millions of dollars to make Rice Street cute. BS.....Rice Street is dead. The only real business there are the hundreds of State/County workers who twiddle their thumbs in the Round and Square buildings.
Mel lets it go. The Mayor lets it go. Ce la vie! But someday, someone is going to put it together and sue the bejeezus out of the County. IE 4th amendment, 14th amendment etc.
Laws should be for everybody. Not just who you -- Know and Blow.

The Anahola illegal tent city will be allowed to continue. The Anahola Kipikai group will get the Church camp...and the rest of the Hawaiians will be left out. Even as their 6000 mauka acres is idle. WTF.
It was better when everything was done in the good Mayor Kunimura's smoke filled rooms. At least this good Mayor didn't go after people, he let his friends and everyone prosper.
Equal treatment under the law, what a concept.

Anonymous said...

Thank goodness that some one else has seen the hundreds of cronies cars parked at the county family reunion complex otherwise known as the county round building.

That former shopping center was never that packed in nearly 40 years that I can remember. Not even when they had Foodland/big save, Gems, a sports store, woolworths and the county offices located on the round bldg side.

Under this do nothing Mayor the county has become so FAT that the budget is over $200 million on slaries alone and the Do Nothing Mayor wants his secretaries pay to raise from 30K a year to 70K in the new budget.

The new budget is line by line INSANE. Uneducated and undereducated nonqualified people's salaries being proposed to raise from 30K-70K and 50K to 100K and that's just a couple of examples. The third party audit exposed the illegal hiring practices of the county of Kauai under the leadership of this Do Nothing Mayor. All talk and spend but nothing io show for. Where is anything that he proposed over 8 years ago? NOTHING but all talk and lost credit rating because this admin spent all the money and stole gas and a million dollars that was miracously reappeared like Harry Houdini.

The county of Kauai is over taxing it's working class (steal from the poor to pay their family and friends over bloated salaries that these GED drop outs are not even qualified to receive).

This is the greatest thief in the history of Kauai and the state of Hawaii. The scheme has reached to Madoff levels. Chicago style politics.

It's the biggest SCAM and was proven by the third party audit.

Will the citizens sign a petition for the federal government to do a thorough criminal investigation on county and state fraud, waste and abuse?

The county and state should have learned from the road construction fleecing that took nearly 5 years to build a 3 mile stretch of highway, where most of all their people got FIRED and replaced by competent mainland companies.

Can and will the federal government do the same with the illegal and criminal hirings that the Mayor and his corrupt admin were involved in?

Anonymous said...

beg to disagree, business in commercial districts are allowed to continue even if shut down for a year as that is the allowable use in the district , so cite the law for us all if you think you are so smart, smarty. On the other hand, if you are not in a commercial district and stop for a year, then you lose that right.

Anonymous said...

As to the salaries, 30,000 is below poverty wage here, 70,000 maybe too high but no one full time employed at the county should have to live below the poverty level.
Bernard may not be doing a bang up job, but the population on this island has doubled, of course the budget did too. There are more tourists than ever, more poor people than ever, more costs than ever, he inherited most of the problems.

Anonymous said...

I'm sure you already saw this.

https://garyhooser.wordpress.com/2016/01/02/2015-rocked-a-short-candid-review-of-the-good-stuff-going-on-in-my-life-during-the-past-year/

He just doesn't quit. He says,

"Had an interesting year on the Kauai County Council. Would not call it particularly productive but it was never dull. Though I tried really, really hard, it seems the 4 man majority that controls the agenda had other ideas. Two of the worst of those ideas was a repeal of the “barking dog ordinance” and new rules forbidding Councilmembers from asking questions during public testimony.."

He talks about the 4 man majority that controls the agenda. I guess he forgets about being on the 5 man majority not long ago creating all kinds of problems for Kauai. Go figure. Thanks Joan and Happy New Year.

Anonymous said...

Thank you! I'm always happy when one of the silent majority weighs in.

Happy New Year to you, and thanks for reading!!

December 31, 2015 at 11:25 AM

The silent majority spoke at the last election. They booted Jay and Tim. Joann and Gary are next. Just watch.

Anonymous said...

Read the audit and you will find evidence that those people weren't even qualified to receive the job offers. Some of those people were hired and not interviewed then interviewed for record keeping 6 months to a year after being hired. Is that how you suppose to get a county job?

So you want to give a Charlie Foster insane pay raise just because.

Nobody told them to take the job at that salary rate.

Now they got into the position and are good because of who they know or who they blow, they now want more than double their salaries. Screw those cronies. Make them earn what they want to receive.

You and the cronies are what's wrong with the county of Kauai.

You receive county welfare checks and want more because you're trying to keep up with the Jone's and buy those 50K-60K vehicles and put some bling on it with drug dealer tint.

Live within your means or else work 2-3 jobs like everyone else who struggle to live on Kauai while they have to support the good Ol boy and girl club of criminals that work for the county and state.

Anonymous said...

Adding a bit of love and light for a happy new year to all, and a special thanks to Miss Joan for all her hard work and excellent writing.

Anonymous said...

I tried to tell you all that someone that looked like the alleged Kauai serial killer was seen driving a green Toyota Tacoma with surf racks in Lihue in early December.


Kauai police seek Lihue woman missing since Christmas Eve
HNN Staff
Jan 1, 2016 12:45 PM
LIHUE, KAUAI (HawaiiNewsNow) - The Kauai Police Department is asking for the public’s to find a missing woman.

Suzanne “Summer” Louise Hasche, 50, was reported missing by her boyfriend. She was last seen on Thursday, Dec. 24, leaving her job at Home Depot. At the time, she was wearing a floral top and jeans.

Hasche is described as 5'5" tall and weighs about 125 pounds. She has shoulder-length, curly brown hair and brown eyes.

Anyone with information on her whereabouts is asked to call CrimeStoppers at 246-8300.

Anonymous said...

4:25. You forgot Mason Chock. He's out too, his sister Malia is Hooser's bodyguard. Anybody related to Hooser in any way will get the boot. It's over, bite yourself you prick.

Anonymous said...

10:58. YES!!!!

Anonymous said...

Unfortunately, Mason (#6) chooses to ignore the will of the people. He didn't realize that the rigged appointment from Furfaro (#8), Bynum (#12), Hooser (#7) and Yukimura (#5) costed all of them. The people booted Furfaro and Bynum. Hooser and Yukimura barely made it. He better cut them loose or he will suffer the same fate. The people are not stupid. Never underestimate the power of the silent majority.

Anonymous said...

Whoa! @4:25 - you sound like da hoos has got to you :-) What are you also a driving instructor for the DOE? Or are you Mr. Kagawas personal bootlicker? The truth is that in 2016 no one will be out. All 7 council members will be reelected and nothing will change. This is the world we live in. Tell me I am wrong. Who will be that special person to move up? Or if like many of the idiots (read Kagawa friends) who post on this site believe, who will be the three new council wannabe's that run for office and are strong enough to take out Hooser, Yukimura and Chock? Trust me, nothing will change. The threesome will only finish stronger and the top four fools will only drop somewhat, but nothing will change at the end of the day on November 4th.

Anonymous said...

Go Gettum Pat

Anonymous said...

12;32 pm Brun, Perry, and DeCosta is the answer. Simple as that. Bite yourself.

Anonymous said...

Another 3 good Ol boys? Wtf over!

Anonymous said...

1-1 @ 7:06 wtf are you talking about? If union workers are involved, then the project has to go through a procurement process. Name one no bid project in the past 10 years.

Anonymous said...

Oh I get it. Bring in two guys who can understand Ross's feeble attempt at English and a cop who Mel can relate to. Get rid of the woman, the white guy and the intellectual. Makes sense.

Anonymous said...

8:15 crybaby are you Mr. Bynum, the crook who got his 4 buddies to settle his manini lawsuit for $300,000 at the Council? Oh I get it Hooser the tax cheat and Bynum the crook are better than Ross? Yeah you transplants are sure good people.

Anonymous said...

12:32 your predictions for the next election are so stupid. The last election you probably had Kipukai and Arryl beating Furfaro? And you predicted Bynum to finish 12th? You also predicted that Joann would get smoked by the top 4 and finish 6th? I think the lowest she ever finished in her 30 years was 3rd. It's the local vote, they are sick and tired of these transplants and hippie Joann telling the locals to trust them. Yah right, trust us to give our fellow Councilman a $300,000 jackpot and ask the Mayor for a cushy job when you lose the election.

Anonymous said...

The woman was safely located in good condition.

Anonymous said...

@ Dec. 31 9:08 p.m. Just FYI, The "fences" around the beer pub are to delineate the areas that liquor is allowed to be served. Any drinking outside that barrier is illegal. He's just trying to avoid costly fines, I don't think he's trying to be unfriendly.

Anonymous said...

Thank goodness because KPD never caught the Kauai Serial Killer.