Updated at 12:47 p.m., Friday, February 9, 2007
City seeks OHA update on Waimea Valley future
Advertiser Staff
City Councilman Donovan Dela Cruz is requesting that the Office of Hawaiian Affairs "expeditiously resolve" plans to manage Waimea Valley in the wake of last month's announcement that the National Audubon Society is pulling out of its contract to manage the valley.Dela Cruz, who represents the district that includes the valley, introduced a resolution to formally make the request for OHA to give the city an update on how it will deal with the management issue. The council's executive matters committee approved the resolution this week, poising it for a final vote on Feb. 21.
"We've all worked so hard to keep this valley free from development and open to the public, I want to give OHA a chance to alleviate peoples' concerns for the valley's future by asking them to update us on the status and proposed solution to the problem," Dela Cruz said.
Last year, plans were finalized between the city, the state, and federal agencies to purchase Waimea Valley. The city itself has dedicated more than $5 million to the purchase and is therefore interested in plans to keep the valley open for the community.
"This is one of the biggest land deals in the city's history and we just want to make sure that everything is being done to keep Waimea viable for the future. If there is anything the city and county can do to assist, we want to know," Dela Cruz said.
