Hana residents press county to fix roads and waterlines, complete parks and speed affordable housing work
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Summary
Multiple Hana residents told the Budget, Finance and Economic Development Committee that county roads and water breaks damage vehicles and impede transportation, requested completion of a playground and skate-park parking, and pressed for faster progress on local affordable housing and pathway projects.
Residents and community leaders used the Hana public-input hearing to raise infrastructure concerns ranging from road conditions and recurring waterline breaks to incomplete park projects and delays on affordable housing.
Retired teacher Dean Warner described the road between town and Kalpoe as "miserable," saying heavy construction traffic — "bulldozers and dump trucks and cement trucks" — repeatedly damages the surface and creates potholes. Multiple speakers including Kane Kanakaole and Shannara Ng highlighted recurring waterline leaks near Pu'u Wiki and Nahiku and said each break requires digging that leaves the road in poor condition.
Several speakers urged completion of community recreation projects. Meliana Kurokawa testified she collected more than 410 petition signatures for a playground and asked the council and the Parks Department to begin planning, budgeting and permitting. Noe Lecker and other residents urged finishing the skate park and adding parking and accessible restrooms; Lecker said the skate facility is in use but "dangerous" because the parking-lot phase was never completed. Mark Tanaka Sanders asked the county to create a comprehensive recreation plan for Hana and outlying communities so projects reflect local priorities rather than outside assumptions.
Ka'uiki Lind raised questions about property tax classifications and whether some family landholdings might qualify for different tax treatment; he referenced historical land grants and asked council staff to review options. Clayton Carvalho Junior and County staff said permitting has been a major factor slowing an affordable-housing project; county staff reported engineers are finalizing right-of-way work for a Habitat-for-Humanity project and community meetings are in progress.
Speakers also voiced support for the Hana Pathway (previously called the Greenway Project), a swimming-pool feasibility suggestion and continued funding for road paving. County staff and committee members encouraged submitters to provide written materials and said Parks Department staff will appear before the committee at a later date to address parks-specific requests. No formal votes or directives were issued at the public-input session.