Meeting June 5 on marsh plans

Dear Editor,

Kailua Neighborhood Board (KNB) will hold a community discussion at 7 p.m. June 5 at Kailua District Park on the Kawainui-Hamakua Marsh Master Plan, recently released by the state Department of Land and Natural Resources.

The new draft of the plan, which has major implications for the ecological, historical, cultural, archaeological and flood control characteristics of the marsh, has been given very little publicity and no opportunity for public discussion.

KNB, along with Lani-Kailua Outdoor Circle, Hawaii’s Thousand Friends, Audubon Society, Ke Kahua O Kuali’i, Keep It Kailua and others, expressed serious concerns with the previous draft, yet the new one released May 22 is essentially the same as the previous draft.

The KNB has requested that DLNR director William Aila present the plan at the meeting Thursday, and the public will be given the opportunity to discuss their opinions on the project. This may be the only opportunity to do so before the plan is submitted for a final EIS. All Kailua residents and other interested persons are urged to attend.

A copy of the plan is available online at hhf.com/kawainui.

Chuck Prentiss
Chairman
Kailua Neighborhood Board