South Side Status

Mayor Carvalho Supports South Side Path Systems Planning

In the spring of 2015, Kauai Path board members approached mayor Carvalho seeking support for rapid progress in implementing plans to improve the walkability and bikeability of the Koloa-Poipu area. Mayor Carvaloho expressed the County's support in this letter.
 
 

South Shore Pathway Plan

Kauai Path has been activity engaged with the county planning department providing input to the South Kauai Community plan. We enthusiastically support the strong multimodal/smart growth aspects captured in the plan.

Ke Ala Hele Makalae, on our island's East Side is widely lauded by residents and visitors alike as a tremendous benefit to the population at large.

The South Side community clearly voices their firm commitment in the South Kauai Community Plan to similarly invest in and benefit from an extensive network of walking and bicycling infrastructure that will advance wellness and assure their safety for generations to come.

Now that the Planning Department has approved the South Kauai Community Plan and the plan appears to be in its final form, Kauai Path board members have met with local community leaders and the county Planning Department to identify the top priorities for multi-use path development on the South Shore.

The goal of our initial focal area is to reconnect the communities of Koloa and Poipu by creating safe routes to commercial, residential, park, cultural/historical sites and business (local resort) areas. Kauai Path's vision is to start by building a multi-use path from the northern edge of Koloa (Anne Knudsen Park), through the village core, and down the historic Hapa Trail to Poipu Beach.

Additional spur lines will be added to connect with the Eastern and Western by-pass roads. With your help, we will aggressively pursue achieving these goals via a direct multi-use path, providing easy access for keiki, kupuna, and visitors alike.

Purpose of the South Kauai Community Plan

  • Provide guidance on where growth should go and not go in South Kauai and how we should grow
  • Discuss how to better take care of our communities, our families, our cultural resources, the land and ocean
  • Make recommendations on transportation and circulation within and through our district
  • Set priorities for public improvements
  • Encourage economic diversity and sustainability
  • Address other community issues and initiatives Community input was gathered at a number of public events.

The NUMBER 1 issue raised was pedestrian and bike access on the south shore.


Koloa Scenic Byways Application Accepted

KOLOA, from Ted Kawahinehelelani Blake: Dave Zevebergen from the State DOT called on May 16, 2011 with the official word that Hui Malama o Koloa's application for the Holo Holo Koloa Scenic Byway has been accepted for nomination as a designated Hawaii Scenic Byway. The call came a few hours before Malama o Koloa made a Holo Holo Koloa Scenic Byway presentation to the OHA trustees who held their Kauai meeting at King Kaumuali`i Middle School.

We are elated with the news and will now form our Corridor Management Plan team with members from government, business, tourism, development and landowners and the community to join our effort, a requirement for the State designation.

On June 15, 2011 at the Koloa Neighborhood Center, Rob Balmes from the America’s byways resource center and two or three others from the National resource agnecy conducted a four-hour seminar to help us through the Corridor Management Plan and the process. Great opportunity for us. We are fortunate to get this kind of attention, support and help.

I will follow this with more pertinent information after I receive a hard copy of the nomination acceptance letter.

Aloha pumehana...Teddy


 

Hapa Trail Community Cleanup

 

Hapa Trail is a two-mile long roadway that directly links Koloa town to the Poipu Beach area. It was basically abondonded when Poipu Road was developed in the 1950s. Hapa Trail has been identified as a highly desired pedestrian / bicycle path to connect these two communities and the residences in-between, but actual improvements to the Trail (other than Koloa Community Association's periodic mowing and keeping the cactus and haole koa cut back) have yet to be made.

Updated information on the Hapa Trail project is posted at the Hapa Trail web site.

E-mail from: Marty Kuala, Koloa Community Association, sent September 30, 2009
Subject: a victory for Hapa Trail

Aloha Hapa Trail supporters,

In February Goodfellow Brothers plowed through a portion of Hapa Trail while grubbing at the Village at Poipu project. They were cited by the County and the State and plead guilty. Yesterday, in the court of Judge Trudy Senda they were fined 2,200 cubic yards of pohaku which will be used to restore the Hapa Trail walls.

Together with the 2,000 linear feet Knudsen Trust must provide, this should be enough pohaku to restore both sides of the trail all the way to St Raphael's Church, as they were in 1975. We all owe a debt of gratitude to our County Prosecutor, Shaylene Iseri-Carvalho for her diligence and hard work on behalf of Kaua`i's citizens.The pohaku will be stored on the site of Honu Group's prosective shopping center, thanks to Mona Abadir.

It is a small but important victory in a long battle. Your support is appreciated and very much needed............Mahalo