PROTECT HISTORIC KUKUIHAELE VILLAGE. Please sign this petition to build the regulation Little League ball park on Highway 240 -- NOT in Kukuihaele.

Kukuihaele is a unique community village, one of the few Hawaiian villages that has been continuously inhabited since ancient times. Nestled in the middle of our tiny village, Kukuihaele Park is one of the last, if not the only open-space area on the Hamakua coast with a breathtaking view of the ocean and Waipio cliffs. No wonder that in ancient times, this sacred 'aina was where the Ali’i’s most skilled healers gave comfort, according to oral history. Today, neighbors gather for luaus, weddings, kite flying, bike riding, basketball, soccer and picnicking in the lush green grass.

Kukuihaele Road, which runs through the center of town, is the original Ali’i’s footpath in and out of Waipio Valley. In 1881, Princess Liliuokalani gave a talk on the other side of this road from the park. We are honored to walk this same road as grandmothers push babies in strollers, bicyclists ride, and toddlers take their three-wheelers for a spin.

But now, the County wants to transform our tranquil park, in the middle of our tiny village, into a regulation Little League baseball field. While only 11% of our village is in favor of this ball park, 65% are opposed, according to a survey taken last December. However, County officials refuse to accept the survey as valid.

The proposed ball park would bring in traffic that would make the road unsafe for our families unless the road were to be widened. Widening the road would destroy everything that makes Kukuihaele the special gem of the Hamakua coast.

This project makes no sense in so many ways. The County itself has stated in its Draft Environmental Assessment that our village water system does not have enough water for this project. It should be illegal to rush into a project when there is uncertainty about the basic resource of water. 

Click HERE to see a Big Island Video News report on this issue.

THE SOLUTION:

We can protect Kukuihaele village by locating the ball park on Highway 240, which is parallel and mauka to the village road. Water would be plentiful there from the Hamakua Ditch, if the ball park were there instead of in Kukuihaele. This location would avoid water shortages, traffic problems, and all the Hamakua leagues could have their games. It would be win-win, with no losers.

Please sign this petition to save historic Kukuihaele Village. Build the regulation Little League ball park on Highway 240 -- NOT in Kukuihaele.