THE SENATE                           S.R. NO.              56
TWENTIETH LEGISLATURE, 1999                                
STATE OF HAWAII                                            
                                                             
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                    SENATE  RESOLUTION

  REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF LAND AND NATURAL RESOURCES TO WORK
    IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE COUNTY OF HAWAII AND ALL CONCERNED
    PARTIES TO DEVELOP A MASTER PLAN FOR KEEPING POHOIKI BOAT
    RAMP SAFE AND CLEAN NOW AND IN THE FUTURE.



 1        WHEREAS, Pohoiki Boat Ramp, constructed by the United
 2   States Army Corps of Engineers in 1963, is the only launching
 3   facility located in the Big Island's Puna District.  The ramp
 4   is an eighteen-foot wide, single-lane concrete ramp located at
 5   Pohoiki Bay within the County's Isaac Hale Beach Park; and
 6   
 7        WHEREAS, Pohoiki Boat Ramp, the Department of Land and
 8   Natural Resource's sole holding in the entire bay area, is the
 9   only access to the ocean for boating and swimming within the
10   county park for approximately two miles in any direction.  All
11   adjacent property is owned and maintained by the County of
12   Hawaii; and
13   
14        WHEREAS, the ocean access at the boat ramp is an
15   ingress/egress zone, not only for boaters, but also for
16   swimmers, divers, and surfers.  On any given day during the
17   busy summer months, there could be over fifty swimmers in the
18   water while boats are entering and exiting the narrow corridor;
19   and
20   
21        WHEREAS, a boat approaching Pohoiki Boat Ramp from the
22   ocean requires a tight, 90-degree turn, usually at a high rate
23   of speed, around a blind corner to make it safely to the ramp.
24   Swimmers in the water cannot see a vessel approaching nor can
25   an approaching vessel see swimmers in the water.  Ocean swells
26   require boaters to "time" their entry into the channelway
27   accessing the launch ramp.  A slight miscalculation could
28   result in the grounding of a vessel; and
29   
30        WHEREAS, during the fall and winter months, the prevalent
31   weather can change considerably, making the launching of
32   vessels from the boat ramp extremely dangerous.  The ramp is,
33   therefore, seldom used during this time; and
34   
35        WHEREAS, shore resources are heavily impacted by human
36   use.  The boat ramp is located within a county park where many

 
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                                  S.R. NO.              56
                                                        
                                                        

 
 1   recreational activities occur.  Camping, swimming, fishing,
 2   hiking, barbecuing, boating, and other recreation activities
 3   all occur within a small geographic zone; and
 4   
 5        WHEREAS, Pohoiki Boat Ramp is a designated Department of
 6   Land and Natural Resources Sustainability Hotspot based on the
 7   public safety consideration.  The simultaneous activities
 8   occurring in the water pose a safety risk that demand the
 9   attention of state and county officials; now, therefore,
10   
11        BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twentieth Legislature
12   of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 1999, that the
13   Department of Land and Natural Resources is requested to work
14   in partnership with the County of Hawaii and all concerned
15   parties to develop a master plan for keeping Pohoiki Boat Ramp
16   safe and clean now and in the future; and
17   
18        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Land and
19   Natural Resources, if the need should arise because of
20   difficulties in negotiating compromises that are acceptable to
21   all concerned parties, is requested to utilize the mediation
22   services of the Center for Alternative Dispute Resolution in
23   the Judiciary; and
24   
25        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Land and
26   Natural Resources is requested to submit annual progress
27   reports to the Legislature not less than twenty days prior to
28   the convening of each Regular Session until a master plan that
29   is deemed acceptable by all concerned parties is developed for
30   Pohoiki Boat Ramp; and
31   
32        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this
33   Resolution be transmitted to the Chairperson of the Board of
34   Land and Natural Resources, the Mayor of the County of Hawaii,
35   the Chairperson of the Hawaii County Council, the Chief
36   Justice, and the Administrative Director of the Courts; and be
37   posted at Pohoiki Boat Ramp and Isaac Hale Beach Park.
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42                         OFFERED BY:  ____________________________