Left to right: Scott Watson, Steve Strauss, and Mike Kagami

(BIVN) – On Thursday, the owners of a lot in a Pepe`ekeo shoreline subdivision took their objection over a recently issued violation to the Board of Appeals.

Scott Watson and Hilo Project, LLC – represented by attorney, Gary Olimpia – take issue with the County Planning Department’s Notice of Violation and Order over debris that allegedly impedes the only legal public access to the shore.

For years, an alternative access to the Pepeekeo Point Shoreline has been provided on the landowners property in a temporary arrangement between Hilo Project, LLC and the County of Hawaii. But the arrangement collapsed in July 2017 as disputes over other boundary and setback issues went unresolved.

Watson and Olimpia’s attorney, Steven Strauss, told the Appeals Board the county violation notice over the debris was “not true, not right, don’t let them get away with it.”

Corporation Counsel Mike Kagami, representing the Planning Department, told the board that “there’s only one legal access for the public. The Planning Department is trying to enforce and make that available to members of the public.”

After an executive session, the board members eventually decided to continue the matter in January.