Public may be able to use gravel from county quarries to fix neglected roads

Hilo, Hawaii – Video by David Corrigan

A Hawaii County Council committee voted to pass a resolution submitted by Dominic Yagong that would allow island residents to utilize materials from county-owned quarries in order to maintain the so called “Roads in Limbo” at no cost.

An unfunded mandate by the state placed the “Roads in Limbo” under county jurisdiction, and although the county accepted the responsibility to maintain the roads a few years ago, it has been the residents who have been doing all the work.

In his resolution, Yagong notes that the Department of Public Works has not been able to contend with the 122 miles of Roads in Limbo due to the heavy workload of trying to keep up with the the county’s 900 other miles of more established roadways. Yagong’s resolution says “the major expenditure for road maintenance of these roadways is the delivery and cost of gravel and equipment needed to spread road materials.”

55 miles of Roads in Limbo exist in Yagong’s Hamakua District, by far the greatest amount.

The rest Resolution 320:

WHEREAS the Hawaii County Council sees the benefits of the Department of Public Works forming partnership which would provide and deliver road maintenance material at no cost from our publicly owned quarries to communities agreeable to spreading the materials on these County roadways and

WHEREAS the Hawaii County Council deems that these partnerships are in the best interest of the County as they will save money over the long run while providing these Roads in Limbo the attention they require to be safe and passable roadways for our community and

WHEREAS any road maintenance materials provided from our quarries will he strictly utilized for County Roads in Limbo and not for private purposes and

WHEREAS the Department of Public Works would oversee the program and form the partnerships and agreements necessary with communities serviced by these governmental roadways

and

WHEREAS the District Council Member can help provide support to the Department of Public Works by facilitating and organizing meetings with the community now therefore

BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE COUNTY OF HAWAII that it authorizes the Department of Public Works to provide road maintenance materials at no cost from our

publicly owned quarries for the purpose of maintaining County roads inventoried as Roads in Limbo to communities agreeable to spreading the materials on these County roadways

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED the Department of Public Works would oversee the program and form the partnerships and agreements necessary with communities serviced by these governmental roadways

BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED that the County Clerk shall forward copies of this resolution to the Honorable Mayor William P Kenoi and the Director of the Department of Public Works

The Department of Public Works asked the council to refrain from approving the resolution, because it had budgeted money to begin paving the Roads in Limbo in the upcoming fiscal year. Director Warren Lee’s comments persuaded some of the councilmembers to vote against the resoultion, but ultimately “ayes” outnumbered “no’s.” The resolution will now be taken up at the full council.

New Patient Safeguards for Online Drugstore Prescriptions. Part 2