Our petition drive: Every voice heard and respected

As stated in our Opposition Statement, found at the top of the home page of this website, the nine-member Protect O‘okala Ad Hoc Steering Committee speaks on behalf of sixty-three (63) of the community’s total of eighty-nine (89) households, or the homeowners of 71% of O‘okala’s households. The homeowners have signed a petition stating in whole:

• I, the undersigned, am a homeowner in O‘okala and oppose the construction of a veneer mill, co-generation power plant and plywood lay-up facility at the old O‘okala sugar mill site. These proposed industrial facilities will create unacceptable health, safety and welfare risks to the residents of O‘okala.

In contrast, homeowners of only eight (8) households have signed a petition in support of the project. Seven (7) households abstained from signing either petition, and eleven (11) households either have not yet responded or have been unavailable to ask. (Signed petitions are available for review upon request.)

We are disheartened to hear that there are rumors going around falsely accusing the steering committee of harassing members of our community to sign the petition opposing the mill and power plant. We challenge the people spreading these rumors to present documentation to back up this unfounded accusation. To the contrary, two members of the Protect O'okala Ad Hoc Steering Committee spent their evening hours after work for several weeks going door-to-door with two petitions: one supporting the mill and power plant in O'okala and one opposing. Each homeowner was politely asked which petition they would like to sign. Supporters of Tradewinds’ plans to build in O‘okala were treated with the same aloha and respect as those who oppose the plans. When homeowners were not at home, the team returned to that household as many times as it took to reach them. Absentee owners were mailed copies of both petitions with a stamped envelope to return the petition of their choice.

Members of the steering committee have made sure that every homeowner in our community has a voice in this issue, and that every person’s choice is respected and recorded.

Please find attached here a sample of each petition: one supporting and one opposing the proposed industrial business locating in O‘okala. Again, we stand by the professionalism of the individuals who headed the petition drive.

Protect O'okala Ad Hoc Steering Committee