Hawaii County is moving forward with its plans to erect a fence around the Hilo Municipal Golf Course despite considerable pushback from nearby residents.
In the aftermath of a March 12 article detailing the county’s intentions, many individuals have reached out to the Tribune-Herald expressing their discontent.
Almost all of them are senior citizens, and most requested anonymity out of fear of potential reprisals from county officials.
One resident willing to speak on the record is David Freedman, who lives on Hoonanea Street, which borders the 18-hole golf course.
Freedman received a February 21 letter from Parks and Recreation Director Clayton Honma, but he was surprised by how quickly construction commenced after the letter and a walkthrough of the neighborhood on February 23 conducted by Honma and Mayor Kimo Alameda.
“Two-and-a-half weeks ago, they started doing construction right outside my house. I live on Hoonanea, right on the golf course, and they didn’t let us know. They didn’t do any due diligence … ,” Freedman stated.
“There was no public hearing. Nothing. And of course, it started right in front of my house.”
Freedman noted that a significant portion of construction involved dump trucks arriving to create a platform for heavy equipment necessary to install the fence.
“I have a huge gate right onto the golf course. Dump trucks full of gravel came in. I asked what they were doing. And they said, ‘We’re making a platform for all the heavy equipment to come in and put the fence in.'”
Freedman mentioned he was informed by County Councilman Dennis “Fresh” Onishi that the fence initiative originated from the previous administration under former Mayor Mitch Roth and former Parks and Recreation Director Maurice Messina.
Onishi confirmed to the Tribune-Herald that the Roth administration initiated the six-foot chain-link fence project “with no community meetings or personal contact.”
He explained that the fence was planned to mitigate liability for paying golfers and to prevent illegal vehicles from entering the course.
Additionally, according to Onishi, some neighbors residing along the 14th hole expressed concerns about golfers trespassing onto their properties to retrieve lost golf balls.
Freedman, however, argues that beyond the absence of community engagement in the planning process, the ongoing drought conditions across the Big Island raise concerns about potential wildfire risks.
He fears that fire trucks responding to a blaze might block narrow streets near the golf course, leaving only the golf course as an escape route for residents.
“It didn’t really hit me until I was talking to a friend of mine who had lost everything in the Palisades fire. And he said, ‘Putting up a fence is the stupidest thing in the world. If there’s a fire in your neighborhood and your street is cut off, you’ll burn to death. You won’t have any way out,’” Freedman said.
To contest the fence project, Freedman has gathered a group of concerned neighbors dubbed “Voters Against the Death Fence.”
“We have this giant ocean like they did in Lahaina that people could jump into when the fires were happening — a giant ocean of nonflammable grass,” he stated, referring to the golf course that could otherwise serve as a firebreak.
Freedman also highlighted the age and construction quality of houses in his neighborhood—many dating back 50 to 60 years and featuring single-wall construction.
“How quickly do you think they’ll go up in a fire?
I have a fire marshal friend in L.A., and he said, ‘It’s the stupidest thing I ever heard. It’s super insensitive considering what we’ve gone through here in L.A. and what they went through on Maui. It’s not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when your whole neighborhood catches fire.’”
Another resident, who requested anonymity, described how the ongoing construction has added stress to the lives of residents.
“Today, the trucks and saws cutting the trees near my house, those trucks positioned on my neighbor’s yard although the neighbor is not home, is stressing,” the individual remarked.
That person also expressed frustration aimed at the current administration, stating, “I definitely blame, not credit, the new mayor.”
Despite persistent efforts, there remain small groups of neighbors actively trying to halt the fencing project while fearing backlash from local authorities.
Onishi mentioned he has suggested to the administration the possibility of reducing the fence’s height and applying a ‘green-coated finish’ to help it blend in with the surroundings.
Freedman and his group are still hoping for a constructive dialogue with administration officials regarding the controversial fence, though they report that such conversations have yet to materialize.
“Let me state that the action group that we have understands that this was created by the previous administration, that it was not this current administration. But we are asking for the current administration to do the right thing,” he said.
“They have an opportunity to be the heroes here.”
For further comments, John Burnett can be reached at [email protected].
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