Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 18, Number 9, 1 September 2001 — Hālawa-Luluku sites to be preserved [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Hālawa-Luluku sites to be preserved

By Naomi Sodetani Māhealani Cypher has never driven on H-3 — and never will, she vows. Unlike many windward residents, Cypher does not weleome the highway as a timesaver for her Ewa-bound commutes. For her, the 12-mile stretch of asphalt represents 30 years of pained struggle. Cypher had fiercely opposed the highway being built in Moanalua and its later rerouting through Hālawa Valley. Despite community protests, H-3 was built and pristine valleys and extensive archaeologieal complexes bulldozed. But Cypher is a practical woman. "We can't move the hiehwav."

she recently told OHA trustees. "So we have to take care of what is left." On July 30, Cypher and several other former opponents of the highway — including Clara "Sweets" Matthews and Steven Helelā — guided OHA trustees and staff through Hālawa Valley and Luluku in Kāne'ohe to give the group a firsthand glimpse at the ancient sites

whieh lie in the highway's shadow. Present were trustees Oswald

Stender, Charles Ota, John Waihe'e IV and Linda Dela Cruz. The field visit was arranged by staff of the OHA-administered Hālawa-Luluku Interpretive Development project that seeks to preserve and interpret the cultural, historical and natural resources in areas impacted by H-3. "The question at the time the highway began was, if it's going to destroy the beauty and historic sites, how ean that

damage be mitigated?" said HLID Project Coordinator Kahikina

Akana. HLID is funded by $1 1 mil-

lion of Federal Highway Administration and State Department

I of Transportation monies, in eomplianee with federal law that requires highway projects impacting historic properties to fund the preparation of a preservation plan. Trustee Stender urges the adoption of a long-range strategy that will help fund community projects and site maintenance for perpetuity. "If you put a portion of the $11 million in escrow and invest some of it," he said, "the interest will provide funds for perpetual care." H-3 construction began in the 1970s and was halted by numerous community protests and legal battles before Sen. Daniel Inouye obtained a congressional act that exempted the project from all federal environmental protection laws. In 1987, a Memorandum of Agreement was signed by the FHWA, State Historic Preservation Office and the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, with OHA and HDOT as concurring parties. Some Hawaiians, including Cypher and Helelā, have been critical of OHA for signing the MOA, whieh allowed building to proceed. In 1997, H-3 was completed. At $1.3 billion, it is the most expensive See H-3 on page 18

Clara Matthews and Mōhealani Cypher (left) tour OHA trustees and staff through the cultural and archaeological complexes In Hōlawa Valley. Photos: Naomi Sodetoni (left) and DOT (above).

road in the nation's history.

H-3 from page 5 : y : ,

Cypher heads the Ko'olau Foundation, whieh proposes the creation of a living cultural eenter in Ha'ikū that would document the rich history of the area and house artifacts unearthed during construction. In the valley's lush amphitheatre setting, Hawaiians ean restore the ancient terraces and engage in other eultural practices, she said. HLID is in the process of hiring a planning consultant who, Akana says, "will outline the path we will take and the methods we will use to involve the eommunity to produce a strategic plan," whieh will serve as the foundation for the actual interpretive development plan. "We realize this project's success depends on how well we involve the community, from the planning stage and gathering of ideas, to the final recommendations," Akana said. "So we want to solicit as mueh community input as possible." Public meetings will be organized. "Sometimes it takes tragedy to bring people together," Cypher said. She views the preservation effort as an opportunity to "begin healing, to put the hewa behind us and make things pono." For additional information, eall 587-4391 or log on to ww.hlid.org. ■