UPDATE: GOV CLOSES HFM

News Release from Haleiwa Farmers Market June 16, 2012

Haleiwa Farmers’ Market operators were shocked to receive a call from the media today asking for a response to the press release sent by the Governor’s office shutting down the current site and the erection of “No Trespassing” signs on the property. Attorneys for HFM have been waiting since Wednesday for a reply from the Attorney General’s office regarding the continued extensions to allow the parties reasonable time to find a new location. Having informed the State that vendors need reasonable notice to stay economically viable, HFM expected a further extension from the State because the State requested until Friday to have an opportunity to respond. The abrupt termination of further negotiations to seek a suitable new site was unexpected and a blow to the Haleiwa community as a whole. “I cannot believe this is happening at 1:30 on Friday afternoon, when all our vendors have already picked and prepared their products for the Sunday market. The Governor assured us that we would not miss a market day, so this change of events is a big surprise to us.” says market manager Pamela Boyar.

The State suggested three sites for a new market location, including the Waialua Courthouse, Liliokalani Church and Waimea Valley. Each comes with unique obstacles. The Waialua Courthouse is a tiny parcel that requires Shoreline Management permitting, would require vendors to offload their vehicles from the Kamehameha Highway and drive off-site to park, has limited space only for 20 of the 60+ vendors and no parking for shoppers. Representatives for the congregation of Liliokalani Church stated that the congregation would reject any commercial activity on the church grounds on Sunday mornings. While the Office of Hawaiian Affairs has been extremely gracious and helpful in their invitation to HFM for relocation to Waimea Valley, the 20+ acre parcel of Conservation and Shoreline Management land creates a difficult puzzle to put together. This option requires significant time and money, and possibly the engineering and erection of a footbridge. Though conversations have begun, the State knows well how long permitting takes. Neither City-owned parks land nor agriculturally-zoned lands are an option, as you cannot sell produce in these areas. Additionally, early in this process, Lorna Nono of Castle and Cooke reached out to see if the Waialua Sugar Mill was an acceptable location. Annie Suite says, “We were very grateful for the offer, but as we explained to Lorna, when we opened three years ago, we made a very specific decision regarding our HFM and the surrounding farmers’ markets, in that we did not want to create any situation which would negatively impact other farmers’ markets in the region. Moving to the Sugar Mill location would squash this vital market for the Haleiwa area. Although there is a significant amount of non-local produce there, we cannot do anything to hurt the few real farmers who participate.”

Earlier this week, HFM operators and attorneys met with Kalani Fronda, Senior Land Asset Manager of Kamehameha Schools regarding additional potential sites. Says Pamela Boyar, “Kamehameha Schools agricultural land and OHA’s Waimea Valley site are being carefully vetted and we feel certain that one will be our new home. We hope that can happen quickly, but as we all know, things can sometimes move slower than we desire.”

For two months, Haleiwa Farmers’ Market has requested multiple meetings with Governor Abercrombie to provide community input and accurate information regarding the operation, but to date there has been no offer to meet or the courtesy of a return phone call.

“We are stunned. Absolutely stunned. In this time of economic upheaval, it is difficult to believe that a simple road-block cannot be erected to overcome this legality and allow 60 legal small businesses to continue to flourish until a permanent location is found. We have been operating legally on this property for three years. We have offered to pay the State since day one. We have had no issues with safety. Our insurance policy (as well as those of our vendors) is extensive. We do not see the problem in staying here until we get settled in our new home,” says Suite. Boyar adds, “Where is the future of sustainable agriculture? These past weeks have seen the loss the prime Agricultural lands including Koa Ridge and Ho‘opili, the failure to pass the Sustainability Bill, the closing of Hanalei Market… and now this? When are we going to stop talking about Local Food for Local Consumption, and take some action to preserve it?”

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