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Tuesday, July 08, 2008

Is there life in the Other Side of Paradise ?
Category: Life

Aloha Ohana and Friends

Our film project is called The Other Side of Paradise. We are coming along with our film project on The Other Side of.Paradise... We are hoping to get done with our filming for our trailer this coming weekend in Los Angeles........ and then launch it as our fundraiser. Once we our done with our trailer …please forward it to your Ohana ( Family) and Friends. Our major problem in L.A is that we are paying more for gas than food. Trailer does not mean our film is done …it is just the beginning of a long process. I am very much interested to screen our film trailer as fundraiser for local homeless community in L.A and our film . We need a lot of help to finish our film so that we too can help a lot of people . Thanks and God Bless…. ........

PS...WE ALSO HAVE EBAY. We will sell products at our ebay to raise funds for our film .....the second purpose of our ebay account is to sell hand crafters made by homeless in Hawaii. Although the house is about over half a million dollars... we can also help them to get some income by any means . Hawaii's homeless are very talented with thier handcraft from carving canoe to tiki to handcraft bone necklace.

http://myworld.ebay.com/braddahrandy ( Our Film Garage Sale )....

Single, homeless and nowhere to go


read more:
http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2008/Mar/13/ln/hawaii803130346.html
....

Can ....Waikiki.... handle growth?

read more:

http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2008/Mar/10/ln/hawaii803100358.html ....

.. ..

Honolulu.... inflation pushes prices up 4.8%

read more:

http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2008/Feb/21/ln/hawaii802210359.html....

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Top 10 Beaches

The beaches in ....
....Hawaii........ are all unique with their different sizes, shapes, sand color, and waves. They are found on all sides of the islands and you can go at any time of the year.

http://www.alohamagazine.com/en/top_beaches.htm

Top 10 Hawaiian Beaches
By Valerie Conners

http://travel.discovery.com/ideas/beaches/hawaii-beaches/hawaii-beaches.html

Homeless must leave Hawaii Beach Park

http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2008/Jan/16/ln/hawaii801160409.html....


Photo gallery: Hawaii beach Park

http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2008/Jan/16/ln/ulehawa.html

Hundreds meet with Lingle on Turtle Bay

http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080305/NEWS01/803050444/1001/&source=nletter-news

33% in Isles not self-sufficient ........

..February 3, 2007..........

By Mary Vorsino
Advertiser Staff Writer....
....

http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2007/Feb/03/ln/FP702030350.html....

Posted on: ..Saturday, March 24, 2007.. ....

Seeking cheap rental? Good luck ....

....

By Catherine E. Toth
Advertiser Urban ....
....Honolulu........ Writer........

.. ..

.. ..

http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2007/Mar/24/ln/FP703240338.html....

.. ..

.Posted on: ..Monday, November 12, 2007

More of Hawaii's foster children being adopted

By Loren Moreno
Advertiser Staff Writer....
....

http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2007/Nov/12/ln/hawaii711120343.html ....

Homeless in Hawaii..How many?...

Understanding what the annual tally of .Hawaii's homeless tells us actually might take some of the despair out of the equation.

By Michael Ullman
Special to the Star-Bulletin....

....

.. ..

http://starbulletin.com/2007/02/04/editorial/special.html....

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HOMELESS ON THE WAI'ANAE COAST
Wai'anae's homeless just can't afford to rent.

By Will Hoover and Rob Perez
Advertiser Staff Writers....
....

http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2006/Oct/15/ln/FP610150359.html

Housing relief coming to Wai'anae, but slowly

By Rob Perez
Advertiser Staff Writer....
....

http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2006/Oct/20/ln/FP610200356.html........

State missteps worsen homeless crisis

By Rob Perez
Advertiser Staff Writer....
....

http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2006/Dec/17/ln/FP612170360.html ....

....Hawaii.... seeks to set up emergency tourism fund

http://www.usatoday.com/travel/destinations/2007-01-04-hawaii-emergency-tourism-fund_x.htm....

Hawaii.... nonprofit fighting rental bias ....

By Mary Vorsino
Advertiser Urban ....
....Honolulu........ Writer ........

.. ..

http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2007/Nov/12/ln/hawaii711120352.html ....

Honolulu ..Hawaii..'s Real Estate Boom Contributes to Homeless Problem

PRWEB Newswire

http://www.prweb.com/releases/2006/12/prweb486514.htm

$25M sought to repair Hawaii public housing ....

By Lynda Arakawa
Advertiser Staff Writer....
....

http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2007/Nov/08/ln/hawaii711080376.html........

Housing options drying up for poor

By James Gonser
Advertiser Staff Writer

http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2005/Jun/06/ln/ln05p.html ....

Legal help out of reach for many in Hawaii ....

By Jim Dooley
Advertiser Staff Writer

http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2007/Nov/08/ln/hawaii711080377.html....

Vegas seeing more Hawaiian transplants ....

By Christie Wilson....
.

http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2007/Aug/09/ln/hawaii708090343.html....

More whites, fewer Asians in ....Hawaii.

By Christie Wilson....

http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2007/Aug/09/ln/hawaii708090342.html

Beach access limits hit nerve
By William Cole
Advertiser Staff Writer
In what may have been the biggest beach-access rally ever held on O'ahu, hundreds of people mobilized yesterday around the island with placards, shakas and pleas for passing motorists to support public access to the ocean.
There was a whole lot of honking, especially in ....Kailua...., where locked gates have sprung up in recent years preventing beach access.
"We're losing access and traditional access points that may or may not go across public land are being closed off," said Roxanne Darling, who was at ....Kailua....'s ....Triangle.. ..Park..... "It's not just for the community (in ....Kailua....), this is for the public at large. These beaches are public beaches. They've always been public."
....Kailua.... resident Ray Schab held up a sign that read ALOHA vertically, with the first letters horizontally spelling out "Allow Open Hawai'i Access."
"As the price of real estate goes up, people are like, 'You know what, I don't want people coming through my lane (to get to the beach),' " Schab said. "A lot of people don't even know about this."
About 26 people waved signs at ....Triangle.. ..Park...., a similar number were at ....Kalama.. ..Beach.. ..Park.... on ....Kalaheo Avenue...., and about 35 rallied at ....L'Orange Place...., a private road where a 6-foot-tall gate was installed last August blocking public access to the beach.
Similar rallies were held around Turtle Bay Resort, in Portlock, '....Aina Haina.., ..Hawai'i.... Kai, and at ....Ala.. ..Wai.. ..Boat.. ..Harbor..... Others were scheduled on ..Maui.., Kaua'i and the ....Big.. ..Island.....
Rich Figel, a co-founder of Beach Access ....Hawai'i.... and a rally organizer, said the statewide event was intentionally held yesterday on Groundhog Day.
"A lot of these issues have been kind of lying dormant," Figel said. "We felt it was time to wake up the public and remind them of all these various battles we're fighting."
Those battles include fighting the increasing numbers of gates blocking beach access, beachfront homeowners planting thorny plants to keep beachgoers at bay, and resort, commercial and residential development cutting off access.
It all adds up to fewer and fewer ways for the public to get to ....Hawai'i....'s public beaches.
"We need to be more diligent in protecting the public access we have," said state Senate Majority Leader Gary Hooser, D-7th (Kaua'i, Ni'ihau).
Hooser yesterday attended a kickoff rally at the state Capitol, where some of the members of 20 different participating organizations spoke of the beach access problem.
Ann Marie Kirk, from the Livable Hawai'i Kai Hui, said that in East O'ahu there is just one public right-of-way for six miles of oceanfront, in addition to three parks.
"Public right-of-ways open up the space, so you don't have one point taking all the activities," Kirk said.
Figel said his group has received reports from people trying to go to Ko Olina Resort who say "that if they try to go in the afternoon, they have been turned away by the guards."
"This is the other fear with the planned expansion of ....Turtle.. ..Bay.... — that it would probably be kind of a similar plan, with very limited parking," Figel added.
Although Beach Access ....Hawai'i.... said the state Supreme Court repeatedly has upheld the public's right to use beaches, getting to them has gotten increasingly complicated.
The city has a "suggested guideline" that — where reasonable in urbanized areas — there should be beach access every quarter mile, according to the organization.
In ....Kailua...., there are seven public accessways to the beach, counting parks and 17 gates, Figel said.
Some roads and beach accessways are privately owned, and in recent years have been closed to foot traffic.
....L'Orange Place...., a short private road off ....Kalaheo Avenue...., has become ground zero for the beach access movement. According to Beach Access ....Hawai'i...., residents used the beach path at the end of the lane for decades.
But last August, a gate went up.
In September, John Price, who has lived on the street for 20 years, said residents grew tired of the increased traffic, noise, litter and crime, late-night revelers and bonfires on the beach.
But Bob Moncrief, who has lived on L'Orange for 38 years, yesterday was one of 35 people along Kalaheo rallying for beach access. He and his wife voted against the gate.
"I feel like I always have. It's always been open on L'Orange as long as I can remember," said Moncrief, 68. "I'm against the whole concept of closing off access to public beaches."
Moncrief said the people who used the accessway were respectful. But he also said the demographics are changing with homes on L'Orange selling for $2 million to $4 million.
"People with a local spirit and local attitudes have been displaced by people from the Mainland who know nothing about it," he said.
A private security guard was stationed on the street yesterday to keep people out, and the street entrance displays permanent signs saying "Private lane, no trespassing," "....Private Road....," and "No Beach Access."
Lawmakers increasingly are paying attention to the beach access issue, and at least five bills have been introduced in the state Legislature this session.
With yesterday's statewide rally, Figel hopes there will be more public attention to the issue — and more results.
"I would like to see state and county laws that are consistent," Figel said, "and at least say there shall be — not should be — public beach access every quarter mile or less of beach."
Melissa Ling-Ing, with Common Ground ....Hawai'i...., had argued at the state Capitol against proposed parking fees at the ....Ala.. ..Wai.. ..Boat.. ..Harbor.... as part of the access issue.
"It's wrong," she said of parking fees. "That's what makes ....Hawai'i.... special — free beach access."
Reach William Cole at wcole@honoluluadvertiser.com.

....

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Wednesday, July 02, 2008

Greetings from L.A ( The Price in Paradise)
Category: News and Politics

Aloha ,

We are just busy .... but there is always time for break like going surfing, going to mass and making network. I have been in L.A for about a week now and I am not leaving L.A until we made a breakthrough in local L.A film community and Filipino and Hawaiian Pacific Islander community. We hope that we can get our stuff done by the following week. We had a little problem with AVID and our editing is on hold. We need an updated Avid to continue our editing. If anyone would like to help us out ..let me know. Although, it is on hold we are putting together our Film Package . If anyone interested to get copy of our Film Package..please email me your address . On July 6, we are taking a roadtrip to film Hawaiian community . I am also been filmming at the beach on people perspective of Hawaii. Once we are done with editing ( trailer) .... I look forward to coming back to Ohio , Atlanta and various places to promote our film . We hope to have couple events in Ohio because that is always my home . Our film is no longer just about homelessness in Hawaii , but what is the solution? For those who are interested to invest in Hawaii, please check out the resolution of our film . Dispite of disconnection between local community ..I think we can close the gap .Homelessness in Hawaii is definetely cause by economic disparity between native and new residents in the Island and between tourism neighborhood and local neighborhood. ..but i do believe that we can change that. Yes Brah, the debate on homelessness in Hawaii is over ....now, lets look for solution. In my heart, definetely our next film is 'Living in Africa". Have a good and blessed day.

PS...WE ALSO HAVE EBAY. We will sell products at our ebay to raise funds for our film .....the second purpose of our ebay account is to sell hand crafters made by homeless in Hawaii. Although the house is about over half a million dollars... we can also help them to get some income.

http://myworld.ebay.com/braddahrandy ( Our Film Garage Sale )

Hawaii cuts welfare grants by 12%
Reductions come as state agency is required to put $22M in reserve


http://www.honolulu advertiser. com/apps/ pbcs.dll/ article?AID= /20080628/ NEWS03/806280335 /1001/&source=nletter- news

Honolulu home prices fall 8.8% in year
Sellers settling for less than last summer as fewer buyers show up


http://www.honolulu advertiser. com/apps/ pbcs.dll/ article?AID= /20080702/ NEWS01/807020394 /1001/&source=nletter- news..

Honolulu inflation pushes prices up 4.8%

read more:

http://the.honolulu advertiser. com/article/ 2008/Feb/ 21/ln/hawaii8022 10359.html


Inflation hits hard in Hawaii
Residents have long paid above-average prices and the latest inflation spike is especially rough.

http://money. cnn.com/2008/ 06/19/news/ economy/Lawrrenc e_Hawaii_ inflation/ index.htm? section=money_ latest

With future unclear, shelter denies access
Next Step has lots of room, but officials cite need to find new site

http://www.honolulu advertiser. com/apps/ pbcs.dll/ article?AID= /20080701/ NEWS01/807010337 /1001/&source=nletter- news

Hawaii visitor count drops 7.4% in May
But May numbers prove hardy considering loss of carriers, rising prices


http://www.honolulu advertiser. com/apps/ pbcs.dll/ article?AID= /20080627/ NEWS01/806270386 /1001/&source=nletter- news

Braddah Randy Fermo21.gif
Director/Filmmaker

Mau ke aloha no Hawai..i

My Personal Website : 40.gif

http://www.myspace. com/braddahrandy
Moderator of Documentarian Group
Proverbs 17:4-5
The wicked enjoy fellowship with others who are wicked; liars enjoy
liars. Mocking the poor is mocking the God who made them. He will punish
those who rejoice at others misfortunes.

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Monday, March 10, 2008

Higher Prices in Paradise Island
Category: News and Politics

Aloha Monday...

I wish everyone have a wonderful week ...hope my blog is very helpful about Life In Paradise Island .

Can Waikiki handle growth?

read more:

Click Here

Honolulu inflation pushes prices up 4.8%

read more:

Click Here


Top 10 Beaches
The beaches in Hawaii are all unique with their different sizes, shapes, sand color, and waves. They are found on all sides of the islands and you can go at any time of the year.

Click Here

Top 10 Hawaiian Beaches
By Valerie Conners

Click Here

Hawaii Beach Park

Click Here

Photo gallery: Hawaii beach Park

Click Here

Hundreds meet with Lingle on Turtle Bay

Click Here

The world's rubbish dump: a garbage tip that stretches from Hawaii to Japan

Click Here


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Friday, December 14, 2007

My First Print and Television Interview

My First Television Interview Atlanta

SUNDAY DEC. 16 AT MIDNIGHT - 12PM ON ATLANTA 'S ACCESS STATION . COMCAST 24 ..it will re air in Atlanta ....I will be posting it on YOUTUBE ...but not the entire interview . Have a good day .

PLEASE FORWARD THIS EMAIL ...THANKS...

MY FIRST PRINT INTERVIEW AT

http://www.screenreport.com/news/07/paradise.html

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Wednesday, October 04, 2006

TREATMENT OF THE OTHER SIDE OF PARADISE

PICT1207.jpgChildren1.jpgThe Other Side of Paradise- Treatment
By Randy Fermo and Kekoa
www.myspace.com/braddahrandy
Email: randyfermo@yahoo.com

For many people, Hawaii is a paradise, an inviting getaway destination filled with inviting beaches, warm sun, and friendly locals. The tourist industry and the Hawaii Visitors Bureau have carefully cultivated an image of Hawaii that is welcoming holiday stop for outsiders and an ideal escape for the wealthy. One recent report noted that this year tourism will exceed 7 million visitors and the revenue generated so far this year is $5.5 billion . Although this exotic representation of Hawaii has persisted for many years in popular song, films, television shows, and Travel Channel specials, for many locals living in Hawaii this version of paradise is nothing more than a construct of marketing firms that poorly reflects the real lived experiences of those who live and work in the Islands. Indeed, for many Hawaii residents life in the Islands is severely challenging and, for some, intolerable.
The Other Side of Paradise is based on my first-hand experienced with the homeless community in Hawaii. In this documentary I seek to show how intense the social problems are in Hawaii, how disconnected state, local, and community leaders are to these problems; and how the revenue from the tourist industry fail to trickle down to benefit local Hawaiians , locals and member of the gay and lesbian community . In addition, I would like to show how these problems are aggravated by lack of awareness about the local population in Hawaii, their history, culture, the growing homeless community, and the mass migration of locals to the mainland US. The purpose of the documentary, therefore, is to discuss these problems from the perspective of Hawaii locals to show how tourism, a weak economy, and other forces have made life difficult for those who were born and raised in the Islands. It is hoped that by providing the perspective of Hawaii locals, the public at large can be made aware of the uncertain future for many who are barely surviving in Hawaii.
According to one current report, out of a population of 1,262,840 there are roughly 228,000 ..hidden homeless.. local Hawaiians (i.e., family living with several families in one household). Hidden homelessness is now a way of life and an alternative form of shelter for nearly one in five local Hawaiians. Although City of Honolulu lacking of affordable housing and emergency shelters, recent report stated that the city is now considering to sell at least 13 affordable housing. Because of the difficult living conditions in Hawaii, more than 200,000 locals have left Hawaii for higher paying jobs, lower cost of living, and affordable housing on the US mainland. Mass migration will continue as long as this issue is not address .
Interviews with local officials will focus on what they have done so far to address the skyrocketing number of homeless locals, rent increases that far outstrip inflation, and the mass migrations to the mainland US (news footage and coverage on past promises of local and state officials addressing these issues will be licensed and purchase from Mr. John Wray of local television station KITV). The documentary will also highlight the stark contrast between ..tourist.. Hawaii, such as Waikiki Beach, and ..local.. Hawaii, characterized by such low income neighborhoods as the Leeward Coast of Oahu. The documentary will also cover various tourist and low income neighborhood other Hawaiian Islands such as Maui, Kauai and Big Islands. The documentary will also include interviews with local business owners about their views on providing suitable employment for the locals and the causes of mass migration to the mainland US.
The documentary will have interviews with members of the local and academic community on history, culture, and important social and cultural issues. Topics of discussion include the current issues facing the local community such as finding an affordable housing, suitable employment and local economy. The documentary will also include hula halau (hula school), contemporary and traditional music, surfing, footage of merry monarch , vendors at the swap meet and various trade shows , handcrafters, and local events and holidays. On surfing, there will be license footage of some known surfing competitions such Rip Curl and Triple Crown and locals surfing . On local events, there will be license footage of the Island Lei Day , Aloha Festivals , Merry Monarch and neighborhood events. On Hula Halau or Hula School , there will be a footage and interview of the members of Hula School. The history section will include the various ethnic communities in Hawaii, including Hawaiians, Filipinos, Chinese, Koreans, Japanese, Latinos, and Caucasians Americans.
The documentary soundtrack will be a mix of contemporary and traditional Hawaiian music and will be license from Eric Lagrimas of Quiet Storm, and the soundtrack will have around twelve tracks reflecting local Hawaiian culture, history and ethnic diversity.
Beside soundtrack, there will be a license footage of the Merry Monarch Hula Competition. Footage of Merry Monarch likewise will be purchase from Mr. John Wray of KITV. Merry Monarch Festival will capture the audience with the colorful culture of Native Hawaiians .
The documentary will apply a for a license from the Hawaii Film Office for scenic views, highways, and local beaches and seek permission from various city and county offices to film in local neighborhoods.

Read more…

DHHL: Broken Promises, Broken Trust

Aloha mai kakou,After reading this article published today in the Garden Island Newspaper, my first thought was, "wow, this really f***ing sucks!" My second thought was, "I hate to say I told you so." After hearing what happened with contractors here on Kaua'i at the new Kekaha Hawaiian Homes Site, and hearing multiple horror stories from roofing, to drywall, to framing, to plumbing problems with the contractor's shoddy building materials and services there in Kekaha, I'm not fully surprised that's it's now happening elsewhere.Could Hawaiian Homes really be cutting costs and hiring the lowest of the barrel bidding contractors to do these homes? Weren't they building cracker box houses on Hawaiian Homes since the 1970's?I think a man named Kahale Smith set torch to himself in one of those same kind of houses here in Anahola when they refused to have it repaired and instead evicted him from his already falling apart house.Now we are finding out about a dozen more homes of people who have invested a lot of time and money into, now laying in shambles because of the Department of Hawaiian Homelands mistakes in hiring unreliable contracting services for good Kanaka Maoli families in good "Hawaiian" Homes.I would love other kanaka's mana'o on how they feel when we rely on a department run by a "state" that doesn't know how to hire contractors that we can feel fully reliable in completing the job, let alone doing the job right.Maybe we just need to stop relying on fraudulent department's that were created by a "state" to kill more kanaka maoli waiting on a list than are actually being provided land and shelter. Wasting millions of dollars in taxpayer's and homeowner's money in the process of some easily correctable mistakes.My mana'o is simple, it's our million's of dollars that's paying them to make mistakes like this, why should we let them continue in false "trust?"Don't. It's not worth our time. I'm sure there's lots of kanaka who own hundreds of homes out there, they just don't realize it yet.I know of some great Kanaka Maoli Hawai'i Properties on Kaua'i that may be up for sale soon now that they can potentially have Kanaka lean's and foreclosures upon them in the fraudulent "state." There's got to be more than a dozen homes, and most are beach front property.Any inquirer's?Makes ya think doesn't it? Just a lil' bit? *raises eyebrow*That's my spiel for the day folks. A hui hou. Mahalo for listening.Hale MawaeEo Lono!Partially Finished Homes Are GoneDHHL demolished them after they were damaged by rainBy Kevin DaytonAdvertiser Big Island BureauHILO, Hawai'i — The Department of Hawaiian Home Lands has demolished a dozen partially built Hilo homes worth a total of more than $1 million in recent weeks because the buildings sat exposed in the rain after the developer went bankrupt, stopping all construction last year.Lloyd Yonenaka, spokesman for the Department of Hawaiian Homes Lands, said the houses were contaminated with mold from sitting vacant and open for so long. The lessees were offered the choice of having the mold cleaned out or tearing the buildings down and starting over, and all chose to start over, he said.Julia Ke, whose unfinished three-bedroom house was among those torn down, said she couldn't bear to watch the demolition crews work."I refused to go, I just didn't want to go and see it," she said. "It's just so sad."Ke has been on the Hawaiian Homes list for more than 20 years, and was finally awarded a Kaumana lot where she was building the home with her longtime girlfriend, Laura Henderson."It was the happiest day of my life when we were selected, and to have this happen is just terrible," Ke said.The couple had expected to move into the new home by late last year, but all work on the house stopped in November after builder Fredco Inc. and developer Menehune Development Co. ran into financial difficulties, and eventually went bankrupt.Much of the structural work on Ke and Henderson's house was done, but the unfinished roof consisted of bare sheets of plywood and other lumber, and water poured in all winter. Water ponded on the floor and stayed there, the floor warped, and the unfinished roof began to sag.Now, the lot in Kaumana has been cleared, and a new contractor is preparing to start over.Fredco and Menehune are both owned by Big Island developer Fred Yamashiro, who has filed for personal bankruptcy. Yonenaka said he does not know how much the collapse of the two companies has cost Hawaiian Homes, but acknowledged the dozen Kaumana homes alone were worth more than $1 million in materials and labor.Hawaiian Homes is suing O'ahu construction bonding company Hardware Hawaii, alleging the company was responsible for completing 79 homes for Native Hawaiians on three islands in the event Fredco and Menehune failed. Hardware Hawaii notified Hawaiian Homes on Feb. 22 it did not have the money to complete the homes, according to the lawsuit.Yonenaka said it was urgent that construction resume on the Kaumana homes after the bankruptcy so the units would not be further damaged by the weather, but said delays by Hardware Hawaii made that impossible. The state will try to recoup losses from the bonding company, he said."While there is money that is being expended, the final amount will depend obviously in great part on our litigation with Hardware Hawaii," he said.Yonenaka said the department expects the demolition of the 12 unfinished homes will cost about $300,000. Six of the homes were more than half finished, and the other six were 15 to 20 percent finished, he said.A PROMISE TO LESSEESHawaiian Homes Commission Chairman Micah Kane has said the agency has an obligation to the lessees because Hawaiian Homes required the lessees to use Fredco as their contractor in an effort to create economies of scale for the development of the homes on scattered lots on Kaua'i, Lana'i and the Big Island.Yamashiro's companies were supposed to develop 133 houses, including 79 bonded by Hardware Hawaii.Kane has pledged to make sure the bonded homes are properly completed for the original prices the lessees agreed to in their contracts with Fredco, which had base prices ranging from $160,000 to $260,000.To make that happen, Hawaiian Homes has taken some extraordinary steps, including providing a total of about $100,000 in cash assistance to lessees on the three islands who encountered financing hardships because they were forced to pay extra costs when completion of their homes was delayed.Later the department approached the lessees' banks and bought 43 construction loans on the bonded units for $4.38 million so the lessees would not have to make mortgage payments while they waited for their homes to be finished. The department plans to shift those loans back to private banks later.Henderson said Hawaiian Homes also repaid Ke for the interest she paid on the construction loan on the unfinished Kaumana house that was torn down.Now, the department has pledged to rebuild the demolished houses for the same prices the lessees originally agreed to pay, which for Ke and Henderson was about $170,000."I think they're doing everything possible to make it pono for everyone," Henderson said. "I think that's the right thing, because I don't think any of us can take much more."Reach Kevin Dayton at kdayton@honoluluadvertiser.com.
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