It is difficult to tell from the public record just how much Francis Morgan paid to acquire Hamakua Sugar from Theo. H. Davies & Co. Ltd. in 1984. At the time, newspapers reported the purchase price as at least $69.6 … Continued
In 1879, three years after King Kalakaua signed the Treaty of Reciprocity with the United States, which opened wide the door to sugar growers, the Pacific Sugar Mill was chartered to do business on the extreme northern end of the … Continued
One of the most memorable sights in Waipi`o Valley is Hi’ilawe Falls. From a side cut into the valley, Hi`ilawe Falls drops nearly 1,300 feet straight to the valley floor, Hawai’i’s; longest free-falling waterfall. As part of the Kukuihaele development, … Continued
Altogether, about 1,400 residential units (not including hotels or retreat resorts) are planned in the Kukuihaele area development. Not one of these units, however, is intended to be sold at what are termed “affordable” rates by county and state planners … Continued
The “Kukuihaele Land Use Plan” limits the beauty of the coastal setting proposed for what it describes as the makai condominiums. They “will be set back from the cliffs but still maximize views of the cliffs, the ocean, and the … Continued
Francis Morgan’s attempt to sell off parcels of Hamakua Sugar Company’s land likely to be attractive to resort developers is one part of a larger financial strategy involving debt reduction as well as streamlined operations. That strategy is set forth … Continued
Time and again, developers of resort communities in Hawai`i have attempted to win approval (both official and unofficial) for their proposals by depicting the benefits that their projects will bring. Hamakua Sugar Company is no exception. In October 1991, the … Continued
“The Farm Credit System: Reckless Lender to Rural America.” That is the title of a 1990 report prepared for the American Bankers Association by Bert Ely and Vicki Vanderhoff, of Ely & Company, Inc., based in Alexandria, Virginia. The Western … Continued
In early May of 1986, Jon Giffin, a wildlife biologist with the Hawai`i District office of the Division of Forestry and Wildlife, was looking for `alala on the slopes of Mauna Loa in an area known as Kukuiopa`e, on the … Continued
In early 1990, Grant and Sharon Gerrish bought a lot in Laupahoehoe Valley, on the Big Island north of Hilo. The land was about an acre and a third large — just right for the modest house and garden that … Continued