THE KOHALA STORY

K O H A L A S T O R Y

The little towns that could...
SOME KEY STEPS IN SUSTAINABLE
DEVELOPMENT AND SMART GROWTH

North Kohala is a very picturesque peninsula at the north end of the big island of Hawaii. King Kamehameha grew up there. Two small towns of roughly four thousand people make up the population. The land is split between desert and lush hillsides. It's on the cusp of the tradewinds.
There is the legacy of excellence and leadership imbedded in the deeper psyche there. There is also the deep fabric of community that has been created despite the apparent diversity in population. That extraordinary diversity comes from a broad ethnic mix of peoples. These groups were segregated for a long time by their camp style life. They were part of the workforce organized by the large sugar industry. But that industry fled some twenty years ago in search of higher profits. It left Kohala with two ghost towns: Hawi and Kapa au.
One nursery industry was created during the intervening years. It does well, but the majority of the population now travels almost an hour south to take work in the hotel industry. The young people of the area have not had clear insight that there is a future for them in Kohala. That is until recently.

Step 1. THE VISION

Just as the nineties began a vision meeting was held in Hawi town. It was called the Hawi town conference. Many people who attended seemed disappointed that no real futuristic ideas were agreed upon. But, those who had lived there for some timed and loved the small town charm made that point clear that day. The townspeople who had recently moved to Kohala did not want to recreate the urban sprawl of the United States. So nearly every one clearly said they wanted things to stay mostly the way they were and if the older parts of town could be restored, well, that would be great. They lived in the "old Hawaii" that was disappearing everywhere else and they knew it.

Step 2. THE MEETING DESIGN

Here is how the meeting was designed. All those who had plans for future development were asked first to reveal their plans. That day, they received clear signals that anything that didn't conform to the authentic charm of the place was not really welcome. Interestingly, none of those more modern plans, has yet to appear in either of the towns.
Members of the county government were then asked to comment on their plans for the future. It was obvious that the county had no plans for Kohala and it wasn't likely that the towns could extract much from an over-worked county budget. After all, this rural district contributed so little to their tax base. They weren't big overseas developers. It was clear that whatever they did ·. they would have to do themselves.

The vision part of the meeting was designed specifically to record peoples' ideas. They were recorded in colorful magic marker along one wall covered with paper. But, before the usual vocal minority was allowed to pontificate at length on the ideas, there was a break, and food was served ·local style. The music was also turned on and all listened to the legends of Kohala sung by the local folk singers on tape. This signaled reverence.
During that break people were given three small sticky dots of colored paper to append to any of the ideas on the wall that they liked. So, without any rancor at all, the long list of ideas on the wall, were then put into priority. In this way, everyone felt heard and no one was put down. Still the want list was clear. The community had its priorities posted before them.
So despite the fact that there were no revolutionary ideas agreed upon, there was clear agreement on restoring both towns with their authentic and charming wooden mercantile buildings, and ... things soon began to happen.

Step 3. START SMALL BUT START

Within a year, two major buildings were under renovation in Hawi. The old Toyama building was spruced up and an office, a great little dress shop and what became a coffee shop were put together. Meanwhile, across the street, the K. Takata building was restored with perhaps a little more flair than the original versions. In this former hotel and grocery store a new pacific restaurant appeared. The front windows with the original colorful window designs soon contained a new range of Koa wood furniture.
This was as a beginning to what within four years became seven restaurants and seven galleries. Kapa au town also restored their two largest buildings. Here a world-class art gallery and other shops including a great ice cream parlor were recreated.
Its important to reinforce that restoration is the most efficient kind of sustainability.

Step 4. CREATE A MAGNET AND AN ALTAR PIECE

It has always been true that a few people who stick their necks out can kick-start a renaissance. The instincts of the community to remain with the authentic charm of their older heritage proved wise. The tourist trade steadily grew as the restoration occurred.
The initial investment in prominent buildings began to draw traffic. They were magnet stores and served as the altar pieces of inspiration. Soon the remaining thirty odd storefronts were then almost all transformed. In eight years time, the towns that could hardly stop a passer-by, were now pulling in a large percentage of the hotel customers who wanted that taste of old Hawaii. The first restaurant renovated pulled in over ten thousand tourists in the first three months of 1998. And still there is no traffic light.

Step 5. BUILD A SENSE OF PLACE AND A SENSE OF PURPOSE

It hadn't been clear to the original conferees that the economy would prosper by restoring what they loved. The economic success of the main street attractions also restored much of the community's sense of purpose. They were rewarded financially for doing the right thing culturally. Soon it was obvious to graduating seniors that there was actually meaningful work awaiting them in the towns they grew up in.
These two bedroom communities that had formerly driven off to work in the hotels now began to steadily reclaim their inhabitants. The merchant's association published a list of local businesses in 1996 that showed a listing of three hundred small businesses . This was an astonishing figure. Many of these businesses were created by new inhabitants who were inspired by obvious vigor of the restoration. In the first building restored, the man who made Koa wood tables now had fifteen people helping him. The cottage industries in the town began to flourish. Arts and crafts, bakers, salad growers, the dairy, and all those industries that came to support life on main street.

Step 6. WORK TOWARD A TEAM OF TEAMS

It has always been true that communities with lots of community organizations are more vital and progressive. In Kohala two such phenomena were at work. Not only did more groups begin to surface, but there became a quietly efficient team of part-time mayors who appeared. Sometimes you could identify some of the men by the black baseball caps with the KOHALA in bright yellow lettering. It was shared leadership with full trust from the community. A philanthropist appeared and a former business man consulted with the new entrepreneurs.
North Kohala had no local government. The county seat was a two and a half hour drive. It was also clear that people didn't want to spend their precious time in drawn out local meetings. So the community groups tended to be more self-directed and rose to the occasion when needed.
They didn't wait for a clear consensus. They had a vision and moved deliberately with courage. Finally, more of the key meetings were put on public access television so people could watch from home where they had a better chance to see them since they were replayed often. A completely volunteer district structure began to appear. Kohala had clearly seized responsibility for its own destiny.

Step 7. USE CRISIS AS OPPORTUNITY

A series of crisis-like events in the early nineties were instrumental in welding the community into a more bonded state. The power monopoly in the state of Hawaii announced rather arbitrarily that it would build a diesel power station between the hospital and one of the middle schools. It was an obvious choice for them because the land was zoned for light industrial. Never mind what the community might say.
The community that formerly was peopled mostly with migrant sugar workers who worked for a single large and powerful company, imagined that what ever was decided at grander levels had been thoughtfully negotiated with their elected officials. The new comers weren't convinced.
The project was questioned. When it became obvious that this was a thoughtless option being exercised by a formerly unchallenged monopoly, the new comers came unglued. A series of large public meetings ensued. The community came to see what they thought would be a losing battle but a good fight. The new comers, unaccustomed to the patron style of governance, modeled a feisty and impassioned counteroffensive.
Not only that, but they used time being wasted by long drawn out engineering briefings, to pass out instructions about clean air and energy alternatives. They used the delay tactics of big brother to teach needed basics in energy.
Quickly, the older inhabitants got the idea and became properly incensed at the thoughtless character of the proposal. Bumper stickers were passed out that read: KOHALA POWER. These stickers became both a campaign streamer and eventually an overt symbol of community solidarity. The public utilities commission was finally summoned to arbitrate. The community marched forward with sixty-five presenters all firmly opposed to the plant and the Kohalans felt their collective tribal power that night. They were one.

Since then, two similar issues concerning water and coastline preservation with similar expedient overtones, have been counter attacked by volunteer community groups. The defense not only had held. It solidified the community yet again. Seeing the talent that existed in the community, the county was moved to award a grant to Kohala for community-based planning.
The community was the first in Hawaii to explore a soft-energy path using a community-based planning approach. The county could see that a broad base of support was available to produce a democratic result. At that point the offense kicked in. Prior to that time few other pro-active adventures had been launched. There had only been enough time to react to over-bearing and arrogant initiatives.

Step 8. ENCOURAGE THE NEIGHBORS

Then the Kohalans began to communicate their interests outside the boundaries of the district. This was another way to influence county decisions. Several things worked. The main-street merchants all agreed to advertise together. They advertised the community as a destination. It meant the individual merchants didn't get to flak all the little details of their merchandize, but tripled their over-all advertising coverage.
After all, once people got into town, they could walk to almost every establishment in sight, so the secret was. to get them to town. Their best agents were actually other members of the big island who ran lodging, food, and commercial establishments. They would be the ultimate advertisers, people who spoke to the visitors everyday.
The identity of Kohala grew. Its progress was chronicled by the rich array of writing talent now collecting in this charming community. Intellectual capital is something any place needs if they want to influence outside decision-makers. Kohala could muster a powerful collective voice by teaming it's writing talent up to flood the island papers with content. On any given issue they could muster three times the exposure that the power company or county government could. Kohala had intellectual capital and they worked as a team.

Click on map for a detailed excursion into the social inventions imagined for regional
Hawaii in the year 2020. Hit "back" on your browser to return to this site.

Then a futuristic map that contained solutions applicable to all other bioregions of a similar character was published island-wide. Other regions with similar needs now became motivated. This meant that there would now be a more consistent pressure on county and state government to move their services in a Kohala-like fashion. Eventually, all the communities would need to change some laws to further their visions.
Teams from the community also went out and directly educated the hotel industry on the qualities and charm of the town's new resources. They used real photos in photo albums. They spent time talking the hotel staff through the features so that they would recommend Kohala to their guests with confidence. This took time but it paid off.

Some of the more technically skilled community members actually began helping both the county and power company decision-makers by providing data on how the next generation of technology could work. In this way, the community got out of its reactive mode and into a much more consistent proactive posture. It wasn't their nature to be uncooperative. The "we do it ourselves" spirit caught on. Community volunteers teamed up to build new fire department buildings, rehabilitate the Halaula Middle School, build the Keiki Kingdom playground, and construct a new multi-purpose athletic field at King Kamehameha Park. Down the road an ancient healing village site and a navigation heiau were restored.

Step 9. NOURISH THE DEEP SPRITUAL FABRIC OF THE COMMUNITY
It was not easy to see the quality of the community's cohesiveness until some tragedy came along or a community wide event was scheduled. Then the community turnout was consistent and supportive. This somewhat veiled connective tissue was built mostly by maintaining a purposeful cultural heritage in all of its many forms.
The folk-singers in Kohala sang songs about very specific places in the local area. When the songs were played, you could see people standing a bit taller and mouthing the words. The hula group also demonstrated an unusual level of public service by being present at most occasions. The dancers knew they were modeling the preferred state of aloha that all members of the community aspired to. There were story-tellers and a woman gifted with parables. It was as if Kohala had their own royal court with all the ceremonial groups attendant to the kingdom.
The secret here is to provide a place and occasions for the cultural side of the community to perform. It was important to recognize their excellent work and see that they were encouraged to tie their work directly into the aspirations of the community. This required what I will call ceremonial leaders who understood what was auspicious or should be then planning the event to see that it happened.

Step 10. WATCHING FOR THE SIGNS

It is easy for a community to lose the sense that it is making progress over time. News is a spot-based reporting system. Sometimes news in a small town tends to read like gossip. But that gossip is the desired way for people to talk about what's important to them. One level more useful than the weather.
In Kohala the continuity issue was solved when a small newspaper finally surfaced. The content was decidedly local style. But, the need to consistently give the community a sense of its forward momentum is key. The following very important story will illustrate that point:
Early in the restoration period, a small group of volunteers decided to give the town a more beautiful entrance. There was a small triangular shaped piece of land just off to the left as you entered town. The volunteers secured permission from the land owner, a developer, and then began to plant some very modest but colorful flowers in the plot. Soon a construction company noticed the work and delivered some very impressive large rocks. As people drove by he concept grew.
Later, the merchants association thought it would be great to actually create a town sign in this triangle. They mustered some beautiful natural stone, built a wall, and attached some very charming letters to the wall. Then nearly a year later, the senior citizens saw that it would be nice to surround the wall with some more formal trees and shrubbery. They tried several combinations and finally hit upon a splendid mixture of landscaping.

Now, in a tribal culture, itâs the chief's job to recount the events of a journey-like process. In the modern world these continuities are often over-looked. So, Kohala has those who keep up with its history in such a way as to empower the citizens with a sense of their progress. And the progress has been real and very inspiring. Imua Kohala!

A recap of the elements used in this cultural and economic design:

Gather the community together for a visioning conference.

Design the meeting approach to create priorities ... not analysis.

Start your actions small ... but be visible and build organically. Create a magnet store or an inspirational altar piece.

Focus on the sense of place AND business opportunities.

Work toward multiple groups of empowered people.

Use every crisis to teach and bond the community.

Engage all surrounding players in the vision.

Aim the cultural players at the vision.

Write and preach about the progress regularly.

This historical analysis was produced by the Arcturus Social Architecture design group. Senior partner Jim Channon synthesized the elements to help guide other developing communities with their work. Photos by Jonathan Gaines.

NORTH KOHALA WINS COMMUNITY ENVIRONMENTAL
SUSTAINABILITY AWARD

...for restoring most of the buildings in our authentic and charming towns, rebuilding schools, constructing playgrounds and athletic fields, defending our clean air, holding on to our water reserves, protecting the coastline, upholding environmental standards, establishing a soft-energy path, conserving energy, maintaining a community-based planning effort, using local television and news resources, creating community gardens...all the while preserving our cultural heritage. We are now listed in Renew America's Environmental Success Index. Keep it up Kohala!