GOVERNOR LINGLE RELEASES $250,000 FOR KUNIA AGRICULTURAL PARK MASTER PLAN

For Immediate Release:  February 20, 2008

HONOLULU – Governor Linda Lingle has released $250,000 to develop a master plan for a new 150-acre Kunia Agricultural Park in central O‘ahu on land transferred to the state by the Halekua Development Corporation. The park will be managed by the Hawai‘i Department of Agriculture (HDOA).

The master plan for the new Kunia Agricultural Park will include provisions subdividing the land parcel into approximately 28 lots and coordinate the park’s connection with adjacent utility infrastructure.

“Through agricultural parks, the state is able to lease land to small farmers at a reasonable cost. This encourages farming activity in our islands and allows more of our food supply to be locally grown,” said Governor Lingle. “This project will increase our inventory of farming lots on O‘ahu and also preserve land for agricultural use in an area where there is a significant amount of residential development.”

HDOA’s Agricultural Resource Management Division currently operates a total of 10 agricultural parks in Hawai‘i, including four on O‘ahu, four on the Big Island, and one each on Kaua‘i and Moloka‘i.

The master plan for Kunia Agricultural Park is scheduled to be completed in December 2008.

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For more information, contact:
Sandra Lee Kunimoto
Chair, Board of Agriculture
Phone: (808) 973-9550

Lenny Klompus
Senior Advisor – Communications
Phone: (808) 586-7708

Russell Pang
Chief of Media Relations
Phone: (808) 586-0043