By Staff Reports
(LĪHU‘E) – Established in 1986 by county ordinance, the Kaua‘i Historic Preservation Review Commission (KHPRC) is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year.
The KHPRC consists of nine volunteer members that meet monthly. The commission serves as an advisory body for the Department of Planning and the Planning Commission, and provides recommendations on various aspects of archaeological and building design review of historic resources and development.
“We are very proud that the County of Kaua‘i was the first in the state to begin to facilitate public participation in historic preservation efforts at the local level,” said KHPRC Chair Anne Schneider. “Over the years, our all-volunteer commission has worked hard to ‘protect, preserve, perpetuate, promote, enhance and develop the historic resources of Kaua‘i.’”
Other members of the KHPRC include: Vice Chair Victoria Wichman; Althea Lovell Arinaga; Charlotte Hoomanawanui; David Helder; Deatri Nakea; Lawrence Chaffin Jr.; Patricia Griffin; and Stephen Long.
Schneider also noted that this year marks the 50th Anniversary of the National Historic Preservation Act and 30 years since the county became a federally-designated Certified Local Government (CLG). By participating in the federal program, the county joined a national movement to celebrate and preserve the presence of past people and historic structures and landscapes in its community planning and development.
A major project managed by the Commission is the Kaua‘i Historic Resources Inventory and Management Plan. The plan identifies historic properties that are included in an islandwide inventory, and is used as a planning tool.
Among the locations included in the historic preservation register are the Līhu‘e Civic Center Historic District and the Kaua‘i Museum, as well as archeological complexes, fishponds, homes, sugar mills, and bridges. The most recent Kaua‘i property that was reviewed by the KHPRC and added to the state register is the Kaua‘i Pineapple Company’s Superintendent’s House in Kōloa.
“An important goal in our Holoholo 2020 vision is to preserve and restore our culturally historic sites,” state Mayor Bernard P. Carvalho, Jr. “I commend the work of the KHPRC and its volunteer members who have been committed to this effort over the course of past three decades, and we look forward to inspiring the next generation to continue this passion and purpose.”
Anyone wishing to nominate a historically significant building or property for inclusion in the inventory can contact the Planning Department at 241-4050.
The KHPRC meets on the fourth Thursday of the month. The meetings are open to the public and held at the Līhu‘e Civic Center, Mo‘ikeha Building, Rooms 2A/2B.
For more information or to request an ASL interpreter, materials in an alternate format, or other auxiliary aid support, please call the Planning Department at 241-4050.
The Holoholo 2020 vision calls for all organizations, businesses, residents and visitors on Kauaʻi to be part of creating an island that is sustainable, values our native culture, has a thriving and healthy economy, cares for all – keiki to kupuna, and has a responsible and user-friendly local government.