KKCR's Town Hall Meetings

SOURCE: Ken Taylor (taylork021@Hawaii.rr.com) SUBHEAD: The current economic downturn on Kaua'i - How you, your family, and friends are coping.

Image above: Beginning of west Hanapepe Town, still reeling seventeen years after Hurricane Ininki. Photo by Juan Wilson.

From press release by Kauai Community Radio (KKCR) on 17 July 2009

The first installment of the "Be Heard" Town Hall Meetings will focus on the economic downturn. If this series is successful, KKCR will host similar meetings on a periodic basis on other topics to be determined.

Who Should Participate? In particular, we are looking to hear from the local families and residents living through and coping with the economic downturn.

We want to hear directly from the people affected most - the families and residents of Kaua'i.
It is important that our focus is "bottom up" and "grass roots" rather than "top down".

By gathering and summarizing important grass roots information, we want to provide a valuable perspective to each other and to officials, businesses, groups, and organizations who might be able to help. In short, we are looking to help uncover problems and match them up with the local resources that can help.

This series of initial meetings is seen only as a beginning. Again, KKCR will provide its airwaves and web presence as a community resource to support an on-going dialog in addition to this initial effort.

With the help of community volunteers, KKCR will host and record / broadcast meetings in the following locations:

WEST Tuesday, August 11, 2009 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm Waimea Neighborhood Center 4556 Makeke Road Waimea, HI 96796 Neighborhoods including Kekaha, Waimea, Pakala Village, Kaumakani, Hanapepe, Ele'ele, Port Allen, Kapaka, Mana (all other Kaua'i neighborhoods are invited as well) SOUTH Thursday, August 13, 2009 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm Koloa Neighborhood Center (click here for a map) 3461 Weliweli Road Koloa, HI 96756 Neighborhoods including Kalaheo, Lawai, Omao, Koloa, Po'ipu (all others are invited too) EAST / SOUTHEAST Tuesday, August 18, 2009 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm Hawaiian Studies Hale Kauai Community College 3-1901 Kaumuali'i Hiway Lihue, HI 96766 Neighborhoods including Puhi, Lihue, Hanamaulu, Wailua, Wailua Homesteads, Kapa'a, Kealia, Anahola (all others are invited too) NORTH Saturday, August 22, 2009 1:30 pm - 3:30 pm Kilauea Neighborhood Center 2460 Keneke Street Kilauea, HI 96754 Neighborhoods including Kilauea, Kalihiwai, Princeville, Hanalei, Wainiha, Haena (all others are invited too) A Partial List of Questions To Be Asked During The Meetings: - How has the current economic climate affected you as individuals? - How has the current economic climate affected your local neighborhoods? - What are the sources and causes of the issues? - What would you like to see done to fix the issues? - What resources are available in your neighborhoods that could be applied to the fix? (can include businesses, farms, other agricultural resources, churches, schools, other knowledge resources, non-profits, other organizations, individuals) Aspects to Consider During the Discussions: - Unemployment - Housing & Foreclosures - Hunger - Personal Debt - Healthcare - Loss of Key Industries or Businesses - Tourism - Agriculture - Technology - Utilities & Services (Power, Internet, Water, Garbage, Phone, Television, Radio) - Food sources - Long-term Sustainability & Self-dependence - Sovereignty - County Resources - State Resources - National Resources For more information, please call KKCR at (808) 826-7774 or email beheard@kkcr.org.