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Many people have asked us about the details leading up to the cancellation of the 2010 MK200. The following time line may help to answer these questions.
1/6/10, Wednesday – The RIR wrote a letter to Irving Kawashima requesting a working permit for the Rock Island Riders. dlnr-permit-request-100105
1/21/10, Thursday – Ed Ung calls to inquire about the permit. He was told by Mr. Kawashima that he got the letter and was reviewing the request.
1/29/10, Friday – Hoping to get started that weekend and not hearing back yet from Mr Kawashima, Ed called him again. Mr Kawashima told Ed that he needed a map of the course. Ed tried to explain that we haven’t been able to investigate for a course without a permit and therefor our request. Mr Kawashima again insisted saying that like previous years, he needed a map. Actually this is the first time that we have been required to submit a map first be fore getting a working permit. In fact for the 2009 event we had our working permit in December of 2008.
1/30/10, Saturday – Thinking that we made a mistake in addressing our request to Mr. Kawashima and very concerned that we were losing another weekend opportunity to work the event we drafted the following letter to Roger Imoto, the Hawaii branch manager of DOFAW. This letter was hand delivered Monday morning. Imoto-100130-wo_notes
We did not hear from Mr. Imoto but we did hear from Mr. Kawashima. He again insisted that he needed a map. We decided that rather than delay moving forward with our planning we would submit a map of the 2009 event with the understanding that it would be used as a starting point for planning the route for 2010. This was done. We were subsequently told that our working permit would be available from Mr. Kawashima.
2/4/10, Thursday – Ed was told by Mr. Kawashima that he had a meeting with the Mauna Kea rangers, that the permit needed some changes, and since Friday was a furlough day it would not be available until Monday. (Another working weekend lost!) We managed to get a phone conversation with Mr. Imoto to try to express the urgency of being allowed to get started. We were told that if we did not like it we could find some other land owner to work with. (my way or the highway)
2/9/10, Tuesday – The RIR receives a document which is not a permit to start work but instead is an agreement that we must sign before being issued a working permit to get started. We were totaly flabbergasted. Some of the conditions were ridiculous and appeared to be punitive in nature. Even though we have not even started, it seemed to us that we would be in violation of some conditions just by signing. DLNR_letter-100208
The RIR decided that we could not execute the proposed agreement and announced a cancellation of the 2010 event.
2/10/10, Wednesday – Roger Imoto, having hear that we were upset with the letter asked for a meeting. A meeting was held that day at noon between Mr. Imoto and Mr. Kawashima of DOFAW and Ed Ung, Dennis Vierra and Wayne Blyth of the Rock Island Riders. Without going into details of what was said at the meeting, it did not go well. After an hour of attempting to negotiate each point of the proposed agreement Wayne left the meeting announcing that he could not agree with the direction the meeting was going. The remaining parties continued to negotiate. The outcome was that Mr. Imoto himself would rewrite the agreement.
2/11/10, Thursday – The RIR received the revised agreement. DLNR_letter-100210
2/12/10, Friday – The RIR holds a meeting at which it is decided by unanimous vote to reject the proposed agreement and to not reverse the cancellation of the 2010 event.
2/15/10, Monday – The RIR delivers a letter to Mr. Imoto announcing our decision. Imoto-Roger-100215
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