March 25, 2004
Contributed by CEO Message
Circuit Judge Eden Elizabeth Hifo dismissed the condemnation, making this the second time the City's attempt to condemn this property has been defeated, and she has signed the Order to make the decision final. Many of you were instrumental in carrying our message of opposition to the City Council, and, on behalf of Kamehameha Schools, I want to thank you for your efforts and for your support of this Trust. You may be hearing more about this in the days ahead, and I wanted to make sure we got the word out to as many of you as possible. Kamehameha opposes the forced sale of our land. Not only does this violate our rights as a property owner but it also would force us to part with a gift Pauahi left to benefit her people. In this case, we opposed the City's action because we view the land at the Kahala Beach as providing significant support to our educational mission now and in the future. Judge Hifo granted Kamehameha's motion for summary judgement in this matter because Kamehameha challenged the qualification of many of the lessees who applied with the City for condemnation, and most of those whom we challenged were, in fact, not properly qualified. As a result, the City's requirement for at least 25 qualified applicants from the Kahala Beach Apartments was not met and Judge Hifo ordered the condemnation terminated. Congratulations to Kamehameha's legal team and to all who played a role in bringing this very positive outcome to all of us. Your strength and support has prevailed!
Kamehameha Schools’ policy is to give preference to applicants of Hawaiian ancestry to the extent permitted by law.
