Monday, December 30, 2013

USA, Hawaii:

Puna Geothermal Relocation Funding Requests Moving Forward (West Hawaii Today)

Neighbors of Puna Geothermal Venture might not have to wait much longer to get money for their homes as Hawaii County catches up on the flurry of relocation requests it received over the past two years.

The county has 27 pending requests with the relocation fund, established in 1996 with geothermal royalties to purchase homes of people adversely affected by the geothermal power plant, finished about four years earlier. Many came in during 2012 when more homeowners became aware of the option when geothermal again became a hot political topic.

To handle the influx, the county Planning Department contracted with Prudential Orchid Isle Properties — recently purchased by Clark Realty — earlier this year to process the requests and help make property value determinations.

Progress has been slow, but it could soon pick up.

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