It's never been an easy proposition to win over the hearts and minds of Turtle Bay resort opponents, whose disappointment with this week's court decision has made the chasm even wider.

It would be one thing if the foes were ready to throw in the towel and try to reach some accommodation with Kuilima Resort Co., developers of the planned expansion.

But they're not. Representatives of Keep the Country Country and the Sierra Club Hawai'i chapter have announced their intent to appeal Monday's decision by Circuit Judge Sabrina McKenna. Their legal challenge contends that the environmental impact statement prepared 20 years ago — when the unilateral agreement between the city and the developers on the project was inked — needs an update and public input.

Even though McKenna sided with Kuilima, finding that not enough has changed to warrant more study, it hasn't changed opponents' views.

In recent weeks, Kuilima executives have decided to meet with small groups in the community; they have reasonably concluded that a less confrontational setting would allow more productive discussions about how to press ahead with their considerable program of amenities. Questions like "How would you like the park to look?" and "Where should the planned bike path go?" would get a better hearing away from the uproar of the heated, large public meetings. They're right about that. There's an impasse that's not easily bridged at noisy showdowns.

But people won't get the answers to their real questions: How big is the project going to be, and how exactly can the impact of that be managed?

That's because Kuilima won't have firm plans until it signs with a development partner. That makes it tough to evaluate public improvements until it's known what impacts they're offsetting.

If Kuilima is genuine in efforts to bridge the gap with the community, the company needs to make all its commitments legally binding, even those not covered by the unilateral agreement. The company also needs to follow through on giving residents access to information; a fledgling Web site (kuilimainfo.com) is still in building stages.

The North Shore, and O'ahu at large, deserves to know what the community is being asked to bear.