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REPORT OF THE <br /> COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC WORKS AND MASS TRANSIT <br /> DATE: November 17, 2020 Re: Comm. No. 1130/Bill No. 217 <br /> PLACE: Council Chambers <br /> Hilo, Hawai`i <br /> TIME: 11:16 a.m. <br /> Council Chair and Members <br /> Hawai`i County Council <br /> Hilo, Hawai`i 96720 <br /> Your Committee on Public Works and Mass Transit, to which was referred Bill No. 217,reports as <br /> follows: <br /> Bill No. 217, introduced by Committee Member Valerie T. Poindexter, via Communication No. 1130 <br /> dated October 19, 2020, adds Waipi`o Valley Road to the schedule of roads in the Hamakua District <br /> closed to pedestrian traffic, with an exception for emergencies. <br /> Members first discussed this bill in Your Committee on November 5, 2020. At that initial meeting, <br /> Ms. Poindexter stated the purpose of her bill was to ensure safety on a County road. The road was <br /> initially built for residents and taro farmers, but because it is a public road, public access must be <br /> allowed. She recounted the lengthy discussions ongoing about the road and other issues, and of the <br /> working group, composed of various State and County agencies, landowners, and members of the <br /> public, that has been established to address them. There is an ongoing problem of enforcing prohibitions <br /> with rental vehicle users and cars that get stuck on the steep, narrow road, and generally described the <br /> problem of overuse of the valley without adequate sanitation infrastructure. <br /> Ms. Poindexter asked Joe Kamelamela, Corporation Counsel, to discuss possible long-term solutions <br /> that could include a permitting system for vehicle access. Mr. Kamelamela said a special management <br /> area could be established but it would take "a very long time," sometimes on the order of decades, to <br /> create. Bill No. 217 is one of the ways to help regulate what we can, he said. The Department of Public <br /> Works is also doing a geotechnical study on the carrying capacity of the road in order to determine <br /> whether it was at risk of collapse. <br /> Ms. Poindexter said the potential collapse would destroy the lives and livelihoods of many people in the <br /> valley. The working group is addressing issues related to access and gathering rights, she said. <br /> Committee Members uniformly agreed with Ms. Poindexter that Waipi`o Valley is a special place that <br /> is susceptible to overuse. Some Committee Members also said that Bill No. 217 needed further <br /> discussion before voting on a recommendation, and perhaps a broader, more holistic approach to <br /> address the issues beyond the narrow scope of the bill. After hearing the discussion, Ms. Poindexter <br /> moved to postpone the bill to the next Public Works and Mass Transit Committee meeting, with <br /> Committee Member Tim Richards seconding, and the postponement was approved. <br /> PWMTC Report No.: 29 <br />