COM 0644.000 2020-2022 - Laserfiche WebLink

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4. Deanna S. Sako Mitchell D. Roth ��-' Director Mayor ' j- • , Steven A. Hunt • ••131' Deputy Director County of Hawaii Finance Department Hamana Ventura Property Manager 25 Aupuni Street, Suite 1101 • Hilo, Hawaii 96720 Phone (808) 961-8069 • Fax (808) 961-8248 PUBLIC ACCESS, OPEN SPACE, AND NATURAL RESOURCES PRESERVATION COMMISSION December 10, 2021 Mayor Mitch Roth County of Hawaii 25 Aupuni Street Hilo, Hawai`i 96720 Dear Mayor Roth: Attached is the 2021 Annual Report of the County of Hawaii Public Access, Open Space and Natural Resource Preservation Commission (PONC), pursuant to Section 2-217 (2) of the Hawaii County Code. The Public Access, Open Space, and Natural Recourses Preservation Fund (FUND) establishes a unique pathway in the County of Hawai'i for the public to suggest properties for Fee Simple or Conservation Easement acquisition thru the FUND. The FUND also protects, preserve, and hold in perpetuity native and cultural significance, with rights to access and easement in open spaces. During the year, the PONC Commission reviewed 27 Suggestion Forms and eight Stewardship Grant Requests. Both submittals reflect growing public interest and their involvement in this program. The Commission diligently refined the Suggestion Form in order to make submitted materials concise for evaluation and scoring, as well as user friendly. The Covidl9 pandemic safety measures practiced by the citizens of the Big Island during this past year have helped the PONC commissioners to develop new skills in conducting virtual meetings and in accomplishing successful site visits. Our commission Secretary, Maxine Cutler has aptly facilitated all of our PONC meetings to run smoothly and ensured public testimony was available and convenient for all participants. There have been requests to make information acquired during ad hoc site visits, including photos, more easily available to interested parties. An ad hoc committee was assigned to look at options to post the information, both from the current year's visits and historical site visits. Hawai'i County is an Equal Opportunity Provider and Employer.