ORD 2012-164 2010-2012 - Laserfiche WebLink

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COUNTY OF HAWAII STATE OF HAWAII BILL NO. 326 ORDINANCE NO. 12. 1$4 AN ORDINANCE AMENDING CHAPTER 15, ARTICLE 8, SECTION 15 -68.1 OF THE HAWAII COUNTY CODE 1983 (2005 EDITION, AS AMENDED), BY NAMING THE OFFICIALS' STAND LOCATED AT HUALANI PARK "RONALD FUTOSHI `HARPO' SAIKI OFFICIALS' STAND." BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE COUNTY OF HAWAII: SECTION 1. Purpose. Ronald Futoshi "Harpo" Saiki was born in Hilo on April 22, 1918. He grew up in the Piopio area, near the Wailoa Pond. When he was 14 years old, his parents built their family home in Keaukaha, and Keaukaha is where he resided for his entire life. He graduated from Hilo High School in 1935 and continued his education at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. He married Dottie Thompson and together they had four children. In 1961, he married Donna Weiss Saiki, the principal of Keaukaha Elementary School, and together they embraced the children of Keaukaha. Mr. Saiki later retired from the County of Hawai`i as the Public Works Roads Department Overseer of East Hawaii. In 1969, Mr. Saiki was asked by Father Siu of Malia Puka 0 Kalani Church to coach the Catholic Youth Organization (CYO) sports teams in Keaukaha. He coached football, baseball, and track and organized all the sports teams. Using the CYO "stretchout" station wagon, Mr. Saiki transported children from Pana`ewa and Lanakila to practice in Keuakaha, and then back home again. He would set up the fields and even cut the grass before each game. Noting the hard work of Mr. Saiki, the Hilo Lions Club built what is now known as the Brickhouse. This building serves many purposes; however, it is primarily utilized by scoring officials and as a storage room for both football and baseball programs. Mr. Saiki was a quiet and humorous man, which earned him the nickname "Harpo" after Harpo Marx of the Marx Brothers. He was a great man who dedicated the majority of his life to children and sports. He died on October 13, 2006, but his legacy lives on. The purpose of this ordinance is to recognize and commemorate in perpetuity the many years of selfless dedication, hard work, community spirit, and aloha that Ronald Futoshi "Harpo" Saiki contributed towards promoting athletics in our Hilo communities. Therefore, the Officials' Stand at Hualani Park is named in his honor, pursuant to Chapter 15, Article 8, Section 15 -67 of the Hawai`i County Code 1983 (2005 Edition, as amended), which establishes requirements for the naming of County parks and recreation facilities.