2015-04-20 Game Management Advisory Commission Mintues

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Hawaii Game Management Advisory Commission Meeting Minutes—April 20, 2015 funding source for that. It's called the PONC maintenance fund. Point 25% of the property taxes deposited annually—we have about 1.2 million dollars in this fund right now—that's administered by Parks and Recreation. So Friends of the Park agreements, memorandums of understanding between community groups and P & R, and stewardship grants —that was something new— it just started last year that the Parks & Recreation is taking applications between mid-July and August 30 and there's a very specific on what the moneys can be used for. Hawaii County Charter, Section 10-16 has a list of everything that can or can't be used for the fund and this is one of the properties we will be purchasing, I would say in the next six months — Kahuku coastal property. That was just a brief presentation on the commission but I'm sure you have some questions. WC: What's the largest size property that you have purchased? AK: The largest property we've purchased I'd say is Kawa. Seven hundred and eighty-five acres in Kau, ocean front. And we purchase it to retain an open space. The number one reason we buy it is to eliminate the threat of development. TL: If you have a willing seller, an easement or whatever, but if it gets delayed —what is the process? AK: We've had very patient landowners in the past. Some of them have been waiting three or four years for the County because we can buy a land —we can buy a property at any given time out of order— it doesn't have to be number one on the list. If the administration chooses that it's an urgency— it's a recommended property—then we can buy it. So, certain properties we've run into obstacles with land court and —just unforeseen roadblocks, basically, every property is unique in itself, I would say... HV: We also have to take in the contact— some of the properties that we're looking at have archaeological features that once identified can slow down the process because then you have to do— be investigative — identify— come up with a burial plan if we're talking about remains and so forth so it's — it depends on the property and what's found during the investigative process. MB: Mark from Kona. So PONC will take on easement requests, was that, am I correct on that? None of those have been done yet though, correct? AK: None of our easement requests have made it to the County Council resolution step but we have it on our list. MB: So —why haven't they made —there's just not a high enough priority or... 4