2023_04_18 Game Management Advisory Commission Minutes

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NS: May I add something, ah, this is Nani again, you asked how you could help I think, yeah, definitely writing to your Congressionals, helping to, showing support of this project because it is a repair we – the federal government – are funding it 100% and so, once we get approvals to move forward the next thing is to get the funds so, knowing that there is public support behind it, and just, I think even stating how you talk about how remote this area is, you know, there’s no other harbors – you have to go all the way down to Hilo Harbor – I think that’s huge life safety type of issue that we are aware of and… AA: Yes. NS: …. that we are trying to, you know, use, in our favor to gain support of the project and so once the approvals come through then we need the money and so getting Congressional support to earmark those funds for us would be extremely helpful. Over. RD: Ah, Ben, ah, and Nani – Robert Duerr, District – 1, another element which is critical is the infra- structure element that Hamakua has antiquated bridges that in a major earthquake are going to go down and the history of Hamakua Coast – is a history of \[unclear\] boats lighting frame into shore and Laupahoehoe is the most accessible and the easiest in the event of a catastrophic failure of bridges on Hamakua and the need to get in equipment by a boat which the way Hawaii is an Island state and transportation and freighting by boat is mission critical. BR: Understood, yup, and I know our team is putting that in our narrative as well. RD: Right on, thank you. SW: Deputy Corporation Counsel Sylvia Wan – just to clarify – you are suggesting that individuals write their Congressional representative in support of this boat ramp initiative. Is there a specific name for this project so that when they individuals are writing in support they can be referencing the appropriate project? BR: Yeah, the Laupahoehoe Small Boat Harbor Breakwater Repair. NS: I would like to note a distinction between the Boat Ramp versus the Breakwater structure in that the core of engineers is responsible for the breakwater structure and I guess the waterway where we have the basin and I guess what – I’m not sure if we would call that an entrance channel – the ramp though is owned and operated by the County. AA: Yes… NS: And so we, you know, yeah, we wouldn’t be affected – we wouldn’t be touching the boat ramp and I know that the boat ramp is in great disrepair as well and, you know, it’s kind of a chicken or egg thing, you know, do you fix the breakwater or do you fix the or the boat ramp – my suggestion is if you can obtain funds to repair the ramp – I know that it’s been in, you know, it’s been eroding severely over these last many years, I think someone said even 2009 since it’s been closed – hearing the timelines that it’s gonna take for us to get the breakwater repair in – I might encourage, you know, go ahead and address the ramp if possible, I mean, because this is not an overnight fix that we’re gonna be able to get in there to do so in the interest of safety for like the keiki that you’re talking about as well as your community members who use that area, it might be better to just do the necessary repairs to the ramp. 15