2026-01-12 - Minutes DRAFT 1 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Restoration Competition (Bipartisan Infrastructure Law)grant. She said the letter of intent was approved by the State but was not approved by NOAA for a full submittal at that time. Ms. Obermaier stated that during the following year's grant round,the project shifted to OSCER, and OSCER and PONC submitted another letter of interest that was accepted, which resulted in an invitation to submit a full application. She stated the full application was submitted and approximately ten months later, in October, the County was awarded the grant. She noted the project has been in development for about two and a half years on the grant side alone. Ms. Obermaier provided an overview of the grant project scope, stating the funding will support restoration of the native ecosystem at the 11.5 acre Puapua'a Iki site and preservation of historic sites on the parcel in response to recurrent high tide flooding, erosion, and impacts from surrounding development. She outlined six main phases: (1) accepting funds and initiating environmental compliance, which she stated has been completed, (2) community engagement including establishment of a core hui to advise during the first three years of the grant period and to help ensure restoration reflects the site's history and culture, (3) landscape planning and environmental assessment to ensure regulatory compliance, (4) site restoration including vegetation and cultural site restoration, (5) shoreline stability to address erosion associated with wave refraction from an existing seawall and to improve the site's ability to withstand future high tide events, and (6) post project monitoring to assess success. Ms. Obermaier stated OSCER is grateful and excited to work with PONC and hopes the grant can serve as a pilot for other sites. Cmr. Crivello asked whether the commission received a copy of the final Coastal Zone Management(CZM) grant application submitted for the Puapua'a Iki project. Chr. Chang stated the commission had not received the grant document and noted it would be helpful for commissioners to be able to review it. DCC Campbell stated it would not be inappropriate for the commission to receive the information for informational purposes. Campbell emphasized, however, that oversight of County properties after acquisition is not within the commission's authority. Ms. Campbell stated commissioners may review the document, have opinions, and be informed, but the commission's formal role is limited to matters such as recommending maintenance funding and stewardship spending, and the commission is not tasked with overseeing the ongoing management of the property. Cmr. Crivello stated her concern stems from issues that arose during a prior stewardship grant application involving Puapua'a Iki. She recalled that an applicant proposed multiple activities but provided only a large lump sum budget without a budget narrative or details. Cmr. Crivello stated that while the process included valuable community interaction, it led her to request additional information such as burial treatment plans, preservation plans, and other supporting documentation, including an archaeological inventory survey(AIS)for the property. She stated that through that stewardship review, it became clear certain work needed to occur before the type of stewardship proposed could proceed, including considerations for ground disturbance and work within burial areas. Cmr. Crivello also noted concerns raised at the time regarding whether the practitioner involved was established within the community and whether there was sufficient community and descendant DRAFT-Minutes of January 12, 2026 Page 5