2008-12-31 (2008 PONC Annual Report to the Mayor)

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October 13 Hilo November 10 bona November 24 Hilo [Special meeting] December 8 Hilo During these meetings the Commission continued to receive testimony from the public and engaged in discussion with invited guests; Jane Rubey, State Coordinator of the Hawai` i Wetlands Joint Venture, and Deanna Sako, Controller for the County of Hawai` i. Suggestion Form Although the Commission chose not to actively solicit for new suggestion forms for 2008, these forms were still accepted if they were submitted by the public. As a result, the Suggestion Form [revised February 12, 20071 (see Appendix 6) remained available online for public use. There were a total of four suggestion farms that were received from the public between June 30, 2007 and June 30, 2008. Assessment Criteria Form The 2007 Assessment Criteria Form [revised February 12, 20071 (see Appendix 7) was utilized to assess the suggestion forms received during 2008. Commission and Community Concerns Thy following is a listing of concerns and problems identified by the Commission: The priority adjustment ranking process should be refined, in consultation with the Office of Corporation Counsel, Department of Finance, and the Mayor, to guide the (integration) of newly suggested properties with lists submitted in previous years. ➢ An approved site visitation plan should be developed to enable the Commission to view and better evaluate properties in preparation of the Prioritized List. The Commission would like to encourage the Mayor and the Hawaii County Council to request of the Conunission and County Property Manager clarification or more information, as may be needed, prior to any recommended purchase actions on the property listings. Recommending properties for purchase is the stated goal of the Commission, However the Commission and the public are concerned that active management, including maintenance and enforcement needs must be addressed. Funding sources need to be identified for management purposes. The Commission has receiver) comments from the public that public access routes in some areas are obstructed by adjoining landowners to discourage public use. The County and State should resolve these problems when they are reported by the public. .3_