2015-24 CERS Annual Report May 2015

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Communication No. 2015 -24 These Connectivity Locations are recommendations. If one is found not to be viable, another alternative connection will be suggested. Puna Waena Priorities The lava activity has provided the impetus for the State and County to open connecting roads between Nanawale, Hawaiian Beaches and Shores and Hawaiian Paradise Park. Additionally, the Chain of Craters road has been readied for emergency use. The Subcommittee recommends that the Railroad emergency road be open on a 24/7 basis. We recognize that this puts a strain on the Hawaiian Paradise Park roadways and recommend that the County negotiate with HPPOA to come to an agreement on financial assistance for road maintenance or to assume ownership of a roadway that is used by the general public as an alternate to Highway 130. We also recommend that a study be initiated to open a connection between Hawaiian Paradise Park and the Kea'au Bypass junction area. • Permanently open Railroad between Hawaiian Beaches /Shores and Hawaiian Paradise Park • Initiate a viability study to create a road between HPP (Railroad) and Milo Road Puna Kai Priorities In tandem with our recommendation that Railroad between Hawaiian Beaches /Shores and Hawaiian Paradise Park we recommend that the new emergency access route connecting Nanawale Estates to Hawaiian Beaches /Shores be open on a 24/7 basis. We recognize that few people who are not residents of these subdivisions will choose to use this route as an alternate for Highway 130, that it would be used primarily by local residents to travel between the subdivisions and also to provide emergency ingress /egress. We also recommend that an alternate route into and out of Nanawale Estates be created to Highway 130 on the Forest Road right of way. When the lava covered Apa'a Road at the Cemetery in Pahoa it blocked the main access for residents of Kaohe Homesteads. We understand that the County intends to re -open this road and recommend that this project be implemented as soon as possible as the Kaohe residents are left with only one ingress /egress route and that one is circuitous. • Permanently open Railroad between Hawaiian Beaches /Shores and Nanawale Estates • Connect Nanawale Estates to Highway 130 on Forest Road • Re -open Apa'a Road where it is covered with lava Summary The Puna Community Development Plan Subcommittee on Connectivity and Emergency Response (CERS) remains dedicated to continuing our work to implement these points of connectivity that are so urgently needed in Puna. Both the public and emergency service providers need to have better access, safer routes to schools, social and community connectivity and alternate routes in and out of subdivisions. These projects must not be deferred. We need to create partnerships with the County and the Puna communities to bring these connections into reality.