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74 locations in upper Puna have been identified and are now being addressed by the <br />75 County through the Mayor's Puna Roads Committee. The CERS subcommittee has also <br />76 given focus to emergency response efforts and connectivity issues in lower Puna. <br />77 Committee Member Yumi Kawano asked how much funding had been provided to work <br />78 on road connectivity in Puna. The Fiscal Year 2017-18 Capitol Improvement Budget (CIP) <br />79 was for $20 million. Ms. Mercado will check on additional CIP appropriations at the next <br />80 Mayor's Roads Committee meeting on May 3, 2018 at 1:00 P.M. <br />81 — Priority #3 regarding internet connectivity. Committee Member Michael Bernard led <br />82 the discussion of this topic. Mr. Bernard stated that he had received information on <br />83 internet connectivity improvement for Hawai'i Island from Hawaiian Telcom. Mr. <br />84 Bernard reported that Hawaiian Telcom will receive a total of 26 million dollars over a 6 <br />85 year period for internet connectivity improvement from a federal program called <br />86 Connect America. Most of the funding is going to improving connectivity on Hawai'i <br />87 Island, with 4,500 of 5,000 new connections being made on Hawai'i Island. Mr. Bernard <br />88 reported that he was unable to get information from Spectrum, but in his research <br />89 found out that they offer an internet assistance program for qualifying families and <br />90 individuals. For further details on Spectrum Internet Assist Program use the following <br />91 link: http://records.hawaiicountV.gov/Weblink/l/doc/92824/Pagel.aspx <br />92 <br />— Priority #4 regarding the preservation of native ecosystems. Chair Brown stated that <br />93 <br />OHA has begun implementation of the Wao Kele o Puna comprehensive management <br />94 <br />plan. Rene Siracusa of Malama o Puna provided a summary of the progress made on <br />95 <br />Keau'ohana Forest Reserve on HW 130 across from Black Sands subdivision. Ms. <br />96 <br />Siracusa announced that with a small grant from the County and a few larger grants <br />97 <br />from the State, progress is being made in eradicating invasive species and planting <br />98 <br />native plants on 100 acres of native forest. Public Access, Open Space, and Natural <br />99 <br />Resources Preservation Commission (PONC) is moving closer to finalizing the acquisition <br />100 <br />of the Vacationland Land Trust property (Wai'opae). Ms. Siracusa encouraged members <br />101 <br />of the public to submit parcels in Volcano to PONC for land acquisition. Ms. Mercado <br />102 <br />added that the group working on the Volcano Design Guidelines have someone <br />103 <br />considering PONC applications as a way to preserve open space. Ms. Siracusa <br />104 <br />announced that PONC has a draft letter they will be considering at their next meeting <br />105 <br />that provides information on PONC and encourages community associations to submit <br />106 <br />parcels for acquisition. <br />107 <br />— Priority #5 regarding famers markets. Chair Brown announced that the Pahoa Regional <br />108 <br />Park is now an official designated site available for potential farmers' markets. Council <br />109 <br />members Eileen O'Hara and Jen Ruggles shared that several other parks in the Puna <br />110 <br />District are being considered as potential sites for farmers markets. <br />111 <br />— Priority #6 regarding medical facilities. Committee Member Domizio asked what was <br />112 <br />needed to construct entrances and exits off of Highway 130 for a potential medical <br />113 <br />facility. Chair Brown stated that if the facility was already existing, the State Department <br />114 <br />of Transportation (DOT) would build the highway to accommodate the existing facility. <br />115 <br />In the case of a new facility being built off of the existing highway, the developer would <br />116 <br />usually bare the cost of altering the road. <br />www.hiplanningdept.com puna(Whawaiicounty.Qov Page 3 <br />