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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMIN PWMTC 2021/01/19 2020-2022Committee on Public Works and Mass Transit 2nd Session Hawaii County Building 25 Aupuni Street Hilo, Hawaii January 19, 2021 CALL TO The regular meeting of the Committee on Public Works and Mass Transit ORDER: was called to order at 1:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers, Hilo, Hawaii, by Ms. Susan L. K. Lee Loy, Chair. ROLL CALL: Present: Ms. Susan L. K. Lee Loy, Chair Mr. Matt Kaneali`i-Kleinfelder, Vice Chair Mr. Aaron S. Y. Chung, Member Ms. Maile Medeiros David, Member (via videoconference from Kona) Ms. Holeka Goro Inaba, Member (via videoconference from Kona) Ms. Ashley L. Kierkiewicz, Member Ms. Heather Kimball, Member Mr. Herbert M. "Tim" Richards, III, Member Ms. Rebecca Villegas, Member (via videoconference from Kona) STATEMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC ON AGENDA ITEMS: CC)N4N4T TNT - CATIONS: The Chair directed the Committee to proceed to the next order of business, Statements from the Public on Agenda Items. (There were none.) The Chair directed the Committee to proceed to the next order of business, Communications. Comm. 33: REQUESTS AN UPDATE FROM REPRESENTATIVES OF THE HAWAII COUNTY TRAFFIC DIVISION AND THE HAWAII DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION REGARDING ONGOING TRAFFIC ISSUES AND IMPACTS TO THE COMMUNITY RESULTING FROM THE INSTALLATION OF A NEW TRAFFIC SIGNAL AT THE INTERSECTION OF HIGHWAY 11 AND KIPIMANA STREET, NEAR THE ENTRANCE TO W. H. SHIPMAN BUSINESS PARK From Council Member Matt Kaneali`i- Kleinfelder, dated November 30, 2020. Motion to Close File: Mr. Kaneali`i- Kleinfelder moved to close file on Comm. 33. Seconded by Ms. Kierkiewicz. CHR. LEE LOY: Mr. Kaneali`i- Kleinfelder, this your communication, please lead the discussion. PWMTC-2 January 19, 2021 MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Chair. I see in our audience Aaron Takaba andI'm not sure who you are, but if you guys want to come up. I have some questions. You know, I'm just raising community concerns regarding the Kipimana traffic light that was installed. (Note: At this time, Public Works Director Steven L Rodenhurst and Traffic Division Chief Aaron Takaba came forward to address the members of the Committee.) CHR. LEE LOY: Yes, for the record we have Mr. Takaba from our Traffic Division and Director Rodenhurst. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay, thank you. Thank you for being here, Director and Director from each department. Thank you. As you're very, very aware, you know, and there's a lot of concern in the community regarding this traffic light, in particular. I'm just trying to get some basics on, you know, the how, the when, the what, and what we're going to do going forward. I see it as an issue, and it's been persistent. I've been watching it. We were, I think, all told to just kind of deal with it, and I don't take kindly to being told to just deal with the situation, especially being that area, that stoplight services. I mean, the community haveI have more than 50,000 people, and respectively gets about 25,000 people per day traveling through that intersection. So with that in mind, I just want to get some kind of just data from you guys, especially regarding this. This is a State project, correct? But you're here because the County is in control of this stoplight itself, and the timing, all the other aspects of the signal, correct? Okay, so give me some backstory on this. So where this come from, how did this get started, who was involved from the beginning? Either one of you guys, whoever has information. MR. TAKABA: Yes, so it's a State project, and I believe they put it in CHR. LEE LOY: Mr. Takaba, just for a minute, could you please introduce yourself and the division you represent. It's just for recordkeeping purposes. Thank you. MR. TAKABA: Oh, sorry. I'm Aaron Takaba from the Traffic Division, from DPW (Department of Public Works), the Division Chief. And yeah, the signal was put in by the State and the intent was to address safety, particularly for the people on Kipimana Street, getting in and out from Kipimana Street. And so when it was turned on you know, our involvement was to review the plans, and to do inspections and to make sure the signal is turned on properly, as part of our operations and maintenance responsibilities. And once it was turned Page 2 PWMTC-2 January 19, 2021 on, we watched the signals, made adjustments, and this kind of went on for a while, and we're continuing to watch it. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Can I stop you for a second? So from the beginning though, who pushed this project to happen? Just the State? Who specifically in the State wanted this project done? MR. RODENHURST: If I may? MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Alright, go ahead. Thank you. Introduce yourself. MR. RODENHURST: Okay, Director Ikaika Rodenhurst for DPW. As far as who pushed for it, for the State, that's a question for DOT (Department of Transportation) to respond to. I don't have that data in front of me. We don't have that data; it's under the DOT where to respond to. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Well, they were asked to be here, as well, and they did not respond nor are they here. So give me your best guess as to who did it. MR. RODENHURST: I would assume someone within DOT. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: That's a good guess. MR. RODENHURST: Yeah, sorry, sorry, I have nothing else other than it's from DOT. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Do we have documentation on where this came from, or why this project originated? MR. TAKABA: Nothing documented other than we were notified of the project and that we were going to review the plan, as part of our responsibility. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: When did it start? MR. TAKABA: To be honest, I would have to look and get back—look up that information and get back to you when it first started. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: You didn't bring that with you today? MR. TAKABA: No, not today. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. Who on the Council was part of the decision-making process? Page 3 PWMTC-2 January 19, 2021 MR. TAKABA: Who on the Council? MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Yeah, were any Council Members involved in the project? MR. TAKABA: That I'm not sure. I'm not sure on that. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. So we don't know who originated the project in the State or the County, but we went ahead, and we worked for the State to get it done? MR. TAKABA: Um-hmm. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay, that's pretty vague, but thank you. And then again, so County—County side now, we review, inspect, maintain the signals itself? MR. TAKABA: Yes. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. And the reason you're here today, is when that light first went on, and I don't know how many people in this room actually uses that intersection, when that light went on for the first time, it backed up traffic on a Friday afternoon, all the way pass Ross in Hilo. And the outcry from the public was huge; phone calls, emails. I mean, some of us were sign waving on those days, and you could see the traffic backed up. It basically pissed off all of Puna. And not you, sorry, Aaron, we, we as a government, pissed off Puna, and understandably. Now, I think what was quoted in the paper as, well, we should just used to the project going forward, and I don't find that fair to the people of Puna, who I represent. So I was patient and I watched what was going on. I waited to see some results. The first day was horrible; I think coupled with an accident that day, as well. Since then, I think we've had two or three accidents at that intersection. So when you talk about, you know, making a safety improvement, we've actually created more accident in that area than we've ever had. MR. TAKABA: So as far as the accidents, you know, I think at the beginning we'd have to check the data, but I think a lot—it might have been rear -end type accidents, where people weren't maybe used to the signal, possibly. But it wasn't that the intent was to make it less safe, I mean, that wasn't the intention. And there was—we did public notice. I think the State did. We did our best to inform the public that the signal was going to be turned on. We had it flashing first and then did the turn on. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: You did, you did. I was watching it. I mean, it's my drive home every day. Page 4 PWMTC-2 January 19, 2021 MR. TAKABA: It's the best I mean, we did our best to make sure we turned it on per protocol, to make sure that as best we could that the public was made aware of the new signal. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay, I have noticed—and thank you for saying that. I understand this was a public -safety issue, mainly for those entering and exiting the Shipman Industrial area and for the businesses there, yeah, more so than the people who travel the highway to get home. And that's part of the issue at hand, yeah? But we've also, you know, after creating a safety -fix, we've actually had two or three accidents at that light, so there is kind of a there is an issue there. So perhaps some kind of a warning system for the traffic light coming up, so when you seeing taillights and stoplights from afar, you're not just traveling on a highway and slamming into the car in front of you, which I think we've seen enough time. I'm brainstorming with you. I'm looking for solutions. So I understand that light is not going to be taken down. But I want to know going forward what the people of Puna can expect from us when it comes to making that flow. Because I have been stuck a few times in that traffic going home. And again, a lot of people in this room; I know one, two, three, four; maybe four people in this room use the stoplight. Do you drive home through that stoplight? MR. TAKABA: I don't drive home through it, no. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. So I think for those of us who actually have to use that stoplight every day, it's not enough to just be that we should just put up with it and deal with it. I want it to function, and I want it to work for the people of Puna. I want it to be a safety aspect for those entering and exiting Shipman, but I don't want it to slow down what we're calling now the "Pana` ewa Parade," every evening on the way home. Especially given that we're in COVID (Coronavirus Disease) times right now, we haven't hit peak traffic hours since it's been turned on. So what kind of solutions does the department have going forward for when we start to have peak traffic and that stoplight is holding people back up to Ross? MR. RODENHURST: If I may? Yeah, so a lot of these questions right now, they're in a place where we don't have the answers for because that's in DOT's purview. We primarily deal with the timing of the light, the maintenance of the light. We understand there is a situation. We are working with DOT to optimize the light as best possible, to allow traffic flow. And your concern about the safety, I understand. I've been going through that light every day. I understand; I go home same way. This light was put there, my understanding, for safety, and it's not just for the safety Kipimana but the safety of Page 5 PWMTC-2 January 19, 2021 the people on highway, as well. It takes more than one car typically to cause an incident, and so it's for the people traveling on the highway, as well. And this light, my understanding, is put on there for safety of mind, for safety of all people who use the roads, not just one side. It is a little bit inconvenient. I think Aaron has some delay numbers, as far as what kind of delays we're expecting right now with hard -data. And we understand that there is a delay and we understand we're in COVID times, it's less traffic on the road. And we're going to have to continue working with DOT to optimize this and make sure we do have traffic flow through this area. Aaron, you want to bring up those data? MR. TAKABA: Yes. So the State has data that they've been collecting, for as far as for average delays, and I think the data shows that it's being about an average of five minutes delay, and usually it's occurring about 5:30 or so, is when the data was recorded. but they're recording data, between 2:00 and 7:00 p.m., and so yeah, they're getting an added wait -time of five minutes, average. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. And that's average? MR. TAKABA: Average. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: And we again, in COVID. MR. TAKABA: Yeah. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: So as school starts up, as college starts back UP, as people start to go back to a regular schedule, if and when that happens, we will see an increase of a delay. Has any thought been put into not using the light at certain times of the day to allow the traffic flow? Because I understand what you're saying about it being a State purview. But in reality we can control the signalization of the intersection, correct? MR. RODENHURST: We don't control the signalization. We are there to adjust for the timing. Whether it goes on or off, that's solely on the State right now. And as far as turning on and off, my opinion, I don't think that would be a good idea to turn it and off. That would cause more confusion to the public, from my opinion. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. Can we increase the green -time for traffic flow on Highway 11? MR. RODENHURST: Aaron, do you want to answer that one? Page 6 PWMTC-2 January 19, 2021 MR. TAKABA: Yeah, so that's part of the things that we've been looking at when we have been monitoring it, is adding more green -time to the highway. We did that about two or three times. And there's a point where you know, right now the wait for Kipimana is about three minutes, three and a quarter minutes. So that's kind of on the long side. We could probably consider adding more time, maybe taking time from one or the other approaches and giving it to the highway, versus maybe adding more. Because if—we're going to point where it's going to be such a long wait that we're going to get complaints from the other the side streets, that they're waiting too long. So that would be kind of the approach we take, going forward; is what can we do to try to keep the total cycle at a manageable level, so that the wait -time for everybody is not intolerable? MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: I think, if I remember correctly, the day it was turned on it was set to default mode. Is that correct? MR. TAKABA: I'm not sure. Kason (Pacheco), another one of my staff, was watching it. But I think there might have been some problem the first day that was addressed. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Who was watching it the first day it was turned on? Was anyone actually watching it from past our County hours, being ended at 4:30? MR. TAKABA: Yeah, we have yeah, Kayson, he runs the section. I believe he was watching it. And we had another, one of the technicians, was also watching it. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: And did they not notice that was backed up pass Ross in Hilo on the first day it was activated? MR. TAKABA: I'm not sure. I know that wasI believe that was the day that there was an accident. backup on that day. I think I was driving around that day, and I did see the MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Because I made a few phone calls to try and fix that problem, because to meI mean, I'm in Hilo and I'm watching traffic back up to Ross, I've never seen that before in my life. MR. RODENHURST: If I may comment on that part? I do remember there was an accident that day. And there was many factors as well as weather factors. We we've experienced. Having rained this past weekend. There was heavy rain that day, as well. So there's definitely a lot of factors. Not attributing to any of them to the accident, but there's factors involved. And my understanding from speaking with Aaron is that we had staff monitoring it, and they did the best they could at that time. Page 7 PWMTC-2 January 19, 2021 MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. Well, I think the best that we could, could have been better. And I think that the people sat in traffic for an extra hour that day; and have sat in the traffic for about up to five minutes extra per day, is not acceptable in my eyes. MR. RODENHURST: I agree 100 percent that we need to improve our services, and that's our goal every day, is to give the best we can; and we're always improving, and I think that's great that we're going to continue improving. Doing the best we can optimizing this light, adjust in the circumstances that come upon us right now, like you said, low traffic. As traffic increases, we're going to have adjust and optimize the light. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: I would definitelyI wanted to say not definitely, I think you should change the timing on the light, to allow more green time for Highway 11 flow, especially at peak hours, when we're seeing traffic backed up. Given that the department can see real-time data from your iphones of what's happening at your stoplights. Given the technology that we're using nowadays, there should be an abilityI think you can even adjust the timing of the lights at the same time. So given all of those abilities from your department, we should never see what we see at these stoplights. If there's an accident, there's other circumstances, understood; but in the case of traffic backing up and our ability to change things on the fly, we shouldn't see this kind of a backup. We should be able to make real-time adjustments and make things better for the people of this County. That's what they pay us for. CHR. LEE LOY: Mr. Kaneali`i- Kleinfelder? MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Yeah, I'm at my five -minutes. Thank you. If anyone has further questions, I'd like to hear them, or any comments. But I yield for now. Thank you for the latitude. CHR. LEE LOY: Thank you. Ms. Kierkiewicz, please. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Thank you. And thank you, Matt, for bringing this communication forward. You know, like Matt, I travel through that light every single day on my ride home. I remember the day that the light was activated, and just hearing from folks on Facebook, folks calling, text messaging me, letting me know there was an accident, traffic was backed up; you know, decided to grab some dinner in town with the kids, go shopping, just to buy time. And it was some hours. It was definitely dark, until the traffic subsided to a level where we weren't having to wait in line. And so it's an ongoing issue, and I don't think we're ever going to be able to completely eliminate traffic, just knowing the fact that folks are on the road in the morning to get to work, and on the road again pau Kana to get home. You know, I think it points to a bigger, broader conversation that we need to have and have eye Page 8 PWMTC-2 January 19, 2021 towards, and that's ensuring that there investment in proper infrastructure in the area so that people have good paying jobs in the communities that they're living in. You know, there was some discussion earlier around the why, and the who, and the when, related to this particular light. And if memory serves me correct, I believe when Senator Lorraine Inouye was head of the Transportation Committee, this was an issue that was brought forward to her. I've traversed that highway a number of times, and in all honesty have had a number of close encounters of maybe being t -boned by somebody leaving out of the Kipimana intersection. But also being on Kipimana and waiting for the perfect moment to cross the highway, there's a lot of anxiety in having to do that and time that correctly, because cars are blazing by. And I bring this up because I know it's really frustrating, and I certainly empathize with our constituents in our community, but I don't want this traffic light to drive a further wedge within our community. And so, if there are ways that we as the representatives of Puna can work in partnership with the Department of Public Works, but also to call on folks like Harry Takiue and the Deputy Director of Highways Division, Ed Sniffin, who I am grateful to have an awesome relationship with, convening these conversations to figure out, "Hey, what can we each do in our relative lanes to improve the vehicular experience, you know, the walking experience, the transit experience of our community?" So, no comments. But thank you for your commitment for being here. And, Matt, happy to work with you to bring the State to the table and talk about some solutions we can bring forward together for our constituents. Thank you, Chair, I yield. CHR. LEE LOY: Thank you, Ms. Kierkiewicz. Anyone else? Go ahead, Ms. Kimball. MS. KIMBALL: Hi. I just had a couple clarifying questions, more about the process. So the other signals that lead up to this one, they are also—are they also controlled by the State as far as their timing? I ask because I wonder if you just switch the length of time that this particular intersection is green for the highway, the synchronization is going to be off with all the other ones. So do you have the capacity to switch all of them and look at it as a network as opposed to just this individual signalization? MR. TAKABA: You could. There's—probably the nearest townside signal is the Kawailani one, that is a little far to do coordination. But possibly the one at the Highway 130 bypass or the Highway 130—Highway 11 intersection might be one Page 9 PWMTC-2 January 19, 2021 that could be coordinated with this particular one. I don't think we've had too many problems or complaints from—at that intersection, but that is something that could be considered. I did kind of mention that to Harry, to maybe consider in the long-term, to look at that possibly. CHR. LEE LOY: Thank you, Ms. Kimball. Anyone else? Let me go over to Kona. Kona, a`ole? MS. VILLEGAS: Aloha, this is Rebecca Villegas. Mr. Takaba— CHR. LEE LOY: Are you wanting to speak to this matter? MS. VILLEGAS: Yeah. CHR. LEE LOY: Oh, okay. Go ahead, Ms. Villegas. MS. VILLEGAS: Thank you. Mr. Takaba, a quick question for you. Do you have an electrical engineer in your department? MR. TAKABA: Yes, we do. MS. VILLEGAS: Is he being utilized to help with the implementation of potential adaptive technologies for running these lights, or syncing things, or even just—? It seems like this is a there's got to be some electrical skillset needed in order to time these things. MR. TAKABA: Not necessarily as far as—it doesn't have to be an electrical engineer. But as far as the staff, you know, we have Kason. He's our—he's the section supervisor. He's primarily responsible for timing and to distribute the work as appropriate to the skillset that we have, with the staff that we have. So we're making good decisions about who we use and how we use them. But to answer your question, yes we do have an electrical engineer. He's been useful in certain aspects of signal operations at this point. MS. VILLEGAS: And that's Kason? MR. TAKABA: No, Kason is a—he's a section supervisor. He's actually a civil engineer. MS. VILLEGAS: A civil engineer. And your electrical engineer is? MR. TAKABA: Yes, we have an electrical engineer, as well. MS. VILLEGAS: And I'm sorry, his name was? MR. TAKABA: His name is Mahfoud Tebbakh. Page 10 PWMTC-2 January 19, 2021 MS. VILLEGAS: Fantastic. Okay, thank you. I just wanted to confirm that I guess I get confused as to why it takes so long to fix these things. I've talked to a couple of different people who work in electrical engineering, who have experience with stoplights. And, you know, far be it, it's always easier to make thing seem very simple when you're not in the middle of a challenge like this. But I know here in KonaI mean, we're still thankfully not at full capacity with our streetlights because tourism has not returned in its full capacity. But I just reallyI can't urge you enough and encourage you enough to enable your staff and your electrical engineers that you have on staff to take the steps necessary to bring our stoplight technologies up into the 21st century. Unfortunately, I feel like our stoplights are very similar to what our new Director of Environmental Management called, some of the things he's experiencing in that department which we are way behind. And I'm really hopeful that there will be some vision and leadership into identifying, and transitioning, and skipping 30 years of unnecessary pain and suffering for our community, and getting us up to speed when it comes to our stoplights. Because at this point, it's kind ofI mean, for me in my district and the comment that I hear abut traffic, it gets embarrassing because there are the paradigms, there is the technology available to get us up to speed. So I just want to again, you know, we talked, I think it was last year, about this same thing. So I just encourage you to utilize your staff that has the electrical engineering capacity, in their full capacity, because we have expertise in our departments in order to solve some of these problems. With that, I yield. CHR. LEE LOY: Thank you, Ms. Villegas. With that, I think all of our questionsoh, Mr. Takaba, did you have a follow-up? MR. TAKABA: Yes, I wanted to comment. So you know with Traffic signals, you know, one of the first things we need to address is having good basic service. And when I first came to the division, you know, with the people that was there, electrical engineer, whoever it was, you know, we didn't have good basic service. And we're still trying to get to that point, you know, with the detection. We're trying to address the traffic detection primarily, that's been causing us a lot of problems, and so we're trying to reach that point. And once we get to having good basic service, I think we can start looking at the technology, such as adaptive control and things like that. Because without the proper detection and functioning equipment, that nice fancy equipment or program is not going to work as efficiently as you want it to. So that's the goal right now, is getting back to good basic service. And to answer your question or your request, we are usingI am trying to distribute the work to the staff that we have, you know, to the best to their ability, Page 11 PWMTC-2 January 19, 2021 and to what I feel is going to meet what we need to meet. So it's not just the electrical engineer, but there's a whole bunch of other people that we're trying to get involved with the whole—with the process. So if you can allow us to make those decisions, you know, it's bigger than just one person. Thank you. CHR. LEE LOY: Looks like Mr. Rodenhurst has a follow-up. Go ahead. MR. RODENHURST: And if I may add to that, a well? Yes, electrical engineers are important in this process. It also is important that our traffic engineers, which falls under the civil discipline, and working in conjunction. As far as the technology of our streetof our traffic lights, the discussion has been started with DOT on how we can get ourselves into the present day and into the future. So we understand that our technology may be lagging, but we have started those discussions and moving forward, and we will do our best to get that done in a timely fashion. Thank you. CHR. LEE LOY: Go ahead. Oh, thank you, Mr. Rodenhurst. Mr. Kaneali`i- Kleinfelder. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Just a couple follow-ups. So from the State end, I mean, what is our responsibilities from the County level for signalization on State highways? MR. TAKABA: Well, our responsibility is not to make the decision whether to put the signal there or not. You know, it's mainly—once they make that decision, we're involved with the review of the project and the ultimate—eventual inspection, primarily because we're going to be responsible for maintenance and operations. We have a say in the way the signals are designed, and so that's kind of why we're involved from the plan review and inspection process; and the turn on too, we also deal with the turn -on, as well as the ongoing operations in the future. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: So does that mean is there a series of traffic study evaluations that were done? MR. TAKABA: I mean that would be a question for the State to answer. It's a State intersection. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: But we review the plans, correct? MR. TAKABA: The plan, yes. It's the design plans, so when they you know, when you've got a set of plans, the actual construction plans that they prepared. Page 12 PWMTC-2 January 19, 2021 MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: And they don't have to submit any kind of justification, or traffic count numbers, or anything to make sure that the design meets what's necessary for that stretch of highway? MR. TAKABA: Not in the process that we have currently. You know, it's a State decision. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Oh. MR. RODENHURST: So if I may jump in on this one? So for our responsibility with a State traffic light, we're there to facilitate. We're there to facilitate the operations. We're there to facilitate the timing, phasing, when it's time to turn it on, maintenance. We're not there to decide if it should be the place to put it. We kind of help with the review process, but the State has their own process of how that's done. It's not my place to discuss their process or elaborate on how this one was decided. It is proper procedure to have a traffic study ahead of time. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Yeah, I know, yeah. That's why I'm wondering why we don't have it. MR. RODENHURST: It's the State project. I mean, maybe Aaron can answer. But for State process, do they typically provide us with the traffic studies on why they're putting a light in, in a certain place? MR. TAKABA: And not—typically we haven't seen that, to my knowledge. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Will you please send me a copy of the Traffic Impact Analysis Report that was done for that stretch of highway, if that's the correct document, so that I can see what the numbers were, and how they justified a stoplight on a major highway? MR. TAKABA: Just to clarify, you said you wanted the TIAR (Traffic Impact Analysis Report) for Highway 11? MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Or whatever appropriate documentation cleared the way for this project to happen. I mean, as you stated there has to be a report done so they can justify the stoplight would not impact the highway or the people that use the highway, correct? MR. RODENHURST: They should have a traffic study in place prior to and when they're assessing. But as far as talking about State procedures, that's for them to talk about; that's for them to provide how they went through the process and what it is. So we can request that from State Highways. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Yes, please. So they were emailed about three weeks ago. Actually, no, I'm sorry, this was supposed to be heard two weeks Page 13 PWMTC-2 January 19, 2021 ago. We postponed due to the appointments; everything else was on the agenda for the last meeting. They were let known two weeks before that meeting, so we're about a month that they've had notice to show up, or at least send a representative, or attend by WebEx today, and they chose not to. So they were part of the conversation and they were invited, and I'm sorry that they aren't here to help us understand the situation and the knowledge. And I understand that's not your that's not really your purview in that manner, yeah. So thank you for sharing that. And, Aaron, thank you. I appreciate that. Are there any open workorders on that stoplight, or any issues that have been brought up to your department that need to be taken care of? MR. TAKABA: Apparently, not that I know of. We did previously you know, we—mainly what we were looking at was the signal timing, previously. But at this time, there's no open-work orders that I know of at that intersection MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. Then I will just voice on behalf of the community in Puna, we're having a backup at that light, that can be adjusted by us is what I'm understanding of this meeting right now; that we can adjust the timing of that signal, and we can increase green time if we choose to, and I think that's a valid option while we look for other alternatives in the future. So that is my two -cents for you. Thank you for being here today and for answering questions, and for being present. Thank you. I yield, Chair. CHR. LEE LOY: Thank you. Thank you, gentlemen, for being here. I wanted to provide a little bit of context, also. That light at Kipimana was driven by our Senator, Lorraine Inouye, who is the Chair of the Committee of Transportation. And, Mr. Kaneali `i- Kleinfelder, you might want to make your request in written to DOT on how the discussions went as far as the decision for that light. Because aside from the traffic counts, funding had to happen. And my understanding is there were two very tragic things that happened at that intersection: one was a retired police officer on a bike got hit, and another one was a three -car collision in which a child, the age of your daughter, was seriously injured. It changed the lives of those families and the first responders. So as you go looking for data, please keep in mind that five minutes is five minutes and not a life. With that, we have a communication on the floor to close file on Communication 33. All those in favor, please. Page 14 PWMTC-2 January 19, 2021 Vote on Comm. 33: The motion to close file on Comm. 33 was carried by Filed the following voice vote: Ayes: Committee Members Chung, David, Inaba, Kaneali`i-Kleinfelder, Kierkiewicz, Kimball, Richards, Villegas, and Chair Lee Loy — 9. Noes: None. Absent: None. Excused: None. CHR. LEE LOY: Alright, thank you, gentlemen. Mr. Clerk, Orders of Resolution. MR. BROWN: Excuse me, Madam Chair, can we take a quick recess? We lost captioning just now. CHR. LEE LOY: Sure. MR. BROWN: Thank you. CHR. LEE LOY: Meeting is in recess. Recess: At 1:38 p.m., the Chair called for a recess. Reconvene: The meeting reconvened at 1:38 p.m. CHR. LEE LOY: I'm going to take the meeting out of recess. It is now 1:38 p.m. Mr. Clerk, Order of Resolutions. ORDER OF The Chair directed the Committee to proceed to the nest order of business, RESOLUTIONS: Order of Resolutions. Res. 29-21: AUTHORIZES THE OFFICE OF THE MAYOR TO ENTER INTO A RIGHT -OF -ENTRY AGREEMENT WITH THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII, PURSUANT TO HAWAII REVISED STATUTES SECTION 46-7, TO ACCESS CERTAIN STATE LANDS WITHIN THE COUNTY OF HAWAII The agreement would allow the County to enter onto State property, identified as Tax Map Keys 2-4-056:17 and 2-4-001:167, to repair damages to existing drainage facilities that were sustained during heavy flooding and other natural disasters. Reference: Comm. 55 Intr. by: Ms. Lee Loy (B/R) Motion to Approve: Mr. Richards moved to recommend adoption of Res. 29-21. Seconded by Ms. Kierkiewicz. Page 15 PWMTC-2 January 19, 2021 CHR. LEE LOY: With that, I think, Director Rodenhurst, if you wouldn't mind coming forward; and I know we have Kyle Honda, thank you so much for coming today, Kyle. Kyle was actually the author along with my staff, Peter Sur, who put this resolution together. Mr. Honda, please share an overview of what Resolution 29-21 does. (Note: Public Works Director Steven L Rodenhurst and Civil Engineer Kyle Honda came forward to address the members of the Committee.) MR. HONDA: Hello. My name is Kyle Honda. I'm with the Department of Public Works, Engineering Division. So this resolution is to enter into a Right -of -Entry Agreement with the State agencies so that we can the Army Corps can come in and do repair work from damages that were sustained during Hurricane Lane in 2018. CHR. LEE LOY: Thank you, Mr. Honda. Any questions from my colleagues? Mr. Richards. MR. RICHARDS: Thank you, Chair. This is a procedural deal. We need to do this so we can go into someone else's jurisdiction. We're not just creating more paperwork, is that correct? Okay. I'm not for making more paperwork if we don't have to, but if this is procedural, okay. Yield. CHR. LEE LOY: Thank you, Mr. Richards. Anyone in Kona? MR.INABA: No. CHR. LEE LOY: Thank you. With that, Mr. Honda, I do want to thank you so much. This is an amazing work -product that's coming out of the department. And thank you for taking the lead with my staff, Peter Sur, because we have not only a well -organized resolution, but truly appreciate the pictorial attachments which really kind of defines the properties that are being affected and the area that will be kind of cleaned out in this situation. So with that, we have Resolution 29-21, all those in favor? Vote on Res. 29-21: The motion to close file on Res. 29-21 was carried by (Approved) the following voice vote: Ayes: Committee Members Chung, David, Inaba, Kaneali`i-Kleinfelder, Kierkiewicz, Kimball, Richards, Villegas, and Chair Lee Loy — 9. Noes: None. Absent: None. Excused: None. CHR. LEE LOY: Hang on one second. Mr. Clerk, we have Resolution 30-21. Page 16 PWMTC-2 Res. 30-21 Motion to Approve January 19, 2021 AUTHORIZES THE OFFICE OF THE MAYOR TO ENTER INTO A RIGHT -OF -ENTRY AGREEMENT WITH THE STATE OF HAWAII DEPARTMENT OF LAND AND NATURAL RESOURCES, PURSUANT TO HAWAII REVISED STATUTES SECTION 46-7, TO ACCESS CERTAIN STATE LANDS WITHIN THE COUNTY OF HAWAII The agreement would allow the County to enter onto State property, identified as Tax Map Key 2-2-029:001, to repair damages to existing drainage facilities that were sustained during heavy flooding and other natural disasters. Reference: Comm. 56 Intr. by: Ms. Lee Loy (B/R) Mr. Richards moved to recommend adoption of Res. 30-21. Seconded by Ms. Kierkiewicz. CHR. LEE LOY: Again, Mr. Honda, please share an overview regarding Resolution 30-21. (Note: Public Works Director Steven L Rodenhurst and Civil Engineer Kyle Honda came forward to address the members of the Committee.) MR. HONDA: So this is the same, it allows us to enter into an agreement with the Department of Land and Natural Resources, to access our drainage facility through their lands and use it as a possible staging area. CHR. LEE LOY: Thank you. Again, Mr. Richards. MR. RICHARDS: Is this grant of access in perpetuity? Because if we have to come back and fix this again later, just trying to figure out ways to streamline. CHR. LEE LOY: Mr. Honda, do you want to take that? MR. HONDA: Sure. So my understanding is if it'sI guess it would depend on the type of work that needs to be done if it was due to a natural disaster, then we could reuse it. But I believe it would depend on the cooperation agreement with Department of—with the Army Corps of Engineers. MR. RICHARDS: Okay. I mean, obviously we need to get it done. I just— maybe ustmaybe I'm looking for common sense, I don't know. Obviously, we're going to support it. I just—seems like if we have a working relationship, we should have a blanket relationship, but maybe that's not allowed. So, okay. Thanks, I yield. CHR. LEE LOY: Thank you, Mr. Richards. Anyone else? Ms. Kimball. Page 17 PWMTC-2 January 19, 2021 MS. KIMBALL: Okay. I think that we're just authorizing us to enter into this agreement with the State, and at the time that we formulate that agreement is when we can establish what you're talking about, Tim, the timeline and the extent for the perpetuity purposes. MR. RICHARDS: Chair, can I respond? CHR. LEE LOY: Sure, Mr. Richards. Go ahead and respond. MR. RICHARDS: Yeah. You know where I'm going with this, Heather, right? think everybody understands that. I just I would think at this point, I'm sure we've fixed stuff before. And so—seems like we're doing a lot of paperwork again, and again, and again. And so, maybe that's what we need to do when we actually craft this, just say, whatever, put a 20 -year timeline or whatever the case may be. So thanks, I yield. CHR. LEE LOY: Thank you, Mr. Richards. Ms. Kimball, have you yield the floor? Thank you so much. Yes, following up with that. And I think both Mr. Richards and Ms. Kimball is spot on, right? This is an area right across Cafe 100, and we see so much of that mauka debris getting deposited over there. So if this is an opportunity to kind of extend the lifeline of this resolution, it would be a huge opportunity, especially as it relates to cleaning out our drainage ways after major storm events. But with that, and that suggested, Mr. Rodenhurst, as that agreement comes forward, if you could share those thoughts from the Council? MR. RODENHURST: Yes, definitely. CHR. LEE LOY: Thank you. So we have a motion on the floor to send Resolution 30-21 to the Council with a positive recommendation. All those in favor, please say "aye." Vote on Res. 30-21: The motion to recommend adoption of Res. 30-21 was carried (Approved) by the following voice vote: Ayes: Committee Members Chung, David, Inaba, Kaneali`i-Kleinfelder, Kierkiewicz, Kimball, Richards, Villegas, and Chair Lee Loy – 9. Noes: None. Absent: None. Excused: None. CHR. LEE LOY: Thank you, Mr. Clerk. Page 18 PWMTC-2 January 19, 2021 BILLS FOR The Chair directed the Committee to proceed to the next order of business, ORDINANCES: Bills for Ordinances. (There were none.) CHR. LEE LOY: That takes us to the end of our agenda. ADJOURN- There being no further business, at 1:46 p.m., Mr. Richards moved to adjourn the MENT: meeting. Seconded by Ms. Kimball and carried by the following voice vote: Approved: S. JUST] Lblic W SL/na Ayes: Committee Members Chung, David, Inaba, Kaneali`i-Kleinfelder, Kierkiewicz, Kimball, Richards, Villegas, and Chair Lee Loy — 9. Noes: None. Absent: None. Excused: None. CHR. LEE LOY: Thank you. Meeting adjourned at 1:46 p.m. K. Lee Loy, aii sand Mass Transit mmi (Date) Page 19