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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMIN GOREDC 2021/02/16 2020-2022 Committee on Governmental Operations, Relations, and Economic Development 3`'d Session Hawaii County Building 25 Aupuni Street Hilo, Hawai i February 16, 2021 CALL TO The regular meeting of the Committee on Planning was called to order at ORDER: 11:48 a.m., in the Council Chambers, Hilo, by Ms. Heather L. Kimball, Chair. ROLL CALL: Present: Ms. Heather L. Kimball, Chair Ms. Ashley L. Kierkiewicz, Vice Chair Mr. Aaron S. Y. Chung, Member Ms. Maile Medeiros David, Member (via videoconference from Kona) Mr. Holeka Goro Inaba, Member (via videoconference from Kona; came in later) Mr. Matt Kaneali`i-Kleinfelder, Member (came in later) Ms. Susan L. K. Lee Loy, Member Ms. Rebecca Villegas, Member (via videoconference from Kona) Mr. Herbert M. "Tim" Richards, III, Member (via videoconference from Kona) STATEMENTS The Chair directed the Committee to proceed to the next order of business, FROM THE Statements from the Public on Agenda Items. PUBLIC ON AGENDA ITEMS: The following individual registered to speak and came forward when called by the Chair: Tiffany Edwards Hunt: Comm. 109, comment. CHR. KIMBALL: Thank you so much, I will now close public testimony. We have one item on the agenda today. COMMUNI- The Chair directed the Committee to proceed to the next order of business, CATIONS: Communications. Comm. 109: REQUESTS AN UPDATE FROM THE 2018 KILAUEA ERUPTION RECOVERY TEAM From Council Member Ashley L. Kierkiewicz, dated January 28, 2021. CHR. KIMBALL: Can I have a motion to close file on Comm. 109? Motion to Approve: Ms. Kierkiewicz moved to close file on Comm. 109. Seconded by Ms. Lee Loy. GOREDC-3 February 16,2021 CHR. KIMBALL: Council Member Kierkiewicz? MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Thank you Chair Kimball. I want to bring forward Recovery Officer Douglas Le. We also have Public Works Director Ikaika Rodenhurst here. Guys, if you could come forward please? I believe Planning Director Zendo Kern is joining us via Zoom. I just want to start off by saying recovery post eruption is top priority for my office. COVID dealt another severe blow to Puna. But the community remains resilient and resourceful. And I have to say now they're hopeful with the new year, the new Administration. And the ability to access information, it's been incredibly refreshing. I appreciate this team in particular, Director Rodenhurst, Director Kern, and Mr. Le for really working hard with the Mayor's Office acting with the real sense of urgency to make some critical decisions. So wanted to bring you forward to provide us some update. You know, where are we with restoring critical infrastructure, roads, the CDBG-DR (Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery) Action Plan. Community engagement mechanisms, and you know, what are we going to be doing with those two plans that were published in December? So if you could provide us with a high-level overview, I have a few questions to follow-up. Thanks gentlemen. (Note: At this time, Public Works Director Ikaika Rodenhurst, Disaster Recovery Officer Douglas Le, and Planning Director Zendo Kern came forward address the members of the Committee) MR. RODENHURST: Yes, Ikaika Rodenhurst, Director of Public Works. Thank you for having us. Really excited to work on this and get these services back to the Puna community. I have an update on the roads. Some of the focuses we have on the lava recovery for DPW (Department of Public Works) are Pohoiki Road and Highway 137. Currently, Pohoiki Road, we have that split into two portions; the upper Pohoiki Road which is the inundated section and the lower Pohoiki Road, which is the existing that hasn't been inundated by lava. Upper Pohoiki Road, we are currently addressing FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) comments. Those should be back by the end of this month. And we are anticipating FEMA approval based off of their previous timelines, around June of this year. With that being said, if that goes as planned, we could be ready to start construction by September of this year for upper Pohoiki. Page 2 GOREDC-3 February 16,2021 Again, this is an estimated timeline based off of FEMA's response and off of the bidding. And after that we can move forward with the upper section. For the lower section, we're still finalizing the scope. We're looking at realignment of the road to improve access. We anticipate finalizing that scope by June of this year. We anticipate with that goal being met, finalizing the design by November of this year. Following the current FEMA evaluation schedule, we anticipate their approval if nothing else is wrong, July of 2022. From there we should be able to start construction if there are no comments by October of 2022. Highway 137, I know this has been talked about a lot. Currently, we have a design that takes us from Four Corners to Kapoho-Kai and it includes 700 feet of Lighthouse Road; that's the existing road before. We are designing that to extend it all the way to Pohoiki. We anticipate that design to being finalized by the end of April. Following FEMA's approval timeline, we anticipate they should be approving that by December of this year. If there are no comments, we should be ready to construct by March of next year. Highway 137, again going from Pohoiki to McKenzie, paving that road and making other improvements, should follow the exact same timeline. After that, I know there's a lot of discussion about where we should go. We are still deciding and assessing. A lot of that assessment will be based off of how much the repairs to Pohoiki and 137 cost. What that number is afterwards and how we can best serve the community. But we are taking a look and we hope to have some scope done by June of this year to address various roads in the Puna subdivisions. And I forgot to include, upper Pohoiki Road the inundated portion that includes a stub out to Kahakai into Leilani Estates. Not the entire Leilani Avenue, but just a stub out for that one. After that we are currently working and talks with DWS (Department of Water Supply) as far as where we are moving forward. At this time, if there's any questions regarding that, I'm open to questions. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Just a few and I just want to make it very clear here that the Roth Administration is committing to fully restoring Highway 137. MR. RODENHURST: Yes. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: And there is a very clearly articulated timeline that was presented here. Thank you, Director Rodenhurst. Just a few questions on some of the information you presented. Page 3 GOREDC-3 February 16,2021 So you know, I have constituents that are trying to get back into the Lighthouse Road k1puka. You mentioned, you know, best possible scenario constructing that road, March 2021. Can we make sure that we are starting at Lighthouse Road so that they can get home sooner rather than later? Sorry, March 2022. MR. RODENHURST: Yes, when we look at the design, we're going to be starting from Four Corners and we're going to be working that into our work that we start from there. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Excellent. Okay, and then the realignment of Pohoiki? Provide me some information, some context behind that particular decision. MR. RODENHURST: Yeah, so Pohoiki as it stands, there's a couple mango trees that are in the way. We cannot do nothing about it. We're not trying to do anything about them. They're going to be there. To change the road to make it safer for travel and for how many people access it, we need to realign it. And so we're taking a look at what is possible right now to make those improvements and make it a better road that's better accessible for people accessing Pohoiki Beach Park, Isaac Hale. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: At some point, will you be able to provide us a map of what that realignment looks like? MR. RODENHURST: Yes, once we have confirmed — MS. KIERKIEWICZ: I think that would be really helpful to having a broader discussion with community about that one. And I think it's great for us to be putting out there already, our commitment to restore those roads because I know the State is actively looking at restoring the boat ramp. So thank you for that. You know, what I didn't hear mentioned was restoration of Leilani Avenue, Hinalo, Lauone. Are those the roads that are being considered once these—are you calling these like Tier One priority roads—have been scoped out, priced out, and if there's funding left over, you are going to exploring restoration of those other roads? MR. RODENHURST: We are exploring restoration of them currently, looking at the scope. But we're not sure depending on what funds are going to be available. What is feasible and what we can do, but we're going to take a look at those scopes, what the work would entail. And once we finalize this Tier One we'll have a better idea and provide better direction. Page 4 GOREDC-3 February 16,2021 MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Great, and if there's any money left over from those potential projects, you are already looking at potential alternative projects, because the 428 program does provide that flexibility. I know you mentioned looking at roads in the various Puna subdivisions. MR. RODENHURST: Correct. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Okay, great. And you will be providing us with information as you do your feasibility studies? MR. RODENHURST: Correct. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Excellent. Thank you Director. This is music to my ears. I know the community is stoked to be hearing that there is that commitment to move forward and really act with the sense of urgency. Thank you. And I think this also provides Water Supply with motivation to start planning how they plan to leverage the funding that they received from FEMA to restore water infrastructure. MR. RODENHURST: Yes, and we'll be having conversations with them as far as how we can partner with them and make it work. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Great, thank you. Douglas? MR. LE: Good morning. Thank you Chair and Members of the Council for having us here today. You know, I'm happy to cover the other aspects of the recovery process, which really also intersects with what Director Rodenhurst has shared in terms of the inter-related nature of what is happening in the community right now. To cover more specifics, you know, we want to provide an update on the various grant programs that we've been able to kick off. You know, with Council and community coordination over the past few months, an update on where we are with the Community Development Block Grant for Disaster Recovery funds that are also supporting this recovery effort, and really an ongoing discussion about what community participation looks like and the kind of support of this recovery work. So on the grant programs, you know, I'm happy to announce that of the $3.7 million that were awarded under the Kilauea Recovery Grants Program that supported economic development around the restoration of farms, planning, and actual access for roads. It also supports residential and agricultural areas. Page 5 GOREDC-3 February 16,2021 The stabilization of Kua O Ka La. To date, we've been able to disburse $1,977,000 of that total grant to folks to get work going to kind of start the projects. And you know, no surprise Kua O Ka La has been the first project to actually complete their work. So they stabilized the facility where the school community has relocated. So really proud to be able to support this work that's happening in the community that's broad-ranging. For Puna Strong, you know,this grant program kicked off about a month-and-a-half ago. And with our partner Hawaii Community Foundation, this process has been more around their model of trust-based philanthropy. So it's not about an application and waiting to hear back. It's really around connecting with people. Around the needs and opportunities that they see. You know, we've been meeting regularly with the team at Hawaii Community Foundation, and they've updated with us that, you know, they've spoken to all of our 50 people within the community who have these action items and these opportunities of projects that might be a good fit for the program. One role that the staff at Hawaii Community Foundation play, is helping people to think through scope and kind of get what they would like to see happen in the community to the next level. And that process actually just wrapped up yesterday. You know, the initial announcement was to February 15, and so we're excited to hear where folks are now. The next step is for all those individuals that Hawaii Community Foundation has been talking to,to really get deeper and start to ask for something like a brief, you know, summary of what they'd like to propose; a budget to really match the projects and needs with the available funding that we have. So, we're excited to kind of get to this phase of it. With the objective of, you know, Hawaii Community Foundation inviting folks to fill applications for the next couple weeks. And then, you know, the County and Hawaii Community Foundation vetting and making recommendations for the award of grants. We know that these are really vital tools in terms of connecting people with resources; financial, but I think also an opportunity to provide technical assistance support and connecting people who are working on similar issues and similar causes within the community. So that's really the approach of the Puna Strong Grant. On the Community Development Block Grant for Disaster Recovery, this is funding that's been allocated to the County from Department of Housing and Urban Development(HUD). Currently, we have an approved action plan by HUD and pending is the County's ability to enter into the grant agreements for this initial $83.8 million. Page 6 GOREDC-3 February 16,2021 So what's next? So our next step is to go through a substantial amendment to the action plan this summer. The term "substantial amendment" is a technical and specific term that the Department of Housing and Urban Development uses for their funds across the Community Development Block Grant Program. And there's really kind of three drivers and objectives in terms of what this substantial amendment would be. First off is, you know, around the buyout program that was initially proposed, you know, we continue to hear from folks who want to hear about the buyout program, want to register for it. You know, for whom the buyout is part of their recovery. Well we also know that the buyout program is just one tool, right, within the broader recovery across the community. And so, the programs—still looking at a buyout program, but the amendment really is going to absorb a couple things. First off, you know, as we get towards the Summer, we're looking to see what the market bears, right, like who actually signs up and the volume and the context of the individual property owners who are looking to pursue the buyout program. We have general interest information, and we'll know deeper, right, once we start the application process this Spring. In the near term, you know, our team's been working to put out a survey essentially to property owners who were inundated and isolated to get into this information, right? Like where are folks now, nearly three years since the beginning of the eruption. Essentially, the decisions like what Director Rodenhurst walked through, inform people's decision making about pursuing a buyout program or returning. How does inform other infrastructure kind of decisions before the County, but also what happens next, right? Like, how do we tackle things like building permits in the eruption area, which has come up before? So the survey which we are finalizing kind of looking to kind of also discuss with the subdivision leadership in the impacted area is we'll present data, right, that informs any updates to the action plan that we will be pursuing. In addition to the buyout program, we are also looking at any additional housing programs or projects that we could develop with this funding. And then, the third kind of element of the substantial amendment is to receive the second allocation that the Department of Housing and Urban Development has provided to the County. This is $23.7 million on top of the $83.3 million. You know, even if there were no changes or tweaks to the program being explored through this substantial amendment,just receiving the additional funds triggers that they need to process this substantial amendment. Page 7 GOREDC-3 February 16,2021 So what does this mean? So any substantial amendment will require consultation with the community and a formal public comment period. You know, when we went to the public comment period for this initial action plan, in the Summer, you know, we did receive a robust set of comments covering a broad range of issues and positions on moving forward with something like a buyout program. You know, really driven by a strong community interest to see those comments, we did post them on our recovery website. We anonymized it for personal privacy reasons but the content is there. And so folks can check that for what happened this past summer and we'll be looking to replicate that kind of practice as we move forward this summer around any substantial amendment. But in order to kick off this substantial amendment process based on where we are right now in HUD's funding structure, we need to enter into the two grant agreements that were before the Housing Agency and the County Council in November. And so the grant agreements essentially spell out the terms and conditions that are already articulated in the Federal register notices that cover our funds. There are things, requirements essentially, that are team is working on with HUD since January 2020. So our next step to really consult with the Housing Agency Chair and the Council Chair to return and enter into this grant agreement to be able to receive the funds and to formally kick off the substantial amendment process that I just described. You know, both items were deferred in November to the call of the respective Chairs, and so that's really one of our meeting next steps as well in terms of bringing up (inaudible) again. And a lot of this is driven by the mechanics of how the HUD funding works. Based on where we are right now,they do require that these grant agreements are executed for the current allocation of funds before we can really get into the next step of any substantial amendment. Happy to take questions. I'll do my best to try to translate some very technical information in a way that's really understandable, especially around just what are action items are. And finally around community participation. And so there are many stakeholders that are engaged across the communities that were impacted by the eruption. Folks who really want to see action from the County and want to be part of that process. But I think also folks who are driving recovery on their own front. You know, last year we stood up a taskforce with a number of both community residents, and members of the County, and Members of the Council. It was really the first time of everyone sitting at the same table to really understand and work through these issues. You know, there was also learnings from that because it was initially formed around advising the County. You know, it wasn't like other Boards and Commissions that we have within our County system. Page 8 GOREDC-3 February 16,2021 And so really evaluating kind of how that worked;what we were able to take from it, but also really understanding that recovery is more than just the County decisions even though County actions drive what the community then follows up on, right? And so in the recovery and resilience plan that we released in December we kind of created a framework for these recovery working groups. You know, in much of our dialogue over the past two plus years we've referred to this FEMA framework of recovery support functions. These are topical sector based groups, right,that really focus on, you know, how to think about housing or how to really take action; economic recovery. And so this is kind of our version of it, right, which we kind of consulted with FEMA on and before proposing it. So what's next? You know,these working groups are really going to be focused on supporting community action and providing County interface. So whether it relates to some of the specific County actions and decisions that are before us on infrastructure or funding. You know, how does that relate to efforts within the community to reestablish neighborhoods;to reestablish farms, to really take a hard look at what can be done in our economic cores that were impacted by the eruption and still feel those effects. Never mind, factoring COVID-19. You know, the approach is around people who are already taking action and making connections among people. And not only within the community but also to the right County folks who support work, and access to resources both financial and non-financial, right, to help make this work happen. You know, as opposed to a model where we identify five or six folks and they kind of represent this leadership body or commission-type organization, we know who's already doing work in the community. We know who has already been leading this effort for the last few years now. Let's start with them, right, let's start with and start bringing people together. We've been trying to think through how to operationalize this so that people actually understand the structure, you know, what does this all mean kind of at the end of the day. So we're in the final kind of steps of whether it be guidebooks, information contents of whoever wants to get involved. There's a clear picture about how to get involved. And we're also looking at onramps, right, so whether someone is already part of a hui of farmers; whether someone has an idea and has access of resources; or they're a leader in their local community association, how did they get involved in these working groups? And it's really starting with these subgroups on specific actions, right, and this kind of gravitational pull of what action looks like. Page 9 GOREDC-3 February 16,2021 We thought about having one big Zoom meeting and really just kind of talking about this, you know, everyone welcome kind of approach and really seeing where interest and opportunities fall from there. I know that's a way that a lot of other kind of collaborative collective impact work has happened in communities for years. But also with, you know, stakeholders in the community like Mainstreet Pahoa. And we started talking with Council Woman Kierkiewicz as well. You know, what if we did have an event that brought folks together in a physically safe and COVID safe way to connect with all of the efforts that are happening in the kind of broader Pahoa community that it's not just about recovery, but impacts and touches on kind of the recovery outcomes too, as a way to kind of not only share everything that's happening, but also to talk about what is the call to action, right, how can folks contribute? How do folks want to participate moving forward, is another approach on this kind of on-ramps idea for these recovery working groups. We really expect these recovery working groups to be County staff supported, but you know, led by community and led by some of the key folks who are helping to be the interface of the community. And so this is a different model than what we have worked with this as well. But we've seen it work in other context on our Island and in other recovery efforts, too. So that wraps up a lot of, I think, directly of what I'd like to share and like Director Rodenhurst, happy to take questions and enter into further conversation. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Thank you, Douglas. Great progress by you and your team on many fronts, so thank you for the update. I'm just going to start from the top based on how you presented the material here. First, I'm so grateful for the infusion of capital through the two grant programs, Kilauea Recovery and Puna Strong. Close to $4 million going to Puna to aid in their recovery, which is excellent. I have been getting questions from community if there are going to be subsequent rounds of Puna Strong and Kilauea Recovery. MR. LE: So specific to Kilauea Recovery which was created by ordinance, right, by the Council. The ordinance did provide for a second round of funding. When we designed this program essentially following the adoption of the ordinance, we wanted to go through a first round of funding, that inaugural fund, and then explore what are the lessons learned, what did we do right, what did we not kind of fully acknowledge or anticipate before getting into the second round of funding under the Kilauea Grants Program. Page 10 GOREDC-3 February 16,2021 And so based on where we are now, you know, we're starting to get the first three-month report back from grantees. You know, folks are starting to do work on the ground. And so we're just getting that feedback now in terms of what's really happening. I think in the next couple weeks, too, our team will be reconnecting with the grantees to go out there, right? We've gotten photos, but what's really next? And you know, to be frank, too, even though the sometimes cumbersome contracting process we saw folks already starting work and kind of getting outcomes even as they were waiting for their contract, right, I mean that's testament to the spirit of what this community is. And so, that's where we are with the second round on the Kilauea Recovery Grants. For Puna Strong, a slightly different version of a similar type of approach. You know, this is the first time that this County and I think many jurisdictions across our State have worked with a philanthropic partner like Hawaii Community Foundation. You know, when we created the RFP (Request for Proposal), we really were intentional in structuring it in a way that, you know, we could go through the formal process of selecting a partner to implement this with us. But that it could be kind of re-upped for multiple years. You know, with availability of funding and with the opportunity to do deeper work in the community. And so where we are now, right, I think it's very likely that we can do 50 years of funding, but because we don't even have the first slate yet, we don't really know how many of the projects actually are best suited for a one time shot in the arm this year. Maybe a more moderate scale of funding over multiple years recognizing different projects and programs have different business needs. And then how do we provide focus, too? In this first inaugural year for Puna Strong, we did put that focus on, you know, that third strategy coming out of the Kilauea Recovery Resilience Plan on community resilience, which runs a gambit of health and human services, providing for the community of any future disasters, natural cultural resources management; continued work on Resilience Hubs that began with Kilauea Recovery that really kind of, you know, soared amidst the response of the COVID-19 epidemic. And so, we're still kind of waiting and seeing in that way. But it'll really be driven by what did we hear from everyone kind of on this first round of Puna Strong. And kind of who is selected in the end for those awards and what those next steps look like. But we're prepared for the ability to do multiple years. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: And I just appreciate how nimble you're being with us, right? We're not letting perfection get in the way of progress. We're not waiting for that perfect plan to take a step. We know that there's a need and we're just going, and we're trying, and we're refining the process as we go. And it's clearly being met with great success. Page 11 GOREDC-3 February 16,2021 So look forward to learning more about how positive of an impact these grant programs have had in community and you shifting where it makes sense. But also good to know that there is more capital coming in the future. Alright, I want to spend a few minutes talking about the CDBG-DR Action Plan. When it came before the Housing Agency, I believe in November, you know, right before the new Administration came in. And we really wanted to let the Roth Administration have a chance to review the plan and kind of weigh in. And also, throw down a challenge. You know, are there other ways in which we can be investing these disaster relief dollars? And I think the three items that you have outlined are enough for me to reconvene to reactivate the Housing Agency so that we can move forward on this program. My office gets calls and emails weekly from community members wondering when the program is going to kick off. So there's clearly a need, and I appreciate the commitment to put forward that substantial amendment based on the data you are receiving from the first few months of this program. And you know, making changes where it makes sense so that we can make sure every dollar goes far and aids in our collective recovery. Couple other things. The housing buyout survey that you mentioned. When can we expect that to be released to community and in what format? MR. LE: Sure, on timing, we've been working kind of internally to really finalize the survey itself, right, to really sharpen why we're asking why and have it be accessible once folks gets actually the content. For example, you know, some of the details that Director Rodenhurst spoke to today, I think, are important to capture in the survey so folks understand when certain roads that do have a tag to restoration are being restored, and that can help to inform their decisions, right? So we're hoping to kind of be able to finalize it and also kind of connect with some of the subdivision leadership. Those handful that were directly impacted. So that they understand what this process is; what the survey's asking before it arrives, essentially. The internal mechanisms, we plan to do, you know, our constituents are across the board in terms of access to information, access to technology on the folks who are still living in lower Puna, but there are also folks who are, you know, have been on the continent. Because that's where they could find safe harbor, right, until they get access to resources or a way to return to the Island. And so, we're doing a kind of all channels, all stream approach. We are preparing a mail survey to kind of as a property of record for contact of all the properties that were inundated and isolated at the point of the eruption ending in August of 2018. We also kind of added some of those properties that we know and Hawaii Page 12 GOREDC-3 February 16,2021 Volcanoes Observatory has five for us as experiencing pretty significant heat since the eruption ended, even if lava never kind of emerged or touched those lands. We're also doing an on-line survey that we can post on our website that's easy to get to; easy to fill out. That is also something that we can push out to different social media since that is such a way that folks get information. If people want to come to our offices and fill them out or even do it over the phone, we are doing everything we can to try to make sure that it is easy and barrier free for people to be able to receive and respond to the survey. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Great. Thank you for making it really accessible. You know, and I just want to emphasize we are going to be including information about some of these roads, decisions, and restoration timelines because I think that helps people to make decisions on whether or not they're going to take advantage of the buyout program. Is that correct? We're going to include that information? MR. LE: Yes,they're framing of all we understand today. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Okay, perfect, thank you. Couple things you didn't touch on that I just wanted to ask. A few weeks ago there was a convening by Iopa Maunakea and some family members in the Kumukahi region regarding iwi kupuna. What are ways in which the County is assisting, you know, family members with restoring the iwi kupuna and preserving the area? MR. LE: So there's no question that returning the iwi that we understand were taken some time ago. And being able to take action to protect the burial sites that are at Kumukahi and are at risk for disturbance and desecration is a really important priority. I want to be mindful and respectful of the fact that, you know, this is not my kuleana to kind of convey what is not mine, right? But at the same time I want to acknowledge that really the resolution here on the iwi kupuna is really critical for everything to be able to move forward, right, plans for restoration of the inundated portion of Lighthouse Road. You know, any future use of public access out there regarding the shoreline, not just for the beach, newly formed beach following the eruption. But also along, you know,the pati shoreline, right, where folks have fished for decades and longer. I know that the lineal descendants who are really deeply committed and deeply engaged here are accessing different resources and options that they can to achieve really the protection of the area and moving forward. And we're trying to be helpful in terms of associating conversations or connecting people as well. You know, with the focus on future protection of the iwi kupuna burial sites. Page 13 GOREDC-3 February 16,2021 MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Okay, and that kind of support could mean grant funding to do preservation or burial treatment plans? MR. LE: There's different options out there for sure, and one of the facts of the matter is that lineal descendants involved also are really connected to this knowledge and these resources. And so it's about empowering that and kind of being interfaced on where the County can be helpful. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Yes, totally agree. We got to put the community in the driver's seat on this one. And where possible I do want to make sure we're complimenting and supporting their efforts, because restoration, protection, preservation of our iwi kupuna is a really critical facet to recovery. Last question has to do with the hazard mitigation funds. I believe there's about $6.7 million that was awarded to our County. Is your team or Civil Defense taking the lead on that? MR. LE: Sure,that's a good thing to bring up. So along with the $23.7 million of Community Development Disaster Recovery Block Grant Funding, HUD also allocated the $6.8 million to the County under its new Community Development Block Grant Funding for hazard mitigation. Really, the way the other jurisdictions have implemented this funding and the way HUD expects us to, is based on our Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan. And so really, Civil Defense had the foresight and the Administration had the foresight to think about the five-year update which concluded at the end of 2020, in terms of any and all future mitigation funding streams. And so that's the starting point. You know, unlike the Disaster Recovery Funds, which is based on unmet recovery needs. You know, housing and in our particular case, the Mitigation Funds are based on specific mitigation actions. You know, what is in the Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan, how it is prioritized is based on risk assessment, and also things like benefit cost analysis, which is kind of FEMA/HUD speak; around is it a worthwhile investment, right, for the benefit to the community with these hazards. You know,the way that HUD and we see it is, folks like our team and Finance, who have built the infrastructure to manage the Community Development Block Grants for Disaster Recovery are that backbone support in terms of managing the grant moving forward. Our initial first step is to actually sit down with Civil Defense and really do that walk through around what's in the Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan to inform recommendations around what gets pursued for funding. But say, for example of the $6.8 million it ends up going to, you know, feasible cost beneficial projects in Agency A-B-C or Department X-Y-Z within the County. I would anticipate that those specific agencies or departments would be responsible for implementing Page 14 GOREDC-3 February 16,2021 those capital programs or those kind of non-capital programs, right? Like of the $6.8, you know, X-amount is allocated to this project. We advise and we support, and we're kind of the central point of the administration of funds with Finance, but really at a different level. It's implemented at the agency level. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Douglas, is there a deadline to submit a plan to spend these funds similar to the DR Action Plan? MR. LE: Yes,there is. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Okay, what's that deadline? MR. LE: Sure. So the Federal Register Notice which took effect January 1 lth had a 270-day clock to be able to submit the action plan to HUD. So that puts us into the first couple weeks of October, essentially. Much like other action plans with HUD funding, there is a community consultation piece; there is a public comment period. We receive comments and respond to comments. And as a practice now, kind of also will anonymize but kind of make the comments available for the community as well. So it looks and feels a lot like what we've been through with the Community Development Block Grant Funds for disaster recovery. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Great. And you know, final comment, I really appreciate the approach that we're taking with engaging community. I'm a fan of giving community information, and tools, and resources. Because they know how to take care of themselves. So I appreciate the recovery team holding space for that so that community can take action. It's really empowering to be able to do that, and I know people are really excited to find a way to contribute. They're human, and social, and national in cultural capital. So thank you. Great progress. This has been a very refreshing update. And you know, that I am always available to support this work alongside you. So thank you, Chair. I appreciate the latitude, I yield. CHR. KIMBALL: Thank you both, for your comments. Any questions? We'll start here in Hilo. Council Member Lee Loy? MS. LEE LOY: Thank you. You know, I'm not sure if Director Kern was in the chat. If there was something he needed to add to this conversation? MR. KERN: Hello, Director Kern here. Good afternoon Madam Chair and Members of the Committee. Thank you Council Woman Lee Loy. I don't have a lot to add. I would just like to say that I feel that we've come into this Administration, and we've been going through the entire process of getting up to speed on understanding all the components to this. And there's many levels of it, and really getting the depth of the understanding with that. Page 15 GOREDC-3 February 16,2021 What I have seen is a very good synergy between Douglas and the Lava Recovery Team; DPW, the Roth Administration and various other agencies. And the synergy between Director Rodenhurst, Douglas, and myself that we're coming to I feel has been really good to help move things forward. And as you're seeing here, kind of chunking things down so we can get very actionable while we're working on the more complex areas. I feel that we all have the mindset of let's keep it moving, let's get it moving, and let's not stop. And let's keep charging, and as Council Woman Kierkiewicz said earlier, it's not about perfection. Right now, it's about moving forward and doing the very best that we can. So I'm feeling very optimistic. Lots and lots and lots work to do, but really happy with how it's coming together. Thank you for that opportunity. MS. LEE LOY: Thank you. I do have one, well couple of questions for Director Rodenhurst. You know, you've outlined a very aggressive timeline for the road and the road recovery. You know, with anticipation of completion for one section October of 2022, and then another one of March 2022. I was just wondering, you know,just some nuts and bolts, how many miles; what kind of distance are we going on these roads. And then, are there other outstanding regulatory permits aside from the FEMA piece that we have to start looking at? MR. RODENHURST: Yeah, again, I just want to clarify that October 2022 is not a completion date,that's a start construction date. As far as miles, that all really hinges on the final design. We have a scope and then as we finalize the design with going into the FEMA approval process, we'll be able to get that and mileage. So I don't have it right now. But I will have that when we talk more about this later on. And as far as regulatory permits, I'm assuming we're going to have grading permits. So anything else, we'll address as we design it. MS. LEE LOY: Okay, great, and I think Ms. Kierkiewicz asked for it, right, the map? I guess when we start to finalize that road alignment you'll be able to develop a map. MR. RODENHURST: Yes, and I'm a very visual person as well, so it's going to be helpful to not just our team but to everyone to understand what we're doing, where we're going. Page 16 GOREDC-3 February 16,2021 MS. LEE LOY: Yeah, you know, pictures tell a thousand words. I just had one other question and it was for you, Douglas. You mentioned kind of putting up some of the information on the various social media channels. You know, being a very visual person, I personally like those tiles where it gives real quick information and a link. And as you develop that, I would just have that one request if you could forward it on to us? That way we can push it out to our various social media channels. And then my last question was, I think, back to Director Rodenhurst about the 428 monies in partnership with DWS. You know, I had asked this question very early on during the recovery process about water and water restoration. And the question was about potable water, right? And/or blended water for agricultural purposes, right? We wouldn't necessarily need potable water to water our farms. And so as you begin those discussions with DWS, you know, there might be opportunities where we can branch off the types of water that we need. You know, agricultural water for farming and those farms. But potable water for, you know, human consumption. So I just wanted to put that back on the table because I'm not sure if there's ways to be more effective and more efficient with the type of water sources that we begin to develop to restore water to that area. So I just wanted to share that with you. And with that Chair, I yield. CHR. KIMBALL: Thank you. Council Member Kaneali`i-Kleinfelder? MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you Chair. Thank you for being here today. Highway 137, can what's existing as far as pavement on 137 be upgraded or expanded with the funding that we have coming in? I know you touched on redoing part of the road that was mostly gravel, cinder, or cold pack. Whatever that is from what was lost to Pohoiki, but can the existing parts of 137 be expanded. Because there's barely two lanes there, and it has been that way forever. MR. RODENHURST: Yes, and we are looking at what's available for 137, how we can better improve the road coming down there. Are we talking about the section from McKenzie to Pohoiki or Four Corners to Pohoiki; or just the whole thing in general? MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Kind of the whole thing in general. I mean, even a real long ago conversation with Harry Kim, he explained that 137 was a promise he had made to the community years ago. And they've never been able to finalize and he wanted to fulfil that obligation to the community. Albeit he's not our Mayor any more but I think there's been kind of a longstanding want to fix that section of highway. Page 17 GOREDC-3 February 16,2021 I don't know the last time you were there, but from the Kalapana side driving towards the boat ramp, it's about one-and-a-half lanes with no marking in the middle for a fairly long section and no shoulders. So I'm just wondering if there's a possibility for us to use some of that funding to better that whole section of highway. MR. RODENHURST: Yeah, and my understanding is we are designing it to meet our standards and make those roads accessible. So we are improving those roads. As far as the final design, once we get to that final design process we'll publish that and let people know where we're at as well as involve the community in those discussions as we finalize the scopes along there. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay, so the whole section or just the roads that you outlined in your previous statement. MR. RODENHURST: So right now we got 137, the Four Corners to Pohoiki; and 137 to Pohoiki to McKenzie. We're finalizing those designs and we're going to discuss those. We're going to see what we can do, and once they're finalized, I'll provide the—end all, be all about how we're going move forward. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay, but you didn't mention anything about Kalapana. MR. RODENHURST: Oh, you're talking about the Chain of Craters Road from 137. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Yes. MR. RODENHURST: That's part of the additional roads on that section. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. MR. RODENHURST: So that one's part of the additional roads we'll discuss after Pohoiki and 137 between Four Corners and Pohoiki, and Pohoiki and McKenzie. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. Sorry, permitting? End zones and Lava Zones 1 and 2. What's your thoughts right now? What's being talked about? MR. RODENHURST: As far as? MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: We're talking about recovery, so it's pretty broad, but as far as permitting homes in that area? Page 18 GOREDC-3 February 16,2021 MR. RODENHURST: There's a lot of concerns with that depending on what resources are available as far as—and access to properties. So we have to be mindful of that. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: I'm thinking for people who have a lot there who don't want to sell. There's kind of been a set idea so far that we will not allow homes rebuilt in Lava Zones 1 and 2. So my question is what is the thought process right now from the new Administration, from yourself? MR. KERN: Zendo Kern here, if you don't mind if I chime in here real quickly? MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay, from the Planning perspective? MR. ZERN: Yeah, it's kind of an all-around perspective and, you know, land use usually falls with Planning. And then if we're going to go there, then you know, it moves up to DPW for permitting. There was a sentiment around that with the last Administration. With this Administration, it's been an ongoing conversation that we're still developing on what the true policy is going to be down there. Part of that is gathering more community feedback and more community perspective, and these increased questionnaires that will be going out. Really trying to help kind of maybe inform some of that as well. So as of right now, there's no hard set policy. We're working on coming to that very quickly here. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you for that, Mr. Kern. So nothing as of yet, we're still in the same situation we were in before? MR. KERN: The difference will be, we'll be coming to that very quickly. So again, coming into this situation, gathering a lot of information; digesting a lot of information, and then setting the new policy moving forward. That is a very high priority. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: I think the information has already been gathered and there's a community sentiment that has maintained itself, and we're trying to figure out how the community can move forward. But thank you for verifying. MR. ZERN: Sure, and in various community meetings, there are other people coming to the table saying they haven't been heard yet. And I think it's important to see who hasn't made it to the table yet. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: If they actually felt like we shouldn't allow permitting there. Well, that would be interesting. Please keep us in the loop? Page 19 GOREDC-3 February 16,2021 MR. KERN: Absolutely. You can count on it. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you. Douglas, I think this is more a question for you as far as recovery. Insurance rates in those areas. Potentially we're losing in people who will insure or companies that will insure in that area as well as rates skyrocketing for who's there still? Can we as a County offer any—can we offer anything from the County level? I believe, and don't quote me on this, but that the County can actually provide insurance in some instances. And I'm wondering if we can or if there's been discussion on working as a County to provide insurance for people who cannot afford or can't get insurance for their homes now? MR. LE: So, you know, I do understand that insurance has been very inaccessible in terms of their rates and costs for a lot of households who live in Lava Zones 1 and 2. And then those who were providing for prior to the eruption are essentially in the process or expecting to leave the market, right, which leaves very limited options for folks. I'm not previously aware of the County's ability to act as an insurance provider. And I'm not aware of any conversations of exploring to date. If there are kind of specific mechanisms or areas of the Code where that is called out, I'm happy to look into it. In my brief time with the County, I can't think of other situations where we stepped in, in that way. I do think that the County can be helpful in terms of helping people understand the information and navigate it. Because just with my experience working with folks who have been impacted with the eruption, but also the neighbors too. Many people are expert in this and kind of really taken the insurance providers to bat around policies. But I've also met many residents and property owners who perhaps don't have the full information or the full background, right, and you know, don't even know more specifically Lava Zones 1 through 9, which is more dangerous or which is less dangerous. And so, I think that's specifically is something that the County could work with the community on in terms of the education piece and accessing what's available. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay, thank you, Doug. MR. LE: So, yeah, if there are specific things around the insurance coverage, I'm happy to look into it some more. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay, we'll go back to relook to that. Something caught me the other day when I was going through the HRS (Hawai`i Revised Statutes) and I'll follow-up on that with you. Thank you. Page 20 GOREDC-3 February 16,2021 Okay, I didn't get an answer from you, sir. So permitting-wise, what are your thoughts? MR. RODENHURST: Currently permitting, it does involve Planning as far as land use. But as of right now, aside from, you know, access to resources and things that would be conflicting with the existing Code, I don't have any conflicts with permitting on the building side. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay, thank you, that's good. Okay, I appreciate the information, as usual. You guys did a great job, keep it up. And thanks for the presentation today. I yield. CHR. KIMBALL: Thank you. Anyone else? Alright going to the Kona side. You're just going to have to call out, because I can't see you over there. Any questions? MS. DAVID: Not from Kona. Thank you, Chair. CHR. KIMBALL: Thank you so much, Chair David. Alright, so any follow-up additional questions? Okay, thank you. I just want to talk about a couple of things real quickly. First of all, is the survey, and what I agree with Council Member Lee Loy, appears to be a very aggressive timeline on roads. And I just want to caution you, especially if you're going to put it out in the survey and it is going to become part of folks' decision making processes about their livelihoods, probably all of their savings that have been tied up into property. Please be very, very careful about the accuracy or the ability to meet those deadlines that you put out there, because it does have a major impact. I just want to caution you on that. MR. RODENHURST: Yes, and just to clarify, when we're saying survey, we're talking about the public. CHR. KIMBALL: We're talking about the survey here, which Douglas said is going to contain some information about the schedule, because yeah, it is important, as Council Member Kierkiewicz said, that folks have this information in order to make those decisions. But I just want you to temper that very clearly so that people are not making decisions that they find out two years, three years from now, was based on information that was not good. I'm just asking you to very careful about this. MR. RODENHURST: Yes, and just to be clear, too, the actual land surveying of lower Pohoiki is currently going on. So we're looking at what our options are for the alignment. And I want to make it very clear as well, a lot of these timelines are dependent on FEMA's approval of how we're going to go forward, how our design is submitted to them. So I don't have any control over FEMA's timeline. I have control over when we submit it. Page 21 GOREDC-3 February 16,2021 We're going to do our due diligence and make sure that when we submit to FEMA, it's to the best of our ability. We've checked all the boxes, we've done all we can. And then when FEMA comes back, however long they take, this is all based off of their typical response times. It could come back and we're hoping it comes back with no comments. If it comes back with comments, we're going to have to modify this timeline and update everyone as we go. From there, we have other dependent estimates. You know, when we get that approval from FEMA, now it's going out to bid, what is the bidding process? How do the bidders come in? What is the award process? How does that all factor into it? And then once we start construction, we're obviously limited by our environmental factors. So it all kind of hinges on what happens when we send it to FEMA, and from there, there's a lot of factors involved. So I want to make that very clear. It is an aggressive timeline. We do want to get this work done, but a lot of it is estimated based off of our current knowledge of the process. So as it gets changed, we'll update it. CHR. KIMBALL: Thank you, Mr. Rodenhurst. And I appreciate that you guys have been thoughtful about all of that. And I appreciate that it is an aggressive timeline. It needs to be. I mean we've been waiting too long already. I just want to make sure that you guys, as you communicate this to the public that, you know, you are very transparent. That there is this area where there's some vagueness about how long it's going to take. I mean what if we have a major disaster on the East Coast, and now FEMA's all tied up and can't get to this, right? MR. RODENHURST: Correct, and I cannot address FEMA's process. It is their process and we're going to do the best we can to accommodate and help them out. CHR. KIMBALL: So when you present this in the survey, what I'm asking is to just this expressly clear. That there is some wiggle room if you will here, because like I said, people are making very serious decisions on this. Director Kern, I just wanted to ask a quick question, what is the discussion been about redrawing the Lava Zone Maps, given the updated information. Those are from the early 90's. We certainly have better topographical information now. Is that something that you think is a priority when we do decision making about future land use? MR. KERN: You know, I do, and I think they do need to be updated for sure. I'd say prior to the 2018 Kilauea eruption some folks thought they might have needed to be updated in a different way. Now it's explicitly clear, it's not. So yeah, I do believe that's coming in. I think that's probably on Phase 3 right now. Page 22 GOREDC-3 February 16,2021 It's been very much, you know, what infrastructure can we go; what's the plans going on there, and then coming into that on the larger scale policy. Yes, I do. I think it's going to be more complicated because it also involves other governmental agencies. So the sooner we get going on that, the better. CHR. KIMBALL: Thank you Director. Douglas? MR. LE: Sure, yeah,just to add on to Director Kern's comments. You know, I think complicated is a bit of an understatement. You know, in terms of the world of land use mapping, right, clearly the County creates maps for future land uses and to our GP (General Plan), etcetera, but there are products and tools, right, of maps. Anyone who lives in the coastal flood zone knows, right, how the flood maps can be helpful in terms of communicating risks and taking action in insurance elevation. But, also, it can be very conflating and weird, right, and unclear about the action a property owner can take related to reducing the risks to flooding. And in the changing climate, the next couple decades will be even more complicated. You know, there's no question that I think even prior to 2018, many residents who have been engaged in the hazards of Lava Zones 1 and 2 have asked this question of the Hawaii Volcano Observatory (HVO), you know, USGS (United States Geological Survey) that creates Lava Zone Maps. You know, it's my sense that it's really important to be clear on the utility on those maps and what it can do to inform how we think about land use, right, or areas of hazards. Because I've asked myself the same question, yeah? And the scientists at HVO in all their wisdom reminds me that something even as unprecedented as our experience of the 2018 eruption, it's not so unprecedented in the history of the Kilauea Volcano, right, in more geological terms. And so, it is with that idea and concept in mind, that there is some hesitancy in terms of whether an event like 2018 triggers a redrawing of the Lava Zone Maps. The Lava Zone Maps in this is where I'll take some creative liberties. There are more brush strokes in terms of where, then say, what we're used to; zoning maps, even flood insurance rate maps, right? And so, that's why I just want to put the caveat that it's incredibly valuable and vital information, but where we really got to grapple with is what we do with the information. Not only in terms of making policy, but also communicating it to the public. You know, really as even down to, I thought Lava Zone 1 was low risk because it's one, right, from certain property owners that I've had a chance to meet. Page 23 GOREDC-3 February 16,2021 CHR. KIMBALL: Thank you Douglas for making that statement, because I agree maps are an extremely powerful tools and you have to understand before you develop them. One, the data that's going into them; and two, the fact that people are going to believe whatever they see on that map as the truth. And so we need to be careful about how that map is developed and used. You used the, what was the term, "conflated and weird" I think was the term. And my question is, is maybe the map we're working off of now, the one that's conflated and weird, because we have newer actual on-the-ground data that might be more meaningful. But I do understand your cautions there, and just curious if that's been part of the conversation, because it ties into the insurance piece that Mr. Kaneali`i-Kleinfelder was talking about. And I do believe that we have or had a State program for insurance. I'm just going to say, right off the bat, I'm not a fan of the County taking on insurance responsibilities. And we don't have that capacity. That's not a good idea for us. That's the last point I'll make. Any more questions before we move to call the question on this? No, okay. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: I have one more. CHR. KIMBALL: Yes, go ahead. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you. In one of the stakeholder meetings we had we discussed different ways of connecting Pohoiki Road back to 132, and there was a suggestion to use old Pohoiki Road to bypass. I believe the alignment of Pohoiki Road takes you right through one of the main fissures, which was a challenge that we faced. This is from last year, but there was some discussion in one of the groups to actually move the road over and follow a different route. We liked the idea as a whole. It would be considerable as far as change, but that was a good idea and that was brought up by the community and by the recovery team. So, if you have a chance to look into that, it just clicked to me a little bit, so thank you. CHR. KIMBALL: Douglas, yes? MR. LE: Thank you. And just a quick clarification, you know, when I asked for the creative liberty, I did describe my experience of sometimes using the FEMA flood rate maps, right, it has conflated and weird. I wouldn't take it so far as to apply to the Lava Zone Maps even though those are unique in their own way. CHR. KIMBALL: Yeah, that was me that drew that connection, not you, and I'll take responsibility for that. Thank you. Alright, I will go ahead and call the question. All in favor of closing file on Comm. 109? Page 24 GOREDC-3 February 16,2021 Vote on Comm. 109: The motion to close file on Comm. 109 was carried by (Filed) the following voice vote: Ayes: Committee Members Chung, David, Inaba, Kaneali`i-Kleinfelder, Kierkiewicz, Lee Loy, Richards, Villegas, and Chair Kimball—9. Noes: None. Absent: None. Excused: None. BILLS FOR The Chair directed the Committee to proceed to the next order of business, ORDINANCES: Bills for Ordinances. (There were none.) ORDER OF The Chair directed the Committee to proceed to the next order of business, Order RESOLUTIONS: of Resolutions. (There were none.) CHR. KIMBALL: And with that, I will take a motion to adjourn. ADJOURN- There being no further business, at 12:55 p.m., Ms. Kierkiewicz moved to MENT: adjourn the meeting. Seconded by Ms. Lee Loy and carried by the following voice vote: Ayes: Committee Members Chung, David, Inaba, Kaneali`i-Kleinfelder, Kierkiewicz, Lee Loy, Richards, Villegas, and Chair Kimball—9. Noes: None. Absent: None. Excused: None. CHR. KIMBALL: Thank you both for being here. Approved: "� 't 1 j3.0\�zA Ms. Bather L. Kimball, Chair (Date) Government Operations, Relations, and Economic Development Committee HK/dt Page 25