Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutMIN PCIA 2023/12/05 (2022-2024) Policy Committee on Infrastructure and Assets th 6 Session Hawaiʻi County Building 25 Aupuni Street Hilo, Hawaiʻi December 5, 2023 CALL TO The regular meeting of the Policy Committee on Infrastructure and Assets ORDER: was called to order at 9:00 a.m., in the Council Chambers, Hilo, by Ms. Susan L. K. Lee Loy, Chair. ROLL CALL: Present: Ms. Susan L. K. Lee Loy, Chair Ms. Ashley L. Kierkiewicz, Vice Chair Ms. Cindy Evans, Member Ms. Michelle M. Galimba, Member Mr. Holeka Goro Inaba, Member Ms. Jenn Kagiwada, Member Mr. Matt Kānealiʻi-Kleinfelder, Member Ms. Heather L. Kimball, Member Ms. Rebecca Villegas, Member 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: (There were none.) BILLS FOR The Chair directed the Committee to proceed to the next order of business, ORDINANCES: Bills for Ordinances. Bill 105: AMENDS CHAPTER 24, ARTICLE 10, DIVISION 5, SECTION 24-280, SCHEDULE 28, AND SECTION 24-281, SCHEDULE 29 OF THE HAWAIʻI COUNTY CODE 1983 (2016 EDITION, AS AMENDED), RELATING TO NO PARKING AT ANYTIME UPON CERTAIN STREETS OR PORTION OF STREETS AND PARKING PROHIBITED DURING CERTAIN HOURS ON CERTAIN STREETS Adds a provision to prohibit parking at anytime and provisions to prohibit parking between the hours of 8:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m. for portions of Aliʻi Drive that front Pāhoehoe Beach Park. Reference: Comm. 607 Intr. by: Ms. Lee Loy (B/R) PCIA-6 December 5, 2023 Motion to Approve: Ms. Villegas moved to recommend passage of Bill 105 on first reading. Seconded by Ms. Kimball. CHR. LEE LOY: Ms. Villegas, this is a matter in your district, please lead our discussion. MS. VILLEGAS: Yes. So, I’m very grateful to see this on the dais, and to see the actions being taken by our Traffic Division to navigate some of the many challenges that we face on Aliʻi Drive, with overnight parking right along the guardrails of many of our county parks. So, this is in alignment with and what I hope to eventually see as a more succinct plan for the makai side of Aliʻi Drive and its parking strategy for how we navigate overnight parking in places, and how we mitigate the potential for people to—for some of the challenges were facing there. I’m sorry, I apologize, I am making this more complicated than it needs to be. But I am in support of this bill, and I am grateful for Traffic bringing it forward and us being able to take some steps to mitigate some of the issues we’re navigating on Aliʻi Drive. I yield. CHR. LEE LOY: Thank you, Ms. Villegas. Ms. Evans. MS. EVANS: Thank you. Director Pause, perfect timing. We’re talking about Bill 105, and this is putting parking signs on Aliʻi Drive. I was just kind of curious about the community engagement with the fishermen. I did see an email or two about making sure that people can get out and go fishing at night. How does your Traffic Safety Division engage with the community? (Note: At this time, Public Works Director Stephen Pause came forward to address the members of the Committee.) MR. PAUSE: Good morning, Steve Pause, Director of Public Works. I guess I wasn’t ready for that question. Traffic engaged primarily—this was driven by a request from the Police Department, Sergeant Matt Mansur, and Traffic followed pretty much the same approach they did Kahaluʻu Beach Park as well. So the request was really based on vehicles parked overnight, and some of the issues that the Police Department was having. So, I’m not aware that Traffic actually reached out and engaged anyone from the fishing community. MS. VILLEGAS: Chair? My apologies, is it possible for me to help answer the question? CHR. LEE LOY: Sure, if you would help us a lot with that conversation, absolutely. Ms. Villegas, go ahead. MS. VILLEGAS: Okay, thank you. Council Member Evans I’m not sure if you’re familiar with this part of Aliʻi Drive, but these rules that will be put into Page 2 PCIA-6 December 5, 2023 place, prohibiting overnight parking in no way would prohibit any type of fishing, native Hawaiian gathering practices, all things I hold very close to my heart, going back to patch decision. But there is no then there’s no way to access the shoreline, people could actually park on the other side of the road that is right there. So, it’s not going to negatively impact in that capacity in any way for people who want to shoreline fish in the evening. MS. EVANS: Okay. CHR. LEE LOY: Thank you, Ms. Villegas. Does that help you, Ms. Evans? MS. EVANS: I think it does, because I did see an email, a concern of people that want to do night fishing, making sure that they still have that ability. CHR. LEE LOY: Great. MS. EVANS: That’s good. And the other question I have is when you do sign layouts, wow, that’s quite a nice attachment. So that’s kind of normal to do sign layouts when you’re putting up signs? MR. PAUSE: Yes. That product is provided by our Traffic folks, with that amount of detail and then it’s attached to the request for the ordinance, yeah. MS. EVANS: Okay. So, is it fair to say that when you take a road that’s been commonly used a certain way and decide to put up no parking signs that in fact, you’ll do a sign layout? MR. PAUSE: Yes. That’s pretty much been the norm. I think I recall probably at least half a dozen of these in my timeframe that we provide that level of detail of where the signs will go. And also, the rationale that supports the request. MS. EVANS: Okay, thank you. Thank you, Chair. I yield. CHR. LEE LOY: Thanks, Ms. Evans. Anyone else? Ms. Villegas. MS. VILLEGAS: Aloha, Director Pause. Thank you for being here today and representing just as you walked in the room. No worries, I’m with you today. I just want to send a mahalo out to Sergeant Mansur, who has been working diligently as the Sergeant for our community policing in Kona, to put forth a request for some of these changes and adaptations to the parking allowability in certain hotspots in my district, which I’ve been having conversations for years about. So I’m deeply grateful for Sergeant Mansur for putting this forward, I’m deeply grateful for the Traffic Division. It hasn’t always been—they don’t just say yes to this. They aren’t just throwing up signs all over the place. So, the public knows, there is a lot of intentionality, there are a lot of layers of vetting that Page 3 PCIA-6 December 5, 2023 happened, and it is not easy to get some of these things put in place. So, I am deeply grateful that we are putting these in place. And we’re going to try this out and hopefully it’s going to help us navigate some of the issues we’re dealing with. This is a side of the road that is right next to one of our very few parks in Kona, that are right along the ocean, and unfortunately, they have become hotspots for other challenges and issues. And by removing the opportunity or requiring the mobility of vehicles in the evening, you’ll remove the opportunity for continued residence along guardrails, along our county park, which is one of very few, which also creates a very different atmosphere. I’m deeply grateful for this, so thank you, Mr. Pause. Without digging anymore holes for myself, you know I’m talking to DPW (Department of Public Works), I just want to say thank you and thank you to Sergeant Mansur, for putting this forward. It’s not anything that Traffic takes lightly, and I am grateful because if it doesn’t work or there are grossly negative impacts, the signs can be taken down. So, thank you, I yield. CHR. LEE LOY: Thank you, Ms. Villegas. Ms. Kagiwada. MS. KAGIWADA: Thank you, Chair. Director, I feel like my colleague was alluding to a lot of things and not maybe saying outright. So can you explain maybe what some of the undesirable behaviors or issues are that this is addressing? MR. PAUSE: Yes. So, from communicating with the Sergeant, there are overnight parking that goes on, homeless people, houseless people are sleeping in their vehicles there. It’s been alluded to that there is on-street vending occurring that involves a list of activities. So, that was another, I believe driver for wanting to have the vehicles not be able to park there overnight. MS. KAGIWADA: Okay. Has there been any discussion about looking for alternative places for our unsheltered families who have to sleep in their cars to park safely somewhere else? Has that been addressed? MR. PAUSE: I think you are all aware of the efforts that the Administration is taking, Parks and Rec is taking. I would tell you from the standpoint of Public Works, no, we’re really not involved in that. We assist when there are situations with campers and things like that, when we’re asked, especially around disposal of trash and things like that. No, we’re really not, as a department, engaged in those sorts of things. MS. KAGIWADA: Okay. Does your department have any oversight over any parking areas or land that is currently not being used near this area that might be appropriate for a temporary place that we could discuss? Page 4 PCIA-6 December 5, 2023 MR. PAUSE: I’m not aware of that. Obviously, Property Management at the county level has that level of information. And I know you’re aware that our department manages and maintains the parking lot that’s up in Kona Village itself. But I’m not aware of any facilities here or any current plans. MS. KAGIWADA: Okay. Just kind of thinking about what’s been happening over on Hilo side. Some of the actions by the state and by the county, when they tried to do enforcements in certain areas has driven people who don’t have shelter into certain areas. And so it caused more of a problem in certain areas, like our Downtown Hilo area. So I just hope that there’s some thought by the Administration and other folks as to where these folks can actually go. Alright, I yield, Chair, thank you. CHR. LEE LOY: Thank you, Ms. Kagiwada. I feel like we’re slipping a little away from the intent of this. I’m going to allow it, I know we have a little bit of time, but if you guys could continue to create a nexus between this and a no parking issue, and then we can continue this conversation. Thank you, Ms. Kagiwada. Ms. Villegas. MS. VILLEGAS: Sure, I just wanted to offer to Ms. Kagiwada, if you’d like to have a conversation off-line about what is being navigated in District 7, as things like this are coming forward. Yes, Mr. Pause, your hands are full with all the other DPW things. So, I’m grateful to say that actions are being taken, services are being provided follow-up, wrap around all and every care and concern is being made to ensure that parking signs like this that are being placed don’t unduly, unfairly, or overly impactfully in any way cause harm to people that find themselves house less. So just for that. CHR. LEE LOY: Thank you, Ms. Villegas. Okay, thank you, with that I think we can, oh, Mr. Kānealiʻi–Kleinfelder. MR. KĀNEALIʻI–KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Chair. I’ll be supporting this measure today. I know what it takes to get to this point. I’m working with the Traffic Division on a similar issue, and then having the Director here today being supportive. I’ll be supporting this, thank you. CHR. LEE LOY: Thank you, Mr. Kānealiʻi–Kleinfelder. Anyone else? Seeing none, Mr. Pause, thank you for being here and answering our questions. I too am in support of this measure, but I also do want to thank your department. The maps do really help us understand, and I really appreciate and hope you can walk this back to your division that this work product is really becoming very superior, and the standard I’d like to see when we’re talking about infrastructure issues. So thank you so much for that. We have a motion on the floor to forward Bill 105 to the Council with a favorable recommendation. All those in favor please say “aye”. Page 5 PCIA-6 December 5,2023 Vote on Bill 105: The motion to recommend passage of Bill 105, on first (Approved) reading was carried by the following voice vote: Ayes: Committee Members Evans, Galimba, Inaba, Kagiwada, Kaneali`i—Kleinfelder, Kierkiewicz, Kimball, Villegas, and Chair Lee Loy—9. Noes: None. Absent: None. Excused: None. ADJOURN- There being no further business, at 9:17 a.m., Mr. Inaba moved to adjourn the MENT: meeting. Seconded by Ms. Galimba and carried by the following voice vote: Ayes: Committee Members Evans, Galimba, Inaba, Kagiwada, Kaneali`i—Kleinfelder, Kierkiewicz, Kimball, Villegas, and Chair Lee Loy—9. Noes: None. Absent: None. Excused: None. CHR. LEE LOY: This meeting is adjourned, at 9:17 a.m., thank you, everyone. ..ro d: \-0 Chair ate) • -•. '•mmittee o`nfrastructure and Assets SL/rk Page 6