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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMIN PCPWMT 2025/01/21 (2024-2026)Policy Committee on Public Works and Mass Transit 1st Session West Hawaii Civic Center 74-5044 Ane Keohokalole Highway, Building A Kailua-Kona, Hawaii January 21, 2025 CALL TO The regular meeting of the Policy Committee on Public Works and ORDER: Mass Transit was called to order at 11:15 a.m., in the Council Chambers, Kailua-Kona, by Mr. James E. Hustace, Chair. ROLL CALL: Present: Mr. James E. Hustace, Chair Ms. Ashley L. Kierkiewicz, Vice Chair (via video conference from Hilo) Ms. Michelle M. Galimba, Member Mr. Holeka Goro Inaba, Member Ms. Jenn Kagiwada, Member Ms. Heather L. Kimball, Member Mr. Dennis "Fresh" Onishi, Member Ms. Rebecca Villegas, Member (came in later) Absent & Excused: Mr. Matt Kdneali`i-Kleinfelder, 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 10: AMENDS CHAPTER 22, ARTICLE 3, DIVISION 2, SECTION 22-3.3.2, OF THE HAWAI`I COUNTY CODE 1983 (2016 EDITION, AS AMENDED), RELATING TO ALLOWABLE AREAS FOR SPECIAL ACTIVITY PERMITS Allows for authorized commercial activities to be conducted at the following area in Kona: "Ane Keohokalole Highway, makai side, between Palani Road and Kealakehe Parkway." Reference: Comm.38 Intr. by: Council Member Inaba Motion to Approve: Mr. Inaba moved to recommend passage of Bill 10 on first reading. Seconded by Mr. Onishi. PCPWMT-1 January 21, 2025 CHR. HUSTACE: Mr. Inaba, the floor is yours if you'd like to speak to this bill, please. MR. INABA: Thank you, Chair. This bill is inserting in a portion of Ane Keohokalole Highway, specifically, from the Southern point of Kealakehe Parkway towards Henry Street. To kind of fall in line with the process that we've set up in the Code, I'm going to make another motion to forward Bill 10 to both the Public Works Director and the Chief of Police for their respective recommendations, and given the fact that it'll get support for that with a second, please. CHR. HUSTACE: With a new motion on the floor, Mr. Clerk, to forward Bill 10 to the Public Works Department and the Police Chief with a second from Mr. Onishi. Any discussion on the new motion? MR. INABA: Thank you. I would like to hold this here until we get word. We are trying to figure out the best place, and right now, we have some preliminary discussions going on. But until we get that really ironed out with the two relevant departments, I'd like to hold that here. So, ask for your support. CHR. HUSTACE: Thank you. Any further discussion? Ms. Kimball, please. MS. KIMBALL: This is just proximal to the matter at hand. Last term when we had something similar to this relating to bicycle tours, it was unclear who would write the letter to the department asking for the review. And actually, this would apply to the Ethics Board conversation that we had earlier. So, can we as a body, just determine, is it the Chair of the committee or the person drafting the legislation that would submit the request to the relevant department? I would suggest that it be the person who has drafted the legislation. CHR HUSTACE: Thank you, Council Member. Council Member Inaba. MR. INABA: Yes, my office is happy to take care of that. And I do think that is the best route. So, when responses from departments come back, they're going directly to the person who submitted the request. CHR. HUSTACE: Thank you. Any discussion? Okay, the first motion we have here to resolve is sending this bill to the Public Works Director or department as well as the Police Chief for further analysis and discussion. All those in favor? Page 2 PCPWMT-1 January 21, 2025 Motion to Refer: Mr. Inaba moved to refer Bill 10 to the Public Works Department (Approved) and the Chief of Police. Seconded by Mr. Onishi and carried by the following voice vote: Ayes: Committee Members Galimba, Inaba, Kagiwada, Kierkiewicz, Kimball, Onishi, Villegas, and Chair Hustace — 8. Noes: None. Absent: Committee Member Kaneali`i- Kleinfelder — 1. Excused: None. CHR. HUSTACE: Okay, we'll send Bill 10 to the Police Chief and Public Works for further analysis on this. Mr. Inaba. Motion to Postpone: Mr. Inaba moved to postpone Bill 10 to February 18, 2025. Seconded by Mr. Onishi. CHR. HUSTACE: Any other discussion? Hearing none, all members in favor? Vote on Motion The motion to postpone Bill 10 to February 18, 2025, to Postpone: was carried by the following voice vote: (Approved) Ayes: Committee Members Galimba, Inaba, Kagiwada, Kierkiewicz, Kimball, Onishi, Villegas, and Chair Hustace — 8. Noes: None. Absent: Committee Member Kdneali`i- Kleinfelder — 1. Excused: None. Bill 12: AMENDS CHAPTER 5D, ARTICLE 1, SECTIONS 5D-1-3 AND 5D-1-6, OF THE HAWAPI COUNTY CODE 1983 (2016 EDITION, AS AMENDED), RELATING TO THE ELECTRICAL CODE Adds electrical work performed by an electrical utility on any generating plant, receiving station, switching station, distributing station, supply lines or mains, overhead service drop, and underground or station service supply conductor as exempted from the provisions of the County Electrical Code. Reference: Comm.62 Intr. by: Council Member Kimball and Council Member Kdneali`i-Kleinfelder Motion to Approve: Ms. Kimball moved to recommend passage of Bill 12 on first reading. Seconded by Mr. Inaba. Page 3 PCPWMT-1 January 21, 2025 CHR. HUSTACE: Council Member Kimball, the floor is yours on this motion please. MS. KIMBALL: Thank you, and I do believe we have members of the Department of Public Works available for comment in the Hilo Chambers. But basically, this piece of legislation, the purpose behind it is threefold. All three other counties have this exemption already in their Building Codes. We are the last to add this. It was something that the last Administration had wanted to put forward. The reason being is that this is really having to do with the permitting and inspections of the electrical equipment used to produce and transmit power within our internal workings within the County. We don't have the real ability to evaluate those plans or do the inspections. Of course, we are trying to move ambitiously towards our renewable energy goals. So, avoiding this kind of delay within the County helps us move towards that more quickly. I will just note that this does not apply to any of the electrical work within any of the support buildings related to any energy production. And this doesn't apply to any facilities that have outstanding permits that are related to the buildings or the structures themselves. This is exclusively an exemption from requiring a permit for the electrical production or transmission, which is actually already regulated under the purview of the PUC (Public Utilities Commission). So, it's really not actually even in our jurisdiction, arguably. I'm happy to let the department add anything. But that is the gist of it. CHR. HUSTACE: Thank you, Council Member. Any thoughts, feedback, questions from my colleagues? Ms. Kagiwada, please. MS. KAGIWADA: I'd like to hear from the department, if somebody could come up? Thank you so much. Just introduce yourselves and maybe just give us a short overview and the department's feedback on this. (Note: At this time, Public Works Building Chief Julann Sonomura came forward to address the members of the Committee.) MS. SONOMURA: Good morning, Julann Sonomura, Building Chief, Public Works. We are in support of this bill. Just would like to point out, the purpose of the bill is to exclude the utility -grade electrical distribution equipment substations. The Building Division will still review and inspect plans and projects, PD (Professional Development) Projects, we'll do the grounding, bonding, check connections, and the work normally reviewed under our permitting process. We're just taking exception to the large utility -grade equipment. Thank you. MS. KAGIWADA: Thank you so much. That's helpful. I'll be supporting. Page 4 PCP WMT-1 Vote on Bill 12 (Approved) January 21, 2025 CHR. HUSTACE: Thank you, Council Member. Council Member Onishi. MR. ONISHI: Thank you. Ms. Sonomura, so, with the PUC requirements with utility companies, isn't the utility company exempt already on building permits and all those electrical and so forth? MS. SONOMURA: That's correct. For example, we do not permit HELCO (Hawaiian Electric Light Company) substations. MR. ONISHI: Right. So, this bill is basically what we're talking about right? MS. SONOMURA: Yes, and it clarifies because I guess a paradigm has shifted and we have a number of private companies producing electricity, and that is taking exception. Just making clear that we are not responsible for that. MR. ONISHI: Okay. I guess now we've talked about alternative energy. HECO (Hawaiian Electric Company) supposed to be responsible to construct that Swift Station, right? And because developers want the project to move faster; so they make an agreement with HECO to build that for them, but because they're building it, they're not getting the exemption from PUC. So, would you folks be, I guess, able to dialogue with me to see how we can get those private developers working with HECO and somehow having that waived from the County? MS. SONOMURA: Yes, we'd be happy to meet with you to discuss this further. And to be clear, the equipment that we are exempting taking exception to is a power -generating equipment. So, the substations and the high -voltage equipment that normally is not included in the NEC (National Electric Code) for our review. MR. ONISHI: Okay, but thank you. CHR HUSTACE: Thank you, Council Member. Any other questions? Thank you, Ms. Sonomura, appreciate your time here today. With that, we have a motion on the floor to forward Bill 12 to Council. All members in favor? Any opposed? The motion to recommend passage of Bill 12 on first reading was carried by the following voice vote: Ayes: Committee Members Galimba, Inaba, Kagiwada, Kierkiewicz, Kimball, Onishi, Villegas, and Chair Hustace — 8. Noes: None. Absent: Committee Member Kdneali`i- Kleinfelder — 1. Excused: None. Page 5 PCP WMT-1 NVAIMOIN Approved: January 21, 2025 MR. HUSTACE: And with that, as the last item on the agenda today, today we adjourned our Public Works Committee here at 11:27 a.m. Thank you for your time. Aloha. There being no further business, Chair Hustace adjourned the meeting at 11:27 a.m. Nh,'dames E. Hustace, Chair Policy Committee on Public Works, and Mass Transit JEH/dt I+ / Z-3. (Date) Page 6