HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0159.013 2024-2026From: Debbie H
Sent: Thursday, April 3, 2025 1:01 PM
To: Kimball, Heather, Kagiwada, Jennifer, Onishi, Dennis; Galimba, Michelle M.; Kierkiewicz,
Ashley; Inaba, Holeka; Villegas, Rebecca; James Hustace; Council Testimony, Kanealii-
Kleinfelder, Matt
Subject: Re: Special Meeting about the 2025-2026 Budget
Aloha members of the Hawaii County Council-
Mahalo for all you do! Please include the following items to continue projects that are already in
process in the 2025-2026 budget:
Complete the design of the 1-mile of sewer needed to protect Kahalu'u Bay. The Department of
Environmental Management estimates the cost to complete the engineering drawings to get the
Kahalu'u sewer line "shovel -ready" to be $350,000 for the 2025-06 budget year. This is a public
health crisis and degrades the beauty of the bay! There is 1-mile of missing sewer line between
Queen Kalama Street (just south of La'aloa) and the entry to Kahalu'u Bay. This means that raw
sewage from 69 cesspools in that area pollute the bay at high tides and cause staph and other
infections for swimmers and surfers. I was in the hospital twice with an infection that was close to
sepsis from swimming there, three times a week. A dedicated group of us have been advocating to
get this line "shovel ready" for over 20 years to be able to go out for state and federal
funding. Currently, the engineers have promised drawings by April1, 2025. Chris Barber, who is the
Wastewater Division Acting Chief for the Department of Environmental Management, said in a recent
email: '7f everything goes according to plan and all agencies are accepting of our current EA
exemption, then the additional costs to complete the design would be approximately $350,000. If
State agencies and local stakeholders disagree with this approach, we may need to do more
extensive planning, mitigation; therefore, the cost and time required to get the project "shovel ready"
would increase."
We are very grateful to the staff at Environmental Management including Chris Sparber, Sandy
Shore, Kelly Hartman, and Mark Grant. We have the greatest appreciation for all the council women
for this district, who have been with us every step of the way, Rebecca Villegas Maile David, and
Brenda Ford. I was working on this in 2006 when I was Brenda Ford's legislative aide. Please
allocate funding to get the Kahalu'u sewer line "shovel ready" to protect surfers, swimmers, and our
beautiful Kahalu'u Bay.
Renovations at Old Airport Park- Please make sure there is enough funding in the 2025-26 budget
to carry out the plans to build 3 new bathrooms at Old Airport and the Kona community is really
excited that the runway is already paved! We have a group of citizens getting organized to paint the
picnic tables. A very big mahalo to the Alameda Administration and especially Parks and Rec folks:
James Komata, Clayton Honma, Amy Bautista, Melissa Samura. Mahalo for making this much -loved
park, a priority. In addition, mahalo for hiring more staff at the pool allowing for more hours. The
Kona community is very grateful to this kind attention to our area. Please make sure there is money
in the 2025-26 budget to complete the restoration for Old Airport Park.
Mahalo for your service to our island community!
With warm aloha, Comm. Tro
Debbie Hecht Ref. To:
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Ref. Dag" —1