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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0265.001 2006-2008 Testimony to Hawaii County Council Committee On Finance in Support of Resolution 113-07 Appropriating Funds for Kona Town Meetings. Date: April 3, 2007 Good Afternoon, Hawaii County Council Members, My name is Fred Housel. My wife and I are Kona coffee farmers and volunteers in Community Enterprises, anon-profit corporation which develops, organizes, schedules and conducts monthly non-partisan community-based meetings to provide a forum for community members to understand and discuss the needs of their community. I'd like to ask for your support of Resolution 113-07 which provides needed funding to conduct future Kona Town Meetings. 1'd like to offer a personal story about why this resolution and funding are so important. We have owned our farm in Kona for 10 years and have been full time residents for 5 years. When we moved to Kona, we wanted to get involved in our community and gain an understanding of what the important issues and concerns are and what we could do to help. We happened to notice the Kona Town Meetings and began to attend. We found these meetings to be very informative and a tremendous opportunity for community members to express ideas and feel like they can make a difference in Kona's growth and well- being. We feel it is very important to have this community forum to motivate community involvement in addressing the major issues Kona is experiencing. As you are probably aware, you may not always get the whole story by just reading West Hawaii Today. Thank you for your support on Kona Town Meetings and Resolution 113-07. Comm. l~tc;.--2-,tees. !I°-'- itaf. uase~,..u+.l...= Community Enterprises 75-5454 Mamalahoa Hwy. Holualoa, Hi 96725 808 329-0059 Corporation Profile Community Enterprises is a non profit Corporation registered in the State of Hawaii Business registration is current for 2006 under file number 0211083d2. Hawaii Tax ID number: W36515565-01 Community Enterprises is a Federally recognized Public Charity under Section 5019c)(30 of the Internal Revenue Services. Contributions to our organization are deductible. Community Enterprises has no paid employees and is entirely operated by volunteers. Purpose: The Corporation is organized exclusively to develop, coordinate, facilitate and schedule monthly non-partisan community based meetings and to provide a forum for community members to understand and discuss the needs of their community. Operating Plan 2005-2006 We have held nine monthly meetings at various community sites. 2006-2007 To conduct monthly Kailua-Kona Town Meetings from September through May. Meetings will be held the first Tuesday of each month at Makaeo Events Pavilion from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM and light refreshments served. Program Highlights 2006 September- Councilpersons Angel Pilago, Virginia Isbell spoke on County Legislation affecting Kona. Doug Parker told of a vision for a Park along Alii Dr. October- The Kona Home Depot manager, Jack Holshue talked about business volume. Kealakehe Regional Park committee members discussed hope for land use. State Representative Josh Green spoke. Rev. Shields spoke about new technology available to harness ocean energy. November-Mel Fujino from the County of Hawaii Prosecuting attorneys office spoke. Two audience participants volunteer on a regular basis to help with processing back logs. Steve McPeek from the County Research and Development spoke about the opening of a new office in Kona and encouraged participants to call. December- Louise Winn from County of Hawaii spoke on creating a disaster preparedness program for Kona. Attorney Mark Van Pernis spoke on Kona, Yesterday and Tomorrow. January- Ocean and Reef Health Dr. Bill Walsh from the State Dept. of Land and Natural Resources gave us an update on the health of our ocean, Jack's Dive Shop through speaker Carolyn talked about a non profit program setting moorings that are environmentally friendly. February- Council updates, Habitat for Humanity- Gail Mundt addressed upcoming projects. Chrystal Yamasaki, from Wes Thomas and Associates talked about being the first woman licensed as a surveyor. March- Wal-Mart manager John McBride discussed remodeling and West Hawaii Today Editior-in -Chief Reed Flickinger spoke on community issues, as well as Doug Parker on his dream of park updates. April- County of Hawaii Traffic Director Chief for the Department of Public Works spoke on traffic issues affecting our community; Mahina DeSilva from Hawaii Island Food Bank spoke of upcoming food collection drive; Beau Campos from Kai 0 Pua talked about canoe paddling. May- West Hawaii Mediation Service, Board Director Chuck Mize offered mediation services; County Deputy Director Barbara Kossow spoke on area updates and Kulana Huli Honua director, Mikahala Roy talked about being Hawaiian and necessity of keeping cultural places away from development. Program Highlights 2007 September- Speakers included West Hawaii Community Health Center-Richard Taaffe; Jeff Sacher spoke on the Super Ferry and its environmental impacts. Debbie Hecht from the Hawaii Island Land Trust updated citizens on the 2% initiative and Council persons Virginia Isbell and Angel Pilago gave Council updates. October- Candidates running for public office included-Cindy Evans, Virginia Isbell, Brenda Ford, Pete Hoffman, Charles Hosley, and Mark Littorin spoke on behalf of the Kohala Center December -Key Speaker was Mayor Harry Kim. Also included were Healthy Start Executive Director-Stone Wolfsong; Gretchen Lawler from Arc of Kona. Flag presentation, by Pack 26 of the Boy Scouts of America. February- Doctors presented their viewpoints on why they are leaving Kona. In the discussion was Dr. Wesley Sugai; Dr. Carol Brown, Dr. Barry Blum, Dr. Robert Laird and Director of the Kona Community Hospital was Jon Lattimer. April- Topics evolved around agricultural issues. Speakers included Nancy Pisicchio, Kona County Farm Bureau; Bob Cooper of The Original Hawaiian Chocolate Factory; Glenn Fukumoto and Virginia Easton-Smith of the University Cooperative Extension Service and Reverend Dennis Shields.