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HomeMy WebLinkAboutRES 082 Draft 01 2016-2018COUNTY OF HAWAII RESOLUTION NO. STATE OF HAWAII 82 17 A RESOLUTION URGING THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION TO CLASSIFY THE CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROJECT FOR HIGHWAY 130 (KEA`AU-PAHOA ROAD), RELATING TO FEEDER ROADS AND ALTERNATE ROUTES, AS A TOP PRIORITY AND TO ISSUE $15,000,000 FOR THE PROJECT TO THE COUNTY OF HAWAII DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS, BEFORE THIS APPROPRIATION EXPIRES ON JUNE 30, 2017. WHEREAS, Act 119 was signed into law by Governor David Y. Ige on June 12, 2015, which appropriated funds for the operating and capital improvement budget of the executive branch for fiscal years 2015-2016 and 2016-2017, known as the General Appropriations Act of 2015; and WHEREAS, Act 119, Section 47, capital improvement project No. 80 (page 119), authorizes $15,000,000 of revenue bond funds to be used for "construction for the repair and maintenance of feeder roads and alternate routes for Highway 130" (Kea`au-Pahoa Road); and WHEREAS, Highway 130 is the only direct route into and out of Puna, and the Puna Community Development Plan (Chapter 4) and the Puna Regional Circulation Plan both recognize that Highway 130 needs alternate routes for emergency access in the event of natural disasters; and WHEREAS, Section 2. 1, Table 2-2, of the Hawaii County General Plan 2005, as amended, states that the estimated resident population in Puna as of 2015 will be 49,801, and that Puna is now, and will continue to be, the most populous area of Hawaii County through 2020; and WHEREAS, according to the Atlas of Natural Hazards in the Hawaiian Coastal Zone (2002), the Overall Hazard Assessment for the Puna region is moderate -to -high to very high, and this takes into consideration the numerous variables of stream flooding, high waves, storms, erosion, tsunami, volcanic/seismic activity, etc.; and WHEREAS, Highway 130 has been under threat of nearby lava flows since 2014, and the safety of the residents and visitors of Puna is currently being compromised by a lack of alternative emergency access routes to Highway 130; and WHEREAS, the issuance of funds authorized by the State legislature in the amount of $15,000,000 for "construction for the repair and maintenance of feeder roads and alternate routes for Highway 130" is a preemptive and protective action that will save lives and protect the health, safety, and livelihood of Puna residents; and WHEREAS, the mission of the State Department of Transportation is "To provide a safe, efficient, accessible, and sustainable inter -modal transportation system that ensures the mobility of people and goods, and enhances and/or preserves economic prosperity and the quality of life."; and WHEREAS, the Department of Transportation intends to reclassify the capital improvement project for Highway 130 to a "capacity project" instead of a "health and safety project," wherein the project would be considered a lower priority; and WHEREAS, Article IX, Section 1, of the Constitution of the State of Hawaii proclaims that "The State shall provide for the protection and promotion of the public health."; and WHEREAS, the appropriation for the capital improvement project for Highway 130 will expire on June 30, 2017, if it is not expeditiously utilized; now, therefore, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE COUNTY OF HAWAII that it hereby urges the Department of Transportation to classify the capital improvement project for Highway 130 as a top priority and to issue the $15,000,000 for the project to the County of Hawaii Department of Public Works before it expires on June 30, 2017. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Director of the Department of Transportation is also urged to keep the capital improvement project for Highway 130 classified as a "health and safety project" and to secure additional funding from the Federal Highway Administration and the Hawaii State Legislature to address the critical need for emergency access routes into and out of Puna. 4 BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED that the County Clerk shall transmit a copy of this resolution to the Honorable Governor David Y. Ige; the Honorable Senate President Ronald D. Kouchi; the Honorable House Speaker Joseph M. Souki; the Honorable Senator Lorraine R. Inouye, Chair of the Committee on Transportation and Energy; the Honorable Senator Clarence K. Nishihara, Chair of the Committee on Public Safety, Intergovernmental, and Military Affairs; the Honorable Representative Henry J.C. Aquino, Chair of the Committee on Transportation; the Honorable Representative Gregg Takayama, Chair of the Committee on Public Safety; the Honorable Senator Russell E. Ruderman; the Honorable Representative Joy A. San Buenaventura; Director Ford Fuchigami, Department of Transportation, State of Hawaii; the Honorable Mayor Harry Kim, County of Hawaii; and Director Frank J. De Marco, Department of Public Works, County of Hawaii. Dated at Hilo , Hawai`i, this 8th day of March -'20 17• INTRODUCED BY: CO C L MEMBER, COUNTY OF HAWAII COUNTY COUNCIL County of Hawaii Hilo, Hawaii I hereby certify that the foregoing RESOLUTION was by the vote indicated to the right hereof adopted by the COUNCIL of the County of Hawaii on M,9rch 8, 2017 ATTEST: C/. 2- COUNTY CLERK CHAIRPERSON & PRESIDING OFFICER ROLL CALL VOTE Reference: RESOLUTION NO C-119/Waived GREDC 82 17 AYES NOES ABS EX CHUNG DAVID EOFF KANUHA LEE LOY X O'HARA X POINDEXTER RICHARDS IX RUGGLES Reference: RESOLUTION NO C-119/Waived GREDC 82 17