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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMIN AWESC 2018/07/24 (2016-2018)Committee on Agriculture, Water and Energy Sustainability 1211 Session West Hawaii Civic Center 74-5044 Ane Keohokalole Highway, Building A Kailua-Kona, Hawai i July 24, 2018 CALL TO The regular meeting of the Committee on Agriculture, Water and Energy ORDER: Sustainability was called to order at 9:32 a.m., in the Council Chambers, Kailua-Kona, by Mr. Herbert M. "Tim" Richards, III, Chair. ROLL CA T.T.- Present: Mr. Herbert M. "Tim" Richards, III, Chair (via videoconference from Hilo) Ms. Eileen O'Hara, Vice Chair (via videoconference from Hilo) Ms. Karen Eoff, Member Mr. Dru Mamo Kanuha, Member Ms. Susan L. K. Lee Loy, Member Ms. Valerie T. Poindexter, Member Ms. Jennifer Ruggles, Member Absent & Excused: STATEMENTS FR ONA TUF PUBLIC ON AGENDA ITEMS: Mr. Aaron S. Y. Chung, Member Ms. Maile Medeiros David, Member The Chair directed the Committee to proceed to the next order of business, Statements from the Public on Agenda Items. (There were none.) COMMUNI- The Chair directed the Committee to proceed to the next order of business, CATIONS: Communications. Comm. 986: REQUESTS A PRESENTATION BY CAROL IGNACIO OF HAWAII ISLAND FOOD ALLIANCE ON LOCAL FOOD SYSTEMS AND FOOD SECURITY ON HAWAI` I ISLAND From Council Chairwoman Valerie T. Poindexter, dated July 6, 2018. Motion to Close File: Ms. Poindexter moved to close file on Comm. 986. Seconded by Ms. Eoff. AWESC-12 July 24, 2018 (Note: At this time, Government and Human Affairs Manager Carol Ignacio, of Hawaii Island Food Alliance, came forward and provided a PowerPoint presentation to the members of the Committee. Also joining Ms. Ignacio during the presentation were Kristin Frost Albrecht, Director for The Food Basket; and Ronette Gonsalves, representing the Bodacious Women of Puna. For viewing of the subject presentation, see the DVD copy of the meeting proceedings on file in the Clerk's Office. A copy of the PowerPoint presentation is made a part of the record, see Comm. 986.1) MS. IGNACIO: So, we're ready to action. We want to kakou and work together. And I want to say thank you. Ask my partners, if you folks have questions, please? CHR. RICHARDS: Thank you, Carol. MS. IGNACIO: Oh, hi, Tim, Councilman Richards. No questions? CHR. RICHARDS: Council Members, any questions for Carol? MS. LEE LOY: Yes, Chair. CHR. RICHARDS: Go ahead, Sue. MS. LEE LOY: Thank you. Thank you, Carol. I just wish I knew you when you had black hair. It would have been so exciting. MS. IGNACIO: You never know, you know. MS. LEE LOY: I had a question in regard to, and I'm not sure if you covered it on the slides, but we have different boards and commissions here in Hawaii County and some are inactive. Have you identified through these boards and commissions, especially the inactive ones? Maybe it should be re-established, and then how maybe they should be integrated. Because I could see something like the Agricultural Advisory Committee working with the Energy Advisory Committee, and maybe create like a joint, besides them standing independently, but an opportunity to have a joint report. I think it helps us gravitate away from working in silos, which is what you shared a lot of why—we have so much information, but all to often it's not being shared amongst other groups. Any thoughts on that? MS. IGNACIO: Well, yeah. You know, the Agricultural Advisory Committee, which Council Member Tim Richards is very active with even before he was a Council Member. My understanding, at least through the grapevine, was that it didn't follow through with new administration. So you're correct, I think that's Page 2 AWESC-12 July 24, 2018 certainly a place. And I've been working really closely with Council Member Tim Richards, to look at—because he has the missing piece, I think, for us. You know, you can see we have government partners, we have nonprofit partners. But the farmers and the ranchers, who—you know, without farming, you don't have food. That's the bottom line. So we're going to—more talk story about that and begin to—and I think this position is going to be really vital to—like that kind of agricultural committee, yeah. But thank you for pointing that out. MS. LEE LOY: One more follow-up question. I absolutely agree; without agriculture, we don't have food. But without water, we don't have agriculture either. MS. IGNACIO: Correct. MS. LEE LOY: At some point, I hope that this will eventually dovetail into working with agricultural water systems, our watershed programs. MS. IGNACIO: I want to call up Betsy. You know, Kohala Center is very involved with the watersheds and that sort of thing. So yeah, we—and again, I'm learning all of this stuff. That without water, you don't have farming. So, Betsy, you want to just share? (Note: At this time, Betsy Cole, Interim Chief Executive Officer of The Kohala Center, came forward to address the members of the Committee.) MS. COLE: So there are two or three watershed partnerships on the island, we're really involved in one, up in North Kohala. So there is some attention on the part of the state to allocate some funds. Then we go and try to get some federal funds, to take a look at watershed that will retain water, and make sure also that the water isn't running into our reefs. I think, what the Kohala Center hasn't done, and I'm not sure who—I think there are some independent studies, taking a look at what water resources we are going to need for agriculture. We certainly need to increase that infrastructure. It's not inexpensive. I think this County—and we'll be willing to work with them on taking a look at what we need to do and what federal dollars there might be to help out. But there just has to be a commitment, you know. Our state as a host had a commitment to other sectors of the economy. You know, if we want to have agriculture, we're going to have to—somebody's going to have to invest in it. So those are the issues, I think. MS. IGNACIO: Thank you. Page 3 AWESC-12 July 24, 2018 MS. LEE LOY: Thank you, Chair. I yield. CHR. RICHARDS: Any other questions? Okay, hearing no other questions, Carol, first of all, I'd like to thank you for brining this presentation before us. I've always said that we don't know where we are going to go unless we know where we are to begin with. And capitalizing on what Chair Poindexter said earlier, concerning Jeff Melrose and the phenomenal work he did, giving us that baseline for agriculture and agricultural production in our County and our State. Now, we're talking about the food side of the agricultural production, this is the next step. So again, thank you so much for bringing this before us. I am firmly committed in the belief that we will become vastly more self-reliant. There are things we won't be producing, but I think targeting a goal of 50 percent of the food on our plate coming from our island is not bad goal at all. So hearing nothing further, we have a motion on the table. Take a vote to close the communication, all signify by saying "aye." Vote on Comm. 752: The motion to close file on Comm. 986 was carried by the Filed following voice vote: Ayes: Committee Members Eoff, Kanuha, Lee Loy, O'Hara, Poindexter, Ruggles, and Chair Richards — 7. Noes: None. Absent: Committee Members Chung and David — 2. Excused: None. ORDER OF The Chair directed the Committee to proceed to the next order of business, RESOLUTIONS: Order of Resolutions. (There were none.) BILLS FOR The Chair directed the Committee to proceed to the next order of business, ORDINANCES: Bills for Ordinances. (There were none.) CHR. RICHARDS: I believe we've finished everything on the agenda today, is that clear, Clerk? MR. HENRICKS: Yes, Mr. Chair. CHR. RICHARDS: Okay, motion to adjourn? Page 4 AWESC-12 ADJOURNMENT: July 24, 2018 There being no further business, at 10:23 a.m., Ms. Poindexter moved to adjourn the meeting. Seconded by Mr. Kanuha and carried by the following voice vote: Ayes: Committee Members Eoff, Kanuha, Lee Loy, O'Hara, Poindexter, Ruggles, and Chair Richards — 7. Noes: None. Absent: Committee Members Chung and David — 2. Excused: None. CHR. RICHARDS: We stand adjourned. Approve Mr. Herbert M. "Ti ' Richards, III, Chair Agriculture, Water, and Energy Sustainability Committee JR/na 09,40- Ig (Date) Page 5