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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMIN GREDC 2019/11/05 2018-2020Committee on Governmental Relations and Economic Development 14th Session Hawaii County Building 25 Aupuni Street Hilo, Hawaii November 5, 2019 CALL TO The regular meeting of the Committee on Governmental Relations and Economic ORDER: Development was called to order at 10:50 a.m., in the Council Chambers, Hilo, by Ms. Ashley L. Kierkiewicz, Chair. ROLL CALL: Present: Ms. Ashley L. Kierkiewicz, Chair Ms. Susan L. K. Lee Loy, Vice Chair Mr. Aaron S. Y. Chung, Member Ms. Maile Medeiros David, Member Ms. Karen Eoff, Member Mr. Matt Kaneali`i-Kleinfelder, Member Ms. Valerie Poindexter, Member Mr. Herbert M. "Tim" Richards, III, Member Ms. Rebecca Villegas, 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: The following individuals registered to speak in support of Communication 534 and came forward when called by the Chair: Mahealani Kaiwikuamo`o-Henry Donna R. Walker CHR KIERKIEWICZ: Thank you for being here. Any other testifiers here in Hilo? If not, I will close public testimony at this time. And move on to business of today. Mr. Clerk, if you could please read in 49.10. COMMUNI- The Chair directed the Committee to proceed to the next order of business, CATIONS: Communications. GREDC-14 November 5, 2019 Comm. 49.10: HAWAII STATE ASSOCIATION OF COUNTIES' AUGUST 26 AND SEPTEMBER 23, 2019, EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES From Council Member Ashley L. Kierkiewicz, dated October 14, 2019. Motion to Close File: Mr. Richards moved to close file on Comm. 49.10. Seconded by Ms. Lee Loy. CHR KIERKIEWICZ: This is a formality to be filling these minutes for the record, I provided this body with an update as the meeting happened. Any questions or discussion? Seeing none, all in favor to close file, please say "aye." Vote on Comm. 49.10: The motion to close file on Comm. 49.10 was carried by Filed the following voice vote: Ayes: Committee Members David, Eoff, Kaneali'i-Kleinfelder, Lee Loy, Poindexter, Richards, Villegas, and Chair Kierkiewicz — 8. Noes: None. Absent: Committee Member Chung — 1. Excused: None. CHR KIERKIEWICZ: Mr. Clerk, Communication 534. Comm. 534: REQUESTS AN UPDATE BY THE STATE BOARD ON GEOGRAPHIC NAMES REGARDING THE NAMING OF FISSURE 8 From Council Member Ashley L. Kierkiewicz, dated September 26, 2019. Motion to Close File: Ms. Lee Loy moved to close file on Comm. 534. Seconded by Mr. Richards. CHR KIERKIEWICZ: If I could please call up Renee Lewis. So last Council term, my colleague Council Member Lee Loy introduced a resolution requesting that the State Geographic Naming Board do something new. And that is to develop a process to name a feature that manifested during last year's eruption. And so my team and I have been to a couple of the community meetings that have been convened by the Naming Boards, Permitted Interaction Group or PIG. And there's been a lot of robust community conversation. The last meeting happened to be on the same day as a number of community events, and so we didn't get the showing that we wanted. But the discussion was very interesting, and so I offered at that time to invite Renee and other members of the group to come before the Council to create a space for you to share where we are. And to also hear from just as we did members of our community. So Renee, I just want to turn it over to you to give us an update, and then open it up Page 2 GREDC-14 November 5, 2019 to my colleagues to ask questions about where we are. Thank you, you have the floor. (Note: At this time, Renee Lewis came forward to address the members of the Committee.) MS. LEWIS: Aloha, I'm humbled to be here. This is my first time doing this kind stuff. So no bite, okay? Here on behalf of the Permitted Interaction Group (PIG). I am a member of the Permitted Interaction Group, but I am not a voting member of the Hawaii Board and Geographic Names. I have been serving as a volunteer since 1998, when I got my Master's Degree. It was on place names, so it was the right place for me to try and do some kind of community help. But I'm here specifically to talk about the Permitted Interaction Group, and where we stand. And I want to mahalo those community members, who I believe came before this committee to ask that the committee put forth the resolution to the board to specifically consult with community members. And I think it really helped the board decide how to move forward, and animate that process into being. So I want to mahalo those community members who did that. As well as Council Woman Lee Loy for putting that forth, and Council Woman Kierkiewicz for bringing this forward right now. Because you cannot really compete with Catch A Fire, you really cannot. But because of that initial resolution the board took a few months, because we only met once a month to figure out the right way to move forward. We've never done this specific process before, but we have engaged in a Permitted Interaction Group for the Wailuku River name designation. So we had to review what we had to do, and it took us a while but the Permitted Interaction Group started on February 25th of this year, and we put the specifics together. You have your cheat sheet right there to set the submission deadline for the name which did turn out to be June 30th, after a community meeting on May 16th. And we also had the opportunity to review all of the names that came in from that, and we are also required to report back to our full board by the end of this year. Which is why it was important to try and get another opportunity to hear from the community. The PIG decided not to focus on all the features that have been created, because it's more important to focus on the process. And that's what the PIG decided to do, is focus on the process for the naming of the most prominent feature Fissure 8. And hopefully that process can be used in the other geographic features that have been created, and community members can come forward to name those as well. The community meetings, the first one we had was to mainly inform the community what the board was all about. Because we kind of hidden in the Page 3 GREDC-14 November 5, 2019 background, but we've been meeting proactively since 1998 for two decades to correct the names that are in the database. So in this case we're looking specifically at how we're going to introduce the committee to the group, introduce what the PIG is to the group. The group meaning the community. And tell them, okay, here's your chance for the first meeting, these are all the rules that we're looking at, please submit please submit a name. And it was offered to the entire community not just the Hawaii community. Because the entire community experienced this event, and the entire community should have the opportunity to heal from this event. And sometimes putting forth a place name, as you can see the emotion that is involved is an opportunity to provide that healing. And regardless if the name is chosen the opportunity to express yourself is important, and that's what the PIG expressed as far as asking for names to come in from everybody no matter who you were. The second meeting, of course was the meeting with the competition with Catch a Fire. We didn't get as many people as we wanted, but there were some really good important points that came up. One being that perhaps the process wasn't the right way to go about doing it. Which I said at that time, well maybe that's what the report should say then. That we didn't engage in the process correctly, or perhaps we should engage with individuals on a more intimate level. So those comments have been put out there, and I hope we can have more opportunities as PIG to engage with those people who don't feel good coming and talking in front the public. So if there are people out there and you know them, please get them in touch with us. If they need for someone to come to their place, I live on Island so I can be available to just sit and listen. Because it's not my place to say much more than, what do you think, and why do you think this and then record that information for our report. Lastly the names that were chosen at that meeting and presented at that final meeting, were done so based on those guidelines that already exist at the board. The Hawaii Board put together guidelines that specifically talk about how we include information from community members, and how they are hierarchically graded so to speak. And these were the four names that were given in the application process that explained where they came from, and who they were, so that we could provide these four names as an option to the community to have further discussions. These are not necessarily the names that are going to be the ones that will be passed. We make it very clear the board is not here to name anything, the Hawaii Board is there to designate a name that the community is going to choose, hopefully. And what we mean by that is, by designating a name we're putting it into that place name repository that the State maintains and that's the designation we're talking about. There are other names that we can also include. For example, the Page 4 GREDC-14 November 5, 2019 term Fissure 8 should be considered a variant name because if people were to go looking up Fissure 8 they'd find information about that particular feature. And that's the way the U.S. Board works, they allow for variant names. So if some of these names the community chooses are important, because they also have important cultural information, and they would like not necessarily for it to be the main official name, but to be considered as a variant name so that people can find information out about that. That would be something that the community would need to impress upon the PIG, who could then impress that upon the board so decisions can be made. And in this case having a long PIG process works, just a carryover from the previous meeting. But that's about where we are right now. Hoping that we can wrap up our report next month, and get as much information as we can from our community this month, so that we can present this information at the next board meeting, which of course as you guys all know they can't do anything with it until the following meeting. But what I'm hoping and praying will happen, is that we can convene a full board meeting in Puna when the decision gets made, as they did on Maui when the Wailuku decision was made. But that's my prayer, my hope, because as you know, or if you don't know the positions are volunteers and so the travel is usually on their own dime if their departments cannot afford to get them here. So yeah, okay, that was pretty easy. CHR KIERKIEWICZ: Mahalo, Renee. Any questions from my colleagues? Ms. Lee Loy. MS. LEE LOY: Yeah. First of all thank you, Ms. Kierkiewicz, for bringing this forward. And Renee, thank you for being here. It was definitely something new, and something we've never done. And I'm just really excited actually, and you pointed it out. It was developing a bright line of process. And even acknowledging that because it was the first time, that there still could be a lot more tweaking to that process. I did want to touch upon that very first meeting, and I was there with you, and the rest of those in the permitted interaction group. And how to kind of try and pull out some of the stories and why those names were suggested was really a struggle. But now that more people have become mindful of it, and what it looks like. And we saw it today in the testifier, how emotional some of that was. I'm hopeful that this longer permitted interaction process really does encourage that community engagement, because I also recognize there are others who are looking for naming of like all the features. We know that shoreline has changed. Even some new features that have been developed along the shore, because of that event. And I actually look forward, Renee, to seeing you with the permitted interaction group, and the entire geographical naming board here on Hawaii Island a whole lot more as we continue to walls and unpack so many of the stories that we heard Page 5 GREDC-14 November 5, 2019 during the event, and kind of doing that storytelling, which makes Hawaii so unique and so special. So I do look forward to you guys coming back and re-engaging the community, but then that next step of all the other features that we have now down in Puna. So thank you for bringing this forward, and so happy the Council representative from the district has taken it over. Because at that time there was just so much going on, and it really was a way to just channel that energy and focus it. So thank you for picking this up. I yield. CHR KIERKIEWICZ: Thank you, Ms. Lee Loy. Any other questions or comments from my colleagues? Mr. Richards. MR. RICHARDS: Thank you, Chair. Just have a question, so if I read correctly we are down to selection of one of four. Is that my understanding of how this works? MS. LEWIS: At this point the four names would be the recommendation of the PIG to the full board, yes. MR. RICHARDS: Okay. And I too am curious about some of the stories. I had my own opinions and beliefs, but that's not my area as far as the experience and the lands. And so for me, I'm curious about the stories that have crafted where they've come from. So thank you, Chair. I yield. MS. LEWIS: Just a quick comment. Those are my favorite parts, the stories are my favorite parts. If I could get a grant to just go sit and talk to the people in Puna, and have like coffee talk table or what would we do, awa talk table type of things. Then I would love to do that, and just sit and listen. And if they would allow me to record the stories, I would love to do that and find a way to share it if they would allow that to happen also after talking with other community members. Because not all stories are meant to be shared outside a community, or outside that kind of protocol, the story talking protocol. And so I'm still learning a lot about those processes, and I still feel like the community needs to be the ones. Even if a person believes that they can share their knowledge, a community might say, yeah, that's good we want to keep that one so that's another thing. Even if a person wants to share, maybe the community should have an opportunity to say, and talk to that person as to whether or not their story should be shared outside. Because maybe the community has other information or resources that story might allow other people to come in and do something not so nice about. So I like the stories the best. CHR KIERKIEWICZ: Mr. Kaneali`i-Kleinfelder. Page 6 GREDC-14 November 5, 2019 MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Hi, aloha. Mahalo, for being part of this working group. And I was there at one of the first meetings, and I just remember the people in the room and listening to the different stories. And you have all the different personality types, with all their different wants for a name. Some of them were entertaining, and then some like Piilani and different suggestions that had a lot more depth to meaning. So I'm glad that we had the opportunity to have community input. And thank you for doing that, Ashley. But I'm really glad to see the names in this, I know the name that was brought forth earlier Ahu`aila"au has a very unique meaning surrounding how the lava came out of the ground, and who was present during that. And I remember hearing these stories as it was happening. So I'm really enjoying watching this name progression, and knowing what came behind that during the eruption. So thank you, mahalo. CHR KIERKIEWICZ: Any other comments or questions? Renee, I have a couple of questions for you. But first I want to thank you, and the work of your body for creating a space, and really articulating a very clear process in how the community can participate and being very clear on how you were elevating these priority names. So folks are very clear, on how those decision were arrived at. You mentioned using this month to reach out into the community, to engage folks to help inform your recommendations. Can you share any insight into what that entails exactly? MS. LEWIS: At this point, since we've had a lot of community meetings, and given people who have the gumption to get up in front to talk; the opportunity to speak. I would like to invite—if anybody hears people that you've heard they have an opinion about a name, or want to support a particular name to have them contact me or anybody else in the PIG. We have the Office of Hawaiian Affairs on the PIG, Brad Ka`aleleo Wong, and Marcus Marazon at this point. We also had Noenoe Silva but she's in transition to changing over at the University of Hawaii, so we're not sure if she's going to continue on the PIG. But please contact anyone. And if everything else fails just tell them to look up HBGN (Hawai`i 1 Board on Geographic Names). The person in charge Arthur Buto will make sure that they get their information to us the PIG members. So we're still collecting more on an individual basis, and a face to face kind of communication, if that's what they prefer, over the phone or Skype if they can do that. But we're open to more individual communications at this point. CHR KIERKIEWICZ: So many avenues in which people can get in touch with you. Same goes for folks that want to provide those variant names as you had mentioned earlier. MS. LEWIS: Yeah. At this point we're not considering variant names, we're considering the official name. But we would like to hear if they're okay. Especially with those people who are the submitters, if they're okay, with their Page 7 GREDC-14 November 5, 2019 name not being official, but being considered one of those names that would be variant, which would allow for searching on that name in different types of resources. That I assume would be coming out as they continue to speak about them. CHR KIERKIEWICZ: Okay. So the permitted interaction group, or the Naming Board will be reaching out to the submitters to communicate that? MS. LEWIS: That's what I believe we need to do at this point, yes. CHR KIERKIEWICZ: Okay. I just want to be crystal clear, so everybody knows how to proceed. MS. LEWIS: Yeah. CHR KIERKIEWICZ: It would be awesome if the full board could make it to Puna, and provide the report. Council Member Lee Loy and I, through amendments to Bill 12, we have carved out some money for outreach so we can assist. I don't think any of those funds have been tapped. But I think it's really important for the board to be here, and to formally present their recommendations and talk story with the community. MS. LEWIS: Yeah, I think that's something that would—coordination with— CHR KIERKIEWICZ: Yes. MS. LEWIS: the board, would be good. CHR KIERKIEWICZ: We can talk offline about it, but I just wanted to make sure that we offer that up. MS. LEWIS: I'm sure they would appreciate that very much. CHR KIERKIEWICZ: Okay, great. Thank you so much for being here. We have Aunty Donna Walker, and I believe Aunty Kumu Mahealani and the other ladies outside if you have further questions for them. But thank you for holding this space, and allowing the community to elevate what is in their hearts and the various stories that really provide a lot of context for what makes Puna, Puna. So thank you. MS. LEWIS: Thank you. I appreciate the opportunity. CHR KIERKIEWICZ: Thanks. We have a motion on the floor to close file on Communication 534, all in favor please say "aye." Page 8 GREDC-14 Vote on Comm. 534: Filed ra ! ! sl�� RESOLUTIONS: BILLS FOR ORDINANCES: ADJOURN- MENT: November 5, 2019 The motion to close file on Comm. 534 was carried by the following voice vote: Ayes: Committee Members Chung, David, Eoff, Kaneali`i-Kleinfelder, Lee Loy, Poindexter, Richards, Villegas, and Chair Kierkiewicz — 9. Noes: None. Absent: None. Excused: None. The Chair directed the Committee to proceed to the next order of business, Order of Resolutions. (There were none.) The Chair directed the Committee to proceed to the next order of business, Bills for Ordinances. (There were none.) CHR. KIERKIEWICZ: Can I get a motion to adjourn? There being no further business, at 11:26 a.m., Mr. Richards moved to adjourn the meeting. Seconded by Ms. Lee Loy and carried by the following voice vote: Ayes: Committee Members Chung, David, Eoff, Kaneali`i-Kleinfelder Lee Loy, Poindexter, Richards, Villegas, and Chair Kierkiewicz — 9. Noes: None. Absent: None. Excused: None. CHR. KIERKIEWICZ: GRED Committee is adjourned at 11:26 a.m. Thank you. App d: Ms. Ashley Kierkiewicz, Chair Governmental Relations and Economic Development Committee "., *A7 Il I� L01 Date) Page 9