HomeMy WebLinkAboutREP GREDC 003 2020/03/25 2018-2020 i
I
REPORT OF THE
COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENTAL RELATIONS j
AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
DATE: March 25, 2020 Re: Comm. No. 767/Res. No. 506-20
PLACE: Hilo, Hawaii
TIME: 1:02 p.m.
Council Chair and Members
Hawaii County Council
Hilo, Hawaii 96720
Your Committee on Governmental Relations and Economic Development, to which was referred
Resolution No. 506-20, reports as follows:
Resolution No. 506-20,'transmitted by Council Member Matt Kaneali`i-Kleinfelder via
Communication No. 767 dated February 3, 2020, urges the Mayor and the Department of Public
Works to enter into an agreement with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to develop a plan for
review to mitigate surface water in Puna.
Your Committee scheduled this resolution for a hearing on March 10, 2020, at which time it was
postponed to March 25, 2020, due to time constraints.
Vice Chair Sue Lee Loy presided over this meeting in the absence of Committee Chair
Kierkiewicz. The meeting was held by videoconference from Hilo, Waimea, and Kailua-Kona
without oral public testimony or representatives from the Administration, in order to minimize
physical contact and to maximize social distancing,pursuant to the Governor's supplementary
emergency proclamation issued March 16, 2020.
Council Member Kaneali`i-Kleinfelder said the resolution was "incredibly important" and that it
affected every subdivision and every person in Puna due to the amount of water involved. He
said he was able to have a meeting with Managing Director Roy Takemoto and Mike Wyatt,
Chief of the Honolulu District Civil and Public Works Branch of the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers. Both provided favorable recommendations. There was some preliminary talk about
doing LiDAR(Light Detection and Ranging) mapping. It doesn't cost anything for the County
and it's a way to start working through the process for working on drainage, which is a huge
issue, he said.
Council Member Aaron Chung asked for and received clarification that Mr. Takemoto gave his
support.
Ms. Lee Loy appreciates the LiDAR mapping and the road map forward. She questioned Council
Member Kaneah'i-Kleinfelder's 2020 population projections for Puna based on the 45 percent
growth reported in the district between the 2000 and 2010 censuses. The data was taken from a
previous resolution introduced by another Council Member, and Council Member Kaneali`i-
Kleinfelder estimated that the population of the district was likely to be in the range of 55,000 to
65,000.
GREDC Rept.No.: 3
GREDC-3 Page 2 March 25,2020
Ms. Lee Loy suggested other revisions to clarify Mr. Wyatt's title and additional language to
strengthen the resolution.
Your Committee is in accord with the purpose and intent of Resolution No. 506-20, and
recommends its adoption.
s
AYES NOES ABS EX Respectfully submitted,
CHUNG x
DAVID x COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENTAL
EOFF x IONS ANDX ANDONOMIC
KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER x E O E T
KIERKIEWICZ x
LEE LOY x
POINDEXTER x AS EY L. KIERKIEWICZ, CHAIR
RICHARDS x GREDC REPORT NCO - 3� _
VILLEGAS x ADOPTED: