HomeMy WebLinkAbout2021-08-12 KCDP Joint AC Minutes Draft JNtrfOs F`��Y
Mitchell D.Roth Zendo KernMayor " ��`I'r' Director
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Lee E.Lord •if:.�;Me::�'�.` Jeffrey W.Darrow
Managing Director , OV4
Deputy Director
County of Hawaii
PLANNING DEPARTMENT
KONA COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PLAN ACTION COMMITTEE
Aupuni Center • 101 Pauahi Street,Suite 3 • Hilo,Hawaii 96720
Phone(808)961-8288 • Fax(808)961-8742
1 Thursday, August 12, 2021
2 DRAFT Meeting Minutes
3 CALL TO ORDER
4 This meeting was attended by members of oll Community Development Plon (CDP)Action Committees
5 (AC) in the County of Howoi'i. Long Range Planner Keiko Mercado, serving os o non-voting Chairperson
6 for the Island-wide Convening of CDP ACs, called the Kona Community Development Plon (KCDP)Action
7 Committee (AC) to order of 5:06 P.M. Due to restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic, this
8 meeting was held via the Zoom interactive video platform.
9 The following persons were present:
10 ROLL CALL
11 Action Committee Members Present: Marisa Bankston, Kari Kimura, Shane Palacat-Nelsen, Janice
12 Palma-Glennie, and Franz Weber.
13 Action Committee Members Absent-Excused: Shirley David (Vice-Chair), David Huerta, Roselyn Molina,
14 and Charles Young (Chair).
15 Planning Department Staff: Zendo Kern (Planning Director), April Surprenant (Long Range Division
16 Manager), Planners—Alexis Ching, Rob Leasure, and Keiko Mercado.
17 Hawaii County Council: Holeka Inaba, Sue Lee Loy, and Rebecca Villegas.
18 Office of the Corporation Counsel: Jean Campbell
19 Members of the public: Members of the public observed the meeting via live stream on YouTube. The
20 live stream recording is available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59VmrgxMFxU.
21 ADDITIONS TO THE AGENDA: None.
22 ANNOUNCEMENTS:
23 1. Sunshine Law Reminder:
24 Deputy Corporation Counsel Jean Campbell gave a brief reminder that the meeting and attendees
25 were subject to Sunshine Law.
26 2. Greeting from Planning Director Zendo Kern:
27 Director Kern greeted AC members and expressed his appreciation for their support and
28 community work. He announced that the Planning Department recently transitioned to paperless
29 applications and launched an online application submittal system called EPIC—Electronic
30 Processing Information Center. In an effort to make our island's land use and zoning information
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31 more accessible to the public, the Planning Department has also added a public GIS resource portal
32 to its website.
33 PUBLIC COMMENT ON AGENDA ITEMS: Three (3) members of the public signed up to provide oral
34 testimony on agenda item 2.
35 Oral Testimony:
36 1. Sarah Pule-Fujii, representing Protect Pololu Ohana, testified to request protection and
37 preservation of the Pololu Valley area. She described the vast beauty of its sacred landscape and
38 the treasured stories of interconnectedness between kupuna and place. Ms. Pule-Fujii advocated
39 for the protection of Pololu to afford future keiki the same opportunity of experiencing this wahi
40 pana.
41 2. Zavier Moniz, a senior at Kohala High School, testified about the significance of Pololu for his
42 classmates and himself. He spoke of his concern for Pololu's preservation, the potential selling and
43 development of two lots along the Pololu ridge, and how their community could benefit from
44 PONC funds to protect and preserve the ridge from development.
45 3. Kekoa Kealoha testified to request PONC funding in support of the North Kohala community's
46 effort to preserve Pololu Valley from further development. He stated the significance of Pololu and
47 surrounding areas to his family's genealogy, and the kuleana to protect its beauty and mana for the
48 benefit of future generations. Mr. Kealoha expressed that residential development next to public
49 lands often does not reflect the broader community surrounding it, and in the case of Pololu,
50 development above the valley may result in less access to natural resources, skyrocketing property
51 values, and the displacement of people with ancestral ties to the land.
52 BUSINESS:
53 1. Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP):Jeff Gilbreath, Executive Director of Hawaii
54 Community Lending, and Sharon Hirota, County of Hawai'i Office of Housing and Community
55 Development, shared information about the ERAP program. The goal for the program, with the
56 help of seven nonprofit partners, is to get 10.4 million in grants out to the community so those
57 affected directly and indirectly by the pandemic can catch up on their rent and utility
58 payments. Data shows that female heads of households and Native Hawaiians have been
59 disproportionately impacted. 625 applications have been approved, with 1,945 individuals in
60 households supported, and $3,900,301.00 disbursed in grants. The County expanded the
61 program to include housing stability services, and extended contracts to June 2022. They
62 encouraged AC members to share information about the program with their communities:
63 www.hawaiicountVerap.org.
64 The presentation can be found at the following link for Communication No. 2021-01 ERAP:
65 http://records.hawaiicountV.gov/Weblinl</1/doc/112081/Pagel.aspx
66 2. County of Hawaii Public Access, Open Space& Natural Resources Preservation Commission
67 (PONQ Maxine Cutler, County of Hawaii Department of Finance, explained the County's PONC
68 program and commission, and showed examples of parcels acquired with PONC funds. Ms.
69 Cutler explained that the PONC program utilizes 2% of annual revenue collected from Real
70 Property Tax to fund land acquisitions meeting preservation criteria. Ms. Cutler went through
71 the process by which suggestion forms for parcels are submitted by the public, reviewed by the
72 commission, and then forwarded to the Mayor, who makes recommendations to County
73 Council. The Department of Finance oversees both PONC and the Maintenance Fund
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74 (Stewardship Grant Application). Please contact Maxine Cutler for assistance with the program.
75 More information can be found at: www.hawaiicountV.gov/departments/finance.
76 The presentation can be found at the following link for Communication No. 2021-02 PONC
77 Presentation: http://records.hawaiicounty.gov/Weblink/1/doc/112082/Pagel.aspx
78 Question &Answer Session:
79 Q: Can you apply for a County or State parcel?
80 A: The County cannot use these funds to purchase a County or State-owned parcel.
81 3. County of Hawai'i Climate Action Plan: Michelle Agbigay, Sustainable Development Specialist
82 with County of Hawai'i Research & Development, presented a brief overview of the Climate
83 Action Plan (CAP). The CAP addresses causes and impacts of climate change in certain areas,
84 and creates a framework for identifying and then reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Ms.
85 Agbigay explained the components of CAP, its timeline, and their team—consisting of R&D
86 staff, Planning Department staff, and a community working group. Ms. Agbigay described the
87 development of the working group and urged members to contact
88 sustainability@hawaiicounty.gov if they have suggestions for who to include in this
89 conversation. More information can be found online at: www.rd.hawaiicountV.gov/economic-
90 development/climate-change-action.
91 The presentation can be found at the following link for Communication No. 2021-03 Climate
92 Action Brief: http://records.hawaiicountV.gov/Weblink/1/doc/112083/Pagel.aspx.
93 Question &Answer Session:
94 Q: Does part of the stakeholder group currently include those from the business sector and
95 looking at how economics will be impacted by this CAP?
96 A: The current groups involved are Carbon Buddy, Coral Reef Alliance, Hawai'i Community
97 College, Arizona State University, University of Hawaii at Hilo, Big Island Electric Vehicle
98 Association, The Kohala Center, Symbrosia, Hawaii Energy, Hawaiian Electric, members of the
99 County Council, County of Hawaii Environmental Management, Office of the Mayor, R&D, and
100 Planning.
101 4. Implementation Updates from Action Committee Members:
102 a. Nanawale Food Security Project-Susie Osborne, Puna AC
103 Susie Osborne, Co-founder of Kua 0 Ka La Public Charter School and its supporting nonprofit,
104 Ho'oulu Lahui, spoke about the Nanawale Food Security Project, which received a 10-acre
105 parcel from Malama 0 Puna. Its goal is to support local schools and the larger community with
106 an agriculturally-focused, resilience hub that encompasses food production/distribution, farm
107 to table, and cultural education through place-based and project-based activities. The project,
108 in its early planning stages, will have an integrated design process that is driven by community
109 input to articulate its strategic plan, project budget, and vision of the community resilience
110 hub. Ms. Osborne stated there will be opportunities for individuals to contribute and support
111 this project island wide.
112 b. Emergency Access Routes and Connectivity- Brad Kurokawa, Hamakua AC
113 Brad Kurokawa, Chair of the Hamakua AC, shared his support for grassroots, community
114 resilience efforts, including access routes between communities. Chair Kurokawa shared an
115 example from Hakalau where bridges remain out of commission, partly due to Huricane Lane as
116 well as deferred maintenance, resulting in detours and restricted access for portions of the
117 community. Chair Kurokawa wanted to raise this issue island wide to identify emergency access
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118 routes, alternative routes, and then identify priorities and solutions to address this issue in a
119 more systematic way with the County and other agencies. He suggested that ACs could work
120 with Council and responsible departments to provide input on how funds would be used and
121 prioritized.
122 South Kohala Chair Ruth Smith shared her enthusiasm for federal funding that will come from
123 the Infrastructure Bill, which will provide our county the opportunity to tackle a list of State
124 DOT shovel-ready projects, including bridge/road repairs and emergency access for
125 communities. Chair Smith stated this is a chance for Action Committees to identify areas in
126 thier district in need of this funding, and to make their voices heard. She asked how Action
127 Committees could play a role in involving the public to help with this process.
128 South Kohala AC Member Karen Anderson asked who at the County level can help get
129 information to D.C. representatives to ensure the State of Hawaii has a strong case to receive
130 federal funds, as well as advocate for Hawai'i County in particular. April Surprenant replied that
131 the administration (mayoral and cabinet level) has been working to address this, and the
132 Planning Department will reach out to see how Action Committees can contribute to this
133 effort. Director Kern reiterated the importance of infrastructure and emphasized that the
134 administration has been working together to set priorities, identify shovel-ready projects,
135 connect with congressional delegations, and work on connectivity.
136 Hamakua AC Member Jeff McKnight brought up the importance of reviewing emergency
137 shelters for their capacity and structural integrity, and to consider federal funding for this
138 purpose as well.
139 Puna AC Member Leila Kealoha asked if there was a way for multiple AC members from
140 different committees to work together on something like this?
141 Corporation Counsel Jean Campbell replied that a Permitted Interaction Group (PIG) is allowed,
142 as long as they are formed for a specific purpose during a meeting (she recommended forming
143 a subcommittee within their respective AC meetings). The AC would need to designate who the
144 members of the Interactive Group would be and then have them report back to the larger
145 group. Ms. Campbell encouraged these group formations, stating she is of the opinion it's a
146 great way for subcommittees to work so long as there is no decision-making.
147 Hamakua AC Member Tawn Keeney raised the topic of Sunshine Law, and asked if it was
148 allowable to send an important communication to this group (comprised of various ACs), so
149 long as it does not include the members of his own board within that communication. Planning
150 Department staff will follow up with an answer to this question.
151 Ms. Mercado closed by stating some of the themes heard at the meeting, and thanking AC
152 members for their continued commitment and countless hours of volunteer time dedicated to
153 their communitites. A follow-up survey link was sent via Zoom chat, YouTube chat, and email.
154 PROPOSED AGENDA ITEMS FOR NEXT MEETING: None.
155 ADJOURNMENT: The meeting was adjourned at 6:51 P.M.
156 All Action Committee information can be viewed and downloaded from our website:
157 http://www.hawaiicountycdp.info/north-and-south-kona-cdp
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