HomeMy WebLinkAbout2021-11-08.SKCDP.Minutes.Draft
Mitchell D. Roth Zendo Kern
Mayor Director
Lee E. Lord Jeffrey W. Darrow
Managing Director Deputy Director
County of Hawai‘i
PLANNING DEPARTMENT
SOUTH KOHALA COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PLAN ACTION COMMITTEE
Aupuni Center • 101 Pauahi Street, Suite 3 • Hilo, Hawai‘i 96720
Phone (808) 961 - 8288 • Fax (808) 961 - 8742
1 Monday , November 8 , 2021
2 DRAFT Meeting Minutes
3 CALL TO ORDER
4 Chair Smith c alled the South Kohala Community Development Plan ( S KCDP) Action Committee
5 (AC) to order at 5:10 P.M. Due to restrictions related to the COVID - 19 pandemic, this meeting
6 was held via the Zoom interactive video platform.
7 ROLL CALL
8 AC Members Present : Ruth Smith (Chair) , Karen Anderson, Pete Hendricks , Tristie Lico an, Kevin
9 McLaughlin and Bill Sanborn.
10 AC Members Ab sent - Excused : Julia Alos and Mark Gordon .
11 County Staff : Planners – Heather Bartlett, Alexis Ching and Keiko Mercado.
12 C ounty Officials : Council Member Tim Richards
13 M embers of the public : Members of the public observed the meeting via the COH Planning
14 Department YouTube Livestream . The livestream is available at South Kohala CDP Action
15 Committ ee Meeting – November 8, 2021 - YouTube .
16 ADDITIONS TO THE AGENDA: None
17 ANNOUNCEMENTS:
18 1. General Plan Update :
19 Ms. Mercado shared that the administration has been working to launch and implement the new
20 Electronic Processing & Information Center (EPIC) permi t system. As EPIC is now up and running,
21 more time will shift to the priority of reviewing and evaluating the General Plan Comprehensive
22 Review. This will include an updated timeline, additional public input, and an outline of the
23 adoption process. The web site will be updated and action committees will be notified when
24 information is available. Members of public were encouraged to sign up for the GP mailing list as
25 new information will be sent out as it comes in, along with an updated timeline.
26 Chair Smith requested cl arification if AC members need to sign up for the mailing list as well.
27 Ms. Mercado informed that AC members may already be signed up, but they will check and
28 confirm.
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29 2. Community First Health Care Assessment:
30 Ms. Mercado shared that they received a notice from Community First informing that they are
31 conducting a health care assessment. They are reaching out for help in distributing their survey
32 across Hawai ʻi Island. Community First and its partners are serving Hawai ʻi Island residents
33 dur ing the month of November to better understand what communities need to improve their
34 h ealth. The survey is a part of Access to C are, a collaborative that’s working to transform health
35 care on Hawai ʻi Island. Information regarding this and a link to their survey will be sent to AC
36 members via email.
37 3. Meeting with Jojo Tanimoto:
38 Ms. Ching provided a summary of the meeting with Jojo Tanimoto that was held on September
39 22, 2021. Ms. Tanimoto wants to ensure that the South Kohala CDP is more inclusive of the
40 Kaw aihae and Kailapa area s .
41 For reference see Jojo Tanimoto ’ s written testimony ( communication number 2021 - 06 ) and notes
42 from her meeting with Planning staff ( communication number 2021 - 10 )
43 PUBLIC COMMENT ON AGENDA ITEMS: None
44 APPROVAL OF MINUTES:
45 Committee Member Pete Hendricks made a motion to approve the September 13 , 2021 minutes.
46 Motion seconded by Committee Member Tristie Licoan . Motion passed with 6 votes aye, 0 votes
47 na y .
48 BUSINESS:
49 1. Update on the Status of the Mana Road Fire After - Action Report :
50 Council Member Tim Richards provided an update on the status of the M ā n ā Road fire After -
51 Action Rep ort . He discussed what was done well, wh at was learned and what could have
52 been done better . Communication between agencies and with the public has been identified
53 as the area needing the most improvement . It was noted that more community outreach for
54 volunteers to assist with future fires is needed . The County is also looking into technology
55 that will be able to geographically track the heavy equipment being used to fight fire s .
56 Committee M ember McLaughlin asked if there is an a ction item identified or a team that is
57 set up to work on solutions for the identified issues .
58 Council Member Richards informed the AC that this was still in the formative discussion
59 phase. He explained that the Fire Chief, Police Chief, Civil Defense Adm inistrator and the
60 Mayor still need to discuss and set up the appropriate structure and communication
61 channels. He noted that while there is no final report yet, the issues that need resolving have
62 been identified.
63 Based on the total cost of the fire, loss of property, loss of acreage , and loss of production
64 from that land, Council Member Richards estimated that the community lost $20 - $25
65 million. He also discussed recovery and funding efforts going forward. Recovery will look at
66 more than just the amount of money spent, it will look at the impact this situation had on
67 both the econom y and environment .
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68 Chair Smith expressed frustration that a survey had not been sent out and that the AC hadn’t
69 received much response to the letter they sent after their last meeting to the Mayor via
70 Director Kern.
71 Council Member Richards advised Chair Smith to send the letter to him so that he could
72 follow up.
73 Chair Smith requested a motion to adapt the letter the Action Committee sent to the Mayor in
74 their September meeting ( communication number 2021 - 07 ) to send to Council member
75 Richards so that he may take the lead on following up . Committee Member Hendricks moved
76 and the motion was seconded by Committee Member Sanborn.
77 Ms. Mercado suggested and Council Member Richards confirmed that it would be most
78 efficient for staff to forward the original letter to Council Member Richards .
79 Committee Member Hendricks withdrew his motion to adapt the lette r.
80 Before closing the discussion, Chair Smith expressed the importance of holding those
81 responsible for starting the fire accountable as the loss to the community was devastating.
82 2. Implementation Updates from Action Committee Members:
83 a. Waik ō loa : Chair Smith - The Waik ō loa Village Association Firewise Committee is looking
84 for new leadership, Committee Member Gordon is serving as the interim Chair.
85 b. Puak ō : Committee Member Anderson - T he State gave the County $1.5 million to fund
86 the Puakō wastewater system, an d w i th the County’s percentage of matched
87 contribution , a total of $1.75 million is available . If the enc umbered funds are not used by
88 early - middle 2022 , then the monies will return to the State ʻs coffers . It is Ms. Anderson
89 view that the County is hesita nt to take over and move forward as they do not want to be
90 responsible for another treatment plant.
91 Over the past six years, the Puak ō Community Association has been working with the
92 County, and various engineering firms to determine the best solution . It was determined
93 that a good solution would be to create their own mini plant, similar to the one above
94 Costco. There has been an ongoing discussion on whether the future plant would be
95 operated by the county or a private entity and meanwhile the commun ity is concerned
96 about the encumbered funds expiring. Committee member Anderson asked if there was
97 any way to extend the window they have to use the money.
98 Committee Member Sanborn advised that they seek out other public or private
99 connections to assist. He suggested reaching out to Cal Water, who has done sewage
100 systems in Waikoloa. He explained that they may need to find an alternative option while
101 they wait on a response from the County. Committee Member Sanborn will provide
102 contact information for the manager at Cal water.
103 c. Waimea : Committee Member Sanborn - The State has been in negotiations with the
104 County to take ownership of Mamalahoa Highway through Waimea . The issue was raised
105 that when the State takes over, they will no longer have the same conne ctions with the
106 State as they currently have with the County, with regards to problems such as pot holes,
107 traffic safety, etc. Committee Member Sanborn would also like to find a way for them to
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108 be informed about the different road negotiations and their ou tcomes, that affect South
109 Kohala, so that the community can be informed beforehand.
110 Ms. Mercado suggested that Long Range Planner Natasha Soriano would be a good
111 person to start with because she works closely with both the State DOT and D PW .
112 Committee Members Sanborn and Hendricks were in favor of setting up a meeting with
113 Ms. Soriano.
114 3. Review Current Action Committee Member Terms and Ideate Around 2022 AC Proceedings:
115 Ms. Bartlett pr esented a spreadsheet outlining the South Kohala AC members’ term
116 durat ions and timelines. Ms. Mercado explained that they would be reaching out to all AC
117 members to set up time for an open and honest conversation to check - in about how they are
118 feeling relative to their terms and discuss strategies for engaging during 2022. Discussions
119 were had regarding holdovers and staff assured that committee members c ould continue as
120 holdovers until such time that new applicants were vetted via the Mayor’s office and the
121 County Council .
122 Committ e e Member Sanborn suggested that they invol ve Council Member Richards with the
123 recruitment process if and when more members are needed.
124 The Planning staff informed that they are working to develop additional strategies to engage
125 and support action committees in 2022 that will help implementation . Ms. Mercado shared
126 that Action Committees may be able to meet more often if they are interested in facilitating
127 their own meetings while stay ing in compliance with the Sunshine Law.
128 Committee Member Sanborn would also like Planning to check for any outsta nding or
129 existing budget items that they should continue to support and keep in front of the County ,
130 so they can move forward and check on the goals they have for those different venues.
131 PROPOSED AGENDA ITEMS FOR NEXT MEETING:
132 1. U pdate on items and reports di cussed at this meeting: Wastewater system for Puakō,
133 M ā n ā - Road Fire, historic preservation, road negotiations
134 2. A potential project to highlight appropriate tourism attractions in South Kohala
135 3. 2022 Action Committee strategy
136 ADJOURNMENT: Committee Member H endricks moved to adjourn. Seconded by Committee
137 Member Licoan. The motion passed with 6 votes aye, 0 votes nay.
138 The meeting was adjourned at 7:03 P.M.
139
140 These meeting minutes and all related documents are available in the Planning Department ’ s
141 South Kohala Community Development Plan Action Committee folder via the County of Hawai ʻi
142 Public Documents Repository . These documents may also be requested from the Planning
143 Department b y calling (808) 961 - 8288 or emailing cdp@ Hawai ʻi county.gov .
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