HomeMy WebLinkAboutFY '21-22 Annual Report FINALwww.hawaiicounty.gov
COUNTY OF HAWAI ʻI
PREPARED BY
ANNUAL
REPORT
F Y 2 0 - 2 1
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Aloha!
It is with great honor that we share our successes of FY 20-21, as they were
accomplished in the midst of one of the most challenging yearʻs in our Countyʻs
history.
Fervently responding to the COVID-19 Pandemic, each Department stepped up to
go above and beyond to address the public health crisis while striving to find
creative solutions to continue providing the vital services necessary to the
function of our County. Because of the efforts of each and every hardworking
member of our County, we were able to keep our doors open to serve you -- and
weʻre extremely proud of that.
Through the many successes, there are also many opportunities for growth. In
that, we are committed to improving our services through a combination of
system-wide culture change and an intense reenvisioning of the status quo.
Business as usual will no longer be acceptable, and we would like to thank you
for your continued patience and support as we make this transition.
With aloha,
Mitchell D. Roth
Mayor
County of Hawaiʻi
M a y o r ʻs
M e s s a g e
William H. Farr; Executive on Aging
MISSION
As a designated Area Agency on Aging, the Hawai’i County Office of Aging (HCOA) is
part of a national network with a common mission – a mission with the goal of
ensuring the dignity, independence, and the ability of older individuals to remain in
their homes as long as possible. The Hawai’i County Office of Aging serves as the
principal advocate for older individuals, caregivers, and service providers to ensure
the fulfillment of the mission entrusted to us by the Older Americans Act of 1965.
PHILOSOPHY
To ensure that all individuals, caregivers, service providers, and communities in
Hawai’i County have access and linkage to information resources, counseling
services, short and long-term care support options, and to be the advocate for aging
and disability issues. The Hawai’i County Office of Aging is the “one-stop” access point
in Hawai’i County for all aging and disability-related issues.
To achieve the Mission and Philosophy of the Area Agency, the Hawai’i County Office
of Aging received an operating budget of $685,471. By obtaining an additional $4.8
million in Federal and State grant funding, the Hawai’i County Office of Aging was
able to administer a variety of services for older individuals, people with disabilities,
and caregivers on Hawai‘i Island.
AGING & DISABILITY RESOURCE CENTER (ADRC)
During Fiscal Year 2020/2021 ADRC continued to provide assistance with,
information and referrals, and options counseling. As the “one-stop” access point the
ADRC collaborates with local non-profit agencies to strengthen and broaden the
aging network. These collaborative efforts have proven increasingly important during
the COVID-19 pandemic.
Throughout the pandemic, the ADRC has continued to provide services to all
consumers regardless of age. Besides home and community-based services, the
ADRC was instrumental in developing emergency and disaster preparation kits
which were distributed to over 300 Kupuna.
To enhance the experience of creating your own emergency disaster preparation kit
the ADRC staff put together an online training video and a downloadable workbook
on the essentials items to include in your kit.
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During the 2020/2021 fiscal year, the East and West Hawai’i ADRC units provided
information, assistance, and referral to 6019 calls and 1382 unduplicated callers. The
ADRC provided in-depth options counseling to 520 consumers and their families
also.
DISABILITY PARKING APPLICATIONS
The Office of Aging also processes the Disability Parking applications for Hawai’i
County. During the past year, HCOA processed 1,364 applications at the East Hawai‘i
ADRC, and 867 at the West Hawai‘i ADRC, for a total of 2,231 disability parking
placards issued.
PUBLIC EDUCATION AND TRAINING
Throughout the pandemic, HCOA continued to find ways to disseminate information
and resources to our consumers, as in-person meetings were not feasible at certain
times of the pandemic. Mailing, telephone, and virtual meetings became essential
venues. HCOA continues to provide a monthly caregiver newsletter sent to caregivers
who have signed up with HCOA. Approximately 520 caregivers receive the newsletter
each month. The newsletter covers various subjects that address caregiver and care
recipient needs. The newsletter provides suggestions on self-care, inspirational
quotes, safety tips, and a monthly quiz. An additional 100 copies are distributed to
various providers and constituents. During the COVID-19
pandemic, the Caregiver newsletter became a highly used vehicle for disseminating
prevention and mitigation information. Along with the caregiver newsletter, HCOA
also used the quarterly Silver Bulletin newsletter as another vehicle to disseminate
information to our consumers. The Silver Bulletin has a subscriber distribution of
2,500.
OUTSTANDING OLDER AMERICANS
For the second year, HCOA could not host our annual Older Americans Month.
Recognition Luncheon due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The luncheon is an
opportunity for HCOA to recognize Kupuna, whom their communities have
nominated for their work and contributions made to their communities after they
have reached their golden years. Working with the State Policy Advisory Board for
Elderly Affairs (PABEA), HCOA produced a virtual segment recognizing and awarding
our outstanding male and female honorees for Hawai’i County. This segment was
incorporated into the Statewide virtual recognition program featuring all male and
female honorees from the four counties—the program aired throughout June on Na
Leo O Hawai’i public television channel 53.
SERVICES TO SENIORS and CAREGIVERS
Through state and federal grant funds, HCOA procured several core services
as outlined in the Older Americans Act. Following are some of the services procured. It
is important to note that the impact of COVID-19 in the last year resulted in a reduction
of individuals and units served but at a higher cost.
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CAREGIVER RESPITE
In FY2021, HCOA served 50 caregivers, and 4,536 hours of respite services. These
service hours included in-home respite, out-of-home respite, and respite in an adult
daycare setting.
LEGAL SERVICES
During the course of the fiscal year, HCOA’s Legal provider provided 382 individuals
with 1,389 hours of legal services.
CONGREGATE MEALS
In FY 2021, the Hawaiʻi County Nutrition Program (HCNP) served 64,910 USDA meals
to 897 participants. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the congregate meal sites
remain closed, and participants continue to receive frozen meals on a weekly basis
following the home-delivered meal format. The decision to use the frozen meal
option is as follows: 1) to meet USDA requirements on food safety, and 2) the
logistical challenges of delivering 4,000 meals each week.
HOME DELIVERED MEALS
In FY 2021, the Hawaiʻi County Nutrition Program (HCNP) served 35,004 USDA meals
to 501 participants. Again, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the home-delivered meal
program participants continue to receive frozen meals on a weekly basis. The
decision to use the frozen meal option is as follows: 1) to meet USDA requirements
on food safety; and 2) the logistical challenges of delivering 4,000 meals each week.
TRANSPORTATION
In FY2021, HCOA service providers provided 922 seniors with 35,132 one-way trips
of transportation services. The trips included to-and-from congregate meal sites,
medical and health-related visits, shopping and banking, and other community
resource needs.
KUPUNA CARE PROGRAM
Kupuna Care program provided services to 494 unduplicated consumers. Again, due
to the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on the program, fewer consumers received
services at a higher cost. The consumers receiving services under this program were
required to meet the Kupuna Care guidelines for cognitive impairment, Activities of
Daily Living (ADLs), and Intermediate Activities of Daily Living (IADLs). Following are
some of the services provided under the Kupuna Care program.
CASE MANAGEMENT SERVICES
For the service of Case Management, 428 consumers, and their caregivers received
5,607 hours of case management.
PERSONAL CARE
Consumers receiving personal care services: 92 consumers and 5,468 hours.
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HOMEMAKER
Consumers receiving homemaker services: 145 consumers and 6,958 hours.
CHORE SERVICES
Consumers receiving chore services: 18 consumers and 158 hours.
ADULT DAYCARE
Consumers receiving adult day care services: 36 consumers and 2,779 hours.
ASSISTED TRANSPORTATION
Consumers receiving assisted transportation services: 36 consumers and 1,424 one-
way trips.
HOME DELIVERED MEALS
Consumers receiving home delivered meals: 215 consumers and 25,985 meals.
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Administrative Officers (2): William Hanson and Barry Periatt
County Radio System Manager: Ron Solemsaas\Staff Officers (3): Joshua Black,
Duane Hosaka, and Thomas Olson
Administrative Services Assistant I: Joyce Unoki
Secretary: Mei Hirayama
Accountant Clerk: Sari Lei Cantor-Kogasaka
Wages and Salaries$795,879
Other Current Expenses$916,474
Equipment$ 61,644
Federal Grants$925,000
Total $2,698,997
Talmadge Magno; Administrator
STAFF
BUDGET
MISSION
To protect the community from and lessen the impact of natural and man-made
hazards by improving core capabilities in five mission areas: Prevention, Protection,
Mitigation, Response, and Recovery. To strengthen and promote whole community
resiliency through community collaboration, engagement, and empowerment.
SUMMATION
Your Hawaii County Civil Defense Agency is the first governmental level of support in
the National Incident Management System (NIMS). Civil Defense is tasked with
preventing loss of life, public safety, and protecting property during natural and man-
caused disasters and emergencies. The ultimate goal is to develop resilient
communities capable of quickly recovering from any disaster scenario. The basis for
community resilience is individual preparedness.
What has Civil Defense done this year to develop community resilience?
Unfortunately, we have spent the whole year heavily engaged with Coronavirus
response which has limited our ability to conduct the community engagement
necessary to build resilience.
Even though the Coronavirus response consumed an inordinate amount of time, the
Hilo Emergency Operations Center was activated eighteen times for other incidents
such as flood warnings, a tropical cyclone, tsunami watches, a volcanic eruption, and
wildland fires.
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We also began renovation on the Hilo Emergency Operations Center which began
operations circa 1992. The renovation will replace end-of-life systems and create
additional office space to accommodate our growing staff.
Civil Defense manages the County of Hawaii’s Land Mobile Radio (LMR) network
which provides island-wide communications between first responders and their
respective dispatch offices. The LMR system upgrades to meet Federal
Communications Commission (FCC) narrow banding licensing requirements was
initiated in December 2014 and continued this year with an upgrade to the
Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) equipment and the initiation of the
construction of two new radio towers that will
provide increased LMR network coverage in the Kau and South Kona Districts.
PROJECTS
Public Notification Systems HCCDA provides public information and warning via
multiple platforms. The primary method is to address the public through commercial
radio messaging. The secondary method is via a hosted mass notification system. This
method is used in conjunction with the primary method. The third method of public
information and warning is through the Integrated Public Alert Warning System
(IPAWS) which is a combination of the Emergency Alert System (EAS) which is delivered
via commercial radio and the Wireless Emergency Alert System (WEA) which is
delivered via cellular telephone. IPAWS is only used for “warning” level alerts. The
primary and secondary systems are used for “watch” and “advisory” level alerts. The
category and number of emergency messages for the past year are listed in the table
below:
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Civil Defense supported 393 Coronavirus vaccination clinics with personnel,
resources, and site coordination. Providers administered 79,317 vaccinations
Civil Defense supported 538 Coronavirus test clinics with personnel, resources,
and site coordination. Providers administered 60,949 polymerase
Civil Defense provided personal protective equipment (PPE) to County of Hawaii
departments in coordination with the Purchasing Division of Finance. Seventy
unique items costing $700,000.00 in total were procured, warehoused, and
distributed to County employees. This allowed the County to continue to provide
services to our residents.
Civil Defense conducted airport screening through June 15, 2021, screening
approximately 300,000 inter-island travelers arriving at the Hilo and Kona airports.
Civil Defense issued approximately 41,000 inter-island travel exemptions during
the fiscal year.
Civil Defense employed as many as forty temporary hires to facilitate airport
screening, logistics, Coronavirus tests, and vaccination support, travel exemption
requests, and call centers during the fiscal year.
PUBLIC SAFETY RADIO SYSTEM MODERNIZATION PROJECT
Phase B, expanded coverage, of the Radio System Modernization Project, continues.
Construction on the Ocean View Tower began, and the materials were ordered for the
construction of the replacement South Point tower. The multiprotocol label switching
(MPLS) the system along with the microwave system end-of-life and end-of-service
replacement began and will be completed in the next year.
CORONAVIRUS
FY 2020-2021 was all about Coronavirus response:
EMERGENCY OPERATIONS CENTER (EOC) RENOVATION
Construction was initiated on the Emergency Operations Center this year.
COMMUNITY EMERGENCY RESPONSE TEAM (CERT) PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT
Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Program Development
As of Jun 30, 2021, Hawai`i County had just over 700 active CERT members. HCCDA
did not activate CERT teams for disaster response this year and CERT training was
suspended due to continued Coronavirus response. CERT members were activated to
provide airport screening operations until the County of Hawaii could hire temporary
hires to provide this service.
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Hawai‘i Electric Light Co. S. Hilo
Hilo Bayfront S. Hilo
Pāpa‘ikou/Pepe‘ekeo/Honomū, S. Hilo
Waiākea, S. Hilo
Laupāhoehoe, N. Hilo
Pa‘auilo, Hāmākua
Hawaiian Paradise Park, Puna
Kalani Honua, Puna
Leilani Estates, Puna
Orchidland, Puna
Volcano, Puna
Hawaiian Ocean View Estates, Ka’ū
Kailapa, S. Kohala
Waikoloa, S. Kohala
Waimea, S. Kohala
N. Kohala
Kailua-Kona, N. Kona
Palisades, N. Kona
University of the Nations, N. Kona
Miloli‘i, S. Kona
S. Kona, S. Kona
The following are established active CERTeams in this performance period:
HURRICANE SEASON 2020-2021
Hawaiʻi County activated the Emergency Operations Center in response to one
tropical cyclone, Douglas. This storm passed within 200 miles of Hawaii Island but did
not impact the island with wind, rain, nor surf.
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH
HCCDA worked closely with the Department of Health (DoH) during the Coronavirus
response. DoH is the primary source of information for the Coronavirus Civil Defense
messages. HCCDA supported quarantine and isolation requirements by providing
isolation sites, quarantine monitoring calls, personnel and equipment for testing and
vaccination sites, and wrap-around services to isolation facilities.
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The Hawaiʻi Police Department was able to replace legacy and end-of-life Layer II
Network switches and power supplies for all police stations with $103,000.00 in
HSGP grant funds.
The Hawaii Police Department also developed Explosive Ordinance Disposal
(EOD) capability with $480,000.00 of HSGP funds.
The Department of Information Technology increased network security through
$208,000.00 in grant funds this fiscal year.
The Hawaiʻi Fire Department acquired additional HAZMAT response equipment
(gas detection) with $219,000.00 of HSGP funds.
The Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT) replaced expendable
supplies with $23,500.00 of HSGP funds.
HOMELAND SECURITY (HLS) GRANTS PROGRAM
The 2018 Homeland Security Grant Program (HSGP) award period was extended
into the next fiscal year; no grants were closed this year.
BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS
While HCCDA does not have a commission, it is a member of the following
committees and groups:
Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) – The County of Hawaiʻi LEPC involves
police, fire, public health officials, and private industry organizations. Under the
Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA), LEPCs must
develop an emergency response plan, review the plan at least annually, and provide
information about hazardous chemicals in the community. The LEPC is also
responsible for collecting the annual Hazardous Material TIER II reports that are
required from all organizations that have reportable amounts of hazardous materials
on their property. These reports are provided to the Hawaiʻi Fire Department to
support fire response safety. LEPC meetings are usually held on a quarterly basis in
the Hilo Emergency Operations Center (EOC).
Radio Modernization Project Committee – HCCDA is the lead agency for the County of
Hawaiʻi Land Mobile Radio (LMR) system and is designated as the contract officer
representative for the LMR upgrade. The Radio Modernization Project Committee
meets monthly.
Hawaiʻi Emergency Preparedness Executive Consortium (HEPEC) – HCCDA participates
in HEPEC meetings that address security and emergency response initiatives. HEPEC is
hosted by the State Department of Defense and invites agency heads from
government and the private sector to meet on a quarterly basis. HEPEC meetings are
held in Honolulu.
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Citizens Corps Council – The County of Hawaiʻi maintains a Citizen Corps Council,
whose members are appointed by the Mayor. Council membership includes
representatives from affiliate organizations such as the Volunteer Organizations
Active in Disasters (VOAD) and Red Cross; HCCDA, Fire Department, Prosecutor’s
Office, and the Department of Health. The Council meets monthly. The Citizen Corps
is comprised of community volunteers primarily representing Community Emergency
Response Teams (CERT); Fire Corps, Volunteers in Police Service (VIPS), Medical
Reserve Corps (MRC); and Neighborhood Watch. The Citizen’s Corp's mission is to
harness the power of local volunteers through education, training, and service to
make communities safer, stronger, and better prepared to respond to crime, public
health issues, and disasters. The County of Hawaiʻi Planning Department adopted the
Council’s Project 360 as their community outreach too in the Kīlauea Recovery Plan.
Big Island Wildfire Coordinating Group (BIWCG) – HCCDA participates in and supports
their mission to improve communications and coordination among wildfire response
agencies. BIWCG meets quarterly.
Hawaiʻi Island Safety and Security Professionals Association (HISSPA) – HCCDA
provides a representative to participate in the Association, which addresses
emergency preparedness initiatives and issues among safety and security
professionals in the visitor industry and other related industries. HISSPA meets
monthly.
Hawaiʻi Island Red Cross Advisory Committee – HCCDA participates in the East
Hawai`i Red Cross Advisory Committee. The purpose of the advisory Committee is to
support Red Cross efforts in disaster programs. The Advisory Committee meets on a
quarterly basis.
Hawaiʻi Disaster and Recovery Team – HCCDA participates in and supports HIDART
efforts in response and recovery support for victims of disasters. HIDART’s role is to
be the County interface with VOAD during disaster response and recovery. HIDART
meets monthly.
CERT Leadership Forum – HCCDA participates in and supports the CERT
Administrative Team meetings, which are held on a quarterly basis. CERT
LeadershipForum members review practices, training programs, equipment, and
team membership.
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Supervises five deputies, corporation counsel
Counseling & Drafting Supervisor: Diana Mellon-Lacey
Supervises six deputies, corporation counsel
Elizabeth A. Strance; Corporation Counsel
J S. Yoshimoto; Assistant Corporation Counsel
LITIGATION DIVISION
Litigation Supervisor: Laureen L. Martin
COUNSELING & DRAFTING DIVISION
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
The duties and responsibilities of the Office of the Corporation Counsel are outlined
in Section 6-5.3 of the Hawaiʻi County Charter. That section states:
The corporation counsel shall be the chief legal advisor and legal representative of all
county agencies, the council, and all officers and employees in matters related to
their official powers and duties. The corporation counsel shall represent the county
in all civil legal proceedings and shall perform all other services incident to the office
as may be required by law. The corporation counsel shall, however, be prohibited
from representing any elected officer in impeachment proceedings.
As the county's chief legal advisor and legal representative, this office serves as the
County’s law firm, providing legal representation and support for 22 departments
and agencies, over 2500 officers and employees, and over 35 boards, commissions,
and committees. We have 15 deputies, with seven deputies in our counseling and
drafting division and six in our litigation division. Our support staff of 11 consists of
one private secretary, one administrative services assistant I, one investigator/claims
adjuster, one legal assistant, two legal technicians, two legal clerks, one clerk, one
legal technician II, and one supervising legal technician.
Our vision statement is “We are the answer,” embracing our responsibility to and
service in County government. Our mission statement is “The Office of the
Corporation Counsel provides answers to the County’s challenges with
professionalism and integrity by ordinary people achieving extraordinary results.”
This mission recognizes our goals to provide excellent legal advice and
representation to the County through teamwork, accountability, professionalism,
progress, and service.
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Serve the County, its employees, and officials with Aloha ;
Improve our legal services together;
Malama (take care of) each other.
Our legal support staff are essential to the legal work this office does. They are
efficient and knowledgeable in all aspects of legal terminology, legal process and
legal procedure.
During the last fiscal year, our goals were:
Our office remains committed to excellence by keeping up to date with
developments in the law and working collaboratively with County employees and
officials. Deputies and support staff maintain a high level of efficiency and
effectiveness through collaborative work teams and commitment to training.
Changes in leadership at all levels of government in the midst of the COVID-19
pandemic presented unique challenges. Throughout our deputies provided
continuity. They advised and reviewed all County actions, programs, and activities in
response to the COVID-19 pandemic. We continue to expend a considerable amount
of time conferring and collaborating with various State departments and agencies,
and other local governmental entities.
In order to foster collegiality and encourage a safe workplace environment, our office
rigorously observed safe practices held weekly deputies meetings and initiated
workgroups. In addition, bi-monthly administrative and division supervisor meetings
were held.
BUDGET
The Office of the Corporation Counsel’s budget for FY 2020-21 was $3,053,880.00.
Our main office is housed at the Hilo Lagoon Centre in Hilo. We also have an office
unit at the West Hawaiʻi Civic Center which has grown from one deputy to an office
that houses 3 deputies and can accommodate Hilo deputies and staff working in
Kona for various board, commission, court or other matters.
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ACCOMPLISHMENTS/HIGHLIGHTS FY 2020-21
LITIGATION DIVISION
The litigation deputies (“litigators”) assist employees, officials, agents, and
departments of our County in resolving disputes and avoiding anticipated disputes.
These legal disputes involve grievances, court hearings, trial proceedings, and
appeals. They also involve informal resolution through negotiation and utilization of
alternative methods of dispute resolution such as mediation and arbitration. All
litigators practice in state and federal courts, at both the trial and appellate levels.
The litigators appeared at 425 hearings/meetings, including depositions, on behalf of
the County. We note, that this is a decrease from the prior year due to COVID-19
causing many court hearings and trials to be stayed, delayed, or continued.
The litigators resolved 23 cases by settlement or final judgment. They also obtained
dismissals in multiple lawsuits filed against the County that ranged from wrongful
death actions, alleging civil rights violations to challenges to the County’s emergency
COVID- 19 restrictions.
In addition, the County prevailed at the Intermediate Court of Appeals in a high-
profile case that involved the TMT and the use of police officers from other Counties.
The case was appealed again and the Hawai‘i Supreme Court recently heard
arguments. The County is awaiting a decision.
Sixty (60) new claims against the County for damage or injury were investigated by
our office. Twenty-three (23) of these claims were denied. Payments on claims
totaled $53,982.35. This amount includes payments on new claims filed, as well as
claims continuing from previous fiscal years.
The litigators were also responsible for collecting $75,762.91 in outstanding solid
waste, water service fees, and property damages owed to the County.
COUNSELING & DRAFTING DIVISION
Responding to COVID-19-related concerns comprised the greatest need for legal
guidance and assistance in FY 2020-21. These requests consistently required rapid
response and policy realignment resulting from the unpredictable shift of the
pandemic landscape. Due to the magnitude of the public health emergency created
by COVID-19, the State and Federal legal precedents were few, and guidance on the
national level was in a constant state of flux. Counseling and Drafting deputies were
required to vigilantly monitor the changing environment while remaining poised to
respond to an unpredictable set of challenges.
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Three petitions are pending final order dismissing the petition
One petition was withdrawn
Decisions were rendered on two requested informal advisory opinions but the
final orders were issued during FY 2021-22.
Two petitions were dismissed
Decisions were rendered on three requested informal advisory opinions.
Decisions were rendered on three petitions that were received during the FY
2019-20
In the fiscal year 2020-21, Counseling and Drafting deputies reviewed 2,076
contracts, drafted 120 general and legislative documents, analyzed and commented
on 906 documents, and issued 554 legal opinions. There were 176 long-term projects
of a varied nature and 118 miscellaneous projects for which C&D deputies provided
research and recommendations during this time period.
Deputies actively engaged with their assigned County departments, attending 1,393
meetings and providing legal guidance and advice.
Continuing its philosophy of “preventive lawyering” Counseling and Drafting deputies
conducted 41 training sessions on various topics ranging from new hires and
contracting to employee termination and procurement protests. In the fiscal year
2020-21, 358 County employees, board, and commission members attended these
trainings.
BOARD OF ETHICS
The Board of Ethics (Board) consists of five members who are residents of the
County, appointed by the Mayor and approved by the Hawaiʻi County Council. The
Board interprets the code of ethics for both County officials and the public, renders
and publishes advisory opinions, receives and initiates complaints of violations of the
code of ethics and transmits such complaints to the Council or the appropriate
appointing authority, holds hearings or conducts investigations concerning alleged
code of ethics violations and proposes revisions to the code of ethics.
The Board reviews all petitions and requests for opinions in a prompt manner.
During the Fiscal Year 2020 to 2021, the Board received six new petitions and five
informal
advisory opinion requests. In this time period, the following occurred:
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Audit of the County’s Comprehensive Annual Financial Report;
Audit of the Department of Water Supply’s Financial Statement;
Single Audit of Federal Financial Assistance Programs;
Landfill Financial Assurance Report;
Office of Housing Section 8 Report.
TYLER J. BENNER; County Auditor
The Office of the County Auditor (OCA) conducts impartial financial and performance
audits of County agencies, programs, and operations; is responsible for procuring an
independent certified public accountant to conduct a post-audit of the County’s
financial transactions. As part of this contract, N&K CPA’s, Inc. commenced, the
following audit activities and reports related to FY 2019 – 2020:
Additionally, OCA initiates its own audit evaluations or special studies commensurate
with its annual audit plan.
BUDGET
For FY 2020-2021, Expenditures
for the Office of the County
Auditor totaled $604,833, or
$278,033 ( 31.5%) below the
Adjusted Budgeted amount of
$882,865.85.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS &
HIGHLIGHTS
Performance Audits
The offcie completed a follow-
up audit of the "Department of
information Technology (DIT)
asset management" to
determine if DIT implemented
the 2015 information
technology assest management
recommendations.
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Performance and operations audit of the Hawai‘i Fire Department. Our audit will
determine general program success through evaluations of various functional
areas of its operations and conduct a critical needs assessment.
Performance audit of the Department of Public Works contracts, change orders
and supplements. Our audit will examine primary cost drivers, contributing
departments, and evaluate opportunities to reduce costs related to project
overruns.
Countywide limited scope audit of inventory and controls. Our audit will look
across various county departments to conduct an analysis of operations, internal
controls, and program efficiency and efficacy.
Performance audit of the Department of Finance Real Property Tax Division’s Tax
Revenue Cycle Management. Our audit will explore program efficiency and
effectiveness while exploring opportunities to increase revenues.
Follow-up audit of 2017 performance audit of hiring practices as the Department
of Human Resources.
Follow-up audit of 2017 performance audit of cash handling at the Department
of Water Supply.
Follow-up audit of 2018 performance audit of cash handling at the Mass Transit
Agency.
Follow-up audit of 2020 performance audit of continency plans at the
Department of Water Supply.
The office is currently working on the following audits:
The office plans to issue these audits in the fiscal year 2022.
ANNUAL FINANCIAL AUDITS
Pursuant to Hawai‘i County Charter §10-13, external auditor, N&K CPAs, Inc.,
completed their third year of a five-year contract to perform an audit of the annual
financial statements for Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 2020.
On March 16, 2021, N&K CPAs, Inc., presented the County’s Comprehensive Annual
Financial Report for the Fiscal Year July 1, 2019, to June 30, 2020, which included an
Independent Auditor’s Report to the Committee on Finance.
On September 21, 2021, N&K CPAs, Inc., presented their Single Audit of Federal
Financial Assistance Programs for Fiscal Year Ended June 30, 2020, to the Committee
on Finance.
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Emergency Watershed Protection Program (CFDA 10.923)
Community Development Block Grants/State’s program and Non-Entitlement
Grants in Hawai‘i (CFDA 14.228)
Crime Victim Assistance (CFDA 16.575)
Highway Planning and Construction (CFDA 20.205)
Coronavirus Relief Fund (CFDA 21.019)
In addition, N&K CPAs, Inc., audited five required federal financial assistance
programs:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
On February 23, 2021, N&K CPAs, Inc. presented the Department of Water Supply (A
component unit of the County of Hawai‘i, State of Hawai‘i) Financial Statements and
Supplementary Information with Independent Auditor’s Reports for Fiscal Years
Ended June 30, 2020, and 2019 to the Water Board.
OTHER PROJECTS
An annual audit plan for FY 2020-2021 was filed with the County Council on June 30,
2020. This was based on a County-wide risk assessment of funds, programs, services,
operations, and public input of any County agency, executive agency, or program,
which is supported in whole or in part, by County funds (Hawai‘i County Charter §3-
18).
On October 7, 2020, the office conducted a surprise cash count at the Mass Transit
Agency and found no exceptions.
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HAWAI‘I COUNTY COUNCIL
The Hawai‘i County Council is comprised of nine members, each elected from one of
Hawai‘i County’s nine Council districts and serving two-year terms (term expires
December 5, 2022). At the end of fiscal year 2020-2021, the nine Council districts
were
represented by the following Council Members:
Heather L. Kimball
Council DIstrict 1
Portions of S. Hilo, N. Hilo, Hāmākua,
and portion of Waimea
Aaron S. Y. Chung
COUNCIL VICE CHAIR
Council DIstrict2
Portions of S. Hilo
Ashley L. Kierkiewicz
Council DIstrict 4
Portions of Eastern Puna
Susan L. K. Lee Loy
Council DIstrict3
Portions of S. Hilo, Keaʻau
Matt Kāneali‘i-Kleinfelder
Council DIstrict 5
Portions of Western Puna
Maile Medeiros David
COUNCIL CHAIRPERSON
Council DIstrict 6
Portions of N. & S. Kona, Ka‘ū, and
the greater Volcano area
Rebecca Villegas
Council DIstrict 7
Portions of North and South Kona
Holeka Goro Inaba
Council DIstrict 8
Portions of North Kona
Herbert M. “Tim” Richards, III
Council DIstrict 9
North and South Kohala
21
OFFICE OF THE COUNTY CLERK
The total Operating Budget appropriated for fiscal year 2020-2021 was $5,466,387
with an additional $315,000 for Contingency Relief that was distributed equally
among the nine Council Members to fund County-related programs or to provide
grants to qualifying nonprofit organizations pursuant to Section 2-139 of the Hawai‘i
County Code.
Jon Henricks
County Clerk
Aaron Brown
Deputy County Clerk
The County Council held 26 regular meetings, three special meetings, one
emergency meeting, and one public hearing. The County Council also enacted 87
ordinances and adopted 250 resolutions.
The Council’s Committees conducted 101 regular meetings and one special
meeting that was a three-day meeting of the Committee on Finance to conduct
the annual departmental program and budget review. The Council’s Committees
also completed 180 Committee reports.
Council Services scanned approximately 4,600 documents into the public record.
These include legislative documents and documents held by the Office of the
County Clerk, such as Administrative Rules, Lobbyist Registration Forms, Financial
Disclosure Forms, and Claim Forms.
The ability to participate in Council and Committee meetings remotely is firmly
established, saving on travel time and expenses as well as providing a safe and
secure method for meeting participants to engage in meaningful collaboration
with elected officials.
Council Services, in conjunction with the Council Chairperson’s office, now
provides the opportunity for electronically submitted written testimony to be
available to the public and elected officials immediately, up to and through
Council’s deliberation during its meetings.
COUNCIL SERVICES
22
Reproduced 2,267,186 black and white copies and 118,577 color copies of various
documents including maps, booklets, and posters.
Mailed 328,150 pieces of various weights.
Responsible for driving to various County departments and agencies located in the
Hilo area to pick up and distribute all inter-departmental envelopes and mail.
Processed 9,987 voter registration affidavits.
Mailed out 17,096 signature (yellow) cards for 2020 Primary and General Elections.
Processed 10,561 returned signature cards for the 2020 Elections by Mail.
Mailed 238,358 ballot packets to all registered voters and received back 158,964
ballot envelopes.
Established and operated two Voter Service Centers, which processed 7,178 voters.
Established and serviced eight ballot-drop boxes.
Reviewed and provided drafting assistance for 136 resolutions, 38 bills, 73
proposed amendments to legislation before the Council, 15 administration bills,
and seven miscellaneous reviews. Staff also completed seven research
assignments and conducted 20 training classes on legislative drafting.
Assisted the Department of Public Works with drafting legislation to repeal the
existing building, electrical, and plumbing codes and replace them with the
following new chapters: 5 - construction administrative code; 5A – building code; 5B
– residential building code; 5C – existing building code; 5D – electrical code; 5E –
energy conservation code; and 5F – plumbing code.
Assisted the Department of Environmental Management with drafting legislation
that repealed chapter 20 and replaced it with a new integrated solid waste
management code and to update chapter 21 – sewers.
Monitored the 31st State Legislative Session by compiling an extensive list of 184
bills of significant interest to the County and provided daily reports to the Council
on legislative activity for those bills throughout the Legislative Session.
Assisted the Council with the budget review process; provided review and
transmittal of 21 budget amendments and all subsequent drafts of the Operating
Budget and Capital Budget; and prepared an Operating Budget amendment to
distribute funds to 184 nonprofit programs. Staff also conducted five training.
Updated the online version of the County Code eight times to include 76
ordinances that passed and took effect during the fiscal year. Published,
distributed, and placed online Supplement 8 of the County Code in July 2020 and
Supplement 9 in January 2021.
SUPPORT SERVICES
ELECTIONS
LEGISLATIVE RESEARCH BRANCH
23
RAMZI MANSOUR, Director
BRENDA D. IOKEPA-MOSES, Deputy Director
MISSION
Maintain a clean, healthy, and safe island environment by managing the island’s
wastewater and solid waste in a comprehensive, responsive, environmentally safe,
efficient, cost-effective manner, and to provide excellent customer service through
innovative and sustainable programs that promote managing waste as a resource
and lead our island society toward the goal of zero waste.
VISION
To have the Island of Hawai‘i become the leader in environmental sustainability by
capturing all-natural generated resources from solid waste and wastewater for reuse
and recycling, which ultimately leads to major reductions in our waste streams.
OVERVIEW
The Department of Environmental Management promotes a clean, healthy, and
sustainable island environment by providing wastewater treatment and solid waste
disposal services, promoting landfill diversion options such as recycling, waste
reduction, and green waste, and the removal of abandoned vehicles. The work that
the employees of the Department perform is as critical as it is hazardous. They have
worked throughout the pandemic to minimize exposure and spread of the virus for
the convenience and the safety of the public.
During FY 20-21 the Department continued services to the public. Through the
Wastewater Division, DEM manages seven wastewater treatment plants, more than
100 miles of gravity sewers, force mains, and outfalls, and 4.63 million gallons of
wastewater per day, every day.
Through the Solid Waste Division, DEM manages 22 solid waste transfer stations and
daily waste hauling operations to the West Hawai‘i Sanitary Landfill in Pu‘uanahulu. In
FY 20-21, WHSL accepted 196,367.67 tons of solid waste, or more than a million
pounds per day, every day.
24
The change in administration has provided the Department an opportunity to re-
evaluate its past practices of waste management. To this end DEM developed a new
mission statement that better reflects where the Department needs to be. Our
mission is now “To maintain a clean, healthy island environment and promote
stewardship and sustainability by managing wastewater and solid waste services,
waste reduction and resource recovery in a comprehensive, responsive, safe and
efficient manner.”
The highlights and accomplishments this year reflect a renewed emphasis on
meeting legal mandates, upgrading and replacing failed components, and
reorganizing the department to be more proactive with preventative maintenance,
despite pandemic-related challenges common across the County.
FY 20-21 Budget:
Division Total Budget
Administration $ 1,193,080
Wastewater $15,953,042
Solid Waste $37,015,522
Vehicle Disposal $3,805,810
Total: $57,967,454
Total DEM employees (as of June 30, 2021):
DivisionTotal Employee
Admin/BSS 19
Wastewater Division 65
Solid Waste Division 115
Total: 199
25
To improve infrastructure, operations, and procedures at the 22 transfer stations
and seven wastewater treatment facilities, 150 miles of sewer collection system,
and multiple sewer pump stations.
To increase recycling rates, facility efficiency, and reduce costs.
To educate the public regarding the department’s facilities and approach to solid
waste and wastewater management via public outreach methods.
To continue to educate the public on current recycling programs and the
importance of reducing, reusing, and recycling. Make recycling easy, which helps
with landfill diversion on the path to zero waste.
Continue to encourage and support solid waste diversion from existing landfills
and maximize the reuse, reclamation, or re-purposing of our solid waste stream.
To repair, replace or rehabilitate existing sewer infrastructure.
To continue the Wastewater Division’s Asset Management Program to ensure
efficient and effective operations through accountability and work orders.
To provide reuse water to the community to put treated wastewater effluent to
beneficial use.
Maintain a continuous improvement environment within the department to
encourage increased productivity and efficiency.
Investigate and implement, where economically feasible, alternative wastewater
treatment technologies.
Participate in the State and local effort on the cesspools conversion to ensure
compliance by 2050.
Work on establishing more robust self-sufficient funding programs for both solid
waste and wastewater services.
GOALS
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
ADMINISTRATION OFFICE
The Director of Environmental Management serves as technical advisor to the Mayor,
Managing Director, Environmental Management Commission, and County Council on
matters pertaining to wastewater treatment and disposal, solid waste processing and
disposal, resource recovery, the recycling and disposal of all vehicles, and the removal
of the derelict and abandoned vehicles.
The Environmental Management Administration Office provides personnel
management, accounting and billing support services as well as providing general
supervision and control of the administration and operation of the Wastewater and
Solid Waste Divisions and the Business Services Section.
The Environmental Management Administration Office also provides personnel,
clerical, technical and financial support for the Environmental Management
Commission.
26
Provided billing and collection services for approximately 5,873 wastewater
customers and roughly 600 solid waste customers, collecting $11,050,175 in
revenue for wastewater and $11,033,584 in revenue for solid waste in FY20-21.
Continued efforts to reduce the amount of past-due accounts receivables through
in-house collection efforts and collaboration with the Office of the Corporation
Counsel to pursue judgments on seriously delinquent landfill and wastewater
customers.
Amended the administrative rules to establish procedures for water shut-off in
efforts to address sewer delinquencies. The Hawaiʻi County Code was amended by
Ordinance No. 14-136, which authorizes the termination of water service for non-
payment of sewer service charges. Due to the pandemic, the actual
implementation of water shut-off for non-payment of sewer service charges has
been deferred.
Implemented new wastewater rates set by Ordinance No. 19-21, which established
new wastewater rates with annual increases over a five-year period.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND HIGHLIGHTS
Business Services
Business Services supports the Department by providing human resources,
accounting, and customer service. Our human resources staff handle recruitments,
onboarding of new hires, personnel movements, coordination of training,
disciplinary actions, grievances, and all other human resources functions for the
Department. Our accounting staff handle payroll, accounts payable, requisitions,
contract routing, billing and collections for all sewer fees and tipping fees, customer
service, budgeting, and all other accounting functions for the Department.
Business Services Section highlights have included the following:
Wastewater Division
The Wastewater Division (WWD) provides engineering, operations, and maintenance-
related services for the seven (7) wastewater facilities that handle 4.7 million gallons
per day, maintain 16 sewage pump stations (SPS), and 150 miles of sewers. The $16
million annual budget for this FY supports these activities. In addition to the
operating budget, WWD is forecasting a $500 million capital improvements program
(CIP) overhe next five FYs with an additional $500 million over the next five years
(year 6 to year 10).
27
Collection system cleaning and video inspected to develop a program for
maintaining the 150 miles of collection sewers. WWD Line crew accomplished the
following:
12.6 miles of sewer lines cleaned
10.6 miles of sewer lines video inspected
10 point repairs completed resulting in 400 lineal feet of sewers restored
Renewed NPDES (National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System) permits with
the Department of Health for the Hilo and Pāpa‘ikou wastewater treatment
facilities.
Completed the Lanihau Sewage Pump Station Force Main Replacement Project
(one of the cast iron force mains that needed an upgrade).
Seeking financial assistance from USDA for various wastewater projects. Started
off with submitting a grant/loan application to USDA for an upgrade of the Pua
Sewage Pump Station and force main redundancy.
Began a planning and design contract for the upgrade of the Pua SPS force main
which will include providing a second pipe for redundancy.
Performed a condition assessment of the Hilo WWTP to begin planning and design
work to replace the deteriorated headworks and solids handling, treatment, and
dewatering processes.
Started and completed the set-up of the Computerized Maintenance Management
System program for tracking the condition of wastewater assets and inventorying
of equipment and pars as part of the newly formed Asset Management System
program. Filled in the GIS Analyst I and Database Analyst positions to maintain the
AMS program and to provide training on the use of the CMMS program.
To establish work efficiency, began efforts to reorganize the WWD operations to
include a maintenance branch that will perform maintenance and repair within
treatment/pump station facilities on an island-wide basis.
Received notice that an application for $19 million in grant funding from the U.S.
Economic Development Administration was selected for further consideration for
the North Kona SPS and force main.
Besides continuing to support the EPA’s Administrative Order of Consent (AOC) for
the closure of large capacity cesspools (LCC) in Pāhala and Nā‘ālehu, other program
deficiencies have been identified by the Hawai‘i Department of Health (HDOH) and
EPA for old cast iron force mains needing upgrades and the lack of a pretreatment
program. Spills that have occurred during this reporting period have included two
spills at Keōpū (Queen Emma) SPS with one spilling 40,000 gallons into Kailua Bay
and the March spill that occurred at Kapu‘e Bridge in Pāpa‘ikou that spilled 60,000
gallons into Kapu‘e Stream. WWD is anticipating AOCs for these two HDOH concerns.
WWD highlights have included the following:
28
29
The Kealakehe Scrap Metal Facility Remediation Project is nearing completion.
The Division estimates the closure of this project by December 31, 2021.
The South Hilo Sanitary Landfill is currently in its Post Closure/Maintenance
Phase. The Division is in discussions with DPW-Highways on post-closure
maintenance options.
Overcame COVID-19-related delays to complete the 2019 Integrated Solid Waste
Management Plan. Adopted by Council via Resolution No. 73-21.
Completed an overhaul of Chapter 20 of the Hawai‘i County Code, Integrated
Solid Waste Management, and of the administrative rules relating to Chapter 20.
The Derelict and Abandoned Vehicle Section successfully continued the Vehicle
Disposal Assistance Program and has updated forms to expand its two-car limit
for residents attempting to manage the property with vehicles illegally
abandoned on it.
DAV removed 1,111 vehicles from West Hawai‘i and 602 from East Hawai‘i.
Solid Waste Division
Recycling Program, Derelict/Abandoned Vehicle Program
The Solid Waste Division manages 22 solid waste transfer stations and daily waste
hauling operations to the West Hawai‘i Sanitary Landfill in Pu‘uanahulu. These
operations serve the public by providing for the safe and sanitary disposal of solid
waste, which is critical for a clean and healthy environment. SWD also manages the
Recycling Program and the Derelict/Abandoned Vehicle Program.
30
In South Hilo and Puna, household trash is taken from eight solid waste transfer
stations (blue lines) and consolidated with commercial trash in a Reload Facility in
Hilo, where it is then taken (orange line) to the West Hawai‘i Sanitary Landfill. Five
“long haul” trucks make the trip between the Reload Facility and WHSL
twice a day, every day. In North Hilo, Hāmākua, Kohala, Kona, and Ka‘ū, trash is taken
directly from the 14 transfer stations (green lines) to WHSL.
31
MESSAGE FROM THE CHEIF
The Hawaiʻi Fire Department exists to serve the public. It is through the dedication to
this worthy cause that we find purpose, and endeavor to improve the quality of life
for the residents and visitors of Hawaii County. I am proud to represent the amazing
women and men of the Hawaiʻi Fire Department. Thank you for your service.
VISION
The Hawaiʻi Fire Department is the leader in the field of emergency services. We are a
team of highly skilled and motivated men and women committed to providing the
highest quality of protection to life and property. Through dedicated teamwork, we
have achieved unequaled excellence.
MISSION
First in Fire Protection and emergency services with trained professionals—dedicated
to serving with pride, honor, and compassion.
BUDGET
Breakdown
KAZUO TODD, Cheif
ERIC MOLLER, Deputy Cheif
Fire
59%
EMS
28%
Ocean
8%
Other
5%
Salaries/Wages
89.5%
Operating Capital
7%
Vehicle Replacement
3.5%
Salaries/Wages
85%
Operating Capital
13%
Vehicle Replacement
2%
Total: $30,744,860.00
100% County Funded
Fire Operations
Total: $14,712,836.00
100% State Funded
Emergency Medical Services
34% State Funded
66% County Funded
Ocean Safety
Total: $3,973,547.00
$809, 536; Helicopter Services
$887,695; Fire Prevention
$536,772; Equipment Maintinence
$599,656; Training & Volunteer
$236,000; Grants & Misc.
Other
Total: $3,069,659.00
28 Stations
2 Ladder Trucks
2 Helicopters
4 Boats
2 Hazmat Trucks
2 Light Rescue Vehicles
2 Heavy Rescue Vehicles
5 Rescue Watercrafts
120 Volunteers
By the Numbers:
1010 - Fire Incidents
18,080 - EMS/Rescue Calls
13 - Severe Weather Calls
227 - Hazmat Calls
EMERGENCY OPERATIONS
Response Information
2,011 - Service Calls
317 - False Calls
2,813 - Good Intent Calls
Three new fire pumpers were placed into service for Ocean View, Kailua, and
Laupahoehoe Fire Stations.
A donated wildland tanker from the Daniel R. Sayre Foundation was put into
service for South Kohala Fire Station.
FLIR Thermal Imagers were issued to Fire Preven on and remaining stations that
lacked one for emergency response.
New HazMat Chemical Identifiers and Gas Detectors were acquired for both
Hazmat companies through DHS grant funds.
Additional Information
1,119 - Plans Reviewed
832 - Commercial Inspections
FIRE PREVENTION
20 - Fires Investigated
61 - Public Education Events
The Fire Prevention Bureau, overseen by the Fire Prevention Battalion Chief,
adopts and enforces the fire code; reviews plans and conducts inspections of new
and existing construction; coordinates public education events, and investigates
fires in Hawaiʻi County. This fiscal year, the staff of the prevention bureau was
critical in helping to set up and operate the Hawaii County COVID19 Task Force.
536,686 - Preventative Actions
2,156,933 - Beach Visitors
332 - Ocean Rescues
OCEAN SAFETY
6,557 - First Aid Assistance
126 - Surfing Accidents
6 - Resescutations
Ocean Safety has been hard at work deploying IPads and starting the process of
digital tracking of daily beach and incident logs. Despite COVID19, beaches
seemed to be as busy as ever with millions of visitors this year. Many thanks to the
Sayre Foundation for their donation of a replacement UTV, PA system, Rescue
Boards, and purchasing the Street LG software to help track stats!
49th Recruit Class graduated; Pro-board Certified
Hosted first ARFF/HFD Class; first-ever training with Airport Fire and HDF
New HFD-HPD Dispatch Center; approved and project awarded
ADDITIONAL HIGHLIGHTS
This year saw extensive co-training events held between Pohakuloa Training
AreaFire Department, Hawaii Fire Department, and the State Airport Rescue and
Firefighting Department.
Over $400,000 in CARES funding was secured to help deploy Mobile Data
Terminals for the Fire Department to more safely respond to COVID-19.
An Officer Development 40-hour training course was held in March.
Battalion Chief Keoki Brown was selected as Firefighter of the Year by the Aloha
Exchange Club.
Training developed and conducted an extensive High Rise Operations Training for
Central Fire Station at Bay Shore Towers.
Additional Information
Worked with the Department of Public Works to complete renovation projects at
the Keolahou Assessment Center and Emergency Shelter located at 34 Rainbow
Drive in East Hawai‘i.
In partnership with a community-based organization, secured funding to support
the continued operation of the temporary emergency shelters at Ka Lamakū in
West Hawaiʻi and Hale Hanakahi in East Hawaiʻi.
Coordinated Entry System – continue to work with homeless services providers,
as required by federal and state homeless program funders, to ensure
connectivity of those experiencing homelessness or are at risk of homelessness
to appropriate housing opportunities.
Secured technical assistance and funding from the Cities for Financial
Empowerment Fund to support the implementation of the Financial
Empowerment Centers.
Implemented the Emergency Rent Assistance Program that provides rental and
utility financial assistance to households who were impacted by COVID-19.
Participated in over 20 virtual community events to provide information on
resources available to the community.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS/HIGHLIGHTS FY 2020-21
Administrative Division-Homeless Branch
Homeless Programs
Community Engagement Program
SUSAN K. KUNZ, Housing Administrator
HARRY M. YADA, Assistant Housing Administrator
BUDGET NARRATIVE
Estimated Program Expenditures
OHCD and Existing Housing Programs
Grants Management Programs
Kula‘imano Elderly Housing Project
‘Ōuli ‘Ekahi Housing Project
32
Expended $21,000,000 assisting over 2,000 extremely low to low-income
persons/families per month through the Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8),
Project Based Voucher and HOME Tenant-Based Voucher programs.
Awarded Foster Youth Initiative funding of $143,076 to provide Housing Choice
Voucher (HCV) assistance available to youth at least 18 years of age and not more
than 24 years of age who left foster care, or will leave foster care within 90 days,
and are homeless or are at risk of becoming homeless at age 16 or older.
Awarded additional Mainstream voucher funding of $746,100 to assist 75 non-
elderly persons with disabilities.
Awarded Emergency Housing Choice Voucher funding of $1,135,932 through the
American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). Funding will provide assistance for 110
individuals and families who are homeless, at risk of homelessness, fleeing or
attempting to flee, domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, or human
trafficking, or were recently homeless or have a high risk of housing instability.
Pending notification of award from HUD for additional HUD-VASH vouchers.
CARES Act Funding: Received $2.8 M in additional HCV Housing Assistance
Payments (HAP) and Administrative funds to prevent, respond to, and prepare for
COVID-19. Initiatives included providing 900 participants with electronic devices
to enable distance learning, and distributing 2,000 COVID-19 Prevention Kits,
providing PPE for staff and participants, upgrading equipment to enhance
operations and communications, and hiring temporary staff to carry out
initiatives and manage HUD financial reporting requirements. EHD utilized
$250,000 to implement a Landlord Incentive Program to increase owner
participation, encourage housing stability and minimize evictions.
Utilized $368,483.00 of HCV funding to provide individuals and families through
portability the opportunity to relocate in order to pursue increased or new
employment opportunities, gain access to preferred schools for their children,
ensure that victims of domestic violence have access to relocate, and to move to
areas with relatively low concentrations of neighborhood poverty.
Executed a Project-Based Agreement to Enter into Housing Assistance Payments
Contract for New Construction with A0674 Waikoloa L.P. for 15 project-based
voucher assistance units at Kaiaulu O Waikoloa, a multi-family complex.
Executed a Project-Based Agreement to Enter into Housing Assistance Payments
Contract for New Construction with Papaʻaloa Housing Inc. for the
redevelopment of 10 units at Papaʻaloa Elderly Housing.
Selected West View Developments, LLC, for set aside funding for 44 project-based
units at the multifamily complex of Honuaʻula Living Community in North Kona.
Maintained 99% utilization rate of funds.
Existing Housing Division
Rental Assistance/Voucher Program
33
FY 2020-21 FSS Escrow deposits totaled $118,713.00.
62 active participants.
Signed 16 new Contracts.
Graduated five (5) participants from the program, with disbursed escrow of
totaling $20,138.
Design and Roof and Accessibility Improvements for the Hale Maluhia Shelter;
Design and Roof and Certified Kitchen Construction to the Kiheipua Family
Shelter;
Sprinkler system and other improvements to the West Hawai`i Homeless
Emergency Shelter;
Master Plan/Design to the Kula‘imano Elderly Housing;
Residential Emergency Repair Program;
Various Improvements to the Kula‘imano Elderly Housing; and
Mental Health Kokua Sewerline Hookup.
Accessibility Improvements to the Boys and Girls Club of the Big Island;
Design of the West Hawai‘i Homeless Emergency Shelter Improvements;
Fencing Installation at the West Hawai‘i Homeless Emergency Shelter;
Gym and Paving Improvements to the Boys and Girls Club of the Big Island;
Purchase of the Pāhala Fire Station Wildland Fire Pumper Apparatus;
Renovations to the Hale Ohana Domestic Abuse Shelter; and
Renovation to the West Hawai‘i Domestic Abuse Shelter.
Family Self Sufficiency
Grants Management Division
Grants
Applied and awarded $2,710,365 of 2020 Community Development Block Grant
funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). In
addition, the OHCD was awarded $2,056,142 of the Community Development Block
Grant Coronavirus (CDBG-CV) funds, also from HUD.
Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Projects
Ongoing Projects:
Completed:
34
HOPE Services Emergency Rent and Mortgage Assistance Program
Project Vision – Mobile Health and Hygiene Services;
Boys and Girls Club of the Big Island – Mobile Youth Outreach Service
Ulu Wini Community Center Design and Improvements; and
Ulu Wini Housing - Sludge Pump Truck Purchase.
The Food Basket Pandemic Emergency Food Program;
The Food Basket Pandemic Emergency Food – Equipment Purchase
Boys and Girls Club of the Big Island – Meal Preparation and Delivery Program
Hawai‘i County Economic Opportunity Council – Meal Preparation and Delivery
Program.
Continue the historic preservation process, Kaloko Heights Affordable Housing
Project, LLLP, to develop the Kaloko Heights Affordable Housing Project (100
units);
Continue to construct three (3) Self-Help homes in the Puna District with the
Habitat for Humanity Hawai‘i Island; and
Continue to expand the Tenant-Based Rental Assistance Program, assisting 86
families with their rent.
Continue the historic preservation process, Kaloko Heights Affordable Housing
Project, LLLP, to develop the Kaloko Heights Affordable Housing Project (100
units).
Applied and awarded $1,647,154 for 2020 Workforce Innovation and Opportunity
Act funds from the U.S. Department of Labor.
Assisted 196 adults and 69 dislocated workers with employment and training
activities under the Adult and Dislocated Workers Program;
Assisted 87 youths with employment and training activities under the Youth
Program;
Continue to provide services at the American Job Center Hawai‘i (AJCH) where
clients can access various training services and seek job opportunities at one
location; and
The AJCH has served 3,749 job seekers, employers, and various partner
programs.
CDBG-CV Projects
Ongoing Projects:
Completed Projects:
HOME Investment Partnerships Program (HOME) Projects
National Housing Trust Fund (HTF) Projects
Workforce Development Programs
35
Conducted seven (7) Fair Housing seminars/training for property managers, staff,
and the general public.
Provided technical assistance and Fair Housing information for 94 requests.
Received over 2,464 visits to the Fair Housing website on the County of Hawai‘i’s
main website to further increase Fair Housing awareness and exposure
(www.Hawaiicounty.gov/fair-housing).
34 Rainbow Drive Affordable Housing Project:
Completed some minor repairs of the existing building.
Initiated discussions regarding the need to complete a physical needs
assessment with costs projections before proceeding further.
Aina Lea – Luana Gardens
Completed negotiation of an Affordable Housing Agreement in May 2021 for
the production of 385 affordable housing units.
Ainakea Elderly Housing:
Completed renegotiation of a multi-year lease for property renovations.
Developer applied for HHFDC funding to complete renovations in February
2021.
Hale Ola O Mohouli:
Planning and design for this 92-unit project is underway.
Financing package was submitted for HHFDC funding in February 2021.
Hawaiian Paradise Park Self Help Project:
The process to qualify 20 families has been completed, and building self-help
homes is expected to begin in late 2021.
Huahana O Olaa Self Help Project:
50 homes are planned for this self-help housing project located in
Kurtistown.
Pre-development planning activities continue including change of zone, land
use planning, and a traffic study.
Kaiaulu O Kapi‘olani:
Planned development of 64 multi-family units in Hilo.
The project was awarded funding from HHFDC and is expected to break
ground in 2022.
Kaiaulu O Waikoloa:
Funding package secured in April 2021 for the construction of 60 multi-family
rental units in Waikoloa.
Affordable Housing Agreement was executed in April 2021 and construction
expected to begin in August 2021.
Community Development Division:
FAIR HOUSING
PROJECT DEVELOPMENT
36
Kalawa 40, Tante and Arcelli Urban Foundation:
Construction of six affordable housing units in Kailua-Kona began in late 2020
with occupancy expected in December 2021.
Kaiaulu O Waikoloa:
Funding package secured in April 2021 for the construction of 60 multi-family
rental units in Waikoloa.
Affordable Housing Agreement was executed in April 2021 and construction is
expected to begin in August 2021.
Kalawa 40, Tante and Arcelli Urban Foundation:
Construction of six affordable housing units in Kailua-Kona began in late 2020
with occupancy expected in December 2021.
Kaloko Heights Affordable Housing Project:
Developer addressed final pre-construction activities.
Developer continues to work with Environmental Management to install
sewer line along Hina Lani Street.
Developer expects to proceed with the construction of 100 affordable
housing units by the first quarter of 2022.
Kamakoa Nui – Waikoloa Workforce Housing Project:
Developed a refinancing procedure for homeowners in partnership with the
Finance Department.
Completed one resale transaction for one first-time home buyers and
initiated nine refinance transactions by June 30, 2021.
Completed the selection process for an affordable housing developer based
on a Request for Proposal for a Developer to build about 120 workforce
housing units at the multi-family site and nearly completed negotiations for a
65-year lease.
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) continues clearance work for 70 acres
of the Kamakoa Nui housing site.
USACE will prepare the Remedial Action Report for the clearance of
unexploded ordinances for these parcels by Fall 2022.
Kuakini Senior Living:
This 101-bed assisted living/memory care facility with155 bed skilled nursing
facility and employee housing project in located in Kailua-Kona.
County Council approved Resolution for certain County exemptions due to
201H-38 HRS.
Kukuinui Subdivision (RS10 Kalaoa):
Developer preparing to market three (3) affordable housing lots in Kailua-
Kona.
Kula‘imano Elderly Housing Project:
Began installation of new group breakers for all units with completion
expected by Fall 2021.
Completed renovations of the parking lots and the community center to meet
ADA requirements.
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Kupulau Gardens:
Two affordable housing lots sold to eligible buyers not exceeding 80% AMI in
late 2020.
Mohouli Senior Housing III:
Completed lease-up for 92 households for project-based Housing Vouchers
provided from the Housing Choice Voucher Program.
Na Kahuā Hale O Ulu Wini (aka Kaloko Housing):
Received funding to expand the laundry facility and create a commercial
kitchen in the community center.
Nearly completed negotiation of a contract for a design consultant to create
plans and specifications for these improvements.
Nearly completed the technical review to solve wastewater treatment plant
(WWTP) processing issues.
ʻŌuli ‘Ekahi Housing Project:
Began work on physical needs assessment study for this property.
Pāhala Elderly Housing:
Completed negotiation of a multi-year lease for property renovations and
management.
Unit renovations completed in May 2021.
Papaʻaloa Elderly Housing – Renovation Project:
Completed negotiation of a multi-year lease. Construction of 20 new housing
units is scheduled to begin in July 2021, with the first two new buildings with
two (2) units each expected to be occupied in December 2021.
Puʻuʻalalā Village Self-Help Housing Project
Phase 1 & 2 of the three-phase homeownership project, Puʻuʻalalā Village in
Pepeʻekeo resulted in 20 families moving into their new homes in June.
Ten (10) families in Phase 3 have begun construction on their new homes,
with Phase 3 expected to begin in early 2021.
RCFC – Kaloko Heights:
Developer working with DEM and Finance on the installation of a waste water
line down Hina Lani Street and across Ane Keohokalole to hook up to the
existing line at the Kealakehe Parkway.
Villages of La'iʻŌpua:
Construction began on 60 units of single-family rental homes on DHHL
property in Kona for Native Hawaiians.
Planning is underway to seek funding from HICDC for an additional 24 units.
Waikoloa Gardens Apartments:
Renegotiated multi-year lease but execution is pending funding award.
Project applied for HHFDC project funds in February 2021.
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West Hawai‘i Homeless Emergency Shelter – Certified Kitchen Project:
Monitored the use of the Certified Kitchen which served about 400 meals
daily to our homeless and low-income populations due to COVID-19.
Negotiated for warranty services on the kitchen appliances and replacement
of worn flooring surface.
West Hawai‘i Homeless Emergency Shelter – Health and Safety Improvements
Project:
Advertised construction project and applied for additional funds from CDBG
in June 2021.
West Kāwili Senior and Veterans Housing:
Commenced drafting easements for the parcel.
Construction of 92 units expected to begin in 2021.
Prepared 201H-38 packet for certain County exemptions to submit to County
Council for approval.
West View Development Housing Project:
Negotiated Development Agreement between County, and Landowner.
Developer, Honua'ula, LLC, to build 112 affordable housing units; and
Developer applied for certain County exemptions using the 201H-38 process.
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Conducted a major departmental audit to assist them with identifying
organizational needs and restructuring.
Provided ongoing technical guidance regarding classification issues to address
various concerns from the operating departments.
Participated in negotiations for eight of the eight bargaining units representing
Hawaiʻi County employees.
At the end of 2020, a total of 24 employees completed the Supervisory Training
Program, despite interruptions due to COVID-19 restrictions. In January 2021 one
section of the Supervisory Training Program started; however, due to higH
demand, a second class was added in June, which is still in progress. A total of 13
participants completed the program in July 2021.
A new Unit 2 Supervisory Training Program was added in 2020 that was
specifically geared for Unit 2 Supervisors. Although there were interruptions due
to COVID-19 restrictions, a total of 22 Unit 2 supervisors completed the program.
Another Unit 2 Supervisory Training class started in January 2021, with 11
participants completing the program in June 2021.
A new Customer Service Training program was developed specifically geared
toward County employees and was initiated in Fall 2020. The program contains
two classes that cover customer service basics and tips for handling irate
customers.
Human Resources Boot Camp was conducted for all departmental Human
A total of 17 New Hire Orientations were conducted in the fiscal year 2020-2021
with a total of 176 participants.
Coordinated County’s Leave Sharing Program: Three requests for shared leave
hours were approved; 82 employees donated3,056 hours of vacation leave.
WAYLEN L.K. LEOPOLDINO, Acting Director
BUDGET
During FY 2020-2021, the Department of Human Resources' operating budget was
$2,052,729.00. In addition to the Director and Deputy Director, the department has
27 permanent full-time positions and one student position from the Hawaiʻi
Community College under the Cooperative Vocational Educational Program.
HIGHLIGHTS
Resources Representatives in February 2021. This three-day event provided in-
depth training on human resources basics for County departmental Human
Resources Representatives.
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Facilitated Flexible Spending Plan: As a cafeteria plan under section 125 of the
Internal Revenue Service Code, the County’s Flexible Spending Plan allows
participants to pay for health insurance premiums and medical and dependent
care expenses with pretax dollars. As a result, participants realize both state and
federal income tax savings as well as FICA tax savings. In Plan Year 2020-21, the
County saved approximately $386,471 in FICA taxes. During this period, 1,896
employees participated in the plan.
Conducted 122 open-competitive recruitments and 171 internal recruitments
with 475 hires reported.
Assisted the Fire Commission with open-competitive recruitment for Fire Chief.
Conducted 16 recruitment trainings, including 10 sessions on “Conducting an
Effective Job Interview.”
Implemented COVID-19 protocols to ensure safety at all written examination
sessions, which includes sanitization, standardized questions related to travel
and quarantine restrictions, a greater physical distancing between each applicant
and between applicants and staff, and no-contact registration, and no-contact
submittal of completed tests.
Provided and/or coordinated over 144 island-wide safety training sessions.
Certified 98 County employees in First Aid/CPR/AED.
Along with KTA pharmacy, coordinated influenza vaccination clinics island-wide
for 315 employees.
There were 127 new workers’ compensation claims during FY20-21. During the
same period, we were able to close 204 claims. The total number of open
workers’ compensation claims at the end of FY20-21 was 285.
Workers’ compensation training provided during the period included Work Comp
101 and Return to Work Program training offered to members of the Mayor’s
Cabinet in December 2020, Human Resources Representatives at the HR
Bootcamp in February 2021, participants in the Supervisory Training Program in
September 2020 and March 2021, participants in the BU02 Supervisory Training
Program in February 2021, and Police Department Administrators in September
2020.
Conducted 35 mandatory anti-discrimination/harassment and ADA Reasonable
Accommodation training island-wide for 363 County employees.
Worked with the Department of Information Technology to address ADA Title I
County of Hawaiʻi website accessibility issues.
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JOHN C. ANDOH, III CCTM, CPM,
Interim Mass Transit Administrator
(June 24, 2021-Present)
BRENDA CARREIRA,
Mass Transit Administrator (July 1,
2020-Present)
Make riding transit easier, reliable, and more desirable than other options.
Create a transit system to serve the employment and social needs of all people
Implement technology to provide real-time transportation information
Create transportation hubs and bus stops with amenities that provide rider
comfort and safety and that help support community and village gathering
places
Phase system implementation in a fiscally sustainable manner
MISSION
Create a high-quality, multi-modal transportation system that provides safe, reliable,
convenient, environmentally responsible, and cost-effective mobility choices that
meet the needs of our residents and visitors.
VISION
Create a high-quality multi-modal transportation system that provides safe, reliable,
convenient mobility choices that meet the commuting, social service, and other
needs of our residents and visitors. The multi-modal system should be
environmentally responsible and cost-effective.
GOALS
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Improve transportation mobility for the public, including services for the mobility
impaired. Make riding public transportation easier, reliable, and compatible with
other multi-modal options.
Assist the public in obtaining transportation alternatives to the private
automobile through the use of buses, ride-sharing, and bicycling, in a fiscally
sustainable manner. Create a transit system responsive to the needs of all
populations and those for whom transit is a necessity.
To allow users of the transportation system to travel to work, health services,
educational institutions, business, and commerce centers, after-school activities,
and recreational sites. Connect modes to enable a seamless integration of
transit networks, bicycles, and pedestrians by the use of transportation hubs and
bus stops. Implement technology to provide real-time transportation
information.
OBJECTIVES
1.
2.
3.
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OVERVIEW
The Mass Transit Agency provides island-wide public transportation for Hawai‘i
County, known as the Hele-On. In Fiscal Year 2020-2021, transit services operated
daily from approximately 3:15 a.m. – 1:15 a.m., with limited service on Sundays and
holidays on the following routes:
Hele-On Bus riders consist of the general public, including seniors, students, and
persons with disabilities and commuters. Many of Hele-On riders are low income
and have no other means of transportation. Individuals with a disability who are
unable to use the regular fixed Hele-On route services within the Hilo and Kailua-
Kona service areas are afforded the opportunity to use Paratransit services known as
Hele-On Kakoʻo.
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The Mass Transit Agency also provides specialized transportation services, including
the Hele-On Shared Ride Taxi Program available in the Hilo area for up to nine miles
of travel. In the Fiscal Year 2020-2021, there were four taxi cab providers, each
providing an ADA accessible vehicle, funding for HIBIKE, which allows for Hele-On
monthly pass holders to have free access on HIBIKE bike-share bicycles in Hilo and
Kailua-Kona and funding for two specialized transportation providers – Brantley
Center and Hawai’i County Economic Opportunities Council. These providers will
transport persons with disabilities, seniors, and low-income residents for door-to-
door transportation needs in areas where Hele-On bus and shared-ride taxi services
are limited on weekdays.
The County contracts with Roberts Hawaii to operate the Hele-On fixed-route transit
system, Ace 1 Taxi to operate the Hele-On Kako’o paratransit system, PATH to
operate the HIBIKE bike-share system, and HCEOC to provide lifeline specialized
demand response services. The County also has many other contracts to support
Mass Transit Agency operations including the Mo’oheau Bus Terminal, bus washing,
security, bus shelter cleaning, four taxi cab companies for the Shared Ride Program,
and specialized demand response services in Honoka’a with the Brantley Center.
Maintenance of Hele-On vehicles is provided by County employees. Some of the
contractors also provide vehicles to supplement County-owned transit vehicles.
The County owns 49 fixed-route vehicles of which 18 are operable and 31 are under
repair to bring back to an operable condition. Additionally, the County owns 4
paratransit vehicles.
The Mass Transit Agency also provides administrative support for the Hawai’i County
Transportation Commission and oversees taxicab operators for Hawai’i Island.
During Fiscal Year 2020-2021, a total of 92 (36 in Hilo; 56 in Kona) taxicabs companies
were registered in the County of Hawai’i.
ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE
The Mass Transit Agency is guided by the Mass Transit Administrator, who is the
chief administrative officer for public transportation and taxicab regulatory oversight
for the County of Hawai’i as defined in the Hawai’i County Code. The Mass Transit
Administrator is a civil service position appointed by the Mayor. The Mass Transit
Administrator reports to the Mayor by way of the Managing Director. There is a total
of 17 employees (of which one position is vacant) in two divisions and three
branches.
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Transit Maintenance Support (7 employees)
Administrative Support (10 employees)
Transit Services (2 employees)
Fiscal and Human Resources (4 employees)
Operations (2 employees)
Divisions
Branches
The Transportation Commission has nine members who are nominated by the
Mayor and confirmed by the County Council. Of the nine members, four are vacant.
The Transportation Commission met for the first time in two years in June of 2021.
This Commission is charged with providing oversight of taxicab services in Hawai’i
County as well as providing advisory support to the Mass Transit Administrator
regarding transit operations.
BUDGET
The total budget for FY2020-2021 amounted to $16,652,932. Of this amount,
$10,389,805 was appropriated through General Excise Tax, $586,198.64 through
Highway funds, $5,087,131.24 through Federal Transit Administration (FTA) funds
allocated through the Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation, and $589,796.71 in
revenue related bus, paratransit and taxicab fares, and taxicab license fees. The
General Excise Taxes, the Highway Fund, and the General Fund (which uses only
Federal funds and program revenue generated) covered all of the associated
activities for the Mass Transit Agency. Additionally, another $298,367 was allocated
to capital expenses.
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Overall, the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic along with unreliable
operations resulted in further declines in passenger trips made on the Hele-On
transit system. Total passenger trips carried was 324,934.
Fixed Route Bus = 254,890 (decrease of 161,836)
Shared-Ride Taxi = 67,445 (decrease of 23,502)
Paratransit = 2,599 (decrease of 404)
To comply with CDC requirements and public transit best practices, social
distancing continued on Hele-On transit services through March 2021, and assist
buses were added to routes to ensure passengers were not left behind. Hand
sanitizers and wipes are available for the operators and riders. Sanitization
procedures for high contact areas were continued.
Additional FTA grants through HDOT were obtained to support the replacement
of the transit fleet. As a result, four additional paratransit vans were ordered, as
well as two IFBs were released to procure up to eight transit buses ranging
between 30- and 40-foot buses.
City and County of Honolulu donated 10 30-foot 1998 Gillig Phantom buses to
support the implementation of a hub and spoke transit system.
Continued work on the three-hydrogen bus project by US Hybrid and Hawaii
Natural Energy Institute, School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology.
50 complaints were received this fiscal year which were responded within two
weeks.
HIGHLIGHTS
Full transit services were restored by April 2021 as the island re-opened and
passengers started to return back to the transit system. In June 2021, additional
routes were expanded to serve the Kona International Airport on Routes 75 and
90.
SSFM assisted with facilitating public meetings with the public regarding the
Kailua-Kona and Pahoa transit hubs, including identifying potential sites for
consideration by the Mass Transit Agency.
Mock designs for the bus fleet as well as bus stop signs were developed by SSFM.
No new bus shelters and bus stops were installed in FY 2020-2021; however, two
shelters were removed due to accidents.
An interim Mass Transit Administrator was hired in mid-June to implement
activities of the Transit and Multi-Modal Transportation Master Plan and provide
leadership activities while the Mass Transit Administrator was on leave.
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Public Safety; Support hiring, equipment purchases, and capital improvements
for Police, Fire, Civil Defense, and Environmental Management to equally service
each district, to harden critical facilities as needed for resilient response to
emergencies and disasters, to reduce crime, and to quicken response times.
Infrastructure; Prioritize key capital infrastructure projects that promote
affordable housing and economic development consistent with the General Plan.
Waste Management; Minimize waste disposal through innovative conversion of
waste streams to assets, such as composting and reclaimed effluent.
Culture & Recreation; Celebrate our intercultural community with programs and
facilities that promote an active lifestyle, lifelong learning, inter-generational
interaction, and mutually-respectful conflict resolution.
Health & Welfare; Address complex issues that are not considered core County
responsibilities, but fall between the cracks of jurisdiction and have major
impacts on our community such as healthcare, affordable housing,
homelessness, transportation alternatives, and workforce development.
Governance; Balance the budget with optimized revenue source management
and expenditure controls. Develop a strategic communication system to facilitate
public information and feedback. Encourage public involvement through
community planning and commission appointments.
MITCH D. ROTH, Mayor
LEE E. LORD, Managing Director
BOBBY H. COMMAND, Deputy Managing Director
MISSION
Foster a Sustainable Hawaiʻi Island where everyone is able to thrive and succeed.
GOALS
To accomplish the following strategic priorities by working collaboratively and
constantly striving to be better:
Prudent Finances; Budget stringently to deliver services efficiently, plan for long-
term liabilities and contingencies, and optimize revenue generation. Starting a
year after the beginning of the term of the Mayor, mobilize a Cost of Government
Commission to develop recommendations.
Productive Workplace; Foster a work environment where County employees are
trained, managed and appreciated to fulfill their duties to the best of their
abilities.
Strategic Objectives; Collaborate and promote innovation among departments to
accomplish identified priorities.
Economic Initiatives; Partner with the nonprofit and private sectors to diversify
economic and employment opportunities.
Resilient Community; Be knowledgeable, trained, and prepared for all types of
emergencies and disasters.
Inclusive Governance; Encourage civic participation with appointments to boards
and commissions, and an active community planning system that exemplifies
democracy at its best.
Open Communication; Communicate with the public with a two-way system that
informs and is responsive to suggestions, requests, and complaints.
Sustainable Environment; Respect and sustain the natural and cultural heritage
of this County.
PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
The Office of Management provides leadership, direction, and supervision for
departments and agencies of the County of Hawai‘i, ensures that the duties and
responsibilities of the executive branch are faithfully discharged in accordance with
the provisions of the County Charter, and addresses the needs, concerns and
interests of the people of the Island of Hawai‘i.
OBJECTIVES
Presented a balanced budget by the end of FY 2020-21.
The FY 2022-23 budget process has begun. All Departments have submitted to
Finance status quo budgets.
The County has been under an Emergency Proclamation since February 28, 2020,
due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The County has evolved a strategy of testing,
contact tracing, quarantine/isolation, education and prevention, staying healthy,
and protecting the vulnerable.
Convened the first annual County of Hawaii Sustainability Summit which
highlighted how our County can become more self-sustainable, and provided
opportunities for residents to think globally and act locally.
Supported the Vision Zero initiative with a proclamation to reduce traffic fatalities
and increase pedestrian safety.
Pledged to Trillion Trees Organization on behalf of County of Hawaii to facilitate
the planting of 1,000,000 trees from 2021-2030 in Hawai’i.
Initiated start-up of the EnerGov permit tracking system that plays a major role to
manage the building permit process.
Filled 59 vacancies in Boards and Commissions.
Continued to participate in Sister City activities to foster international
perspectives and relationships.
Initiated the next Cost of Government Commission to complete an assessment
and report of recommendations to improve efficiency, reduce duplication, and
seek opportunities to consolidate.
Conducted meetings for the Game Management Commission.
HIGHLIGHTS
MAURICE MESSINA, Director
MICHELLE HIRAISHI, Deputy Director
MISSION
The Department of Parks & Recreation strives to provide an array of services for the
public with excellence, integrity, and Aloha. Service is our game and satisfaction is
our aim. The department provides recreational and cultural programs while
operating and maintaining over 250 facilities, 4,000 acres, and 500 employees
throughout the island. These facilities include beach parks, neighborhood parks,
senior centers, community centers, pools, gyms, ball fields, rodeo arenas,
cemeteries, etc.
BUDGET
The department operated with a budget of $29,453,811 for the 2020-21 fiscal year.
Administration $ 2,315,808
Culture and Education Division $ 281,413
Hawaii County Band $ 271,644
Elderly Activities Division $ 600,422
Coordinated Services $ 2,068,614
Retired Senior Volunteer Program $ 419,873
County Nutrition Program $ 1,974,545
Senior Training and Employment $ 420,174
Hilo Municipal Golf Course $ 1,588,281
Park Maintenance $ 11,352,182
Recreation $ 3,470,503
Ho’olulu Complex $ 977,559
Aquatics $ 2,431,329
Pana’ewa Zoo $ 830,834
Beautification Fund $ 133,630
Bikeway Fund $ 199,000
Cemetery Fund $ 118,000
Completed the electrical service improvements project at Kamehameha Park.
Completed the Ho’olulu outdoor tennis court resurfacing project.
Completed repairs to the Laupāhoehoe swimming pool and filtration system.
Continued to develop policy and rules to safely implement modified programs,
facility use and daily operations while adhering to COVID-19 government
proclamations and CDC guidelines.
Executed employee contracts throughout the year to help reduce the risk and
spread of COVID-19.
HIGHLIGHTS
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Executed 22 Recreation Educator contracts for our Elderly Activities programs
and 42 employee contracts for Summer/Intersession programs.
Assisted the State of Hawai‘i, Department of Health by providing food delivery
services to COVID-19 quarantined families throughout the island.
Assisted the Hawai‘i County Civil Defense Agency by providing facilities and
personnel island wide for COVID-19 testing and vaccination clinics.
Modified Fourth of July celebration partnering with the Department of Public
Works to install a “Tribute to Our Heroes” exhibition at the Hawai‘i County
Building.
He Haliʻa Aloha No Liliuokalani festival was held via two modified blessings held
on September 2, 2020, with Kumu Hula Pua Brown as a tribute to the Queen’s
birthday, and on September 12, 2020, with Kumu Kahoʻokele Crabbe blessing the
festival for future generations.
Assisted Hilo Palace Theater with décor for a virtual musical presentation in
December 2020
Magic of the Season 2020 was held at the Hawai’i County Building in December
with an exhibition of decorated themed Christmas trees.
Assisted Gary Napoleon with the “Tis the Season” holiday drive-thru event at the
Afook Chinen Civic grounds
Annual Waimea Cherry Blossom Heritage Festival was held via Na Leo TV in the
first-ever virtual program.
Boy’s Day Display at the County Building (Koi Fish).
CULTURE AND EDUCATION DIVISION
The Culture and Education Division provides educational and leisure time activities to
share, preserve, perpetuate, and foster the appreciation of our rich multi-cultural
heritage in the arts, history, and the humanities.
Similar to other programs typically provided by the Department of Parks and
Recreation, many of the large-scale events were canceled due to COVID-19. However,
the Culture and Education division used this time to reorganize, revamp, and revise
work areas and classroom instruction areas.
Operational highlights from FY 2020-21 include:
Hawaii County Band
The Hawai’i County Band provided a total of 8 performances during the 2020-21
fiscal year. Many of the annual events in which the Hawai‘i County Band participates
were canceled due to COVID-19. The band was still able to conduct monthly open
rehearsals during the last quarter of the fiscal year with social distancing procedures
in place.
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The Hawai‘i County Band featured Dalilah Martin from Keaau High School, who
performed Leroy Anderson’s “A Trumpeters Lullaby” during the May concert. Dalilah
has been volunteering with the Hawaiʻi County Band since January 2021.
In addition, we featured Logan Tsuji during the April concert. Logan is a former
volunteer with the County Band who is now completing his Masters in trumpet
performance in Chicago. He is also the son of two of the County band’s long-time
employees, Reid and Jenifer Tsuji.
EAD was awarded a 750k Social Senior Transportation to start island-wide
following the end of COVID-19 restrictions.
Successful implementation of the EAD Emergency Meal Plan, distributing multiple
donations around the island from generous donors.
Conducted a drive-thru event of the Akamai Living Fair at the Afook-Chinen
Auditorium
The County’s Hawaiʻi Kupuna Softball League hosted games with 420 players and
21 participating teams with strict COVID-19 protocols in place.
In lieu of the Start the New Year Right event, Councilmember Valerie Poindexter
donated over 125 Bicycle Peddlers for the seniors’ clubs of the Hāmākua district
and a portion of the Hilo district.
CSE staff completed 4,067 referrals for seniors requiring services/benefits such as
supplemental security income, Medicare, Medicaid, tax assistance, food stamps,
and transportation.
CSE staff provided 4,359 chore service hours to qualified seniors.
CSE provided 59 individuals with disabilities under 60 years old with 1,611
transportation services island-wide.
CSE provided 722 seniors with 25,169 transportation services.
During the period of February – April, CSE Hilo staff assisted over 1000 seniors
with transportation and/or scheduling seniors for free Senior Tax Assistance.
AARP discontinued this service due to COVID-19. However, Hilo continues to lead
the state for the 8th year in a row with the number of seniors provided tax
assistance.
West Hawaiʻi County Band
For various reasons relating to COVID-19, the West Hawaiʻi County band was only
able to perform once throughout the year. However, they were able to introduce ten
new musical pieces during this time.
Elderly Activities Division
The mission at Elderly Activities Division (EAD) is to promote maximum
independence, optimum health, personal dignity, and self-enrichment by providing a
variety of opportunities and a comprehensive and coordinated services program for
individuals 55 years and over to enhance their quality of life. EAD Administration
oversees six programs: Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP), Coordinated
Services (CSE), Senior Training and Employment Program (STEP), Hawaii County
Nutrition Program, Elderly Recreation, and Special Programs.
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This year ended with an everlasting effect on the staff, seniors, programs, and the
community due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. EAD is committed to
keeping the seniors of our communities socially engaged and help them live their
best life.
Hilo Municipal Golf Course
As the only public golf course on the island, the Hilo Municipal Golf Course strives to
provide a quality recreational experience for the golfing community with excellence,
integrity, and Aloha. Our maintenance staff provides daily caretaking of the greens,
tee-tops and facilities to deliver a challenging, safe, and well-maintained facility for
the golf community. In the latter part of fiscal year 2019-20, the Golf Course
reopened with COVID-19 restrictions in place. Some of which were allowing groups of
only four instead of six and no shotgun tournaments. Although no tournaments
were schedule at that time, play started to pick up and has been steadily increasing.
This past year we also welcomed the return of golf clubs to the Golf Course. Our staff
continues to be very diligent in ensuring the golf course is as safe as possible for all
of our patrons.
Pana‘ewa Recreation Complex
The Pana‘ewa Recreation Complex is comprised of two facilities: the Pana‘ewa
Rainforest Zoo & Gardens and the Pana‘ewa Equestrian Center. The Panaʻewa
Rainforest Zoo & Gardens is the only zoo in the United States that is situated in a
natural rainforest that promotes recreational and educational activities in a botanical
park setting, specializing in the rainforest and native plant and animal species. The
Equestrian Center maintains, manages, and rents 57 horse stalls and offers equine
facilities for the public to utilize. The restrooms and some stalls were modified to
conform to ADA standards.
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Began use of an audio box in Alala enclosure (by researcher Ann Tanimoto-
Johnson) to record the vocalization of Alalas.
In February 2021, a Troop 19 Eagle Scout project (by Harrison Marote) planted
palms by the Primate exhibit and trees in the zoo parking lot and the equestrian
center.
In March 2021, our parks maintenance in house fence crew re-fenced the tiger
enclosure, saving the County over $1,000,000.
Fencing Crews repaired and replaced fencing of the tiger enclosure at the
Panaʻewa Zoo, Hilo Muni Golf Course base yard, Panaʻewa Park, Honoka’a Rodeo
Arena, Hawaiian Beaches Park and Kamakoa Nui Park in Waikoloa.
Attendance at the zoo and gardens has been minimal for this fiscal year. The facility
has been undergoing ADA compliance renovations and construction from March
2020. The zoo has been closed to the public for safety concerns, ongoing
construction, and COVID-19 restrictions. We plan to reopen the zoo to the public in
July 2020, pending any construction setbacks.
Friends of the Zoo (FOZ) continues to support the zoo through fundraising events
(Annual Plant Sale), donations, and gift shop revenues. FOZ provides financial
support for projects (the Alala exhibit) and supplemental animal care (enrichment,
walks, grooming). On Sunday, December 13, 2020, FOZ sponsored another animal
Christmas. All animals received special treats and “gifts”. Santa’s helpers were
delighted to be giving, and the animals were excited to be receiving presents.
While the facility was closed to the public for most of the year, the staff was able to
accomplish some notable improvements:
The staff at the equestrian center and zoo will continue to work with community
groups to improve the experience at the Panaʻewa Rainforest Zoo and Gardens for
island residents and visitors.
Parks Maintenance
Parks Maintenance Division maintains neighborhood parks, beach parks,
playgrounds, gyms, ball fields, cemeteries in many districts, the East and West Hawaiʻi
Veterans Cemeteries, and recreational facilities dedicated to specific recreation
activities. The Maintenance Division strives to provide regular maintenance of
facilities, repair and renovation projects for buildings, equipment, grounds, and
support landscaping and beautification projects islandwide.
Parks Maintenance has been repairing and upgrading our existing and aging facility
inventory. There are many jobs by our maintenance staff that go unseen by the
community. In addition to daily maintenance and repair of our facilities, we also
accomplished:
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Mechanics fabricated two six-foot by ten-foot trailers for the power mower
operators and fabricated and replaced two flatbeds for departmental vehicles.
The carpenters fabricated new desks for multiple staff members and new
cabinets and countertops at the Honoka’a Pool. Sealed and fixed roofing at
Hakalau base yard and Panaʻewa Gym.
The construction crew assisted carpenters with concrete work at Onekahakaha
Beach Park, Alae Cemetery, and Honokaa Pool. Repaired the sports fields at Hilo
Bayfront Soccer Fields, Shipman Park lower field, Pāhala ballfields, Malama
ballfield, Kurtistown Park, and Hualani field. Installed signposts for park signs at
Kēōkea beach park, Kamehameha Beach Park, Māhukona Beach Park, and Kapaʻa
Park.
Assisted the Pacific Tsunami Museum with the installation of 11 historical
information signs at various parks.
Parks Maintenance continues to maintain seven County cemeteries and three
veterans’ cemeteries on Hawaiʻi Island. Over the last fiscal year, the staff has
prepared for and facilitated 90 burials within the seven County cemeteries and
performed 194 burials throughout the three veterans’ cemeteries.
Recreation Division
The Recreation Division plans, conducts, arranges, and promotes organized
recreation, athletics, crafts, and other leisure time activities for all age groups at
facilities throughout Hawai’i County. They strive to provide a diversified program to
address the needs and interests of their respective communities in a safe
environment.
With the closure of gymnasiums and community centers, our Recreation division
staff took on the responsibility of purchasing groceries as part of a wrap-around
service provided for COVID positive cases and COVID quarantine precaution cases.
Through public-private partnerships, we hosted the first Resilience Learning Hub at
the Kawanakoa Gym in Keaukaha. The department partnered with Councilmember
Ashley Kierkiewicz, Vibrant Hawaii, and the Hawaii Rise Foundation to provide a
learning hub for students ages 5 -14 to assist with virtual school curriculum during
the COVID-19 pandemic. In the spirit of supporting local businesses and restaurants,
this program was also able to provide meals for the attending students and the
surrounding community. The learning hub was expanded in the spring to include
Waiākea ʻUka Gym, Honomū Gym, and Waimea Regional Park locations.
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The Pilikulaiwi spring program was held March 16 – 18, 2021, where we were able to
provide 21 youth with unique opportunities to experience our island. They visited
Māhukona Beach Park, hiked the Kaulana Manu Trail, and worked to breathe new life
to the garden behind the Gilbert Kahele Recreation Area.
ʻIke Kai spring enrichment program was held March 16 – 19, 2021 at the Richardson
Ocean Center in Keaukaha and at Reeds Bay. The mission of the program is to bring
learning to life by using both Western and traditional Hawaiian cultural knowledge.
Its purpose is to focus on the health of the coastal ecosystem through education and
outreach. The program also promotes ocean safety and awareness.
Aquatics Section
The Aquatics Section develops and initiates pool safety operations and programs
utilizing training and education of all staff. They are responsible for the operation of
nine public swimming pools, six 25-yard and three 50-meter pools, which are
dispersed throughout the island.
The COVID-19 pandemic affected every aspect of our pool operations. Through this
fiscal year, we were able to open public lap swimming, eventually bringing back swim
teams and offering swim lessons in the summer of 2021.
While we were still partially closed, the aquatics division was also able to make some
water safety videos for a local show; “Living in Paradise”. The team planned and
coordinated the video segments and worked together to plan safety demonstrations.
Additionally, we hosted the USA Women’s Water Polo Team at the Kona Community
Aquatics Center before the 2021 Olympic Games. They were able to travel as a team
for the first time since the pandemic began and were extremely grateful to be able to
bond and train on the Big Island, as they prepare for the Olympic games, this
summer.
Ho’olulu Complex
The Ho‘olulu Complex maintains, operates and supervises all activities at the
complex to provide the public and sponsors of events with clean and safe facilities.
Ho‘olulu Complex includes Dr. Francis F. C. Wong Stadium, Afook-Chinen Civic
Auditorium, Edith Kanakaʻole Multi-Purpose Stadium, Walter Victor Baseball
Complex, Aunty Sally Kaleohano Lū‘au Hale, Butler Buildings and the Hilo Drag Strip.
Francis Wong Stadium was closed for majority of the year for ADA improvements.
The remainder of the complex was closed due to COVID-19.
However, Edith Kanaka‘ole Multi-Purpose Stadium and Afook Chinen Civic
Auditorium hosted 69 COVID-19 testing clinics, 24 vaccination clinics and 15
community food distributions.
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In this fiscal year, the Planning Department filled nine contract positions to
support Disaster Recovery’s Voluntary Housing Buyout Program.
No applications were received for the Geothermal Relocation program.
No applications were received for the Geothermal Community Benefits Fund.
·Continued collaboration with Real PropertyTax to update County tax maps and
property data, and to assign street names and addresses for properties when
requested by the public.
·Launched a new public GIS portal for public use and accessible via web browser:
https://gis.hawaiicounty.gov/arcgisportal/apps/webappviewer/index.html?
id=5ed073b5e41f4e0fa90f88e36b97a690
ZENDO KERN, Planning Director
JEFFREY DARROW, Deputy Planning Director
DIRECTOR'S MESSAGE
The fiscal Year 2020-2021 was a transitional year with the Department bouncing back
from COVID-19 related challenges, change in the County’s mayoral administration
and new leadership in Planning. A people-first approach was implemented as well
as new priorities issued which included creating efficiencies in workflows, tracking
productivity, shifting towards a paperless environment, and launching the EPIC
system.
BUDGET
The Planning Department concluded FY20-2021 within budget. Specific
demands on spending that were unique were the purchase of BlueBeam
licenses and computers to support the EPIC System launch and integration into
our daily work.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND HIGHLIGHTS
Administrative Services Division
Personnel:
Geothermal Relocation and Community BenefitsProgram:
Tax Mapping and Geographic Information Systems:
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Announced the July 26, 2021 launch of the new online permitting system called
the Electronic Permitting and Information Center (EPIC). Many man-hours and
resources have been invested in testing, updating processes, data conversion,
system configurations, upgrading equipment, coordinating training, etc. to
ensure a successful launch.
The Administrative Permits Division, in conjunction with the West Hawaiʻi
Division, processed applications that require discretionary decisions by the
Planning Director. This includes, but is not limited to, applications for:
Subdivisions and Consolidations, Plan Approvals, Variances, 'Ohana Dwelling
Units, Additional Farm Dwellings, and de Minimis encroachments, Agriculture
Based Commercial Operations.
The Administrative Permits Division continued to review and approve land use
requirements with building permit applications, following initial intake by the
Department of Public Works, which includes applications for locations in West
and East Hawaiʻi.
The Administrative Permits Division, in conjunction with the West Hawaiʻi
Division, handled complaints and subsequent enforcement actions related to the
zoning and subdivision codes. In addition to the regular enforcement
responsibilities of zoning inspectors, they coordinated with other agencies to
verify and assist in the enforcement of State and County COVID-19 emergency
proclamations and rules.
The Administrative Permits Division, in conjunction with the West Hawaiʻi
Division, continues to process applications for STVR and NUCR renewals. These
applications have been integrated into the new EPIC system which will allow the
public to apply online, make payments, and track the status of their applications.
Implemented the pacing out STVR NUC Renewals so that submissions are spread
out evenly throughout the year for better efficiency in processing.
Continued to coordinate activities with the West Hawaiʻi Division, to ensure
consistent interpretation and application of land use requirements and
associated processes.
Provided necessary guidance through the myriad of regulatory frameworks that
govern the use of lands within Hawaiʻi County, which includes advocacy of
broader implications of Federal, State, and local laws and their effect on how
lands are used or developed.
Elevated issues on potential amendments to zoning code and Department rules
that would provide greater clarity to staff and the public in areas that are
confusing.
ADMINISTRATIVE PERMITS DIVISION
Permit Processing:
Coordination of Regulatory Processes and Procedures:
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Coastal Zone Management (CZM): Participated regularly in the Ocean Resources
Management Plan (ORMP) monthly working group and quarterly policy group
meetings. In addition, the staff managed the County's CZM contract and
prepared the semi-annual progress reports.
Hawaiʻi Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Commission: On behalf of the
County, staff attended and participated with the Commission and its
subcommittees as required.
UHH, Pacific Islands Climate Science Center (PICSC) Collaborations: Hawai’i
County continues to collaborate with UHH Pacific Islands Climate Science Center
efforts.
Participated regularly in the South Kohala Coastal Partnership.
Puna Community Development Plan - Puna Roads Connectivity Committee
continued to work on implementing subdivision connectivity. Puna CDP
continued to be an integral part of the 2018 Kīlauea recovery planning efforts and
the Recovery Community Action teams.
Kaʻū Community Development Plan - The Planning Department and Mayor's
Office continued to identify members to launch its first Action Committee.
Hāmākua Community Development Plan –The Action Committee continues to
work on implementation and form new subcommittees.
North Kohala Community Development Plan – The Planning Department and
Mayor’s Office continued to recruit and appoint new members to the Action
Committee. The Public Access Group continues to improve and increase the
mileage of trails in the region.
South Kohala Community Development Plan – The Action Committee continued
to work on implementation. A subcommittee was formed to help address the
improvements needed for the Waikoloa Intersection.
Kona Community Development Plan – The Action Committee continued to work
on implementation. The Kona Open Space Network project secured funding
which will aid its implementation.
Capital Improvement Program (CIP) - Completed the preparation of the annual
CIP and submitted it to Council.
Fair Share Annual Report- Completed and submitted the Fair Share Annual
Report to Council.
Professional Services - Division staff processed and managed the list of providers
for the Department.
LONG-RANGE PLANNING DIVISION
Environmental Planning:
Regional and Community Planning: Community meetings in 2020 were interrupted
by the Covid pandemic.
Administrative Programs:
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Staff participated in various meetings and workshops held by the Hawaiʻi
Department of Transportation regarding the Statewide Transportation Plan, the
State Transportation Action Committee, Climate Change Effects on Infrastructure,
and Virtual Public Involvement.
County of Hawaiʻi Roadway Design Manual was adopted by County Council and
staff continued to collaborate with DPW in adopting Updated Roadway Standards
that incorporates Complete Streets Design Concepts.
The County’s Vision Zero Action Plan was adopted by County Council. Staff
continue to work with the Taskforce to implement the Plan.
Staff managed ongoing training and capacity building utilizing funds from Hawaiʻi
Department of Health Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion
Division.
Staffed and participated in monthly meetings and ongoing projects for the
Mayor's Active Living Council and the Hilo Bayfront Trail Committee, Waimea
Trails and Greenway Committee and Puna Roads Connectivity Group.
Staffed five public hearings for the Board of Appeals and processed 35 appeals
petitions.
Regarding recovery efforts from the 2018 Kīlauea lava eruption, staff continues to
participate in the long-range planning efforts relative to the 2018 Kīlauea
Eruption recovery and resilience.
Transportation Planning:
Other Planning Programs:
Staff continued to manage resources to ensure efficiency and effectiveness in
processing applications and code amendments before the Windward and
Leeward Planning Commissions in a timely manner. 23 Planning Commission
virtual meetings were held this year.
Processed all Special Management Area (SMA) and shoreline permits and
exemptions for Hawaiʻi Island. This responsibility involves the review of all SMA
Assessments which result in either an exemption or an SMA Minor Permit, which
are approved administratively, as well as the continued function of processing
SMA Major Permits before the Windward and Leeward Planning Commissions.
Assisted zoning enforcement on potential SMA violations.
Began update to Planning Commission and Department rules related to changes
in State law.
PLANNING DIVISION
Windward and Leeward Planning Commissions:
Special Management Area/Shoreline Permitting:
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The Cultural Resources Commission continued to provide valuable comments
and recommendations relating to cultural, historical and archaeological
resources for projects on Hawaiʻi Island.
Commissioners attended various workshops relevant to preservation processes,
to enhance their effectiveness in their roles.
The BDHRA met infrequently because the State Legislature has not allocated
funds for the redevelopment of the Banyan Drive area.
Assisted with State Land Use Boundary Amendments, Special Permits, and/or
Order to Show Cause issuances that go before the State Land Use Commission.
The West Hawaiʻi Division, in conjunction with the Administrative Permits
Division, processed applications that originate in West Hawaiʻi which require
discretionary decisions by the Planning Director. This includes applications for:
Plan Approvals, Variances, ʻOhana Dwelling Units, Additional Farm Dwellings, and
de Minimis encroachments.
The West Hawaiʻi Division continued to review and approve land use
requirements with building permit applications, following initial intake by the
Department of Public Works, which includes applications for locations in West
and East Hawaiʻi.
The West Hawaiʻi Division, in conjunction with the Administrative Permits
Division, handled complaints and subsequent enforcement actions related to the
zoning and subdivision codes. In addition to the regular enforcement
responsibilities of zoning inspectors, they coordinated with other agencies to
verify and assist in the enforcement of State and County COVID-19 emergency
proclamations and rules.
The West Hawaiʻi Division, in conjunction with the Administrative Permits
Division, continues to process applications for STVR and NUCR renewals. These
applications have been integrated into the new EPIC system which will allow the
public to apply online, make payments, and track the status of their applications.
Implemented the pacing out STVR NUC Renewals so that submissions are spread
out evenly throughout the year for better efficiency in processing.
Cultural Resources Commission:
Banyan Drive Hawaiʻi Redevelopment Agency (BDHRA):
Land Use Commission:
WEST HAWAIʻI DIVISION
Permit Processing:
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The Commission met semi-monthly and reviewed proposals for new buildings,
expansions, and sign permits and variances within the Kailua Village Special
District. With the COVID-19 pandemic, the KVDC meetings changed from live in-
person meetings to virtual meetings using Zoom, with the public being able to
view the meeting live on YouTube.
Some designs fell short of the mandated Kailua Village Master Plan Design
guidelines. However, most of those non-compliant applicants substantially
revised their building or signage designs to comport with most or all of the KVDC
Commissioner's recommendations.
The Commission continued to work with the Department on future initiatives for
the Commission, including continued discussion on how sign-enforcement can be
more active in the Village and clarifying how sign-variance recommendations are
conveyed to the Public Works Director and County Council. The Planning
Department was successful in carrying out most or all of the Commissioner's
design recommendations for buildings, through the Plan Approval process and
for signs through its recommendations to the Public Works Director.
The Department’s Disaster Recovery Division achieved several milestones in
supporting Puna’s communities recovering from the 2018 Kīlauea eruption in
terms of planning, housing assistance, infrastructure restoration, and building
community resilience. In December 2020, the County released the Kīlauea
Recovery and Resilience Plan as a strategy to guide recovery from the eruption,
disaster resilience, and building community resilience. In the summer and fall of
2020, the Division opened the Kīlauea Recovery Grant Program which awarded
$3.6 million in funds to community organizations to reestablish farms, restore
road access, build homes, support community well-being and help stabilize the
local economy. In spring 2021, the Division launched the Puna Strong grant
program in collaboration with Hawai‘i Community Foundation to invest $350,000
in community-based resilience projects across Puna. In April 2021, the Division
began accepting applications for the first phase of the Voluntary Housing Buyout
Program for primary homes impacted by the 2018 Kīlauea eruption. This
program is made possible by a $107 million grant in Community Development
Block Grant – Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funds from the U.S. Department of
Housing and Urban Development and saw nearly 100% participation among
eligible properties by the end of this first phase.
Kailua Village Design Commission (KVDC):
DISASTER RECOVERY DIVISION
Recovery Program:
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PAUL FERREIRA, Chief
KENNETH BUGADO, Deputy Cheif
CHIEF'S MESSAGE
Like the rest of the nation, Fiscal Year 2020-2021 centered on having to deal with the
COVID-19 pandemic, which presented a myriad of challenges, especially for law
enforcement as first responders. These challenges required our staff to continuously
adapt to the ever-changing restrictions implemented to prevent the spread of the
virus and to accomplish the mission of ensuring public safety in the community.
Once again, through this adversity, the men and women of this department
demonstrated their resilience and commitment to their chosen profession,
exemplifying to the community their professionalism.
One notable accomplishment during the Fiscal Year 2020-2021 was the department’s
implementation of a Body-Worn Camera program for uniform officers, joining the
rest of the police departments throughout the state in deploying this technology. In
July 2020, the department acquired all of the Body-Worn Camera (BWC) equipment
purchased from AXON with funding from the prior fiscal year and began the process
of deploying the BWCs. From July to December 2020, the department focused on the
benchmarks identified in the FY 2020-2021 Program of Work and was able to fully
deploy the BWCs to all uniform operational units, including the officers assigned to
the Traffic Enforcement Units on December 24, 2020. This success was primarily due
to the dedication and commitment of Sergeant Travis Ing, who oversees the
program. This is more noteworthy in that during the implementation process, our
department had significant personnel changes in our Information Technology
Section who were assisting in the process.
The BWC program has proven to be a valuable resource with regards to ensuring
professionalism within our department as video footage has been utilized during
administrative investigations to discredit or support allegations of misconduct.
In June 2021, the department, unfortunately, had two officer-involved shootings that
resulted in the suspects sustaining fatal wounds. In the first incident, South Hilo
Patrol Officers responded to a call of a physical domestic at a residence in Hilo. Upon
arrival, officers while in contact with the occupants of the residence, a male party
then came out of the rear of the residence with a semi-automatic rifle and opened
fire on the officers at the scene. One officer returned fire and struck the suspect
several times, resulting in the fatality.
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In the second incident, South Hilo Patrol Officers responded to a residential break-in
at a residence in Hilo. While checking the interior of the home, officers encountered
an unidentified male suspect hiding in one of the bedrooms armed with two knives.
Immediately upon contact, the unidentified male suspect cut an officer on the arm
with one of the knives. The injured officer and another officer then discharged their
duty weapons fatally wounding the suspect.
In both instances, the BWC footage was reviewed and released to the media within
days of the incident. The video footage captured in these unfortunate incidents
clearly depicted the unexpected dangers officers encounter during routine
encounters and supported the justified actions of the officers involved.
In closing, I sincerely thank all of the men and women of the Hawai`i Police
Department for all their hard work and the sacrifices they make daily in the
performance of their duties. As I’ve stated in the past and will continue to state in the
future, it is only through their dedication and commitment to the citizens of Hawaiʻi
Island that makes the Hawaiʻi Police Department second to none in the state.
ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES BUREAU
The Human Resources Section, in conjunction with the Hawai'i County Department of
Human Resources, conducted various open and internal recruitments for sworn and
civilian vacancies. This resulted in the hiring of 58 Police Officer Recruits, 14 Police
Radio Dispatchers, three Clerk III's, two Custodian/Groundkeeper I, and one
Criminalist I. Internally, there were 23 promotions to Police Sergeant/Detective, four
promotions to Police Captain, two promotions to Assistant Police Chief, two
promotions to Police Major, one promotion to Information Systems Analyst V, one
promotion to Information Systems Analyst IV, and one promotion to Police Records
Analyst. In addition, there were 22 temporary promotions to Police Officer III and
one temporary promotion to Senior Account Clerk.
On March 16, 2021, two female captains were promoted to the position of Major,
based solely on their exceptional merit and abilities. These were historic promotions
in that it’s the first time the Hawaiʻi Police Department has had two female law
enforcement officers holding the upper management rank of Major at the same
time, and 26 years since a woman held the rank of Major within the department.
The Word Processing Center transcribed nearly 17,900 reports, totaling more than
197,700 minutes and 1,417,601 completed lines of dictation.
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92nd Recruit Class, February 18, 2020, to August 15, 2020; Field Training from
August 16, 2020, to December 15, 2020.
93rd Recruit Class, August 17, 2021, to February 15, 2021; Field Training from
February 16, 2021, to June 15, 2021.
94th Recruit Class, June 01, 2021, to December 15, 2021; Field Training from
December 16, 2021, to April 15, 2022.
The Training Section provided 80,399.50 hours of training to existing personnel and
there were a total of three recruit classes in session during this time period:
In November 2020, as required as part of the annual web-based assessment, our
department’s Accreditation Team submitted our annual CALEA Information
Management & Reporting System (CIMRS) report to the CALEA Compliance Service
Manager. From November 27, 2020, to December 5, 2020, the department’s
Accreditation Team successfully completed our first-year web-based assessment that
is required to retain our accredited status, which was renewed on November 16,
2019.
BUDGET
The Police Department operated on a budget of $69,415,374.50 in Fiscal Year 20-21.
TECHNICAL SERVICES
The Records and Identification Section issued 5,878 firearm permits, registered
12,268 firearms, processed requests for 9,966 copies of criminal and accident
reports, fingerprinted 1,299 individuals, and processed 19,225 court documents.
The Body-Worn Camera Section, launched in September 2020, conducted 82 internal
requests for BWC, 55 media/public requests, and 1,035 Prosecutor requests for BWC
footage.
The Computer Center received 2,551 requests via the Helpdesk system and closed
2,493 of these requests.
The Communications/Dispatch Center received 196,123 9-1-1 calls, a 2.43 percent
decrease over the previous fiscal year (201,011), with 20.18 percent of them
transferred to the Hawai‘i Fire Department. All requests for police service are
recorded, logged and assigned by Dispatch personnel using a computer-aided
dispatch system, with six to seven dispatchers on shift at any given time. The
Dispatch Center documented 167,832 calls for service during this fiscal year, a 4.34
percent increase over the previous fiscal year (160,843).
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Radio Shop personnel completed 104 radio installations for Police Department
vehicles and eight radio installations for the Fire Department, in addition to other
assignments. One of the more visible projects the Radio Shop crew has been
involved with is upgrading the emergency warning lights on police vehicles. The new
upgraded blue LED lights to afford higher visibility for the public and better officer
safety.
The Traffic Services Section requested reimbursement of $335,900.86 in federal
grant funds, which the Traffic Services Section oversees for traffic enforcement,
equipment purchases, and training to improve traffic safety.
Other Traffic Services Section highlights include: 44 road closure permits issued, 149
violation letters sent out to motorists, 190 school crossing guard checks conducted,
and 2,862 abandoned vehicle cases were routed to the Department of Environmental
Management. During Fiscal Year 20-21 the Hawaii Police Department conducted 19
Distracted Driving projects, 223 Saturation Patrol projects, 235 Occupant Protection
projects, and 583 Speed Enforcement projects.
FIELD OPERATIONS (PATROL DISTRICTS)
The Field Operations consist of seven Patrol districts: South Hilo, Puna, Hāmākua,
Kona, South Kohala, North Kohala, and Ka‘ū. Island-wide, patrol officers investigated
a total of 31,913 incidents, responded to 3,606 traffic accidents, and received 73,924
miscellaneous public complaints.
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20.95 pounds of crystal methamphetamine
1,193 marijuana plants
145.71 pounds of dried marijuana
3.78 pounds of heroin
7.37 pounds of cocaine
CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS DIVISIONS (INVESTIGATIVE OPERATIONS)
The Criminal Investigation Sections investigated 1,686 major crimes, of which 10
were murder cases, two were attempted murder cases, 361 were burglary cases, 223
were theft cases, and 194 were financial crimes.
The Vice Sections conducted 1,061 drug investigations, resulting in 780 arrests and
430 charges. In addition, Vice officers recovered the following illegal drugs:
The Juvenile Aid Sections investigated 465 cases, including sexual assaults, domestic
violence, other crimes against women, child pornography, and juvenile-related
crimes.
Crime Lab personnel completed 1,131 laboratory requests this past fiscal year,
compared with 795 in Fiscal Year 19-20, assisted in 145 call-outs, and conducted51
in‑service training sessions.
COMMUNITY POLICING UNITS
The Police Department continues to expand and improve its Community Policing
partnerships with community, neighborhood, and business organizations. These
partnerships help the Police Department with preventing crime, reducing the fear of
crime, arresting those who commit crimes, and providing a safe environment
through the use of proactive problem-solving techniques, enhanced community
awareness, and increased community and neighborhood involvement.
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The Community Policing Units have 40 authorized positions island-wide, including a
supervising sergeant in Area II, a lieutenant in Area I, 29 community police officers, 8
school resource officers, and a civilian clerk.
TRAFFIC ENFORCEMENT UNITS (EAST/WEST HAWAI‘I)
The Traffic Enforcement Units (TEU) investigated 17 fatal crashes that resulted in the
death of 17 people. Impairment was a factor in 15 crashes; two fatalities were related
to alcohol alone, nine fatalities were related to drugs alone, and four fatalities were
related to both drugs and alcohol.
TEU officers also conducted 160 saturation patrols and arrested 248 drivers who
were under the influence of intoxicants, conducted 224 seatbelt/distracted driver
checkpoints, and issued 7,486 moving citations of which 3,824 were for speeding,
issued 4,336 regulatory citations, and made 202 other arrests.
SPECIAL RESPONSE TEAM
The Special Response Team provided support for two high-risk warrants and
responded to three armed barricaded situations.
OFFICE OF PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS
The Office of Professional Standards conducted 47 Administrative investigations, and
64 internal inquiries into actions by police department personnel, provided 39 in-
service training sessions to employees, and conducted 5 inspections.
CRIMINAL INTELLIGENCE UNIT
The Criminal Intelligence Unit completed 336 intelligence reports, conducted 335
criminal history checks, provided 144 in-service training sessions, and provided
intelligence information which, in whole or in part, led to the initiation of 146 criminal
investigations.
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To strive for just disposition of criminal cases and promote public safety and
order through timely, efficient, and effective prosecution.
To ensure that victims and witnesses of crimes are treated with respect, courtesy,
and sensitivity in their cooperation with criminal prosecution.\
To improve and restore trust in the criminal justice system by identifying areas of
need and working collaboratively with other criminal justice agencies and the
community.
To encourage and promote crime prevention and early intervention initiatives,
encourage treatment and services, and support reintegration programs to
improve the quality of life on Hawai‘i Island.
Identify, promote and implement new and innovative approaches to solving
crime problems.
KELDEN B.A. WALTJEN, Prosecuting Attorney
STEPHEN L. FRYE, 1st Deputy Prosecuting Attorney
MISSION
The Office of the Prosecuting Attorney pursues justice with integrity and
commitment.
GOALS
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
DESCRIPTION
The Office of the Prosecuting Attorney is charged with the duty to see that the laws
are faithfully executed and enforced within the County of Hawai‘i. Violations of State
and County laws, ordinances, rules, and/or regulations are prosecuted on behalf of
the community.
The deputy prosecuting attorneys prosecute cases in the Family Courts, seven
District Courts, and four divisions of Circuit Courts in Hawai‘i County. This involves all
criminal matters including preliminary hearings, grand jury sessions, arraignment
calendars, motions, hearings, pretrial conferences, and trials. In addition, they handle
all appeals before the Hawai‘i Appellate Courts as well as the Federal Appellate
Courts. Deputy prosecutors screen all criminal referrals made by police and other
law enforcement agencies and are available 24 hours per day, seven days a week for
juvenile detention and felony conferrals.
The Office of the Prosecuting Attorney continues its efforts to attend to the needs of
victims and witnesses as they go through the criminal justice process. The Office of
the Prosecuting Attorney seeks victim’s input and notifies victims of case disposition.
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The Office of the Prosecuting Attorney provides training for staff to maintain and
improve their specialized skills. In addition, the Prosecuting Attorney deputies and
staff provide training for police recruits and refresher training for police officers as
well as to other law enforcement agencies and community organizations.
The staff participate in career fairs and job shadowing and prepare appropriate
educational presentations to students and faculty on the justice system, careers as a
prosecutor, and the risks and consequences of involvement in illegal activity. Our
volunteer program provides opportunities for career exploration and work
experience.
In an effort to reduce crime and promote public safety the Office of the Prosecuting
Attorney is actively involved in several initiatives that address juvenile delinquency
and promote community involvement in identifying and addressing public safety
issues. The Office of the Prosecuting Attorney is actively supporting the Big Island
Juvenile and Adult Drug Court, Veteran’s Court, Environmental Court, and Adult
Mental Health Jail Diversion Program. In addition, we are collaboratively working to
address elder issues, domestic violence, sexual assault, homelessness, efforts to
reduce recidivism, and continue to support the Big Island Juvenile Intake and
Assessment Center. These programs strive to balance the individual service needs of
the individual, the legal requirements of the courts, and the safety needs of the
community. Whenever possible, the Office of the Prosecuting Attorney seeks funding
for specialized units and demonstration projects.
BUDGET
In FY2020-2021, the Office of the Prosecuting Attorney had a total projected
operating budget of $10,869,706, of which 29% ($3,027,971) was comprised of
Federal grants, State grants, and asset forfeitures. The United States Department of
Justice provided funding for the Victims of Crime Act and Violence Against Women
Act projects, Title II Formula Grant funding for the Big Island Juvenile Intake and
Assessment Center, and funds from the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance
Grant Program. Other federal funding was also provided by the United States
Department of Transportation – National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and
the United States Department of Health and Human Services – Substance Abuse and
Mental Health Services Administration. State of Hawai‘i grant funding was provided
for Career Criminal Prosecution, Aid to Victims, Agricultural Crimes, and the Big
Island Juvenile Intake and Assessment Center in West Hawai‘i.
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The Office of the Prosecuting Attorney successfully prosecuted cold cases and
continues to evaluate and review these cases, including homicides, child abuse,
and sexual assault cases.
The Office of the Prosecuting Attorney successfully prosecuted numerous cases
including homicides, sexual assault, drug and firearm possession, domestic
violence both felonies and misdemeanors, and traffic offenses including
operating a vehicle while impaired trials.
The Office of the Prosecuting Attorney created training opportunities for all
deputies. This included basic and advanced trial skills, and specialized training to
handle sexual assault, domestic violence, and other types of cases requiring
specialized knowledge.
The Victim Assistance Unit provided assistance to 7,109 persons, which included
service to 4,954 victims of crime. 3,420 victims were victims of crimes against a
person, i.e. homicide, assault, abuse of family household member, robbery,
etc.1,372 were victims of property crimes, and 162 were victims of other types of
crimes, i.e., harassment, dog bites, trespass. The unit also served 143 secondary
victims, which are parents or guardians of minor victims of sexual assault. We
served 1,492 witnesses of crimes as well.
In our Restorative Justice Program, 102 juvenile cases were screened for victim-
offender conferencing. 38 were approved for possible conferences; 24
conferences were successfully completed. 89 District Court cases were screened
for victim-offender conferencing, 66 were approved for conferences; 28 were
completed.
Three (3) new cases were referred this year for post-conviction victim-offender
dialogues. Two (2) cases were completed, and six (6) are in process.
Two (2) Victim Impact Classes were completed at the Hawai‘i Community
Correctional Center. New protocols were developed due to COVID-19 restrictions,
and classes were conducted via Zoom. Twenty-one (21) inmates took part in
these classes. Eleven (11) victims participated as speakers (via Zoom) at the
Prosecutor’s Office with staff support.
Our Restorative Justice Unit's work with Kūlani Correctional Facility is on hold due
to COVID-19 restrictions.
Through our Victim of Crime Act (VOCA) grant, select Victim Assistance Unit staff
attended comprehensive online training to ensure that victims are provided
services from those trained on the needs of victims.
TRADITIONAL PROSECUTION
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VICTIM SERVICES
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Our Restorative Justice Unit continued to work with the Hawai‘i Community
Correctional Center to provide two victim impact classes. Spring and summer
classes were put on hold because of COVID, however, new protocols were
developed and classes are now held via Zoom.
The Office of the Prosecuting Attorney participated in the formation of the
Hawai‘i Sexual Assault Response and Training Program to address the manner in
which sexual assault evidence collection kits are processed and tracked, and to
ensure that victims of sexual assault are informed of their rights under that law.
Office of the Prosecuting Attorney staff participated in one Domestic Violence
Fatality Review.
The Office of the Prosecuting Attorney was awarded two federal grants with the
overarching goal to improve the system response to combat violent crime and to
further investigate and prosecute sexual assault cases.
The Office of the Prosecuting Attorney continuously uses the browser-based
Discovery billing program that was developed in-house by our MIS team. Through
user feedback, improvements and enhancements are continuously being
developed and implemented. The system assisted staff in handling 11,785
invoices with a total billing value of $74,364 to be deposited into the County
General Fund.
The Office of the Prosecuting Attorney has implemented a new Drug Diversion
Program in the South Hilo District, developed with the goal of prioritizing law
enforcement resources on more serious offenders and cases, reducing the
number of cases entering our court's system, decreasing recidivism, and
encouraging individual community members to address their addiction.
The Office of the Prosecuting Attorney worked collaboratively with Hawai‘i Police
Department and Hawai‘i Community Correctional Center to address the ongoing
challenges relating to the COVID-19 pandemic, by assisting with testing and
remote courts appearances through the procurement of telecommunication
devices.
The Office of the Prosecuting Attorney collaborated with state and county
lawmakers, community stakeholders, and members of the criminal justice system
to develop and support legislative initiatives focused on assisting crime victims,
deterring criminal activity, and making Hawai‘i Island a safer place.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM
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In collaboration with the Family Violence Interagency Committee, the Office of
the Prosecuting Attorney participated in Island-wide online Domestic Violence
Vigils in Hilo, Kona, and Waimea in remembrance of victims of domestic violence,
and to promote non-violence and healthy relationships. On social media there
were 1,117 unduplicated views.
The Restorative Justice Program helped facilitate Brown Bag Lunch Hour
presentations via Zoom for the community with the Ku‘ikahi Mediation Center.
The Prosecuting Attorney and select Deputy Prosecuting Attorneys attended
neighborhood watch and community organization meetings, and supported
community policing efforts such as Coffee with a Cop, to improve the quality of
life on Hawai‘i Island.
The Office of the Prosecuting Attorney participated in monthly meetings to
address and coordinate responses to issues related to mental health,
homelessness, domestic violence, and juvenile justice.
The Crime Prevention and Justice Assistance Unit facilitated monthly Family
Violence Interagency Committee meetings via Zoom for both East and West
Hawai‘i stakeholders.
The Office of the Prosecuting Attorney, in conjunction with Child and Family
Service, provided community programs in Waimea, Kona, and Hilo for National
Victim’s Rights Week.
Online training opportunities (webinars) were shared with community advocates,
prevention providers, and agency partners.
The Office of the Prosecuting Attorney coordinated a Statewide training on
Witness Intimidation via Zoom for law enforcement and community stakeholders.
The Crime Prevention and Justice Assistance Unit facilitated quarterly Substance
Abuse Prevention Interagency meetings via Zoom for both East and West Hawai‘i
stakeholders.
The Office of the Prosecuting Attorney processed Contingency Relief funding via
26 County Resolutions totaling $88,597 for the benefit of crime prevention and
community strengthening projects on Hawai‘i Island.Of these, 22 were FY20
resolutions totaling $80,347 which had been extended to 06/20/2021 due to
effects of COVID-19 or for COVID-related projects, as allowed by Resolution 644
The Office of the Prosecuting Attorney facilitated monthly Big Island Juvenile
Intake and Assessment Center interagency meetings via Zoom for both East and
West Hawai‘i stakeholders.
The Office of the Prosecuting Attorney provided ADAD grant funding for
substance abuse prevention community stakeholders to attend National online
capacity building training on substance abuse prevention and positive youth
development.
The Office of the Prosecuting Attorney provides organizational and fiscal support
to the Committee on the Status of Women.
COMMUNITY STRATEGIES
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Grant funding was received from the Department of Health, Alcohol and Drug
Abuse Division to build the County's capacity to enhance the substance abuse
prevention system with a focus on underage drinking and other drug use by
youth.
Title II funding was received from the Department of Human Services, Office of
Youth Services to continue into the fifth year of the Big Island Juvenile Intake and
Assessment Center, providing immediate intervention for youth and also allowing
police officers to return to public safety duties.
State General Funds received from the Department of Human Services – Office of
Youth Services provided for the Big Island Juvenile Intake and Assessment Center
location in West Hawai‘i.
The Restorative Justice Victim Offender Conferencing program screened 102
juvenile cases. Thirty-eight (38) cases were accepted into the Program. Twenty-
four (24) cases were successfully resolved.
The Hawai‘i Island Services Directory for Families was updated and 1,500 copies
of the “2020 Hawai‘i Island Services Directory for Families” were distributed
The Committee developed cell phone safety cards after it became aware of how
cell phones are being used in abusive relationships. Cards were sent to all
seventy-one (71) schools on Hawai‘i Island to include a letter to each Principal
requesting that these cards be distributed to students.
Coordinated campaign “Gratitude, Grace & Grit” to showcase Hawai‘i County
women and how the pandemic has affected them. Recordings will be shown on
Na Leo Television.
Prepared the Hawai‘i County Status of Women Report which includes wage and
employment data in Hawai‘i County, highlighting the gender pay gap which was
also presented to the County Council.
Members have attended meetings on domestic violence prevention, legislative
development, and others, and have presented to Hawai‘i County Council.
Monthly Committee meetings are held virtually to fulfill the mission of the
Committee on the Status of Women.
JUVENILE JUSTICE
COMMITTEE ON THE STATUS OF WOMEN
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Administration - Supports the entire Department by overseeing budgeting, fiscal
management, procurement and contracting human resources, and all public
communication and outreach.
Automotive - Repairs and maintains a fleet of approximately 1,100 County
vehicles and equipment.
Building – Issues permits and inspects commercial and residential construction,
and constructs, repairs, and maintains over 90 County operated
buildings/facilities.
Engineering - Provides civil engineering, bridge inspections, land surveys, and
regulatory services in accordance with Chapters 10, 22, and 27 of the Hawai‘i
County Code (HCC), and design engineering and construction services for County
drainage and roadway projects.
Highway Maintenance - Maintains drainage systems and more than 954 miles of
public streets and highways.
Traffic - Oversees installation, operation, and maintenance of signs and road
markings, traffic calming devices, street lights, and traffic signals.
STEVEN IKAIKA RODENHURST, P.E., Director
STEPHEN M. PAUSE, P.E., Deputy Director
MISSION
The Department of Public Works will serve the public by building, operating, and
maintaining the County’s infrastructure in order to create a safe, resilient, and
sustainable Hawai‘i Island community.
VISION
The Department of Public Works endeavors to enhance the quality of life while
providing services to the residents and visitors of our island in a transparent,
accountable, and efficient manner to ensure the success and growth of our County.
ORGANIZATION
The Department of Public Works is composed of six (6) divisions:
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All divisions perform essential functions during Civil Defense and other emergencies.
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Recovered $2M from Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) funded
projects for the 2006 Kiholo Earthquake, 2014 Tropical Storm Iselle, and the 2018
Kilauea Volcanic Eruption disasters.
Performed department-wide inventory of all assets, materials, and supplies.
Provided HR, personnel, policy, and procedure guidance and support to all
divisions during the ever-evolving COVID-19 pandemic.
Procured 36 departmental consultant contracts and 49 county-wide construction
contracts.
Created and began implementation of a digital filing system to reduce the need
for additional storage space, and the use of paper and printer ink.
Completed 3,736 (97%) of work orders in-house; only 103 needed to be serviced
by contracted vendors.
Maintained the fuel supply to the County’s vehicle and equipment fleet.
Performed 24,088 inspections.
Design and Engineering Section Projects:
Tenant improvement project for the Keolahou Emergency Shelter and
Assessment Center
Hawai'i County Civil Defense EOC Expansion
Of the 1,162 work order requests received by the Repair and Maintenance
section, 97.5% were completed within 30 calendar days.
General Services staff conducted “Bug Buster” disinfection services of frequently
visited and highly touched areas and surfaces (bus stops, crosswalk buttons,
benches, etc.) throughout the island.
HIGHLIGHTS
Administration
Automotive
Building
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$2.4M Henry Street Rehabilitation Project (STIP)
$19.6M Māmalahoa Highway (Waimea) Widening Project (STIP)
12M Ali‘i Drive Culvert Replacement Project (STIP)
$12M Kīlauea Avenue Rehabilitation Project (STIP)
$18M Kalaniana‘ole Ave Reconstruction Project
$1.7M Temporary Makea Bridge Project
$12.2M Waiānuenue Avenue Rehabilitation Project (STIP)
Engineering
Completed construction of the following projects:
Projects under construction:
Processed 256 regulatory complaints.
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Resurfaced 25.27 miles of various County roads
South Hilo; 5.44 miles
North Hilo/Hāmākua; 2.32 miles
North/South Kohala; 3.67 miles
North/South Kona; 3.59 miles
Puna; 10.25 miles
Various shoulder maintenance projects
Assist various COH Department’s with COVID-19 related projects and conducted
island-wide “Bug Buster” disinfection services of frequently visited and highly
touched areas and surfaces (bus stops, crosswalk buttons, benches, etc.)
throughout the island.
Island-wide roadside maintenance and litter pick-up
Install speed humps
Investigated 110 complaints related to traffic lights, signs, speed hump requests,
markings, or street lights
Traffic Signals & Streetlights
Performed preventative maintenance of 62 County signalized intersections.
Traffic Signs & Markings Section
Performed the inspection and maintenance of over 250 miles of road to address
retro-reflectivity.
Maintained and/or replaced 5,258 traffic signs.
Highway Maintenance
Traffic
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DOUGLASS ADAMS, Director
ROBERT AGRES, Deputy Director
The Department of Research and Development works to imagine, invest in and
collaboratively create a sustainable, equitable, and thriving Hawaiʻi Island. It focuses
on economic development that reflects community values and enables a diverse and
stable economy that offers a high quality of life for our residents through innovations
that balance Hawaiʻi Island’s economic, social, and environmental well-being.
Through its work, the Department informs planning, policy, and programmatic
decision-making with data-driven research and collaborates in the development and
funding of initiatives seeking environmental, community, and economic
sustainability.
In order to create and nurture a County that not only survives but thrives, R&D will
integrate quality of life and community well-being focus into its range of program
areas. This new area of work will target a holistic approach to leading indicators of
community well-being such as community vitality, economy, education, environment
and infrastructure, equity, food and agriculture, health, housing, public safety,
transportation, cost of living, affordability, the well-being of individuals/families, and
demographics. Models for community well-being will be identified and developed to
provide opportunities for the County to partner with the community to implement
and integrate this framework into all sectors.
The Department continues to play a lead role in strategically investing federal
support funds to address the disruptions and impacts emerging from the COVID- 19
pandemic. Funds are being invested in community assistance and Hawaiʻi Island
recovery initiatives that include food assistance, childcare, community and family
resilience, connectivity enhancement, business, and nonprofit grants for economic
assistance, individual grants to prevent housing displacement, and nongovernment
utility assistance.
Through its Innovation Grants Program, R&D invested a total of $468,521 in research,
programs, and projects that advance community well-being and economic
development on Hawaiʻi Island. These investments in innovative community
partnerships will help “move the needle” around objectives in the program areas of
agriculture – 9 awards totaling $151,176, creative industries – 3 awards totaling
$51,100, economic development – 4 awards totaling $43,600, energy – 1 award at
$18,645, sustainable development – 4 awards totaling $85,000, and tourism – 8
awards totaling $119,000.
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AGRICULTURE
R&D's Agriculture and Food Systems Program promotes a diversified sector with a
range of businesses that support local food self-sufficiency and competitive export
markets. It seeks to develop a robust, diversified agricultural sector, including a
range of agriculturally related businesses and agricultural tourism. It also catalyzes
cooperative and innovative approaches to strengthening the local food system from
farm and ranch to the consumer’s plate, which affords living wages for producers
and distributors and broad community access to local foods.
Through the Department’s involvement in the USDA Micro-Grant for Food Security
Program (MGFSP), support was provided to increase the amount of food produced
by individuals. The Program considered 306 grant proposals for Hawai‘i County and
95 of those proposals received awards of up to $5,000.
To support the promotion of local agricultural and value-added products at the local,
national, and international levels, the Program supports organizations such as the
Hawai‘i Tropical Flower Council and Hawai‘i Floriculture & Nursery Association that
target floral and ornamental foliage markets and the Hawai‘i Coffee Association that
markets coffee through social media. Webinars have been actively used to minimize
exposure to COVID-19.
In addition to promoting agricultural products, the Department also works to
improve the quality, productivity, and safety of agricultural producers, systems, and
products through effective and timely research and education. Examples of this
include support for Hawai‘i Island Meat Cooperative’s research project, Innovation in
Small-Scale Wastewater Disposal. This has been a critical project which allows the
mobile harvest unit to increase its throughput. The department has also supported
research and other initiatives that utilize the Korean Natural Farming methodology,
including application in a commercial floral enterprise to reduce costs and increase
plant health and vigor.
R&D also supports the University of Hawaiʻi’s Extension Service of the College of
Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources (CTAHR) to gather input and feedback
from producers and provide special analytical services. This includes support for
mileage and vehicle repair and maintenance costs to allow CTAHR agents to regularly
reach out to producers at their farms to get a first-hand understanding of their
situation and concerns. The service also allowed the lease of a fluorometer from the
Hawai‘i Farm Bureau to assist farmers in determining the presence of Banana
Bunchy Top Virus, facilitate the removal of infected banana mats, and, thereby,
minimizing the spread of the disease.
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Accidental Introductions – Increasing Production of Novel Floriculture Products
for Import and Replacement is a research project to minimize accidental
introductions. This research led to the ban on importing Myrtaceae family
products such as eucalyptus to avoid future introductions of pathogens that may
increase the risk of infecting the ‘Ōhi‘a. Cultivation research also paved the way
for commercial production of Eucalyptus, Pansy, and cymbidium cultivars which
are important to the ornamental industry.
Little Fire Ants – Little Fire Ants have continued to be a concern for agricultural
producers. R&D has been supporting the Hawai‘i Ant Lab’s work with individual
farms to develop farm-specific control plans and educational programs to inform
producers about control measures.
Gorse – The County’s Agriculture Specialist is a member of the legislatively
mandated Gorse Task Force that is charged with preparing a report on control
measures, short and long-term, to reduce/eradicate Gorse on Department of
Hawaiian Home Lands on Mauna Kea.
Coqui & Coffee Berry Borer – The department has been working with the Hawai‘i
Department of Agriculture to fund a Coqui control program in North Kohala and
extend the existing Coffee Berry Borer Reimbursement program.
Another area of support to agriculture was helping to address invasive species in
partnership with University of Hawai‘i. Examples of this include:
The Program also works to affect the integration of food system networks into local
agricultural networks, production systems, and value chains. This effort, led by the
County’s Food Access Coordinator, includes continuing facilitation and coordination
support for the Hawaiʻi Island Food Alliance and the Hawaiʻi Island Agriculture
Partnership that has overseen the completion of the Hawaiʻi Island Food System
Study. The findings of the study will support a feasibility study for an agriculture
innovation center, a comprehensive Food System Action Plan, and an Emergency
Food Plan. Hawaiʻi Island Food Alliance partners also conducted planning for the 4th
Annual Community Food Summit which took place July 28th – August 1st.
R&D partnered with the Institutional Purchasing Hui on a statewide effort aimed at
increasing local food purchasing. It also sat on the statewide advisory committee for
the Transforming Hawaiʻi’s Food Systems Together project that developed a
Statewide Food System Map and is conducting food and agricultural policy research
and a network and vulnerability assessment.
R&D support was provided to the Center for Getting Things Started and the Hawaiʻi
Island School Garden Network to put on a series of local food promotion and
consumption virtual workshops for teachers and community members. All five
workshops were completed and additional funding was secured to continue the
series. Continued support to facilitate collaboration between network partners was
provided resulting in the development of materials and online events and cross-
promotion of work to increase the quality of offerings and community participation.
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Responsible Tourism to promote the preservation of natural and cultural
resources and high quality of life for residents.
Pono Based Visitor Communication that reinforces Hawaiian culture as the
foundation of our unique sense of place and informs communication to visitors
about how to care for our ʻāina and culture.
Place Based Education for Residents that supports community-driven and
institutional initiatives that are grounded in place-based efforts to train and
educate our local workforce.
Infrastructure that provides social benefits to both residents and visitors and
improves the quality of life for our island communities.
TOURISM
The Tourism Program encourages initiatives that are compatible with historic and
natural resources and are not intrusive to our island communities. It is guided by the
Hawai‘i Island Tourism Strategic Plan 2020-2025 (TSP) which carries forward the idea
that successful tourism starts with a high quality of life for residents defined by Ola
ka ‘Āina, Ola ke Kānaka (Healthy Land, Healthy People) and sets it as the vision for
the future of Hawai‘i Island. The TSP’s data and community-driven goals include:
In 2020, over 90 community, visitor industry, and government stakeholders
participated in a total of 27 cohort meetings to develop action plans, build multi-
sector partnerships, and identify implementation roles for each of the four TSP goals.
This effort was followed by a partnership with the Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority to
develop the Hawaiʻi Island Destination Management Action Plan (DMAP) Initiative.
The DMAP built upon the TSP development and implementation process with the
goal of rebuilding, redefining, and resetting the direction of tourism over a three-year
period. More than 300 people from the community-at-large, visitor and various other
industries, and government officials participated in the outreach and engagement
phase. The DMAP promotes the concept of regenerative tourism – going beyond the
concept of sustainable tourism by having the hospitality industry aim to not just do
less harm but to heal the harm already done.
R&D works with community partners to support the visitor industry by sustaining
consistent visitor arrivals and expenditures through a range of strategies. One of
these strategies is a partnership with the Island of Hawaiʻi Visitors Bureau (IHVB) to
support and maintain direct air service to the island, coordinate a Conventions,
Meetings, and Incentives marketing initiatives, and conduct Kamaʻaina Visitor
Campaigns and Targeted International and Niche Marketing.
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an AgTourism webinar conducted in partnership with HTA and the Hawaiʻi
AgTourism Association that was attended by more than 100 participants;
5 sessions of one-on-one technical assistance for contractors on how to re-define
and re-organize their programs and build relationships with the government in
the COVID-19 situation;
5 sessions of one-on-one technical assistance on grant opportunities for
contractors whose funds were cut by HTA;
10 sessions of facilitated meetings with community groups to develop action
plans for interpretive programs at culturally and historically significant sites; and
7 sessions of facilitated meetings with community groups, visitor industry
stakeholders, and government officials to develop cross-sector partnerships to
support the implementation of wahi pana stewardship programs in Kahalu‘u,
Keaukaha, and Waipi‘o Valley, including the incorporation of the KIPA Indigenous
Alignment Certification program.
Another strategy is the support provided through the annual Hawai‘i Tourism
Authority (HTA) Community Enrichment (CEP), Aloha ‘Āina (conservation), and Kūkulu
Ola (cultural) Programs and the R&D’s Innovation Grant Program to festivals, events,
and projects that build community, conserve natural resources, strengthen cultural
identity and practices, promote economic development, and improve the visitor
arrival and departure experiences. Funding support was provided to 23 programs
through the HTA’s grant programs and to 7 programs through R&D’s Innovation
Grant.
The Program also provides capacity building services which included:
The Program supported the design and facilitation of a virtual tour and discussion of
community-based projects at Kahalu‘u Bay and Maku‘u Farmers’ Market for the
National Coalition for Asian Pacific American Community Development’s annual
conference. The session engaged 130 representatives from nonprofit organizations
nationwide in the exploration of responsible and regenerative tourism principles and
how Hawaiʻi Island communities use pono practices to bring those principles to life.
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BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
The Business Resources and Industry Development Program promotes island-grown
businesses of all sectors by supporting industry and entrepreneurial capacity-
building efforts. It provides information, support, and connection to services for
both existing and startup businesses.
The Program supported the development of small businesses in key economic
sectors through capacity building, workforce training initiatives, and the engagement
of youth in the fields of science technology, engineering, and math. Collaborations
included the HiPlan Entrepreneurial Development Program and the Hawaiʻi Science
and Technology Museum’s CubeSat Program.
R&D also assisted businesses through outreach and technical assistance regarding
the State’s Enterprise Zone (EZ) and Opportunity Zones (OZ) Programs. Six new
companies were accepted into the Enterprise Zone Program for a total of 66
businesses qualifying for state and county tax incentives. Re-designation of the North
Kohala EZ was also secured for an additional 20 years.
An Opportunity Zone collaborative was developed to employ public, private, and
philanthropic partnerships to attract and steward equitable community-aligned
private investments to local businesses and advance economic and business
development efforts. This new federal program provides incentives for investors to
re-invest unrealized capital gains into Opportunity Funds in exchange for temporary
income tax deferral and other benefits. The Opportunity Funds will then be used to
provide investment capital in low-income communities designated as Opportunity
Zones. A (Re)development Feasibility Assessment was completed which identified
potential development opportunities, investment interests and funding, and
financing mechanisms for Opportunity Zone areas in Hilo, Kailua-Kona, and four
villages.
Household economic self-sufficiency and mobility was advanced through a range of
activities including support for Hawaiʻi County Economic Development Council’s
programs to assist disadvantaged and underserved persons. Funding assistance was
provided to Hawaiian Community Assets to stand up the Hawaiʻi County Zero Interest
Emergency Loan Program as an early first step to address economic impacts on
families and small businesses due to COVID-19. A Keiki-Backpack Program was also
funded to offer backpacks, food, and masks to children from vulnerable families.
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HECO’s General Rate Increase and Revised Rate Schedules & Rules. The County of
Hawai‘i’s testimony was cited in the PUC’s decision to reject HECO’s $1.7 million
dollar requested increase in operation and maintenance funding. This action is
estimated to result in cost savings of $8.74 savings per resident and $20.19 per
HECO customer per year on a permanent basis.
Performance-Based Regulation. This effort focuses on stabilizing customer bills,
incentivizing long-term utility cost containment, accelerating deployment of
utility-scale renewable generation, and lowering market barriers to distributed
energy resource adoption.
Integrated Grid Planning. Over the past year, the County and ASU have
participated in a series of Integrated Grid Planning (IGP) related workshops and
update calls to monitor this docket to ensure the County and rate payers’
interests are represented.
ENERGY
R&D's Energy Program champions dependable, resilient, efficient, lower cost, and
renewable energy systems. It advances and supports renewable energy
projects/generation, energy efficiency improvements, and transformation of mobility
to be delivered with zero emissions innovations. The Program’s four main areas of
focus include regulatory and legislative programs, renewable energy initiatives,
economic development projects, and energy emergency preparedness.
In the area of regulatory and legislative initiatives, work continues in partnership with
Arizona State University (ASU) to address energy-related dockets before the Hawaiʻi
Public Utilities Commission (PUC) relating to:
To identify and implement energy efficiency projects to reduce County expenses, the
Energy Program supported the utilization of energy efficiency rebates and third-party
providers to gain savings on energy costs through renewable energy
implementation. As the analysis of the savings advances, Hawai‘i Energy’s
contributions will be elevated to finalize the Strategic Energy Management Roadmap
for the County. Additionally, efforts included ensuring the County’s procurement
processes take into consideration the lifetime energy costs in future purchases, with
the next steps pending review with the State Attorney General.
The development of a self-sustainable renewable energy base emergency fuel source
included the ongoing evaluation of wind, photovoltaic, in-line hydro, anaerobic
digestion, pyrolysis, and conventional gasification. The most promising fuels for
production being considered are hydrogen and methane. The expected outcome
would be a blend of the various technologies in which production facilities are
located across the island.
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Finally, in terms of emergency energy preparedness, collaborative discussions with
the Planning Department’s Recovery Division have included renewable energy, load
management, energy efficiency, and on-site PV+ Stored Energy (PVSE). An optimal
PVSE system would account for the additional load generated by the vehicle fueling
and charging infrastructure utilized by both public and government agency vehicles.
The PVSE electricity could also be dispatched by HECO for grid stability and power
outages. This would provide grid support that results in a more resilient electrical
network.
RESOURCE CENTER
The Resource Center maintains and disseminates data, information, and knowledge
to County departments, other agencies, businesses, and the general public in
support and promotion of balanced development on Hawai‘i Island. Technical
support and funding are offered to advance and enhance businesses, communities,
and the environment.
A component of the Center’s knowledge management system is continued support
for the Hawai‘i County Data Portal, developed by the University of Hawai‘i Economic
Research Organization. The portal contains 206 indicators related to economic
development, agriculture, construction, energy, tourism, and population. Data has
been viewable in table and trendline graphs, and downloadable in PNG and JPEG
images, SVG Vector images, CSV and PDF. Immediate data analysis has been
available through the portal’s “analyzer” feature.
The Resource Center is also responsible for the design, content creation, and
maintenance of R&D’s web pages. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the
federal CARES Act and other stimulus programs, R&D launched five web pages
containing up-to-date information on COVID-19 related subjects relevant to the
business community. Subjects included: grant and loan opportunities, reopening
guidance, data and economic impacts, industry best practices, Gold Star Businesses,
tourism reopening, and information related to the County’s CARES Act funding
programs. During the period January 1, 2021, to June 30, 2021 R&D’s web pages
received 49,184 unique views. A significant amount of the views were devoted to
COVID-19 travel rules, reopening guidance, and CARES Act funding.
In regards to generating strategic funding and financing opportunities for the County
of Hawaiʻi, the Resource Center submitted two grant proposals to the U.S.
Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration’s (EDA) Disaster
Supplemental Funding on behalf of the Department of Environmental Management
(DEM) and the Planning Department. EDA approved a $2.5 million award to
implement the Puna Wastewater Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement
project.
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The EDA is also finalizing its environmental and legal review for an approved $19
million award to support the North Kona Sewage Pump Station and Forcemain
project. Both projects would improve Hawaiʻi County’s infrastructure and protect
coastal and groundwater. It has the potential of attracting $61.6 million in private
investment and adding 1,172 jobs to the economy.
To support interagency initiatives to promote sustainable development and achieve
climate change mitigation and adaptation goals, the first draft of the Hawai‘i County
Climate Action Plan was released for public review in May 2020. Based on comments
received on the first draft of the Climate Action Plan, R&D has been revisiting the
outreach process to ensure the plan is centered on inequity with a more robust
community engagement strategy. The Department has partnered with the Planning
Department to integrate information, resources, and technical support from the
International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI) Integrated Climate
Action Planning Cohort on re-envisioning the process to produce a plan that is
reflective of and driven by communities of Hawai‘i Island.
In addition, R&D has collaborated with Hawai‘i Green Growth to launch a Hawai‘i
County Aloha+ Challenge that encourages households to engage in actions that
reduce greenhouse gas emissions contributing to climate change. It also partnered
with the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo Data Visualization class to initiate an interactive
dashboard to visualize data from multiple program areas to 1) engage the public
with County-level information and identify larger effects and opportunities of efforts
we were advancing, and 2) provide an entry point for deeper discussion, education,
and innovation within and across program areas.
CREATIVE INDUSTRIES & FILM
The Hawaiʻi Island Film Office seeks to sustainably grow media production and
creative industries on Hawai‘i Island by promoting the island locally, nationally, and
internationally as a premier location, supporting incoming and locally generated
productions, and engaging the local creative community to advance the industry. It
acts as a liaison between government agencies, production companies, and the
Hawai‘i Island community while providing assistance to productions free of charge.
The Program supports local and incoming film and other creative economy projects
by advising on licensing, locations, crew identification, and other project-specific
factors and by publishing related guides and directories, in collaboration with
permitting agencies and the DBEDT Creative Industries Office.
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In FY 2020-2021, 89 inquiries were handled that required either permit, permitting
information, or support for industry professionals and productions. A total of 120
permits were issued for filming in County parks. In addition, discussions were held
with four filmmakers to support and secure their interest in filming on the island.
Information and resources were also provided to 2 studio developers to assist with
the completion of due diligence for the build-out of a new full-service film studio in
Kona. Connections were facilitated with various industry stakeholders/industry
experts on the island to efficiently get this project up and running.
The program supports the development of local creative industries by advocating for
tax incentives; workforce development, incubators, and accelerators; and by
supporting local events. 53 programs and events were promoted and supported
including the Hawai‘i Film and Entertainment Board, Film Offices of the Hawaiian
Islands, Creative Labs Hawai‘i, the Aloha Theater, the Palace Theater, and the Kahilu
Theater, Aerial Arts Hawaiʻi, and Hawaiʻi Doc Club. Support included extensive social
media and online advertising, grant funding, and virtual attendance/participation at
events and meetings. Workforce development for the film sector included
production assistants, acting, and film and television production workshops.
Outreach as to careers in the film sector was shared with business organizations,
university students, and with participants in the annual HawaiiCon.
IMMIGRATION
R&D’s Immigration Information Office provides information and assistance on
immigration-related issues and concerns to the constituents of Hawaiʻi County,
disseminates immigration forms, acts as a resource office, and serves as a liaison to
the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS formerly INS). It
provides direct and coordinated supportive services to address individual and family
immigration matters. The Office provides mini-info sessions to assist constituents
with completing various immigration forms and reviews naturalization and green
card applications on a daily basis.
The Office also assists citizens of the Philippines, Mexico, Marshall Islands, Federated
States of Micronesia, and the Republic of Palau by serving as liaison with Consulates
on O‘ahu and the U.S Mainland regarding issues related to passport renewal, I-9
issues, birth certificates, obtaining documents, travel documents, and other matters.
Discussions were also initiated with the consulate offices of Honduras, El Salvador,
Thailand, and Vietnam to explore collaborative efforts to conduct outreach events for
citizens of these countries.
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Provided assistance with online applications for the Federal Paycheck Protection
Program to help immigrant farmers secure economic relief for adverse impacts
to their businesses from the pandemic.
Helped organize a 2020 County of Hawaiʻi COFA (Compact of Free Association)
COVID-19 Task Force to serve as a bridge between members of COFA
communities, government agencies, and non-profit organizations by effectively
communicating pertinent information on COVID-19 regulations, services, and
resources in a culturally appropriate and sensitive manner.
Partnered with the Ali’i Health Center in Kona to provide COVID-19 educational
materials to Pacific Islanders and translated COVID-19 information into Kosraean.
Assisted the Mayor’s Office, Civil Defense, and Hawai‘i Department of Health by
providing resources, outreach, and engagement of immigrant communities in
accessing COVID-19 testing.
Partnered with the Ka'ū Rural Health Community Association, Bay Clinic, and
Senator Kanuha’s Office to organize a COVID-19 vaccination event where more
than 150 individuals age 75 and older received COVID -19 shots.
Translated Emergency Broadband Benefit (EBB) Program information to
Kosraean for Hawaiʻi Department of Health to help struggling households secure
funds to pay for internet service during the pandemic.
The Office works to expand partnerships to provide effective support for immigrants.
Examples of this include providing information on immigration and related issues to
Department of Motor Vehicles and Social Security Office to better serve immigrant
clients. Provided public benefit information available to immigrants to health service
providers and government agencies on Hawai‘i Island. It also collaborated with the
Ka'ū Rural Health Community Association, Big Island Kokua Service Program, and
West Hawai‘i Community Health Center to organize Affordable Care Act Enrollment
for Pacific Islander events.
In response to challenges resulting from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, the
Office mobilized the following efforts to address challenges faced by immigrants:
COMMUNITY WELL BEING
The newly established Community Well-Being Program is responsible for leading and
ensuring the design, strategy, and implementation support of innovative programs
to improve the health and well-being of Hawaiʻi Island residents and communities. It
identifies innovative models of holistic and integrated systems to create
opportunities to advance a well-being economy that nurtures our relationship with
ʻāina; addresses economic inequality; and supports individual and community health
resilience.
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In response to COVID-19, R&D sought and secured a $3 million award from the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services under its Community Program to
improve Minority Health. The award will provide funding support for the County’s
partnership with Community First and the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo to address
COVID-19 health disparities among Pacific Islander, Native Hawaiian, Filipino, and
Hispanic populations, ensuring geographically-inclusive distribution of services.
The 2-year project will develop a Disparity Impact Statement, including COVID-19
public health recommendations for testing, contact tracing, vaccination, and other
mitigation efforts. It will develop and implement a Health Literacy Plan that guides
new and/or revised policies for improving and sustaining adherence to COVID-19 and
other public health recommendations using evidence-based and culturally
appropriate health literacy strategies. The project will inform efforts to address the
broader issue of chronic disease disparities and increase telehealth literacy among
underserved ethnic and rural communities.
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KEITH OKAMOTO, Cheif Engineer
KAWIKA UYEHARA, Deputy
With a customer base of approximately 45,000 water service accounts island-wide,
the DWS has a staff of 161 employees (as of June 30, 2021) operating from several
locations around the island. In addition to the main office at the Waiākea Office Plaza
on Kekūanaō‘a Street and the Operations Center on Leilani Street in Hilo, the
Department maintains district offices and base yards in Waimea, Kona, and Ka‘ū. The
Department is organized into four major divisions: Administration, Finance,
Engineering, and Operations.
BUDGET
Operating budgets for the fiscal years ending June 30, 2021, and 2020 totaled $55.3
million and $55.6 million, respectively. Water consumption during this period
increased from 8.8 billion gallons to 8.9 billion gallons, while the number of services
over this period decreased from 45,000 to 44,784 island-wide.
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Wai‘aha Water System Improvements – Transmission: The construction of this
project was completed and improves the transmission capacity in the Wai‘aha
area, allowing DWS to increase the use of the Wai‘aha water sources and have
additional transmission capacity for future wells including one which is currently
in the planning and design stage. This project will help improve the level of
service in the North Kona water system. Cost: $3,500,000.
Wai‘aha Well 2 Development – Phase 1: This project, currently entering the
construction phase, is expected to add another high-level, low chloride source to
the Wai‘aha area. This project will increase source reliability in the North Kona
water system. Estimated construction cost: $3,000,000.
North Kona Mid Level Deepwell Development – Phase 1: This project is the
exploratory phase for a potential mid-level (roughly 800’ elevation) well. If
successful, the well is anticipated to provide numerous benefits including lower
pumping costs, smaller and more reliable equipment to pump the same amount
of water as the high-level wells, and easier maintenance and repairs to the pump
and motor. This exploratory well project is currently in the final design stage.
Estimated construction cost: $1,500,000.
Source Water Assessment – North Kona: The Department continued
monitoring the high-level sources' water levels to evaluate any noticeable
connection between the high-level aquifer and the basal aquifer. The drilling of a
monitoring well within an existing tank site will begin upon approval of a
Conservation District Use Permit.
Kahalu‘u Shaft Inclined Lift Replacement: Construction of this project is
completed and maintenance and repairs to the existing pumps and motors at the
bottom of the shaft are ongoing. Cost: $1,600,000.
Hala‘ula Well Development – Phase 2: The construction of this project is
ongoing and includes the outfitting of a production well, construction of a new
reservoir, control building, and existing water line replacement. Construction is
anticipated to be completed in the Spring of 2022. Cost: $13,000,000.
ENGINEERING DIVISION
The following capital improvement projects were under construction, in various
stages of contract award, or in the planning and design phase, during the fiscal year:
North Kona
North Kohala
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Waikoloa Reservoir No. 1 Repairs: The project has been redesigned due to
unforeseen circumstances. The project is currently being considered for a Hazard
Mitigation Grant which includes the repair and improvement of Waikoloa
Reservoir No. 1 to the State’s current Dam Safety standards. The estimated
construction cost is $10,000,000.
Puakō Waterline Replacement: This project includes the replacement of 13,000
linear feet of the waterline that is subject to a corrosive environment near sea
level. The project is in the final design phase and is anticipated to be advertised
for bids in late 2021. The estimated construction cost is $3,000,000.
Lālāmilo 10 MG Reservoir: This project proposes to add a 10-million gallon (MG)
storage reservoir to a system that pumps approximately 5.5 million gallons per
day. It will increase storage capacity from 2.3 MG to 12.3 MG, allowing the
Department to take better advantage of alternate energy when available. The
project is currently in the design stage, and the estimated construction cost is
$15,000,000.
Pāpa‘ikou Transite and G.I. Pipeline Replacement - Phases 1 and 2: This
project is currently under construction which will replace approximately 15,000
linear feet of undersized, asbestos cement (transite) and galvanized waterlines
and services approximately 240 customers.Estimated construction cost:
$7,500,000.
Kalaniana‘ole Avenue Reconstruction – This project is under construction and
is a partnership between the State Department of Transportation and the
Department of Water Supply as well as the County of Hawaii. Approximately one
(1) mile of 12-inch diameter water line has been installed and provides increased
fire protection to the surrounding area. Cost (HDWS/HDOT): $3,400,000.
Hawaiian Ocean View Well No. 2 – Planning and Design: Planning for this
project is ongoing. Fieldwork for a groundwater study in State land was
conducted which includes additional information for options to provide
additional water to the area. The feasibility of these options is currently being
evaluated. Estimated cost: $725,000.
South Kohala
South Hilo
Ka‘ū
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Deepwell pump production was close to the previous fiscal year’s production,
while the power costs decreased by 5.8%. Well production volumes by fiscal year
were (in billion gallons):
FY 2021 = 10.3
FY 2020 = 10.7
FY 2019 = 10.8
FY 2018 = 11.1
Energy use decreased by .05 %
FY 2021 = 53,572,511 kwh
FY 2020 = 53,857,733 kilowatt-hours (kwh)
FY 2019 = 53,614,225 kwh
FY 2018 = 52,160,059 kwh
The Power Cost Charges to the water service customers were increased from
$1.96/1,000 gallons of water to $2.00/1,000 gallons on October 1, 2019, and were
decreased to $1.90/1000 gallons on February 1, 2020, and decreased to $1.85 on
June 1, 2021.
The overall fiscal year power costs decreased by 5.8%
FY 2021 = $15,970,638
FY 2020 = $16,964,796
FY 2019 = $17,860,819
FY 2018 = $16,281,479
Continuous upgrading and development of Unaccounted Water Program (Leak
Detection) as well as Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system.
Continued water meter change-out program for meters 30 years and older.
Continued repairs as recommended from Department of Health sanitary surveys.
Continuous research and implementation of energy-efficient projects.
SCADA Conversion: Pi‘ihonua #3 Wells; Hokulia Reservoirs #1, #2 & #3; Wai‘aha
Deepwell.
Repaired the following Deepwells and Booster Pumps: Keahuolu #1 Deepwell A;
Kahalu‘u C Deepwell Emergency; Honoka‘a Boosters A & B; Aloha Kona Booster A;
Parker #1 Deepwell; Ke‘ei C Deepwell and Boosters A & B; Waimea Deepwell;
Parker #3 Deepwell Emergency; Pana‘ewa Wells B & C; Hāwī #2 Booster B;
Lālāmilo A Deepwell; Kula‘imano Well A; Keahuolu #1 Deepwell A Emergency;
Hāwī #1 Well Emergency; Honalo Booster A; Kahalu‘u B Deepwell.
Install telemetering system: Nā‘ālehu Well and Ka‘auhuhu #2 Reservoir.
Continued review, evaluation, and implementation of contingency plans.
Continued performance evaluations and modifications of the surface water
OPERATIONS DIVISION
Water System Operations Results:
Featured Operations Division Projects:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
membrane treatment plant in Waimea.
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District 1 – Judy Howard, 12/31/24; Pu‘u‘eo, Wainaku, Kaiwiki, Pauka‘a,
Pāpaʻikou, Onomea, Pepe‘ekeo, Honomū, Wailea, Hakalau, Nīnole, Papa‘aloa,
Laupāhoehoe, Waipunalei, O’ōkala, Paʻauilo, Pa‘auhau, Honoka‘a, Kukuihaele,
Waipi‘o, Āhualoa, Portion of Kamuela, Pleasant Acres, Nani Waimea, Kamuela
Highlands, Kamuela Lakeland, Kamuela Meadows, Kamuela Havens
District 2 – Julie Hugo, 12/31/23; Downtown Hilo, Bayfront, Wailoa, Portion of
Waiākea Houselots, University Heights, Komohana Gardens, Portion of Waiākea-
Uka, Lanakila, Mohouli, Āinako, Kaūmana, Pi‘ihonua, Wailuku, Waiānuenue
District 3 – David De Luz, Jr., 12/31/22; Banyan Drive, Keaukaha, Hilo Industrial
Area, the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo, Puainako Houselots, Kawailani Houselots,
Haihai Subdivision, Portion of Waiākea Homesteads, Waiākea-Uka, Pana‘ewa,
Macadamia Nut Farms, 8-1/2 mile Camp, Kūlani, Kea‘au Shopping Area, Kea‘au
High School
District 4 – Eric Scicchitano, 12/31/2; Hawaiian Paradise Park, Hawaiian
Beaches, Makai of Pāhoa Town, Nānāwale Estates, Leilani Estates, Pohoiki,
Kapoho
District 5 – Steven A. Hirakami, 12/31/23; W.H. Shipman Industrial Park, 9-1/2
mile Camp, Kea‘au Ag Lots, Kurtistown, Mt. View, Glenwood, Orchidland Estates,
Ainaloa, Hawaiian Acres, Fern Acres, Eden Roc, Fern Forest Estates, Mauka of
Pāhoa Town, Kaohe Homesteads, Kamali‘i Homesteads, Kalapana, Opihikau,
Kehena, Kaimū
District 6 – Kenneth Sugai, 12/31/22; Volcano Village, Hawaiian Orchid Island
Estates, Pāhala, Punalu‘u, Nā‘ālehu, South Point, Ocean View, Miloli‘i, Ho‘okena,
Hōnaunau, Ke‘ei, Nāpō‘opo‘o, Captain Cook, Portion of Kealakekua, Keōpuka
Heights, Kona Hospital, Keōpuka Kai.
WATER BOARD
The Water Board consists of nine members who are appointed by the Mayor and
confirmed by the County Council. Members serve five-year staggered terms and are
representative of the nine political districts of the island. The Water Board elects its
Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson at the end of each calendar year. In accordance
with the County Charter, the charge of the Water Board is to manage, control, and
operate the waterworks of the County.
The Water Board meets regularly on the fourth Tuesday of each month, when it
conducts the business affairs of the Department. In addition to these meetings, the
Water Board conducts a public hearing annually on the Department’s operating and
capital improvement projects budgets.The Water Board may also conduct public
hearings periodically on the Department’s water rates and Rules and Regulations. All
minutes and agendas pertaining to the Water Board meetings are available at
www.hawaiidws.org.
William Boswell, Jr. and Eric Scicchitano serve as Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson,
respectively. The following is a list of the current members and term expiration:
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District 7 – Michael Bell, 12/31/2025; Portion of Kealakekua, Kona Scenic
Subdivision, Kainaliu, Honalo, Keauhou, Kahalu‘u, Hōlualoa, Kona Hillcrest,
Pualani Estates, Sunset View, Kuakini Heights, Kona Vistas, Ali‘i Heights, Kona
Industrial, Lono Kona
District 8 – William Boswell, Jr., 12/31/21; Kailua View Estates, Malulani
Gardens, Hualālai Farms, Keōpū Mauka, Kailua Heights, Kealakehe, Honokōhau,
Kaloko, Kohanaiki, Kalaoa, Keāhole, Mākālei, Makalawena, Pu‘uanahulu, Waikōloa
Beach Resort
District 9 – Benjamin Ney, 12/31/24; Mauna Lani Resort, Waikōloa Village,
Puakō, Waiki‘i, Portion of Kamuela, Pu‘ukapu Farms, Pu‘ukapu Homesteads,
Pu‘ukapu Village House Lots, Lualia, Pu‘u‘ōpelu, Lālāmilo, Wai‘aka, Kawaihae,
Kohala Ranch, Māhukona, Hāwī, Kapa‘au, Hala‘ula
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