HomeMy WebLinkAbout2023-02-27 Puna CDP Meeting PacketMitchell D. Roth Mayor Zenda Kern Director
Lee E. Lord
Managing Director Jeffrey W. Darrow Dep11ty Director
West Hawai'i Office 74-5044 Ane Keohokalole Hwy
Kailua-Kona, Hawai'i 96740Phone(808)323-4770Fax (808) 327-3563 County of Hawai'i PLANNING DEPARTMENT
East Hawai'i Office 101 Pauahi Street, Suite 3 Hilo, Hawai'i 96720 Phone (808) 961-8288 Fax (808) 961-8742
NOTICE OF PUBLIC MEETING
PUNA COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PLAN ACTION COMMITTEE
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN of the following matters to be considered by the Puna Action
Committee in accordance with the provisions of Section 92-7, Hawai'i Revised Statutes.
DATE: Monday, February 27, 2023
TIME: 2:00 P.M.
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PLACE: This meeting will be held by Interactive Conference Technology (ICT) through
Zoom. The public may provide verbal testimony at the meeting by joining
on line or calling into the Zoom meeting. Members of the public may also
attend via Zoom, watch the live stream on the Planning Department's YouTube
channel, or attend the in-person on site location listed below.
To register for verbal testimony please contact staff at cdp@hawaiicounty.gov
or {808)961-8188.
Zoom registration link: https://www.zoomgov.com/j/1604735066
To view the live stream on YouTube, click the following link:
https://www.youtube.com/CountyofHawaiiPlanningDepartment
If internet connection is lost, the public meeting will be automatically recessed
to restore communication. If lost connection exceeds 30 minutes, the meeting
will be terminated.
In-Person site location:
Hawai'i County Planning Department Conference Room
101 Pauahi St #3,
Hilo, HI 96720
CALL TO ORDER
ROLL CALL
ANNOUNCEMENTS
AGENDA
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APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES: The Action Committee will consider the draft minutes for the
Puna Action Committee Meeting on May 5, 2022.
PUBLIC COMMENT ON AGENDA ITEMS: Written testimony may be submitted via email at
cdp@hawa1icounty.gov or in person at the Hilo or Kona Planning Department, up to two (2)
business days prior (Thursday, February 23, 2023) to the meeting (see the Notice Section below).
In addition, members of the public may provide oral testimony at the meeting on any of the
agenda items. To register for access to the Zoom meeting please email cdp@hawaiicounty.gov
or click the link above. Comments may be made either during the public comment portion of the
agenda or just prior to the relevant business item. With discretion of the Chair of the CDP Action
Committee, comments may be limited to three (3) minutes in length per agenda item.
BUSINESS:
1.Pahoa Transit Hub and Library Presentation. The County of Hawai'i Planning
Department and Mass Transit Agency are initiating the planning phase of a Transit Hub
in the Pahoa region, to include coordination with the Hawai'i State Public Library System
on the location of a new State Library in the area. Action Committee members and the
community will have the opportunity to ask questions and provide feedback on this
project.
2.Action Committee Recruitment Strategy: Action Committee members will discuss their
strategy to recruit new members for the Puna Action Committee.
3.Puna Action Committee Meeting Schedule Discussion: The Action Committee will
discuss and create a meeting schedule for the remainder of 2023.
AGENDA FOR NEXT MEETING: Action Committee members will discuss logistics (meeting
date/time) and potential agenda items for the next meeting.
ADJOURNMENT
This agenda and all related documents are available in the Planning Department's Puna
Community Development Plan Action Committee folder via the County of Hawai'i Public
Documents Repository: https://records.hawaiicounty.gov/Weblink/1/fol/13985/Rowl.aspx.
These documents may also be requested from the Planning Department by calling (808) 961-
8288 or emailing cdp@hawaiicounty.gov.
NOTICE: The purpose of the public hearings is to afford all interested persons a reasonable
opportunity to be heard on the above items. A person desiring to submit oral or written
testimony shall indicate their name and whether the testimony is on their behalf or as a
representative of an organization or individual. Written testimony can be submitted via email
or hard copy. Hard copies should include an original and nine copies and be submitted no later
than 4:30pm two days prior to the hearing date.
Anyone who requires an auxiliary aid or service, other reasonable modification, or language
interpretation to access this meeting please contact the Planning Department at (808) 961-
8288 as soon as possible, but no later than five working days prior to the meeting date, to
arrange for accommodations. "Other reasonable modification" refers to communication
methods or devices for people with disabilities who are mentally and/or physically challenged.
www.planning.hawaiicounty.gov Hawai 'i County is an Equal Opportunity Pro1•ider and Employer planningm'hawaiicounty.go1·
Page3
If you are a lobbyist, you must register with the Hawai'i County Clerk within five days of
becoming a lobbyist. (Article 15, Section 2-91.3(b), Hawai'i County Code). A lobbyist means,
"any individual engaged for pay or other consideration who spends more than five hours in any
month or $275 in any six-month period for the purpose of attempting to influence legislative or
administrative action by communicating or urging others to communicate with public officials."
(Article 15, Section 2-91.3(a)(G), Hawai'i County Code). Registration forms and expenditure
report documents are available at the Office of the County Clerk-Council, 25 Aupuni Street,
Hilo, Hawai'i 96720.
PUNA CDP ACTION COMMITTEE
Mitchell D. Roth
Mayor
Lee E. Lord
Managing Director
Zendo Kern
Director
Jeffrey W. Darrow
Deputy Director
County of Hawai‘i
PLANNING DEPARTMENT
PUNA COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PLAN ACTION COMMITTEE
Aupuni Center • 101 Pauahi Street, Suite 3 • Hilo, Hawai‘i 96720
Phone (808) 961-8288 • Fax (808) 961-8742
Hawai‘i County is an Equal Opportunity Provider and Employer Page 1
Thursday, May 5, 2022 1
DRAFT Meeting Minutes 2
CALL TO ORDER 3
Chair Brewer called the Puna Community Development Plan (PCDP) Action Committee (AC) to 4
order at 5:06 P.M. Due to restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic, this meeting was held 5
via the Zoom interactive video platform with one on-site location for community members at the 6
Pāhoa County Council Office. 7
ROLL CALL 8
AC Members Present: Franny Brewer (Chair), Susie Osborne (Vice-Chair), Leilani DeMello, Leila 9
Kealoha, Kanoe Wilson 10
AC Members Absent-Excused: none 11
County Staff: Planners –Keiko Mercado, Heather Bartlett, Elyse Stevens; Kīlauea Recovery and 12
Redevelopment Manager Garrett Smith 13
County Officials: Councilmember Matt Kanealiʻi-Kleinfelder 14
State Official: Representative Greggor Ilagan 15
Four (4) members of the public attended the meeting via Zoom and one (1) member of the 16
public attended in person. The meeting was also available for synchronous viewing via the COH 17
Planning Department YouTube Livestream. The livestream is available at Puna CDP AC Meeting - 18
May 5 - YouTube 19
ANNOUNCEMENTS: Update from State Representative Greggor Ilagan 20
May 5th marked the close of the 2022 Legislative Session and State Representative Ilagan 21
provided the Action Committee with session updates relative to the Puna community. 22
• An alternate route for Puna: a district-wide project that included 1.5 million for a site 23
selection study for the best location for an alternate route. This will include a monetary 24
match from the County of Hawai'i, resulting in a joint effort between the County and 25
State. 26
www.planning.hawaiicounty.gov/ CDP@hawaiicounty.gov Page 2
• Widening a section of Highway 130: a State-wide initiative, with a 35 million budget. He 27
stated he would follow up with the State Department of Transportation (DOT) with a 28
focus on which portion of Highway 130 will be widened. 29
• Funding for albizia abatement along the Highway. 30
• Four (4) Capital Improvement Projects (CIP) were also discussed for Pāhoa High School 31
girl's gym locker room, Pāhoa Elementary and High-School covered walkway, upgrades to 32
Science Facility, and Keonepoko playground upgrades. 33
• 1.2 million for Emergency Medical Services islandwide, with a focus on facilitating an 34
ambulance for Puna. 35
• Grants-in-Aid funding was earmarked for: 36
o the Pāhoa Museum - $400,000, 37
o Project Vision - $600,000, 38
o Makuʻu Community Center - $220,000, 39
o the Aloha ʻIlio Rescue - $50,000, 40
• Collaboration with the County of Hawai'i Prosecutorʻs Office to pass a bill related to the 41
high volume of auto theft by increasing the penalty from a Class C Felony to a Class B 42
Felony. 43
Action Committee Member Kealoha asked about funding for the Pohoiki Boat Ramp. 44
Representative Ilagan stated that the bill requesting 1.5 million in additional funds for the Boat 45
Ramp did not pass the House reading but would be addressed at the next legislative session. 46
Garrett Smith shared that the Recovery Team had an internal meeting with the Department of 47
Parks and Recreation and DLNR that week which discussed the Pohoki Boat Ramp. Discussion 48
centered around the EA process and the dredging to get the Boat Ramp functional. He stated 49
that public sentiment centered around a safe swimming area and a boat washing area. 50
Vice-Chair Osborne asked whether the albizia mitigation funding received by the State 51
Department of Transportation (DOT) could provide training and education for eradication. Chair 52
Brewer asked how DOT prioritizes funding for albizia treatment and whether educational training 53
for eradication was a possibility, as the ramification of poor eradication allows for continuous re-54
growth. Representative Ilagan agreed to follow up and get back to the Action Committee. Vice-55
Chair Osborne reiterated the need for albizia treatment and education asking for continued 56
County and State support. She mentioned a free virtual albizia mitigation education session on 57
June 30th and a hands-on training on August 20th. Staff will send additional information to the 58
Puna CDP AC mailing list. 59
Vice-Chair Osborne shared that Kua O Ka Lā PCS Pre-k school in Nanāwale had applied for Grant-60
in-Aid funding though their NPO Hoʻoulu Lāhui and asked if it had been granted. Representative 61
Ilagan agreed to follow up on this. 62
Community Member Stephanie Bath discussed the need for roadway redundancy for emergency 63
preparedness from upper to lower Puna. She asked for this connectivity issue to be highlighted 64
at the State level. Representative Ilagan shared that a resolution requesting the Hawai'i 65
Emergency Management Agency to develop a preliminary draft evacuation plan for lava zones 1, 66
2, 3, 4, and 6 passed in both the House and Senate. He also shared there is an upcoming 67
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Legislative session to discuss utilizing State money to assist subdivisions with private roads that 68
are open to the public. He reiterated that an alternate route in Puna would assist with road 69
redundancy, decrease traffic flow, and provide more access. 70
Representative Ilagan expressed interest in collaborating more intentionally with the Puna CDP 71
Action Committee and requested priority projects from the Puna Action Committee, specifically 72
within Punaʻs town centers, before the start of the next legislation session. 73
Action Committee Member Wilson asked if the Puna Action Committee could meet with 74
Representative Ilagan prior to the next Legislative session to galvanize and strategize for more 75
community support when Legislative measures are moving forward. Representative Ilagan 76
agreed, noting the value and benefit of collaboration with the Puna Action Committee and 77
suggested the AC prioritize three projects for him to advocate for. 78
Ms. Mercado suggested the Puna Action Committee Chair and Vice-Chair could establish an 79
investigatory subcommittee with up to four members that could work directly with 80
Representative Ilagan. They discussed the idea of having the Puna AC Chair and Vice-Chair meet 81
with him in the meantime. 82
APPROVAL OF MINUTES: 83
Committee Member Kealoha made a motion to approve the March 3, 2022 meeting minutes. 84
Motion seconded by Vice-Chair Osborne. Motion passed with 5 votes aye, 0 votes nay. 85
PUBLIC COMMENT ON AGENDA ITEMS: Three (3) members of the public and one (1) County 86
Councilmember provided testimony: 87
Community Member Stephanie Bath, representing herself, testified on Agenda Item 1. She 88
expressed her concerns about emergency preparedness sharing that infrastructure redundancy 89
should continue to be a top priority. She stated that there continue to be concerns within the 90
community about the implementation of proposed connectivity locations, noting that securing 91
funding to acquire the connectivity locations identified by the community is the first step. She 92
encouraged the AC to continue to push and stay on top of this issue. She reiterated the need for 93
health and safety redundancy from upper to lower Puna with the need for State and County 94
support. 95
Community Member Jon Olson, representing himself, testified on Agenda Item 1. He discussed 96
the need for action regarding infrastructure to the Pohoiki Boat Ramp and described the 97
significant amount of debris that is consistently washing out into the bay. He also emphasized 98
the immediate need for an alternative route for Puna with hurricane season quickly approaching. 99
He expressed that these issues were urgent over 10 years ago and that, with a quickly growing 100
population in Puna, we need to address the problem as if “our hair was on fire.” 101
Councilmember Matt Kanealiʻi-Kleinfelder testified on Agenda Item 1. He said that with an 102
increase in population and heavy road use in Puna, implementing an alternative route in Puna is 103
imperative. He expressed that we are not prepared for continued growth or potential 104
emergencies and that there needs to be a solution in which the County, State, and Federal 105
government work together. He also discussed directing growth in Puna to the primary areas 106
such as Keaʻau, followed by secondary areas. He continued to express how connectivity to 107
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Stainback Highway is a long-term goal that could be achieved by connecting North Kulani Road 108
and Stainback to Saddle Road. This would alleviate traffic and create space for workforce and 109
affordable housing in those areas. 110
Garrett Smith, representing himself, testified on Agenda Item 1. Mr. Smith commented on the 111
road connectivity in Puna, specifically that the County and State do not spend funds on private 112
roads. He commented that community members would benefit if the County or State could 113
allocate funds for private infrastructure. He also discussed how FEMA funds were allocated for 114
water, roads, and park improvements from the lava eruption. He stated that community 115
members have been pushing for water improvements, and suggested we identify problems 116
through the use of infrastructure standards. 117
BUSINESS: 118
1. Infrastructure Priority Discussion: 119
Ms. Mercado explained how Planning Director Kern has requested that Action Committee 120
members and the community provide a list of needed infrastructure projects in their area. 121
She stated that a lot has changed since the establishment of the Puna CDP making it 122
necessary to look at needs beyond what is written in the plan. Ms. Mercado explained that 123
Director Kern wants to be prepared for the federal infrastructure bill conversation. She 124
explained that Planning Staff will summarize and provide the summary to the Director. She 125
hoped that by being open to suggestions for State projects we could encourage cohesion 126
between the State and the County. Planning Staff provided an infrastructure handout with 127
information from the Puna CDP implementation table. 128
Chair Brewer voiced improvements for Stainback Highway and Kulani Road. She expressed 129
that there needs to be more connectivity between subdivisions and furthered that existing 130
subdivisions with no access should be prioritized. 131
Ms. Mercado mentioned the report from the Ad Hoc Committee on Puna Connectivity 132
(Communication number 2016-25), sharing that much of the work is there and that funding 133
was the major barrier. 134
You may find the Ad Hoc Committee on Puna Connectivity report (Communication Number 2016-25) in our 135
public folders here: https://records.hawaiicounty.gov/Weblink/1/doc/82167/Page1.aspx 136
Action Committee Member DeMello agreed that the Action Committee could help to 137
facilitate conversations to access funding for these projects. She stated that there is a need 138
to assist communities with connectivity access for both upper and lower Puna. 139
Action Committee Member Kealoha stated that more than 20,000 people have moved into 140
Puna since the pandemic started. She discussed the need to review or amend the CDP, 141
control traffic congestion, and direct development toward town centers 142
Councilmember Kanealiʻi-Kleinfelder discussed the direct health and safety issues along the 143
Panaewa stretch. He mentioned the need to implement acceleration and deceleration lanes 144
on the sides of Highway 11. He hoped that the State could expand Stainback Highway by also 145
adding an acceleration lane as well. He shared that future projects could include a new fire 146
station and police station in Keaʻau that could tie into the town center with mass transit. He 147
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reiterated that there is a 1.6 billion budget surplus at the State level. General expenditures 148
revenue is high and the fuel tax and highway fund amassed a surplus of more than 20 million. 149
Ms. Mercado gave the Puna Action Committee and community members two weeks from 150
the meeting date to send any additional infrastructure priorities so staff could compile the 151
feedback to relay to the Planning Director. 152
2. Building in Puna Brochure: 153
Due to the increase in residency over the years and the Kīlauea eruption in 2019, the Action 154
Committee proposed revisiting the 2018 Building in Puna Brochure. 155
Chair Brewer shared feedback she had heard suggesting the Building in Puna Brochure be 156
made digital, easily accessible and mobile-friendly for broader public use. She suggested an 157
additional need to include information about safe catchment tank use, County mulch 158
sources, native plant landscaping, rat-lung worm, and little fire ant management in the 159
brochure as well. She also expressed how different building needs are in Volcano due to the 160
different climate and landscape. 161
Vice-Chair Osborne and Action Committee Member Kealoha agreed with the need for a 162
Permitted Interaction Group (investigatory sub-committee) to revise the Building in Puna 163
Brochure before bringing it back to the Action Committee for further discussion. 164
Committee Member DeMello shared manaʻo from Volcano community members who were 165
concerned about pin-to-pin clearing and maintaining pono practices to protect Hawaiʻiʻs 166
delicate ecosystems. She stated that the Action Committee needed to be assertive with 167
language; maintain kūpaʻa and protect our land and natural resources. She reiterated the 168
need to share this information to those moving to the State. 169
Councilmember Kanealiʻi-Kleinfelder stated that pin-to-pin clearing is a huge issue. He 170
shared about the Real Property Tax Conservation Allowance that provides a property tax 171
break for those with two acres or more who preserve native forest on their property. He 172
also shared about the Puna flood study that was completed, but not implemented and how 173
that information would provide the public with surface water inundation risk for their 174
properties. 175
Committee Member Wilson agreed with creating an Permitted Interaction Group. She 176
stressed including the ideas and language of aloha ʻāina and mālama ʻāina. 177
Chair Brewer moved to establish a Permitted Interaction Group that would re-evaluate and 178
update the Building in Puna Brochure for the full Action Committee to review and approve. 179
Vice-Chair Osborne seconded the motion. It was decided that Chair Brewer; Action Committee 180
Members Kealoha, DeMello and Wilson would serve on the Permitted Interaction Group. On 181
this motion a roll-call vote was taken, the motion passed unanimously. Councilmember 182
Kanealiʻi-Kleinfelder also expressed interest in participating in the group. 183
3. Synergies Between Implementation of the Puna CDP and the Kīlauea Recovery and Resilience 184
Plan (KRRP): 185
With consensus from the committee, Chair Brewer took agenda items 3 and 4 out of order. 186
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Staff shared a spreadsheet with the goals and action items that were identified at the 187
previous meeting. Action Committee members used the spreadsheet to explore mutual 188
interests and discuss possible implementation actions. The goal was to provide updates and 189
identify projects the Resilience Capacity Area (RCA) groups are currently working on and how 190
that work is connected to their roles as AC members. 191
Chair Brewer praised the idea of bringing Puna AC items into the Puna RCA work. Committee 192
Member Kealoha suggested converting the implementation table into a working document 193
for AC members to work on. Ms. Mercado agreed that Planning Staff would include the 194
Implementation Table working document in a follow-up email. 195
Information on the Kīlauea Eruption Recovery Planning Process available here: 196
https://recovery.hawaiicounty.gov/planning-56 197
Information about the Resilience Capacity Area Teams available here: 198
https://recovery.hawaiicounty.gov/revitalize-puna/resilience-capacity-areas. 199
Presentation slides available here: 200
https://records.hawaiicounty.gov/Weblink/1/edoc/115524/Communication%20No.%202022-08%20-201
Puna%20AC.RCA%20Synergies.pdf 202
4. Update on the budget: Staff shared the FY2022-23 CIP (Capital Improvement Project) Budget 203
spreadsheet that outlined capital project appropriations submitted to the County Council 204
relating to the Puna District. Ms. Mercado offered to provide Financial Impact Statement 205
(FIS) sheets with more information on specific projects as requested. 206
Vice-Chair Osborne asked about the status of the Pāhoa Master Plan and if a vendor had 207
been selected. Mr. Smith confirmed that the panel was currently reviewing applications. He 208
stated that the target was to have a firm identified, get the contract signed, and have the 209
work initiated within the next couple of months. 210
Ms. Mercado stated that County Council would be having their budget meetings on May 17-211
19 and that Planning Staff would send the information and links to the budget meetings to 212
AC members. She also reminded Puna AC members that they could provide testimony as 213
individual community members, but not on behalf of the AC. 214
Committee Member Kealoha questioned the appropriation for mass transit in relation to the 215
estimated cost. Ms. Mercado discussed the free mass transit system and offered to connect 216
the AC Members with the Planning Department’s Transportation Planner and with Mass 217
Transit Administrator, John Andoh. 218
Chair Brewer reshared Councilmember Kanealiʻi-Kleinfelder’s comments in the Zoom chat, 219
stating that there was time until the last Council reading of the budget to add or amend CIP 220
projects. Ms. Mercado added that Action Committee members interested in adding or 221
amending CIP projects should work directly with their councilmembers. 222
The handout listing Capital Improvement Projects related to the Puna area (Communication Number 2022-10) 223
may be viewed in our public meeting folder here: 224
https://records.hawaiicounty.gov/Weblink/1/edoc/115834/Communication%20No.%202022-225
10%20March%20CIP%20FY2022-23.pdf 226
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PROPOSED AGENDA ITEMS FOR NEXT MEETING: 227
1. Puna Brochure - relay information from investigatory subcommittee 228
2. Representative Ilagan to provide budget follow up and priority discussion 229
3. FEMA update on submitted proposals for Kīlauea Recovery 230
4. HDOT roundabouts/albizia update 231
ADJOURNMENT: Committee Member Kealoha moved to adjourn. Seconded by Committee 232
Member DeMello. The motion passes with 5 votes aye, 0 votes nay. 233
The meeting was adjourned at 7:15 P.M. 234
These meeting minutes and all related documents are available in the Planning Department’s 235
Puna Community Development Plan Action Committee folder via the County of Hawaiʻi Public 236
Documents Repository. These documents may also be requested from the Planning Department 237
by calling (808) 961-8288 or emailing cdp@hawaiicounty.gov. 238