HomeMy WebLinkAbout2023-05-10 HCDP Meeting PacketMitchell D. Roth Mayor Lee E. Lord Managing Director
West Hawai'i Office
74-5044 Ane Keohok111ole Hwy
Kailua-Kona, Hawai'i 96740
Phone(808)323-4770
Fax (808) 327-3563
County of Hawai'i
PLANNING DEPARTMENT
NOTICE OF PUBLIC MEETING Zendo Kem Director Jeffrey W. Darrow Deputy Director
East Hawai'i Office
IO I Pauahi Street, Suite 3
Hilo, Hawai'i 96720
Phone(808)961-8288
Fax (808) 961-8742
HAMAKUA COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PLAN ACTION COMMITTEE
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::3: ::r:,-NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN of the following matters to be considered by the Hamakua Action -<
Committee (AC) in accordance with the provisions of Section 92-7, Hawai'i Revised Statutes.�
DATE:
TIME:
Wednesday, May 10, 2023
5:00 P.M. '° LOCATION: This meeting will be held by Interactive Conference Technology (ICT)
CALL TO ORDER
ROLL CALL
www.plannin g.hawaiicounty.gov
through Zoom. The public may provide verbal testimony at the meeting
by attending in-person or calling into the Zoom meeting. Members of the
public may attend via Zoom or attend the in-person on-site location listed
below.
To register for verbal testimony please contact staff at
cdp@hawaiicounty.gov or (808) 961-8288.
Zoom registration link:
https://www.zoom gov.com/meeting/register/vJltf-iqpzouGMKKlJlxPmSjh
VgDN7F9Hk
If internet connection is lost, the public meeting will be automatically
recessed to restore communication. If the lost connection exceeds 30
minutes, the meeting will be terminated.
In-person site location:
Laupahoehoe Public Library
35-2065 Old Mamalahoa Hwy
Laupahoehoe, Hawai'i 96764
AGENDA
Hawai 'i County is an Equal Opportunity Provider and Employer planning@hawaiicounty.gov
Page 2
ANNOUNCEMENTS
•The Affordable Housing Production Administrative Rules have been finalized and are
now available for public access. The rules and more information on the tentative
schedule and fund availability can be found on the Hawai'i County Office of Housing &
Community Development's website here:
www.hawaiicounty.gov/ahp
•The Planning Department is currently seeking applicants for the Hamakua Action
Committee. They are requesting assistance getting the word out to find interested
community members. The application can be found on the Mayor's office website here:
https://www.hawaiicounty.gov/our-county/boards-commissions-application
•The Action Committee is seeking a volunteer Secretary to take meeting notes and
collaborate with the Planning Department accordingly. Any interested parties should
email cdp@hawaiicounty.gov.
PUBLIC COMMENT ON AGENDA ITEMS: The Public may provide oral testimony at the meeting
by joining on line or calling into the Zoom meeting. Please register to testify by contacting
cdp@hawaiicounty.gov. 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.
Written testimony may be submitted via email at cdp@hawaiicounty.gov or in person at the
Hilo or Kona Planning Department, up to two (2) business days prior (Monday, May 8, 2023) to
the meeting (see the Notice Section below).
APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES: The Action Committee will consider the draft minutes for the
Hamakua Action Committee Meetings on March 21, 2023, and April 12, 2023.
BUSINESS:
1.Permanent Affordable Living (PAL) Presentation: Representative, Mary Blyth, will share
information about the Kaua'i-based non-profit affordable housing developer and their
possible expansion to Pepe'ekeo.
2.Public Access, Open Space, & Natural Resources (PONC) Presentation: Blake
McNaughton will share his efforts and experience with the PONC applications for
Pepe'ekeo.
3.Honoka'a Business Association Presentation: Information will be shared on an
application submitted to the Department of Public Works for a public restroom on
Mamane Street in Honoka'a.
4.The Hamakua Heritage Center's Agriculture Festival is to be held in October 2024,
commemorating the 30th anniversary of Hamakua Sugar's final harvest.
5.Permitted Interaction Groups Updates to AC: Designated permitted interaction groups
will report back and provide updates to the AC regarding their progress.
o Waipi'o Wahi Pana
o Lehua Street Infrastructure
o Housing
www.planning.hawaiicounty.gov Hawai 'i County is an Equal Opportunity Provider and Employer planning@:hawaiicounty. go1•
Page 3
6.Action Committee Meeting Format: AC discussion on the format of future meetings
such as if they should be all in-person, hybrid zoom/in-person, or another alternative.
COMMUNICATIONS:
•Communication No. 2023-10 Permanently Affordable Living (PAL) Presentation
AGENDA FOR NEXT MEETING: Action Committee members will discuss potential agenda items
for the next meeting.
ADJOURNMENT
This agenda and all related documents are available in the Planning Department's Hamakua
Community Development Plan Action Committee folder via the County of Hawai'i Public
Documents Repository: https://records.hawaiicounty.gov/Weblink/1/fol/109367 /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.
If you need an auxiliary aid/service or other accommodation due to a disability, contact the
Planning Department at (808) 961-8288 as soon as possible, and no later than five (5) working
days prior to the meeting date. Requests made as early as possible have a greater likelihood of
being fulfilled. Upon request, this notice may be made available in alternate/accessible formats.
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
anymonth or $275 in any six-month period for the purpose of attempting to influence
legislative oradministrative action by communicating or urging others to communicate with
public officials." {Article 15, Section 2-91.3(a)(6), Hawai'i County Code} Registration forms
and expenditure report documents are available at the Office of the County Clerk, Hawai'i
County Building, 25 Aupuni Street, Room 1402, Hilo, Hawai'i 96720.
HAM.A.KUA CDP ACTION COMMITTEE
www.planning.hawaiicounly.gov Hawai 'i County is an Equal Opportunity Provider and Employer planning@' hawaiicounty.�01·
Mitchell D. Roth
Mayor
Lee E. Lord
Managing Director
Zendo Kern
Director
Jeffrey W. Darrow
Deputy Director
County of Hawai‘i
PLANNING DEPARTMENT
HAMAKUA 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
Tuesday, March 21, 2023 1
DRAFT Meeting Minutes 2
CALL TO ORDER 3
Chair Tawn Keeney called the Hamakua Community Development Plan (HCDP) Action 4
Committee (AC) to order at 5:00 P.M. Quorum was not established at this time. At 6:17 P.M., 5
quorum was established with the arrival of a fifth member. This meeting was held online via 6
Zoom, and in-person at the Honokaʻa People’s Theatre. 7
ROLL CALL 8
AC Members Present: Tawn Keeney, Nicolette (Niki) Hubbard, Brad Kurokawa, Robert 9
Nishimoto, Desiree Cruz (arrived at 6:17 p.m.) 10
AC Members Absent-Excused: Carol Ignacio and Crystal Kua 11
County Staff: April Surprenant, Planning Program Manager 12
County Officials: Deputy Corporation Counsel, Suzanna Tiapula 13
14
ADDITIONS TO THE AGENDA: None 15
16
ANNOUNCEMENTS: 17
1. Hāmākua Action Committee Recruitment: 18
Chair Keeney made an announcement about the 2 open seats for the Hāmākua CDP AC, and 19
the applications the Mayor is reviewing. 20
APPROVAL OF MINUTES: 21
This item was taken out of order, immediately following Agenda Item #1, after quorum was 22
established. 23
Chair Keeney motioned to approve the January 10, 2023, minutes. Seconded by Vice-Chair 24
Hubbard. Motion passed unanimously with a voice vote (5-0). 25
PUBLIC COMMENT ON AGENDA ITEMS: 26
1. One member of the public provided oral testimony: 27
www.planning.hawaiicounty.gov/ CDP@hawaiicounty.gov Page 2
Community member Phaeton Keeney, representing herself, testified on Agenda Item #1. She 28
noted that she was glad to move to a renewable future and hoped that we would move away 29
from biomass and towards clean zero emission sources. 30
2. One member of the public provided written testimony: 31
Community member Tina Stiteler, provided written testimony on Agenda Item #1. 32
See Communication No. 2023-06 – Tina Stiteler Comments Regarding Hawaiian Electric here: 33
https://records.hawaiicounty.gov/WebLink/1/edoc/122699/Communication%20No.%202023-34
06%20Tina%20Stiteler%20Comments%20RE%20Hawaiian%20Electric.pdf 35
BUSINESS: 36
1. Presentation by Hawaiian Electric Company (HECO) and Hawaiʻi Energy: 37
This item was taken out of order, immediately following Announcements on the agenda. 38
Quorum was not established at the start of the presentation but was established before 39
the presentation concluded. 40
Representatives David Kurohara and Marc Asano from HECO, and Gracen Ghen from 41
Hawai'i Energy shared information about Hawai'i Powered, Integrated Grid Planning and 42
Hawai'i Energy rebates and resources. 43
See presentation slides on renewable energy sources here: 44
https://records.hawaiicounty.gov/WebLink/1/edoc/122700/Communication%20No.%20245
023-07%20HECO%20and%20Hawaii%20Energy%20Presentation.pdf 46
Community member Richard Robert Bidleman questioned if Puna Geothermal was 47
generating hydrogen to be used for buses, if hydrogen powered vehicles were being used 48
on the island, and where the hydrogen was coming from? 49
Representatives from HECO informed that Puna Geothermal was not using their energy to 50
create hydrogen; their contract with HECO is to supply power to the grid. They also 51
informed that there was a hydrogen bus on island used by the County but did not know 52
the current status of it being used at this time. They clarified that electric buses were 53
being used. Mr. Kurohara also informed that the Hawaiʻi Natural Energy Institute (HNEI) 54
does have a hydrogen station, in Kona, where they produce and that is where the 55
hydrogen bus mentioned was filled. 56
Community Member Troy Pearson questioned if HECO was looking into investments that 57
have long-term impact on toxins in our environment as the current photovoltaic solar cells 58
use a lot of plastic and when they are not in use anymore, they produce a lot of toxins. 59
For large scale solar projects, HECO doesn’t develop solar project, but they do partner 60
with developers or third parties to buy power from them. In their contracts, they make 61
sure there’s proper end-of-life treatment of the facility when it is retired. He believed 62
even at the state level, recycling programs were being looked at for those types of 63
materials. 64
www.planning.hawaiicounty.gov/ CDP@hawaiicounty.gov Page 3
Community member Richard Robert Bidleman questioned what efforts HECO were taking 65
to encourage clients to install solar and put electricity back into the grid. 66
Mr. Asano informed that there are different programs for customers and customers are 67
always able to self-consume any electricity that they generate. He noted that they work 68
with the Public Utilities Commission developing some of those programs, but ultimately 69
the commission approves them and any compensation. Mr. Asano informed that they 70
expect to release newer programs with additional customer incentives to provide services 71
to the grid in the near future. 72
Further discussion was had on the concern of affordability of electricity for residents as 73
the question of how HECO planned to address that was raised. Mr. Kurohara 74
acknowledged the increase in oil costs that impacted everyone’s bill in the past few years. 75
He informed that, in the past, the law required their company to purchase power from 76
independent power producers at the cost of oil. Some of those contracts have been 77
amended and others are to be reviewed and renewed to a fixed rate to eliminate that tie 78
to the cost of oil. Mr. Kurohara stated that as they add more renewables to the grid scale 79
projects, the cost of electricity will stabilize and start lowering over time. 80
2. Hāmākua Action Committee Meeting Schedule Discussion: 81
Members of the AC discussed creating a meeting schedule for the remainder of 2023. 82
It was noted that Council Member Kimball was not able to make meetings on the third 83
Tuesday of each month and one committee member was not able to make it on the 84
second Tuesday of each month, so the committee considered moving dates. Chair Keeney 85
also considered meeting to coincide with the Hāmākua Times submission due date before 86
the 20th of each month. 87
Chair Keeney proposed a cadence of hybrid meetings on the second Wednesday of each 88
month. Seconded by Committee Member Cruz. 89
Passed with 4 votes aye (Hubbard, Keeney, Cruz, Nishimoto), 1 abstain (Kurokawa), 0 votes 90
nay. 91
3. Subcommittee Report Back to Action Committee: 92
Designated subcommittees provided updates to the Action Committee regarding their 93
progress. 94
Waipi‘o Wahi Pana (section 4.9.6, action items 16-20): 95
Committee Member Kurokawa had nothing to report at this time 96
Housing (CDP Section 5.2 – Community Action #25): 97
Vice-Chair Hubbard informed that she would provide a report at the next meeting 98
Lehua St. Subdivision (Honokaʻa) Infrastructure SubcommiƩ ee (section 5.5): 99
Community Member Robert Bidleman commented that many who utilize Lehua Street 100
are driving too fast and jeopardizing the neighborhood safety. He informed that a 101
petition to the County to install speed bumps has been started as he felt that would be 102
the first step to ensure the street is safe for pedestrians. 103
www.planning.hawaiicounty.gov/ CDP@hawaiicounty.gov Page 4
4. Action Committee Project Discussion: 104
Members of the AC discussed forming more subcommittees. 105
Chair Keeney noted that they should clearly define what County policies they are 106
advocating for and whether the subcommittee is for a specific action or subject. He asked 107
what the scope was of the subcommittee on Waipiʻo Wahi Pana as the sections that 108
mention Waipiʻo also include Mauna Kea, so clearer definition is needed. Committee 109
member Kurokawa will report back at the next meeting. 110
Chair Keeney stated that there are 130 Policies that the AC could advocate towards. He 111
expressed that orienting their actions to support those would lead to more proactive and 112
more fulfilling AC work. 113
Chair Keeney proposed forming the following ten subcommittees: 114
Land Use and Development 115
Agriculture 116
Infrastructure and Transportation 117
Access Open Space Roads Trails and Coastline 118
Natural Environment 119
Health Safety and Education 120
Commerce and Econ Development 121
Wahi Pana (Waipiʻo and Mauna Kea) 122
Preservation and Revitalization 123
Community and Government Relations (Communication) 124
He acknowledged that taking issues as they come may be desired, but subcommittees 125
could form focus groups for specific problems that arise. 126
Chair Keeney motioned to create the 10 subcommittees, but not take discussion at this 127
time. No second was heard. Motion did not move forward. 128
Vice-Chair Hubbard asked the Chair to clarify on the other two items on the agenda 129
regarding the Open Space Subcommittee and Public Restroom subcommittee ideas. Chair 130
Keeney did not make motions. 131
Community member Robert Bidleman commented that the committee he was on started 132
out and then dwindled. They cannot tackle all issues, so they may not be very big but if 133
you have interest, create the committee. 134
Community member Indy Rishi Singh stated that he supports subcommittees and wants to 135
have volunteers. He hoped to find ways to make community feel involved and provided 136
ideas of offering food at meetings from local vendors. He also mentioned Regenerative 137
Civics. 138
Community member Pam Elders commented that she likes committee structures 139
coordinated with the CDP. She advised that they need to be proactive not reactive. 140
Community member Diana Cantu-Reyna informed that she was a registered nurse and 141
would like to proactively address issues, not run to catch up. She would like to discover 142
www.planning.hawaiicounty.gov/ CDP@hawaiicounty.gov Page 5
how to engage community members to stay involved. She also suggested that the AC 143
source community members who have experience in meeting facilitation, to help move 144
the meetings along 145
Community member Whitney Valez, a Hāmākua Ag Coop board member, questioned how 146
they can engage with the process. She provided an idea to send a survey to members, 54 147
farmers, to gather feedback from farmers on what is important to them. 148
5. Action Committee Community Outreach Strategy: 149
Members of the AC discussed strategies to increase meeting attendance and ways to 150
better engage with the Hāmākua community. 151
Chair Keeney briefly shared that he would try to get into the Hāmākua Times and would 152
try to explore social media. 153
Community member Robert Bidleman commented that maybe the AC needs an example 154
of an item that they could work on in order to spark interest to form a subcommittee. 155
156
COMMUNICATIONS: 157
Chair Keeney shared that AC members could review the communications at their leisure. 158
1. Communication No. 2023-03 Public Access & Coastline Preservation Flyer – Toni 159
Withington 160
2. Communication No. 2023-04 Hāmākua Agricultural Plan (2006) 161
PROPOSED AGENDA ITEMS FOR NEXT MEETING ON APRIL 12, 2023: 162
Community member Indy Rishi Singh shared that he hosted a Civic Action rally at Hakalau, 163
which centered around farming, education and health care. He noted that they came together 164
and shared they all agreed they needed to focus on community gardens and tie that into 165
health. 166
Committee Member Hubbard noted that this ties into section 6.2, strengthening local 167
agriculture and suggested discussing at the next meeting. 168
169
ADJOURNMENT: 170
Committee member Nishimoto motioned to adjourn the meeting. Seconded by Chair Keeney. 171
Motion passed unanimously (5-0). 172
The meeting was adjourned at approximately 7:15 p.m. 173
These meeting minutes and all related documents are available in the Planning Department’s 174
Hāmākua Community Development Plan Action Committee folder via the County of Hawaiʻi 175
Public Documents Repository. These documents may also be requested from the Planning 176
Department by calling (808) 961-8288 or emailing cdp@hawaiicounty.gov. 177
Mitchell D. Roth
Mayor
Lee E. Lord
Managing Director
Zendo Kern
Director
Jeffrey W. Darrow
Deputy Director
County of Hawai‘i
PLANNING DEPARTMENT
HĀMĀKUA 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
Wednesday, April 12, 2023 1
DRAFT Meeting Minutes 2
CALL TO ORDER 3
Chair Tawn Keeney started the Hāmākua Community Development Plan (HCDP) Action 4
Committee (AC) meeting at 5:09 P.M. This meeting was held online via Zoom, and in-person 5
at the Honokaʻa People’s Theatre. Quorum was not established at this meeting; thus, only 6
presentations were heard and committee business was not addressed and there were no 7
votes. 8
ROLL CALL 9
AC Members Present: Tawn Keeney, Nicolette (Niki) Hubbard, Brad Kurokawa, 10
AC Members Absent-Excused: Desiree Cruz, Carol Ignacio, Crystal Kua, and Robert Nishimoto 11
County Officials: Deputy Corporation Counsel, Suzanna Tiapula 12
ANNOUNCEMENTS: 13
Chair Keeney announced that the Planning Department is currently seeking applicants for 14
the Hāmākua Action Committee. He noted the department’s efforts to find interested 15
community members and the notice in the Hāmākua Times asking for interest in 16
membership. 17
Chair Keeney announced that the Action Committee is seeking a volunteer secretary to 18
take meeting notes and colaborate with the Planning Department accordingly. 19
APPROVAL OF MINUTES: 20
This item was derferred as quorum was not established. 21
BUSINESS: 22
1. Council Member Kimball Updates: 23
Impact of Kona Low storms on community resulted in working sessions with Hawaiian 24
Electric and Hawaiian Telcom to find ways to improve responses and response times 25
to this type of event. Council Member Kimball noted that Hawaiian Electric reinforced 26
www.planning.hawaiicounty.gov/ CDP@hawaiicounty.gov Page 2
telephone systems to resolve reporting issues. If clients need to report an issue, they 27
may now call and record a message or speak with an actual person. 28
Council Member Kimball encouraged the use of Civil Defense’s website link to report 29
property damage. If ever the threshold for FEMA funding is met, those who submitted 30
claims in advance may get reimbursed. She noted the incident where the Hāmākua 31
ditch got blocked and members of community had to pay for water. Those situations 32
would be the type to report on the Civil Defense website. 33
The Department of Environmental Management’s new Vehicle Tow Program will allow 34
property owners to request for one (1) car towed off their property, per year, to be 35
disposed at the Hilo vehicle disposal site. Currently the County pays for disposal, but 36
not towing. The program will resolve that towing barrier and is estimated to start in 6 37
months. Applications may be submitted on the Environmental Management website. 38
Animal Control is now a separate agency and no longer under the Hawaiʻi Police 39
Department. While under the police department, animal control positions were short 40
term contracts, which limited the people who wanted to apply. Now, with the new 41
agency, the animal control positions are civil service positions. Council Member 42
Kimball hoped this change would improve staffing and animal control issues. 43
For updates regarding Waipiʻo, status quo with Emergency order will remain for now. 44
Residents can go down with four-wheel drive and no pedestrians or visitors are 45
allowed to drive down in the valley. Tree trimming and rock fall work is ongoing. The 46
Steering Committee continues to meet. 47
Bills underway: 48
o Property owners in the Homeowner class get the home exemption on value, 49
homeowner rate on tax and 3%-year cap on assessed value. People in the 50
dedicated agriculture program or non-dedicated agriculture program, do not 51
have the cap protection, and home value increases affected many. Council 52
Member Kimball informed that they are trying to add the cap to primary 53
residents of farmers agriculture land. They are also working on requiring 54
documentation to get the agriculture exemption as they have seen many who 55
claim they are doing ag but are not. 56
o Council is in the process of developing Draft 4 of the Short-Term Vacation 57
Rental bill. See https://www.hawaiicountytar.com/ for a copy of the current 58
draft and FAQ page. 59
o Bill 194 was vetoed by the mayor. Council will revisit since it was vetoed. 60
o Council has put funding towards homelessness and homelessness services. 7.5 61
million budgeted for homeless services and development of housing. The 62
Office of Housing will be tasked with most of this and addressing these 63
challenges. 64
PUBLIC COMMENT ON AGENDA ITEMS: 65
Two (2) members of the public provided comments on Agenda Item #1: 66
1. Community member Cory Harden, shared that she appreciated Council Member 67
Kimball’s update on Bill 194 as she thought it was very important for members of the 68
www.planning.hawaiicounty.gov/ CDP@hawaiicounty.gov Page 3
public to have a say on how long developers have to complete their development. She 69
confirmed with Council Member Kimball that this would be revisited on April 19 th and 70
encouraged everyone to contact their Council members to support this bill as it would 71
take 6 council votes out of 9 to override the mayor’s veto. 72
2. Community Member Phaeton Keeney, requested recommendations on strategies to 73
form a community group to work on PONC purchases in Hāmākua area. She would like 74
to find the best way or structure for community to interact and work with the CDP 75
Action Committee for these types of purchases. 76
Council Member Kimball shared that the AC, as a County Committee, are guided by 77
Sunshine Law. She provided several options to engage in any kind of project. The first 78
option, to form an informal working group with members of community and only two 79
members of the AC at most. Another option would be to form a Permitted Interaction 80
Group (PIG) where up to four AC members could participate. The benefit of this option 81
is that you may include more AC members. A disadvantage would be that your work is 82
not discussed by the AC as a whole until the work is done. Council Member Kimball 83
informed that Deborah Change was District 1’s representative on the PONC 84
Commission. She encouraged the AC to reach out and have Ms. Chang present on the 85
PONC application process. Nominations for PONC properties already happened for this 86
year. 87
2. Presentation from Indy Singh related to Community Healing Gardens: 88
Indy asked to acknowledge the land that we are on and those who have cultivated it 89
before us and acknowledge all the different types of people who have come to cultivate 90
the land in the past and presently. He thanked County staff, AC members, and all the 91
guests and expressed gratitude for the conversation going forward. 92
Mr. Singh started his presentation by encouraging everyone to think about which 93
community members needed support the most for the whole community to thrive. 94
Nurses, local farmers, teachers, elders, and students were mentioned. Mr. Singh noted 95
that food directly affects our health and soil health affects our food health and community 96
health. He encouraged cultivating discussions for actions to be taken soon to create 97
centralized places where healthcare, education, and food can be supported through 98
community gardens. 99
Mr. Singh shared that he hosted a civic action rally in Puna to address farming, healing, 100
different ideas and solutions, and relationship with the Hawaiian culture. He also did a 101
civic action rally at the Hakalau Farmers Market and attended a Kohala Ag Vision 102
Committee meeting. Mr. Singh shared that his takeaway from all of those meetings was 103
that it comes down to having accessible Hawaiʻi County supported community gardens 104
that are education and well-being hubs. He expressed that these should be at schools and 105
senior centers. Mr. Singh shared that he learned of seniors getting reprimanded for 106
growing food in their units and how the County issued them eviction notices. He 107
expressed that the County should be providing public money to senior housings facilities 108
that support gardening, and not reprimand seniors for gardening. 109
www.planning.hawaiicounty.gov/ CDP@hawaiicounty.gov Page 4
Mr. Singh shared his experience with the East Hawaiʻi Organics Facility in Hilo, which was 110
started by a small group and is now a full-blown operation supported by the County. They 111
create and distribute mulch throughout the island to local and new farmers. 112
Mr. Singh encouraged everyone to think about and share their ideas on how the County of 113
Hawaiʻi can support community healing gardens, where nurses, educators, and farmers 114
can be supported. 115
Mr. Singh shared a recent article, covered by KHON2 News, about the food insecurity 116
rising in Hawaiʻi for keiki and kupuna. He expressed the severity of this situation and how 117
it will not improve unless willful actions are taken. He noted the importance of finding 118
places to bring back the cultural and traditional ways of sharing and giving food. Mr. Singh 119
shared several suggestions from audience. The first, to audit vacant County owned lands 120
and see if the community can use them for gardens. Mr. Singh shared that something 121
similar to this did happen in California. Another suggestion was for the County to support 122
people providing advice on how to grow food. 123
Mr. Singh informed that he would continue to meet on farms and outside of this rigid 124
format to make progress towards this effort. He encouraged everyone to show up to his 125
meetings and to share their email with him for more information and meeting notices. 126
PUBLIC COMMENT ON AGENDA ITEMS: 127
Two (2) members of the public provided comments on Agenda Item #2: 128
1. Community Member Phaeton Keeney asked who ‘we’ in Indy’s group is, and if he was 129
in a certain community group or represented an organization. 130
Mr. Singh stated that he is just a member of the general public at the moment. He 131
understood the value of non- and for-profit organizations and noted that he also had 132
those types of relationships with different organizations, but for now they are just 133
calling in community for this initiative. He informed that they would gather again in 134
May. 135
2. Community Member Diana Cantu-Reyna shared her disappointment that Council 136
Member Kimball left this meeting early and wondered if there was a better way to 137
engage council members and hold their attention to be present. She noted other 138
meetings that Council Member Kimball had left early and felt that there was lack of 139
engagement with community members. Ms. Cantu-Reyna also shared that her 140
nonprofit, Cultivating Self, supports Indy’s initiatives and would be grateful to have the 141
County support their work. She encouraged everyone to visit their site and hoped 142
more would get involved to support these initiatives https://www.cultivatingself.org/. 143
Chair Keeney shared that he would like to support the visions presented. He noted 144
that AC would pass on their concerns to Council Member Kimball. He encouraged 145
communicating directly with Council Member Kimball as well as he knows she is very 146
receptive to communications from the community even though she is very busy. 147
3. Permitted Interaction Groups Updates to AC: 148
This item was derferred as quorum was not established. 149
www.planning.hawaiicounty.gov/ CDP@hawaiicounty.gov Page 5
4. Public Access, Open Space, & Natural Resources (PONC): 150
Community Member Phaeton Keeney shared that Tony Whitington, of North Kohala, 151
came to Honokaʻa at the end of March to present their community’s success with PONCs. 152
She explained that the presentation inspired them to do the same for the Hāmākua 153
district. She learned that there are properties that are already proposed for PONCs in 154
Hāmākua. 155
See Communication No. 2023-09 PONC Past Project List here: 156
https://records.hawaiicounty.gov/WebLink/1/edoc/122705/Communication%20No.%202157
023-09%20PONC%20Past%20Project%20List.pdf 158
Ms. Keeney informed that not much has happened since 2006-2007, other than the 159
purchase of the Rice property in Waipiʻo, which is now reserved for public open space and 160
is being stewarded by a community group in the area. She also informed that there is a 161
South Hilo community group, which is working on two areas in Pepeʻekeo near the Hu 162
Honua project site. Ms. Keeney would like to connect with them and gather more 163
community engagement on thinking about going forward to submit next year’s list in 164
January 2024. She would also like to use Ms. Whitingtonʻs advice on non-profit formation 165
for this purpose to connect and prioritize efforts. She informed that there was no formal 166
name to their group but they are looking to connect with more people, as the group 167
currently consists of those who were at the presentation in March. She noted that they 168
have also connected with Blake McNaughton, who is leading the Pepeʻekeo PONC 169
purchases, and Jackson Bauer of the Na Ala Hele trails group. 170
Chair Keeney shared that Council Member Kimball encouraged the AC to share 171
suggestions for connections to people in their areas who are interested in access and trail 172
preservation. 173
Committee Member Kurokawa advised that the first place to start with PONCs would be 174
with an owner who is willing to sell their parcel. 175
5. Action Committee Meetings: 176
This item was derferred as quorum was not established. 177
PROPOSED AGENDA ITEMS FOR NEXT MEETING: 178
1. Permitted Interaction Groups Updates to AC 179
2. Format of Future AC Meetings 180
3. Honokaʻa Business Association presentation 181
4. Presentation from Blake McNaughton on Pepeʻekeo PONCs 182
ADJOURNMENT: 183
The meeting ended at 6:20 P.M. 184
These meeting minutes and all related documents are available in the Planning Department’s 185
Hāmākua Community Development Plan Action Committee folder via the County of Hawaiʻi 186
Public Documents Repository. These documents may also be requested from the Planning 187
Department by calling (808) 961-8288 or emailing cdp@hawaiicounty.gov. 188
ALOHA
PAL - Kauhale O Pepe'ekeo
PERMANENTLY AFFORDABLE LIVING BIG ISLANDMARCH 2023 E KOMO MAI
Communication Number 2023-10
*Full presentation can be found here:
https://records.hawaiicounty.gov/weblink/1/edoc/122861/Communication%20No.%202023-10%20New%20PAL%20Pepeeko%20Presentation.pdf