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Home My WebLink About2025-01-28 Kaʻū CDP Minutes Final KAʻŪ COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PLAN 1 ACTION COMMITTEE 2 COUNTY OF HAWAIʻI 3 FINAL MINUTES 4 January 28, 2025 5 CALL TO ORDER 6 Chair Masters called the Kaʻū Community Development Plan (CDP) Action Committee (AC) 7 meeting to order at 5:13 p.m. A quorum was established with six members in attendance. This 8 meeting was held in person at the Nāʻālehu Community Center and online via the Zoom platform. 9 The full YouTube video of this meeting can be found here: 10 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNjgcX-Jrh8 11 ROLL CALL 12 Members Present (in person): Jason Masters (Chair), Kaʻohinani Mokuhaliʻi, Pernell Hanoa (Vice-13 Chair), Kaweni Ibarra and Catherine Williams 14 Members Present (via Zoom): Babette Morrow 15 Members Absent: Jesse Ke 16 From the County (in person): Maryam Palma and Jessica Lahip 17 There were approximately seventeen members of the public in attendance (13) in person and (4) 18 via Zoom. 19 APPROVAL OF MINUTES [SEE YOUTUBE TIMESTAMP 5:20] 20 Committee member Mokuhaliʻi motioned to approve minutes from the December 11, 2024 with a 21 name correction to line 33 – “Wade Budgie” should be corrected to “Wade Baji”. The motion was 22 seconded by committee member Ibarra. The motion passed unanimously. 23 PUBLIC COMMENT ON AGENDA ITEMS: [SEE YOUTUBE TIMESTAMP 7:36] 24 None. 25 BUSINESS 26 1. Election of Chair and Vice-Chair – Discussion and potential action to elect a Chair and Vice-27 Chair for the Kaʻū CDP Action Committee for 2025. 28 This item was called to order at 5:18 p.m. [SEE YOUTUBE TIMESTAMP 8:18] 29 Chair Masters held a moment of silence for the passing of Julia Neal, Founder and Editor of the 30 Kaʻū Calendar. 31 Committee member Morrow made a motion to nominate Chair Masters for Chairperson 2025. The 32 motion was seconded by committee member Williams. The motion passed unanimously. Chair 33 Masters accepted the role of Chair for 2025. 34 KAʻŪ CDP ACTION COMMITTEE Minutes of January 28, 2025 2 Committee member Mokuhaliʻi made a motion to nominate Vice-Chair Hanoa for Vice-35 Chairperson 2025. The motion was seconded by committee member Ibarra. The motion passed 36 unanimously. Vice-Chair Hanoa accepted the position of Vice-Chair for 2025. 37 This item closed at 5:24 p.m. 38 2. Waiʻōhinu Transfer Station – Discussion and action on previously submitted letter to 39 Department of Environmental Management to open the transfer station to 7 days a week. 40 This item was called to order at 5:24 p.m. [SEE YOUTUBE TIMESTAMP 13:40] 41 Committee member Williams read the Kaʻū CDP AC’s letter to the Department of Environmental 42 Management (DEM), dated December 5, 2024, urging them to address concerns about the 43 Waiʻōhinu Transfer Station, emphasizing the need for seven-day service due to population growth 44 and illegal dumping. The AC cited CDP policies on land use, conservation, and infrastructure, 45 highlighting environmental and health risk. 46 Chair Masters moved to collaborate with a community member, Gary Davis, to reach out to the 47 DEM director or a representative to assess the current situation and determine the next steps. The 48 motion was seconded by committee member Mokuhaliʻi. The motion passed unanimously. 49 Gary Davis testimony [SEE YOUTUBE TIMESTAMP 21:51] 50 Marion Gerusch testimony [SEE YOUTUBE TIMESTAMP 23:30] 51 This item closed at 5:38 p.m. 52 3. Ka Lae Coastline Access & Resources – Discussion and action on previously submitted letter 53 regarding protecting cultural sites and natural resources in the greater Ka Lae area, particularly 54 Mahana Bay. 55 This item was called to order at 5:38 p.m. [SEE YOUTUBE TIMESTAMP 28:00] 56 Committee member Williams read the Mahana Bay letter, which highlights community concerns 57 about protecting cultural sites and natural resources amid increasing tourism. The AC designated 58 two members to draft recommendations addressing shoreline access, environmental degradation, 59 and preservation of Native Hawaiian sites. The letter references CDP policies that advocate for 60 ecosystem protection, responsible access, and stricter land use regulations. It also cited past studies 61 and management plans, urging agencies like DHHL and DLNR to act and develop a concrete plan 62 with a completion timeline. 63 Committee member Mokuhaliʻi shared that a meeting with the Department of Hawaiian Home 64 Lands (DHHL) is scheduled for January 29, 2025 at Nāʻālehu Community Center at 5:30 p.m. to 65 address recent land closures at South Point. Ranchers have been instructed to keep gates closed 66 due to theft and animal conditions. Efforts to spread the word are ongoing, but communication has 67 been challenging due to outdated contact information. 68 Chair Masters motioned to postpone this agenda item to the next meeting, following the DHHL 69 meeting. Committee member Mokuhaliʻi will hand-deliver the Mahana Bay letter to the DHHL 70 meeting and provide an update at the next Kaʻū CDP AC meeting for further discussion on required 71 actions, if any. The motion was seconded by Committee member Ibarra and passed unanimously. 72 This item closed at 5:56 p.m. 73 KAʻŪ CDP ACTION COMMITTEE Minutes of January 28, 2025 3 4. Testimony at State Legislature Relating to Sunshine Law & Community Outreach 74 Boards – Presentation by Nancy Pisicchio regarding drafted bills HB 686 and SB 869 that 75 could provide Sunshine Law flexibility for CDP Action Committees. Followed by discussion 76 and decision-making to provide testimony to the Legislature 77 This item was called to order at 5:56 p.m. [SEE YOUTUBE TIME STAMP 45:38] 78 Vice-Chair Nancy Pisicchio from the Kona CDP AC presented HB 686 and SB 869, which aim to 79 amend Part 7 of Chapter 92 of the Sunshine Law. She expressed that these bills seek to make the 80 law more flexible for community outreach boards statewide, similar to Oʻahu’s neighborhood 81 boards, which have had success with a 2008 amendment. The current language of the law is too 82 specific to Oʻahu, preventing other counties from benefiting. The Kona CDP AC has voted to 83 support the legislation on SB 869, which has also been endorsed by the South Kohala CDP AC. 84 John Pelletier from the Kona CDP AC emphasized the proposed benefits, including allowing 85 public input on non-agenda items, holding meetings without a quorum (no decisions made), and 86 enhancing community outreach. 87 After the presentation, the Kaʻū CDP AC discussed the challenges of engaging in discussions 88 within the community. Concerns were raised about agenda rules causing delays, especially given 89 the infrequent meeting schedule. Members expressed frustration with their inability to act promptly 90 on urgent matters. 91 Committee member Williams made a motion for the Kaʻū CDP Action Committee to mirror a letter 92 presented by the Kona CDP AC in support of HB686 and SB869 regarding Sunshine Law 93 flexibility. The motion was seconded by committee member Ibarra and the motion passed 94 unanimously. 95 Bill Savage testimony: [SEE YOUTUBE TIMESTAMP 1:02:38] 96 This item closed at 6:23 p.m. 97 5. Department of Water Supply Inquiry – Discussion and decision making on designating a 98 committee member to work with a representative from Department of Water Supply on 99 community water concerns 100 This item was called to order at 6:24 p.m. [SEE YOUTUBE TIMESTAMP 1:13:35] 101 The AC discussed concerns about the potential misuse of emergency water filling stations in the 102 area with some suspecting that water is being taken for commercial purposes rather than personal 103 or emergency use. Despite recent rainfall, the region remains in a drought, making it critical to 104 ensure the emergency water filling stations is used appropriately. 105 The issue was identified as a County Council matter, and should be directed toward council 106 member Michelle Galimbla, as it is not CDP issue. 107 Committee member Mokuhaliʻi moved to draft a memo to council member Galimba or her 108 representative to collaborate with the Department of Water Supply in addressing water concerns. 109 Chair Masters seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. 110 Marion Gerusch testimony [SEE YOUTUBE TIMESTAMP 1:23:53] 111 Candice Kaawa testimony [SEE YOUTUBE TIMESTAMP 1:24:40] 112 KAʻŪ CDP ACTION COMMITTEE Minutes of January 28, 2025 4 This item closed at 6:39 p.m. 113 NEW BUSINESS [SEE YOUTUBE TIMESTAMP 1:27:58] 114 • Committee member Mokuhaliʻi raised a concern about the lack of safe pedestrian crossings 115 in front of Nāʻālehu Post Office making it dangerous for people to cross the road. 116 Pedestrians, including themselves, often cross unsafely. 117 ANNOUNCEMENTS [SEE YOUTUBE TIMESTAMP 1:31:50] 118 • Nāʻālehu Hills Subdivision letter was submitted to Director Jeff Darrow on 12/30/24 119 • The Planning Department is currently seeking applicants for the Kaʻū CDP Action 120 Committee and is requesting assistance to get the word out to interested community 121 members. The application can be found on the Mayor’s office website at: 122 https://www.hawaiicounty.gov/our-county/boards-and-commissions/boards-and-123 commissions-application 124 ADJOURNMENT 125 Chair Masters adjourned this meeting at 6:51 p.m. 126 These minutes and all related documents are available in the Planning Department’s Kaʻū 127 Community Development Plan Action Committee folder via the County of Hawaiʻi Public 128 Documents Repository. These documents may also be requested from the Planning Department 129 by calling (808) 961-8288 or emailing cdp@hawaiicounty.gov. 130