HomeMy WebLinkAbout2025-07-08 KCDP Minutes Final
KONA COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PLAN 1 ACTION COMMITTEE 2
COUNTY OF HAWAIʻI 3
FINAL MINUTES 4 July 8, 2025 5
CALL TO ORDER 6
Chair Charles Young called the Kona Community Development Plan (CDP) Action Committee 7
(AC) to order at 12:01 p.m. This meeting was held in person at the West Hawai’i Civic Center, B2 8
Conference Room 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=qfDXhC3nzjY&t=819s 11
ROLL CALL 12
Members Present (in person): Charles Young (Chair), Nancy Pisicchio (Vice-Chair), and Charla 13
Thompson 14
Members Present (via Zoom): John Pelletier, Heather Korotie, and David Huerta 15
Members Absent: Roselyn Molina 16
County Staff Present (in person): Kawelo Kalili 17
County Staff Present (via Zoom): Maryam Palma, Janice Hata, and Jessica Lahip 18
There were approximately 25 members of the public in attendance (5 in person and 20 via Zoom). 19
APPROVAL OF MINUTES 20
Vice Chair Pisicchio moved to approve the May 13, 2025, meeting minutes. Committee Member 21 Pelletier seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. [SEE YOUTUBE TIMESTAMP 22
3:40] 23
Vice Chair Pisicchio moved to approve the June 10, 2025, meeting minutes. Committee Member 24 Pelletier seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. [SEE YOUTUBE TIMESTAMP 25 4:20] 26
PUBLIC TESTIMONY 27
There was no public testimony at this time. 28
BUSINESS: 29
1. Keauhou Aquifer Adaptive Management Plan – Presentation by representatives of the State 30 Commission on Water Resource Management (CWRM) on the proposed Adaptive 31 Management Plan for the Keauhou Aquifer. [SEE YOUTUBE TIMESTAMP 5:05] 32
Ciara Kahahane, Deputy Director of the Commission on Water Resource Management 33
(CWRM), gave an overview of the agency’s role and shared a presentation on the Adaptive 34 Management Plan (AMP) for the Keauhou Aquifer. She explained that the AMP is being 35
KONA CDP ACTION COMMITTEE
Minutes of July 8, 2025 2
developed to better understand and manage groundwater in the Keauhou area, which supports 36 ecosystems, cultural practices, and water supply needs. The plan responds to concerns about 37
development, climate change, and gaps in current data and modeling methods. The AMP aims 38
to identify key areas, indicators, and thresholds to help monitor and respond to changes in the 39 aquifer system. A diverse advisory panel and expert groups are supporting the effort, and 40 public input will be gathered through outreach and commission presentations. A first-41 generation plan is expected to be submitted to the commission in November 2025, with the 42
intention to update and improve it over time. The goal is to strengthen protections, support 43
informed decision-making, and serve as a model for future water management efforts across 44 the state. 45
Ciara Kahahane answered questions regarding the placement of deep monitoring wells, 46 explaining that CWRM will determine locations based on expert input and land considerations, 47
and how the Adaptive Management Plan (AMP) relates to the Kona CDP. She shared that 48
while the AMP and Water Use and Development Plan (WUDP) are separate, the AMP will 49 help inform future County planning. An updated statewide framework is underway to guide 50 the development of a Keauhou-specific WUDP. 51
Deputy Director Kahahane explained that the County will likely use the State’s sustainable 52
yield numbers in its water plan. While she could not speak for the County’s priorities, she 53
noted the updated framework will place more emphasis on protecting traditional and customary 54 practices, and counties will likely be asked to consider how their plans impact Native Hawaiian 55 interests, including DHHL. 56
Loke Aloua provided testimony regarding water resource planning in Kona, emphasizing the 57
importance of in-person engagement and inviting agency staff to visit Kaloko fishpond. She 58
expressed concerns about the outdated Water Use and Development Plan being treated as 59 current, the need to better understand how aquifers are connected, and the importance of 60 including climate change impacts in water availability estimates. She also raised questions 61 about how water users are prioritized, how water credits are managed, and how ongoing 62
developments are being reviewed. Loke encouraged the inclusion of traditional knowledge and 63
community experiences in the planning process and asked for stronger coordination and 64 communication between agencies and the public [SEE YOUTUBE TIMESTAMP 43:04] 65
Chuck Flaherty provided testimony regarding improving the clarity and coordination between 66 county and state water plans. He suggested the inclusion of a flowchart or visual tool to help 67
the public understand how different regulatory frameworks intersect and how county-level data 68 and approvals relate to state-level policies. He also raised questions about incorporating 69 enforceable water-related development standards into the General Plan to ensure effective 70 implementation. Additionally, he asked whether existing water quality monitoring data from 71 SMA permits would be used and expressed concern about unknown factors in groundwater 72
systems, such as aquifer vulnerability during well drilling. [SEE YOUTUBE TIMESTAMP 73
53:00] 74
Chair Young and Vice-Chair Pisicchio emphasized the need for better coordination between 75 state and county efforts in water resource management. Chair Young highlighted the 76 importance of connecting state-level planning with county-level implementation so residents 77
can support meaningful action locally. Vice-Chair Pisicchio expressed concern that current 78
KONA CDP ACTION COMMITTEE
Minutes of July 8, 2025 3
efforts are too reactive and called for a more proactive, long-term approach that links water 79 data, resource protection, and sustainable development. Both stressed the need to align state 80
and county roles to ensure effective planning, and Chair Young offered to help organize future 81
public engagement efforts. Vice-Chair Pisicchio offered to help organize additional public 82 meetings in the future if the State team plans to engage more community members. She 83 expressed a willingness to assist in facilitating broader outreach efforts to ensure greater public 84 participation. 85
PROPOSED AGENDA ITEMS FOR NEXT MEETING: [SEE YOUTUBE TIMESTAMP 86
1:19:40] 87
1. Tree City USA 88 2. General Plan Discussion 89 3. KOSN Next Steps 90
ADJOURNMENT 91
The meeting was adjourned at 1:40 p.m. [SEE YOUTUBE TIMESTAMP 1:37:19] 92
These minutes and all related documents are available in the Planning Department’s Kona 93 Community Development Plan Action Committee folder via the County of Hawaiʻi Public 94 Documents Repository. These documents may also be requested from the Planning Department by 95 calling (808) 961-8288 or emailing cdp@hawaiicounty.gov. 96