HomeMy WebLinkAbout2025-11-04 PL-CRC-2025-000038 Section 106 Comment Letter IVY OF ,h
`•-' '• .,�. Matthew Clark,Chair
C.Kimo Alameda,Ph.D. .+ .-
MayorDesmon Haumea,Vice Chair
*;�• ..�=* Darde Gamayo
Roberta"Ku`ulei"Keakealani
•., �:.�: ;:°• .. Kealohanuiopuna Kinney
°F ~ ', Nicole Lui
Janet Six
County of Hawai'i Aaron Spielman
PLANNING DEPARTMENT
CULTURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION
Aupuni Center • 101Pauahi Street, Suite 3 • Hilo,Hawai`i 96720
Phone(808)961-8288 • Fax(808)961-8742
November 4, 2025
Mara Mulrooney, Ph.D.
Pacific Legacy, Inc.
146 Hekili Street, Suite 205
Kailua, Hawaii 96734
Email: mulrooney@pacificlegacy.com
Dear Mara Mulrooney:
SUBJECT: National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) Section 106 Consultation
Hawaiian Islands Fiber Link Project (PL-CRC-2025-000038)
Location: PACRC and UH Hilo, Waiakea Ahupua'a, South Hilo District, Island of Hawaii
TMK(s): (3) 2-1-009:001 (por.), 2-1-009:041 (por.), 2-1-011:004 (por.), 2-1-011:005 (por.),
2-1-011:010 (por.), and 2-4-001:167 (por.).
Thank you for your Section 106 consultation request dated September 29, 2025,for the proposed
Hawaiian Islands Fiber Link Project. This comment is submitted by the Planning Department on
behalf of the Cultural Resources Commission pursuant to Section 106 of the National Historic
Preservation Act (NHPA), as amended (36 CFR Part 800), regarding the proposed undertaking.
The proposed project aims to improve and expand high-speed internet(broadband)access across
the State of Hawaii through construction, operation, and maintenance of an interisland subsea
fiber optic cable system. Construction activities involve horizontal directional drilling (HDD),
installation of underground conduits, installation of beach manholes (BMH), and cable landing
stations (CLS) with associated cable termination and monitoring equipment. Proposed work for
Hawaii Island would include the installation of subsea surface-laid cables, with a split pipe
covering approximately 3,600 ft (1,097m)of cable, on the seabed leading to a BMH. Cable landing
stations will be situated at the Pacific Aquaculture & Coastal Resources Center (PACRC) and the
University of Hawaii at Hilo (UHH). The project proposes to utilize existing utility networks to
extend along state and county roadways as well as existing underground conduit, terminating on
the UHH campus. Construction is proposed for a CLS, a new modular structure on the northern
www.planning.hawaiicounty.gov Hawai`i County is an Equal Opportunity Provider and Employer planning@hawaiicounty.gov
Mara Mulrooney, Ph.D.
Pacific Legacy, Inc.
Page 2
November 4, 2025
side of the UHH campus near Lanikaula Street, and underground conduit would be installed from
the CLS to an adjacent building on the UHH campus to connect the project to an existing
telecommunication and utility network.
A review of our records indicates the properties identified within the Area of Potential Effects
(APE) on TM Ks (3) 2-1-009:001 (por.), 2-1-009:041 (por.), 2-1-011:004 (por.), 2-1-011:005 (por.),
2-1-011:010 (por.) have not been included on the Hawaii or National Register of Historic Places.
Additionally, there are no mapped archaeological, historic, or cultural sites located within the
subject parcels.
A portion of the parcel identified as TMK (3) 2-4-001:167 consists of four historic agricultural
complexes, recorded in the State Inventory of Historic Places (SIHP) as sites 50-10-35-18911, 50-
10-35-18912, 50-10-35-18913, and 50-10-35-18914. SIHP numbers are assigned by the
Department of Land and Natural Resources' State Historic Preservation Division (SHPD) upon
review and acceptance of survey documentation for historic resources. Although the project
description indicates that construction will occur near Lanikaula Street, away from the identified
historic agricultural complexes, and the parcel has experienced substantial prior disturbance,
consideration should be given to the broader cultural landscape and the ways in which individual
historic sites contribute to the integrity of that landscape. For additional information regarding
these historic properties or the historic register, please contact SHPD at (808) 692-8015.
We appreciate the opportunity to provide comments during the consultation process for this
undertaking. If the scope of the project changes, the Cultural Resources Commission respectfully
requests the opportunity to comment during a public hearing at that time.
If you have any questions or require further information, please contact Kim Tanaka at (808) 961-
8833 or email kim.tanaka@hawaiicounty.gov.
Mahalo,
Maahew
Matthew R Clark(Nov 6,2025 07:48:34 HST)
MATTHEW CLARK, Chair
Cultural Resources Commission
cc: Cultural Resources Commission
Jeffrey Darrow, Planning Director
Jessica Puff, State Historic Preservation Officer
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Project\2025-11-04 PL-CRC-2025-000038 Section 106 Comment Letter.docx