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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2012-05-08 PCDP AC Minutes DRAFT 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 BJ Leithead Todd Director Margaret Masunaga Deputy Director William P. Kenoi Mayor Tuesday, May 8, 2012 Meeting Minutes CALL TO ORDER Chairperson Dan Taylor called the Puna Community Development Plan (PCDP) Action Committee (AC) meeting to order at 3:00 p.m. in the Kea´au Community Center with the following persons present: Action Committee: Barbara Bell, Frank Commendador, Madie Greene, Keikialoha Kekipi, René Siracusa, and Dan Taylor. Excused: Oshi Simsarian and Patti Pinto UStaff:U Larry Brown (Planning Department, Project Manager), Elizabeth “Liz” Hultman-Salfen (Planning Department, Community Planning Assistant). U UMembers of the public:U 8 ANNOUNCEMENTS 1. Dan Taylor welcomed members of the public and announced that René will conduct the Action Committee meeting today. 2. Dan asked those signed up to testify to keep their remarks concise and that AC members refrain from talking over each other. PUBLIC TESTIMONY 1. Stephanie Bath stated that she was testifying on behalf of herself and 14 other individuals regarding Communication 2012-7, being a letter dated April 25, 2012 to DPW Director Warren Lee and the AC dealing with connectivity and the Puna Emergency Access Road (PEAR). She stated that the issue of transportation is not being implemented and that level of service in Puna is unacceptable. 2. Roy Dean distributed a letter to the AC members dated May 6, 2012 regarding Constructive Notice. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Barbara Bell moved to approve the minutes of April 10, 2012. Second by Frank. Following discussion and noting corrections, all voted in favor of accepting the minutes as corrected. 2 NEW BUSINESS 1. Communication 2012-8: Pedestrian Crossing at Volcano a. Brittany Smart presented a Resolution she will introduce to the County Council that urges the State Department of Transportation to construct a designated pedestrian crossing area on Hwy. 11 for the Volcano Village community. She asked the AC for any comments or recommendations it might have on the Resolution. Frank moved for the AC to support the Resolution and the efforts of Council Person Smart regarding a crosswalk in Volcano. Second by Keiki. All in Favor 2. Waiʻōpae Marine Life Conservation District (MLCD) Comprehensive Management Plan: a. Public Testimony: i. James Weatherford is glad to see that the AC is moving ahead with what needs to be done on the Waiʻōpae issue and encouraged them to move ahead on it. b. René reported on her meeting with Bob Nishimoto at the DLNR’s Division of Aquatic Resources regarding a comprehensive management plan for the Waiʻōpae MLCD. Points that Bob made were: i. Waiʻōpae is already protected as that is what a MLCD is all about and the area does not need additional protection; ii. The MLCD should not be thought of as a park with park-like amenities such as restrooms and benches located within the MLCD itself; iii. However, some park-like amenities might be appropriate and needed in proximity to the MLCD; iv. With the rapid population growth being experienced in Puna and increased development upslope the watersheds will be under increased stress and that a CMP for the entire Puna coast should be looked at; v. Suggested a visioning exercise to see what the community wants the Puna coast to look like in 20 years; vi. Certain identifiable groups will almost certainly oppose any CMP effort and extra effort should be made to get them involved in the process; vii. Shouldn’t attempt to ban fishing outright, but control the types of fishing gear that could be utilized; viii. Need to convince locals and other users that a plan would guarantee continued viability of coastal resources that will benefit them and serve to help get their support for a CMP; and ix. Bring stakeholders into the CMP development process before a draft is prepared. c. The AC expressed general support for the idea of developing a CMP for the entire Puna coast and agreed that René will look for grant funding to pay for such a plan. 3 3. Land Acquisition at Wai´ōpae a. Public Testimony: i. Sheri Lehner: As a Vacationland resident, expressed support for the acquisition of the Hara property, but not any of lots inside the Vacation Land subdivision. She wants to take the pressure off of the land owners in the subdivision. ii. Betty Oberman: As a resident of Vacationland stated she does not want a county park inside the private subdivision. The Cape Kumukahi Foundation agreed to provide 17 parking spaces for the Waiʻōpae MLCD designation and on weekends they have up to 100 cars visiting daily. She supports the land acquisition on the Hara property which would reduce the stress on the subdivision. iii. James Weatherford: Supports the land acquisition which would support coastal protection and take the pressure off of the community. iv. Christopher Biltoft: Resident of Vacationland and works on the Vacationland roads committee. He supports the land acquisition of the Hara property as soon as possible provided there is a plan and commitment of resources to develop for the benefit of the community. He also expressed qualified support for acquisition of land within the subdivision by the County provided it is properly managed with increased police and DLNR enforcement & support. He suggested three parcels that could be suitable for public access and facilities. b. Barbara reported on her participation at the Public Access, Open Space and Natural Resources Commission (PONC) meeting in April. Three applications for groupings of parcels identified for possible acquisition via the PONC program are being prepared. She learned that the PONC prioritizes potential acquisitions based largely on the level of support from the community for each application. She thinks the acquisition of the larger Hara property should be the highest priority. A Charter amendment is on the ballot this November for an additional ½ percent PONC fund to provide funding to maintain acquired lands. c. Barbara presented her draft letter to the PONC, being Communication No. 2012-10, which expresses support by the AC for the specific parcel acquisitions at Kapoho/Waiʻōpae.. Dan moved to approve communication 2012-10. Second by Barbara. In discussion, Keiki expressed his concerns about acquiring more lands without any management plan in place. He cited the mangrove eradication spraying in proximity to the MLCD that was allowed by the very agencies responsible for protecting the environment. Vote: 4 in Favor (Dan, Madie, Barbara, and René) and 2 oppose (Frank and Keiki). Motion Fails 4. Facility Improvements at Ahalanui Beach Park: Itemed tabled to allow Keiki time to more fully develop the information relevant to the topic. 4 5. Environmental Assessment (EA) for DLNR Proposal for Commercial Harvesting of Forest Products and Reforestation of Waiākea Timber Management Area (WTMA): Larry explained that the Planning Department response to the subject request for pre- consultation comments on the EA included a suggestion that the Puna CDP AC be included as a consulting entity and asked to comment on the draft EA when it is published. 6. Kapoho Wastewater Project: Barbara reported that the community remains in discussion about this issue. There is an effort in Kapoho Beach Lots to change their private water company by-laws that would require a waste water system upgrade before a new water meter would be provided. The community will have a special meeting on June 8, 2012 to vote on this proposal. 7. Hui ‘O Puna Makai: Farris Etterlee and Robert Trickey outlined the need for and steps taken to form community based group to represent the various communities along the Red Road (Hwy. 137) betwennbetween Kalapana-Kaimu and Pohoiki. They handed out a written report detailing their mission and long-term community visions. They are seeking recognition and guidance from the AC. They have hosted several meetings with approximately 100 different attendees and are starting to conduct a public input survey of their proposed planning area. Their next meeting will be held on June 7. 8. Communication No. 2012-7 (Roadway Connectivity and the PEAR): a. Public Testimony: i. Gerald Reis: Expressed his concerns over the question of who owns the PEAR as well as the quantity and type of increased traffic Hawaiian Acres residents are subjected to. ii. Jon Olson: Gave a brief history of the PEAR stating that in 1992 the Puna Community Council, Puna Traffic Safety Committee and Mainstreet Pāhoa convinced the County Council of the need for a connecting road from Volcano through the subdivisions to allow for quicker emergency response times. The County purchased a lot inside Hawaiian Acres giving the County a tenant in common ownership interest in the private roadways. Federal funding paid for the improvement to the PEAR. b. Stephanie Bath presented her Communication 2012-7 seeking County action to address the lack of roadway redundancy in Puna, safety issues with the PEAR, and access to funding records for the PEAR. She reminded the AC that transportation was a major issue during the CDP process that included redundancy and connectivity, which the AC has failed to act on by talking seriously about connectivity and establishing criteria that could be used to identify connectivity points. She also asked the AC to obtain and make public a copy of the application and documentation for the monies received for the PEAR project so that information could serve as a basis to see how the funding went on that project. ANNOUNCEMENT: Jon Olson stated that he was sworn in as a Transportation Commissioner and that Tom Brown has retired from the Mass Transit Agency. 5 UNFINISHED BUSINESS: None. AGENDA FOR NEXT MEETING: Please send Larry any agenda items. ANJOURNMENTADJOURNMENT: Dan moved to adjourn the meeting. Second by Madie. All voted in favor. Meeting adjourned at 6:13 p.m.