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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2012-05-09 NKCDP Minutes Final NORTH KOHALA COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PLAN ACTION COMMITTEE MINUTES MEETING DATE May 9, 2011 TIME 4:31 pm PLACE North Kohala Senior Center (the old courthouse) 54-3900 Akoni Pule Highway, Kapaau, HI 96755 ATTENDANCE Members Present: Joe Carvalho, Marlene Ching, Susan Fischer, Ron Friman, Giovanna Gherardi, Collin Kaholo, Richard Liebmann. Bob Martin Member excused: Hermann Fernandez Planning Department: Rosalind Newlon Public Attendance: Linda Wallach from Kohala Mountain News, Jesse Wells, Frank Cipriani, Toni Withington Speakers from Helco: Pat Moore and Curtis Beck APPROVAL OF MINUTES: The April 11 minutes were unanimously approved after a motion by Giovanna, second by Bob. Susan made a motion to amend the March minutes to include under member attendance that Joe Carvalho was excused, which was seconded by Richard, and unanimously approved. Susan thanked those who contributed summaries of their reports for the minutes, in order to increase accuracy. The minutes are additionally checked for objectivity. STATEMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC: none REPORTS: 1) LAND USE PERMIT ACTIVITY REPORT – Rosalind Newlon, Project Manager, gave the land use permit activity report, including pending subdivisions for Harrison Family Trust below Ainakea and EWM Enterprises at Union Mill, and recently approved additional farm dwelling for John and Gary Goble in Halawa. Richard, Joe and Bob asked for more information on the pending Harrison subdivision application, applicant Terry Lynn Harrison, with respect to public access requirements since it includes shoreline parcels. AC members also requested future reports to include the approximate location of each project listed. 2) REDISTRICTING REPORT – Joe reported there are meetings twice monthly, on the second and fourth Thursdays with video conferencing. The deadline for a report is December 1. The Commission is receiving training from the County on how to proceed. Nine public hearings will be held. District 9 includes North and South Kohala. Bob said the redistricting may impact the County Council district. NEW BUSINESS: 3) HAWAII ELECTRIC LIGHT COMPANY INC. (HELCO) UPDATE report from Pat Moore and Curtis Beck. Pat gave an overview of HELCO's study on reliability of service to North Kohala. The existing single radial line to North Kohala is approximately 24 miles long. The transmission capacity is limited due to the voltage and the size of the conductors. If power goes out at the Waimea plant, power will go out in North Kohala. Options include upgrading the Waimea and Hawi substations, as well as forming a loop to increase operational flexibility, voltage support and reliability. If one side of a loop goes down, power can be supplied from the other side. Loop routes include new lines between HELCO's Waika substation in Kohala Estates, through Kahua Ranch, to Mahukona, resulting in an hourglass shaped loop. Cost was estimated at 14-16 million in 2007 dollars. The process will include environmental assessment, easements, community and PUC approval. HELCO and the windfarm in Kohala are conducting the grant funded Hawi Renewable Development Battery Study of the effectiveness of a battery energy storage system to provide manageable frequency regulation of the electric grid, despite the fluctuations of wind. HELCO’s challenges include: keep electricity costs economical, reduce dependence on oil, maintain reliability, and manage community and environmental impact. Factors affecting cost of service include: one utility grid per island with no interconnections, large service territory with low customer density (20 accounts per square mile compared to 80 on Maui and 500 on Oahu), two way energy flow due to increasing amounts of distributed generation (DG) by independent power producers (IPP's), current reliance on fossil fuel power plants for system stability and regulation, payments to IPP's based on the price of fossil fuel. The Big Island power supply is generated 68% in East Hawai‘i, and 32% in West Hawai‘i, with 50% of the load in West Hawaii. Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative - 70% renewable energy by 2030 (40% electricity, 30% energy efficiency). Renewable energy possibilities include geothermal from Puna Geothermal, biomass from Hu Honua, biomass conversion of HELCO steam plants, and biofuels from Aina Koa Pono at Keahole, as well as solar, wind, and hydro. OTEC and wave energy are long-term options. Customer opportunities include energy efficiency measures, net energy metering, feed-in tariff, electric vehicle pilot rates, and time of use rates to encourage use at off-peak. Bob asked if there was a map showing the loop route, suggested the Infrastructure B Subcommittee get more information, and asked what is the process for the CDP AC to facilitate improvements to Kohala's power. As HELCO moves forward, they will reach out to the community. Pat stated nobody likes power lines going through their area; no one likes a power plant in their backyard. To improve the redundancy for power reliability in North Kohala, transmission lines are going to have to go in to form a loop. Undergrounding, unfortunately, is extremely expensive. There will be a call-out for community members to join an advisory group formed by the PUC for a long range planning effort. Bob asked about the distributed generation capacity limits at the Hawi substation, presently limiting the addition of more solar homes for net metering. Pat said there is a limit to the amount of DG on a distribution feeder. When it gets to 15%, it triggers the requirement for a study. Richard inquired about different approaches such as solar systems with batteries on 1,000 Kohala homes, or using excess wind power to pump water uphill to a reservoir. As power is needed, water is released for hydro-electric power generation on the way down. HELCO did look at pumping water up; costs were very high. Pat concluded by saying if a line goes down, HELCO will do what it can to get the power back on. North Kohala has about the same amount of outages as elsewhere on the island. 4) MAJOR ISSUES IN THE COMMUNITY NOT COVERED BY THE NORTH KOHALA COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PLAN (NKCDP) This topic was brought forward because of the fish farming project. The question is whether to amend the CDP to study open ocean farming. The AC members asked what is the AC's obligation to the community if an issue is impacting the community, but is not included in the CDP as an action step or strategy. Susan quoted CDP page 12 list of key planning implications related to Kohala’s natural and cultural resources includes "Coastal (makai) resources – Kohala’s pristine coastline and abundance of marine life should be protected from development and be accessible to residents." Page 24 Environmental and Cultural Concept Map includes "Shoreline and coastal resources are protected." Richard feels a subject that impacts the community should be studied for positive and negative impacts. Joe commented we have already heard from one side of the fish farm issue, so we need to hear from the other side. Bob said the State of Hawai‘i is the governing agency and has had hearings on this matter for several years. Bob would appreciate a 20 minute, or so, fact-based presentation from the regulatory agency involved, in this case the DLNR, as to the pros and cons and why it was approved. Furthermore, before we have future presentations on any issue, the topic should be specifically related to a CDP action step or strategy. When an issue comes before the AC that not is addressed in the CDP as an action plan or strategy, we do our homework with a subcommittee or investigative committee to determine if it should be added to the CDP, and then vote on adding it. A motion was made by Bob for future presentations to be related to a specific CDP action strategy or goal; otherwise, have a subcommittee research data from both sides to determine if the CDP should be amended. The motion was seconded by Giovanna and unanimously approved. 5) ACTION COMMITTEE MEETING SCHEDULE - While the NKCDP AC members can continue to meet monthly, the Planning Department staff will only be able to attend meetings every other month, but will provide support services for those meetings when staff is unable to attend. The first meeting without Planning Department staff will be July 11. OLD BUSINESS: 6) NKCDP Subcommittee Reports Ron Friman researched County files for a timeline Growth Management: of the Mahukona resort subdivision applications. In 1988, the initial application proposed 51 residential homes, on one acre ag lots in a tight grid. The most recent application was on February 7, 2011, by Kohala Preserve Conservation Trust (KPCT) for 54 lots and 5 roadway lots. Joe inquired about access easements and conservation district use (CDU) for coastal lands. Rosalind cited an existing conservation easement. Richard asked if the resubmittal will require a new public hearing process. Rosalind clarified the project already has approvals on Rezoning and Special Management Area (SMA), which included public hearings. The public notice sign is up with contact information for the Planning Department. Richard asked if the AC should initiate a Growth Management investigative subcommittee to research further. Giovanna asked what would be the intended purpose of the subcommittee. Richard cited the CDP as calling for protection of pristine coastal lands as vital to protecting the quality of life in Kohala. Bob asked what is the trigger for public hearings, since the application is for only a few more lots; there already is a lodge and golf course. Rosalind mentioned that it’s more of the role of the AC to implement the CDP rather than to review land use applications. Collin mentioned that he heard the Planning Director say that the job of the AC is to look at the CDP and make any changes, but not to make decisions for the community. Collin questioned why the AC is not regularly notified of resubmittals, or new applications for old projects. Bob asked does the AC have review authority or not. This is a large landowner who has been working on this project for over 20 years. The landowner can be a big help to the community and our issue is to figure out how to partner with them. Marlene asked if the project is already approved. Rosalind replied they are going back for another revision of their subdivision map. Marlene observed it seems like we're the last to find out, and we have no way of saying anything about it. May 4 meeting. Kapanai’a to Hapu’u - Fred Cachola took Public Access: a group of island residents on an educational hike through the area's historical sites. Hikes like these promote awareness of the sites of cultural significance for preservation. Keokea - Public Access, Open Space and Natural Resources Preservation Commission (PONC) will be asked to expand Hapu’u to Kapanai’a to include Keokea, resulting in Hapu’u to Keokea. Keokea has a significant heiau named Kuapolaha (other spelling is Kupulaha’a). Kauhola Point - Trust for Public Land’s purchase of the Davis’ property has 70% of the funding committed and could have the remaining funds to complete the purchase. Fred is in contact with the US Coast Guard person in charge of Kauhola, concerning the cultural history of the area. Upolu Airport area - State Airports Chauncey Wong Yuen discussed stewardship and restoration of the eroded shoreline. Kamehameha Schools (Mo’okini Heiau) - The County is working on a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with Momi Lum. A meeting will be held with State Parks, County, and Federal agencies about the access. The April 28 subcommittee meeting reviewed in detail Infrastructure A: the April 19 meeting with Bill Shontell of Surety Kohala, County officials, and a National Park representative at the Kona County offices. Mahukona - Surety's Kohala Preserve Conservation Trust is working to complete an Environmental Assessment for the Mahukona area by the end of the year. A port-a-potty will be located in the wharf area. The cost for restrooms by the pavilion, estimated at $450,000 to $500,000, was originally to be paid by Surety/Kohala Preserve as part of its commitment to improve Kapa'a and Mahukona parks as conditions for resort zoning granted in 1993. As a result of the downsizing of the resort's plans, the restrooms will be built with County funds. Kapa'a Beach Park restrooms - Bill is supplying water pipe and a 1000 gallon storage tank to bring water back to the park for the restrooms. Joe and John Winter are organizing a work crew to lay the piping down to the park. Rural Infrastructure Erosion Prevention - The first rock Infrastructure B: drain is in at the demonstration drainage project at Kailapa, Hawaiian Home Lands near Kawaihae. Sedimentation basins and agricultural terraces are the upcoming projects. Sediment basins are also proposed to aid in erosion prevention makai of Upolu Airport. Sample County-approved engineering plans for infiltration basins and estimates of cost will hopefully be useful for the coastal stewardship grant application. Related meetings - The Kawaihae Local Resource Council met on May 1, with a presentation by Ethno-Botanist Neil Logan on the significance of Kiawe in Hawaiian history and ecology. The June 12 KLRC meeting from 2-4 pm at the Kawaihae Mac Nut Factory will include a presentation related to Open Ocean Fish Farming by Microbiologist and independent testing lab owner Wendy Minor on aquaculture testing for quality control and contaminants. Collin is working to get information on Hawaiian Affordable Housing: Home Lands, New Moon Foundation and land along Upolu Airport Road. Kumakua Phase II self help housing is estimated to start in September. Looking for more land for affordable housing. Subcommittee meetings are held monthly on the third Monday at 4:30 pm at the Kohala Senior Center. Richard reported work is underway to form the new Agriculture: committee. STATEMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC: Toni Withington stated the last time the public could comment on Mahukona resort plans was in 1993. The promise of alot of jobs generated community support when it was proposed as a much larger project with 250 hotel rooms and 150 homes. Required improvements included repaving and widening Mahukona Road, reconfiguration of the intersection of Mahukona Road and the highway, and greater improvements to the park. Now it is a smaller different project, with a different source of water and different requirements for road and park improvements, changes made without public input. The Growth Management part of the CDP said there should be no new subdivision in North Kohala without an agricultural component. There are only 14.7 acres of urban land at Mahukona, the remainder is agricultural land. Toni urged implementation of the CDP for any subdivision at Mahukona; for the AC to be sure there is an agricultural component included. The public should have a chance to review and comment on changes of promised public amenities such as park improvements, highway changes and public access. Frank Cipriani stated he ran a prawn farm in 1976 for Big Island Prawns on 97 leased acres in Ala Lai, below Hawi, and tried to expand by leasing the adjoining makai 200 acres, down to the coastline. Frank spoke for preventing the sell-out of Kohala's agricultural coastland. ANNOUNCEMENTS: none NEXT MEETING: Date: Monday, June 13, 2011. Bob will not be at the meeting. Place: Kohala Senior Center Time: 4:30 pm to 6:30 pm Agenda: 1) Land Use Permit Activity Report (10 minutes) 2) Redistricting Report (5 minutes) 3) Open Ocean Farming and its relationship to the NKCDP (20 minutes) 4) Proposals for inclusion in Capital Improvement Project (CIP) Budget (20 minutes) Review CIP priorities from the NKCDP for development and proposal to the 2011-2012 CIP budget 5) NKCDP AC Subcommittee reports (30 minutes) ADJOURNMENT: There being no further business, it was moved by Giovanna, seconded by Bob, and unanimously approved to adjourn the meeting at 6:33 pm.