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HomeMy WebLinkAbout01-23-2012 SKCDP AC Minutes - Final SOUTH KOHALA COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PLAN ACTION COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES OF MEETING Held January 23, 2012 A regular meeting of the South Kohala Community Development Plan Action Committee was held on January 23, 2012. The meeting was called to order at 5:00 p.m. at The Waikoloa Village Association Community Room, 68-1792 Melia Street, Waikoloa, Hawai’i, pursuant to notice. The following members of the Committee were present when the meeting was called to order: Nancy Carr Smith Mike Fischer John Hoover Loreli Eberhardt Committee members Achahn Schulze, Margaret Horwatt, Robin Inaba and Chris Roehrig were absent. Also present were Project Manager Rosalind Newlon and Terry Dunlap from the Office of the Hawai’i County Planning Department. The Chairman called the meeting to order and Achahn Schulze joined the meeting immediately after it was called to order. The Chairman then noted that a quorum of the Committee was present. Margaret Wille delivered a statement as a member of the public. She suggested that the Committee consider giving priority to several items in the South Kohala Community Development Plan, including agricultural water usage, development of vocational schools, coastal preservation issues, and the need for a regional bus transit hub in Waimea. The members of the Committee then considered the draft of the minutes of the meeting held on December 19, 2011, and, in the absence of any comments or proposed amendments or modifications, the Chairman deemed the minutes approved in the form distributed to the members in advance of the meeting. The Committee then reviewed the schedule for meetings of the Committee during 2012 as revised during the December 2011 meeting. The Committee ratified and confirmed the revised schedule. Ms. Newlon then delivered the Land Use Permit Activity Report. She distributed information summarizing land use permit activity during recent months and responded to inquiries from the Committee members, discussing the deferral of the DNLR Kawaihae harbor application and the Verizon cell application at Kawaihae harbor. The Committee then heard Subcommittee Reports. Mr. Hoover reported for the Puako Subcommittee and indicated that the Puako Community Association had held its annual meeting during January. He advised the members that the report on the 1 reef use survey was available on the puako.org website. He also discussed concerns about the firebreak at Puako and the desire to proceed with the wastewater project that has been included in the County CIP. Ms. Smith and Ms. Eberhardt reported for the Kawaihae Subcommittee. Ms. Smith indicated that she had prepared amendments to the Kawaihae portion of the South Kohala Community Development Plan which will be presented to the Committee for consideration at the meeting in February. Ms. Eberhardt advised the Committee that she would address her efforts to further the study of the availability and delivery of water to Kawaihae as part of the District-Wide Subcommittee report. Mr. Schulze and Mr. Fischer reported for the Waikoloa Subcommittee. They indicated that bus service within the Village of Waikoloa would be beginning in the very near future and that a bus stop shelter is to be constructed by the County at which the bus service within the Village will connect with the bus service between the Village and other locations in the County. In addition, they reported that a Waikoloa town meeting with State Representative Cindy Evans and State Senator Josh Green had been held at which the community set forth its priorities for legislation in the upcoming session. They also indicated that the State of Hawaii now includes a new middle school facility for Waikoloa as one of the top five priorities among planned new school facilities in the state. There was no report for the Waimea Subcommittee. Ms. Eberhardt then reported for the District-Wide Subcommittee. She has met with William Case, a locally recognized expert on the subject of water resources on the west side of the County, and others to share knowledge about the history and traditional water uses and distribution methods in the area and to learn more about the problems that have arisen and how they were handled in the past. She is scheduling additional meetings for the purpose of gathering information and seeking solutions to ensure the availability of an adequate supply of water for the Kawaihae area in light of the likely future need for increased supplies due to harbor expansion, population increases and commercial development, and to ensure an equitable and efficient system for the delivery of water throughout the District on a long term basis. The Committee then considered priorities for the Subcommittees for 2012. Among items discussed were the wastewater treatement project in Puako which has consequences for the health of the coastal waters and reefs along the South Kohala shore, further expansion of the bus service to include more transpostion to and from the resort areas within the District to assist workers in their commute and to increase access to shops and other commercial activities, emergency planning, and the need for a District high school. It was agreed that the Committee members would give additional thought to identifying priority items for further consideration at the February meeting. The Chairman then reported that an interview had been conducted with a candidate to fill a vacancy on the Committee and he expressed appreciation to the Planning Department for having two members of the Committee serve with a representative of the Planning Department as the interview team. The need to encourage qualified persons to apply for membership on the Committee was discussed and Ms. Eberhardt indicated that she planned to place copies of the South Kohala CDP in various stratgically selected public places such as coffee shops so as to make the CDP more accessible and to raise interest. She also encouraged including announcements of the need for additional applicants for Committee membership in various publications through multiple media. Members of the public then offered statements. Mike Price suggested that the extension of 2 Paniolo Avenue in Waikoloa to reach the work force housing project and the new park and recreational facility should be a priority. The next meeting of the Committee will be held at 5:30 p.m. on February 27, 2012, at the MacNut factory in Kawaihae. Mr. Hoover asked that the following item be included in the agenda for the February meeting: “Non-Action Open Discussion by Committee Members about Issues, Policies, etc. affecting or relating to the South Kohala Community Development Plan and the duties of the Action Committee.” There being no further business to come before the meeting, the meeting was adjourned at 6:40 p.m. ______________________________ Michael B. Fischer Chairman 3