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HomeMy WebLinkAbout04-23-2012 SKCDP AC Minutes-Final .docx SOUTH KOHALA COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PLAN ACTION COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES OF MEETING Held April 23, 2012 A regular meeting of the South Kohala Community Development Action Committee was held on April 23, 2012. The meeting was called to order at 5:05 p.m. at Lilly Yoshimatsu Senior Center (Waimea Senior Center), 67-1199 Mamalahoa Highway Waimea, Hawaii, pursuant to notice. The following members of the Committee were present when the meeting was called to order: Loreli Eberhardt Mike Fischer John Hoover Margaret Horwatt Robin Inaba Chris Roehrig Jojo Tanimoto Member Achahn Schulze was absent. Also present were Project Managers Terry Dunlap and Rosalind Newlon from the Office of the Hawai’i County Planning Department, and Bobby Jean Leithead-Todd, Director of the County of Hawaii Planning Department. The Chairman called the meeting to order, noted that a quorum of the Committee was present, and welcomed Jojo Tanimoto as a new member of the Action Committee. Members of the public were asked to submit a form if they wished to address the meeting. Margaret Wille spoke about the Waimea Design Committee and efforts to revise the design requirements. She noted that the revisions would not address pedestrian and complete street matters and stated that the South Kohala Community Development Plan called for complete streets to be made a requirement of the Waimea Design Committee requirements. She also requested that the agenda for the May 2012 meeting of the Action Committee include the North Hawaii Community Hospital plans for possible cuts in services in the women's center. Ms. Wille also urged the Action Committee to demand increased County funding for the South Kohala District and stated that the formula being utilized to determine whether there were sufficient parks and recreational facilities throughout the South Kohala District was not being applied correctly. The members of the Committee then considered the draft of the minutes of the meeting held on March 19, 2012, copies of which had been circulated to the members in advance of the 1 April meeting. In the absence of any comments or proposed amendments or modifications relating to the draft, the Chairman deemed the draft approved and adopted. The Committee members next considered the Land Use Permit Activity Report that had been made available by Mr. Dunlap in advance of the meeting, which summarized recent land use permit activity. In response to an inquiry concerning the Kawaihae small boat harbor matter, Mr. Dunlap encouraged Ms. Tanimoto to visit the Planning Department offices to obtain further information. The Committee then heard Subcommittee reports. Mr. Hoover reported for the Puako Subcommittee and indicated that the Puako Community Association Board members had met on April 4, 2012, with representatives of the County Department of Environmental Management, Waste Water Division, to discuss conducting a study of waste water treatment in Puako as contemplated in the South Kohala Community Development Plan. The indications from the County representatives was that their Division had no funds and no inclination to add any waste water treatment facilities, and it was suggested that a Financial Improvement District be established so that bonds could be issued to fund a waste water treatment facility project in Puako. Problems involved in constructing such a facility include that Puako is in a flood zone and is at too low an elevation for such a facility to have effective pressure. The County representatives also stated that they were not aware of any water quality issues in the Puako shore area. Ms. Leithead-Todd noted that the County does not regulate cess pools and that the State Health Department regulates such matters. She also stated that a feasibility study for a similar project had cost approximately $250,000 in the recent past and that the cost of such a study now might cost more than that amount. The Chair noted that Ms. Tanimoto had become a member of the Kawaihae Subcommittee. Ms. Tanimoto reminded the members that she had previously advised the County about water waste in the small boat harbor area where water taps are sometimes left running overnight, and she again asked if the County could find a solution to such wastage. Ms. Tanimoto also asked if there is any possible water supplier for the Hawaiian Homestead Lands in Kawaihae other than Kohala Ranch Water Company which presently supplies the water for residents there, and she asked for an indication of the source of water for the small boat harbor in Kawaihae. Ms. Leithead-Todd indicated that she would provide answers for the Action Committee on these matters at the next Action Committee meeting. There was no report from the Waikoloa Subcommittee. Ms. Inaba then reported for the Waimea Subcommittee. She stated that the Waimea Design Plan is being updated and that an updated inventory of structures in Waimea is being compiled. She added that no changes in design intent are contemplated at this time. The Waimea section of the South Kohala Community Development Plan is not being incorporated into the Waimea Design Plan at this stage and therefore no conclusions concerning sidewalks and complete streets are being considered as of now. The revised Waimea Design Plan will be submitted to the Planning Department for review while it is still in draft form. Ms. Inaba also advised the members that the developer of the Magoon property next to the Carter Professional 2 Center will make a presentation to the Waimea Design Committee to ensure compliance with the Waimea Design Plan requirements and that only commercial space is contemplated in that development. Mr. Dunlap suggested that the Action Committee should review the proposed revisions to the Waimea Design Plan for consistency with the South Kohala Community Development Plan before the revisions are submitted to the County Council for formal approval. Ms. Inaba also reported that she had met with Waimea community leader Sherm Warner who requested assistance from the Action Committee in obtaining repairs and upgrades from the County for the Waimea Park playground and for the possible construction of a pavilion at the Waimea park for children’s parties and similar activities. A CIP proposal for such purposes was discussed. Ms. Inaba indicated that she will speak with Bob Fitzgerald, County Department of Parks and Recreation Director, about these matters, but that volunteer labor from the community is the best solution for repairs. The members then discussed the construction of the Long’s Drugs facility in Waimea. It was stated that concerns about the project had been raised at the South Kohala Traffic Safety Committee meeting because of the proximity of the project to school and other commercial facilities. The members were advised that there is an effort to have two crosswalks installed at the location and that Ron Thiel, Manager of the County Traffic Division, is determining what budget requirements will be for such an improvement. The funds would have to be raised from private sources. Ms. Leithead-Todd suggested that a less costly alternative to flashing lights at the crosswalks might be available. Ms. Eberhardt then reported for the District-Wide Subcommittee. She provided the members with an update on the progress being made on the potable water resources project, focusing on efforts to gather viable data and compile existing water plans currently in place. Ms. Eberhardt reported that she had met with William Case who is regarded as the leading Parker Ranch expert on water resources, and reviewed his maps and obtained information about past droughts. She also has met with David Greenwell from the County Department of Water Supply for Kohala District, and with Bob Wessel, a principle from the Aina Lea project, and will be meeting with members of the Kawaihae Local Resource Council, with a representative of the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands, and with water resource experts Tom Nance, Steve Bowles and Bill Moore to discuss water supply and demand in the area. She indicated that she has been advised that the existing wells are good but costly to build, maintain and operate, and that the present system enables suppliers to draw water from one well to supplement supplies from another well when necessary. Mr. Roehrig is joining Ms. Eberhardt in her efforts on this Subcommittee. The Action Committee then considered priorities and goals for the Subcommittees for 2012. Ms. Tanimoto stated that she would focus on the need for an emergency road out of the mauka subdivision in Kawaihae and repair or replacement of the connector bridge, and stressed the danger threatened by tsunami. She also expressed a desire for construction of a community center for Kawaihae. Ms. Leithead-Todd asked to speak with Ms. Tanimoto further concerning the need for the emergency road. Mr. Dunlap stated that he would meet with each member to discuss priorities for 2012. 3 The members then discussed recommendations for submission as capital improvement projects. Ms. Inaba renewed her proposal regarding regarding walkways and bikeways in Waimea and agreed to send her proposal to Mr. Dunlap for circulation to the members so that the proposal might be considered at the Action Committee meeting in May for inclusion in the CIP. The Chair then asked the members for an indication of their feelings regarding the frequency with which the Action Committee should meet, and it was the clear consensus of the members that meetings should be conducted on a monthly basis. Mr. Dunlap then advised the members that the Planning Department is conducting a meeting of its personnel to discuss management of the various district action committees and that websites for the action committees will be included in the discussions. It was noted that a website that allows for commentary by the public is not controlled and Mr. Hoover noted an experience that he had with a website that had been utilized by the public for the posting of inaccurate information. It was stated that a face book page is being maintained by another district action committee, and Ms. Leithead-Todd indicated she would look into that as she believed such an undertaking had not been approved and might not be lawful. The impact of sunshine laws on a website also was discussed. The Planning Department will develop a uniform policy for website use by the various district action committees, and it was suggested by Mr. Roehrig that members of the action committees be given the opportunity to provide input regarding the use and content of websites under the contemplated policy. Ms. Leithead-Todd next discussed the district wide policies called for in Chapter 3 of the South Kohala Community Development Plan. She advised the members that a bill to achieve the purpose of sub-policy 1.2 of Chapter 3, the creation of a concurrency management system for the District of South Kohala, had been introduced in the County Council but had not been passed and could not be reintroduced until the requisite passage of time following the initial defeat of the bill. She also stated regarding sub policy 1.3, which calls for the provision of more developed park space and recreational facilities in South Kohala, that the balance between active and passive park space raises questions and that the Planning Department is waiting for progress on proposed legislation in the County Council before proceeding. Ms. Tanimoto requested an update regarding sub policy 1.1 of Chapter 3 relating to the preservation of cultural and historical sites and structures, and Ms. Leithead-Todd advised the members that there are discussions taking place at the level of state government concerning the subject and dealing with such questions as whether open space is to be covered by any new policy. She believes the discussions are moving in the direction of (i) creating a cultural resources commission which would be eligible to apply for funding, and (ii) developing an ocean resources management plan. Ms. Tanimoto stressed the need to provide recognition of the traditional fishing culture in connection with these discussions and Ms. Leithead-Todd indicated that the decision would be made at the state government level and not at the County government level. The Chair then invited comments from the public. Bill Sanborn spoke about the need to coordinate any Action Committee websites with other community information resources and 4 stressed the advantages of community group collaboration. The Committee then noted that the next meeting is scheduled for Memorial Day and agreed to change the date of that meeting to Tuesday, May 29. It is scheduled to start at 5:00 p.m. and will be held in Waikoloa. There being no further business to come before the meeting, the meeting was adjourned at 7:05 p.m. ______________________________ Michael B. Fischer Chairman 5