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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMay Progress Report.pdfMAY PROGRESS REPORT DISTRICT 4 Hawaiian Paradise Park, Hawaiian Beaches, Makai of Pahoa Town, Nanawale Estates, Leilani Estates, Pohoiki, Kapoho greggor.ilagan@hawaiicounty.gov www.hawaiicounty.gov/district4 "You must be the change you want to see in the world." - Mahatma Gandhi I ~al~~d:~~~~et 1 :~a~n~ire~t~ Cla~ ~~ 1::::::::·:.e~one '? a 20-acre community park at the and Park Planner James Komata met begin preparing for this years corner of 26th and Kaloli Drive, if with Ilagan to discuss the steps needed hurricane season, which the homeowners association agrees to bring the park to completion. started June 1 and ends on to dedicate the land to the County. November 30. A community meeting will be held I'm hoping this time for a calm starting at 6 p.m. on July 1 at the hurricane season, but the HPP Community Center. National Oceanic and Atmo- Site location for the new park TMK: 1-5-39:267 This park was one of Council member Greggor llagan's top priorities upon entering office, because of the lack of public recreational facilities on the 10-mile stretch between Pahoa and Kea'au. Included in the County's recent $99.75 million bond float is $300,000 for plans and designs for a community park in the HPP subdivision. In a meeting in late May, Parks and L-R: Councilman Ilagan, Park Planner Kamala and Director Honma discuss the steps for a park in HP P The next step will be approval from the HPPOA board of directors for dedicating the property to the County, followed by a vote of the Council to authorize negotiations to accept the 20-acre parcel. No public funds can be committed to improvement of the parcel until this happens. Please provide your comments on this park to info@hppoa.net and also greggor.ilagan@hawaiicounty.gov in the month of June. Ilagan will be asking the association to set up a park committee composed of people who are able to provide further input as to what features the park will have. The features of this park are not yet determined, but at minimum the early phases are expected to include a grassy spheric Association is predicting strong El Nino conditions this fall, which creates potentially stronger hurricanes in Hawai'i. It doesn't help to worry. lnstead,you could use the time to talk to your family to prepare an emergency plan and don't forget to try out your plan at least once. Sincerely, ~~ Greggor Ilagan Council Member area large enough to accommo- date sports fields and broad shared- use paths for walkers, joggers, and bicyclists. The park features in future phases could include play courts or concession areas or a community-run beautification project. All this would be determined through public input and the current and next County administration, and continued support by people who will want to see this happen. IN PROGRESS FROM JAN TO MAY Invasive Species -Council member Greggor Ilagan will be pushing to commit funds for a communications specialist with the Big Island Invasive Species Committee. County crew clearing albizia trees. Building off the work that the Big Is- land Invasive Species Committee has been doing to deal with the albizia threat in Puna, he will be using dis- trict contingency relief funds for a position within BIISC whose primary function will be able to assist people who have problems with trees on or near their property. At a May 11 meeting of a working group that has been formed to com- bat the trees, Ilagan sought better co- ordination among the various agen- cies, including Civil Defense, Public Works, BIISC, the Hawaii Electric Light Co., and the Hawai'i Emergency Man- agement Agency (formerly known as State Civil Defense). Currently there is no single point of contact for the public to call in and receive assis- tance. BIISC has stepped forward and agreed to be that point of contact. L-R: Communications Director Fran- ny Brewer, Project Manger Springer Kaye and Councilman Ilagan brainstorm on the albizia issue. The communication specialist would work with agencies such as HELCO and Hawaii County to design and dis- tribute information about the hotline and whom to contact in the event that a tree needs to be removed. This person would handle all calls related to albizia trees, help people get prop- er training on the safe use of Mile- stone herbicide, and shepherd them through the process of requesting assistance from the State or County government. With base salary, plus fringe bene- fits, this position is expected to cost around $60,000. Ilagan will be con- tributing a certain amount from his contingency funds and he is hope- ful that some of his fellow Council members will feel similarly moved to donate from their own contingency accounts in the next fiscal year. Neighborhood Watch Bill -A bill to update the process by which Neigh- borhood Watch groups can get signs has passed initial Council committee review and could receive final ap- proval by the County Council as early as July 1. A Neighborhood Watch meeting. This separate from the $15,000 for funding of Neighborhood Watch signs that will be available islandwide for coming fiscal year. The Neighborhood Watch sign bill has gone through many drafts and many rounds of review behind the scenes. The goal had always been to address the concerns of community members in getting the signs, as well as updating a law that had remained essentially unchanged on the books for decades. Council Member Greggor llagan's Bill 47 was introduced to a Council Com- mittee on May 5 and postponed to June 2, where minor amendments were made and it received a unani- mous positive recommendation for the first of two readings before the Council on June 16, and then July 1. If approved, any Neighborhood Watch area coordinator wishing to have a Neighborhood Watch sign placed in that person's neighbor- hood must request and fill out an application form provided by the police department. If the Police Chief determines that the Neighborhood Watch is in compliance with the poli- cies of the Police Department, and not a rogue organization posing as a Neighborhood Watch, the Chief may approve the application. Councilman Ilagan and Police Chief Harry Kubojiri discuss ammendments for the neighborhood watch bill. For Neighborhood Watch programs located in private subdivisions, the Police Chief will be authorized to work with area coordinators to facili- tate the purchase and installation of Neighborhood Watch signs on pri- vate roads open to the public. The current law only allows the installa- tion of the signs on public property. The bill also designates a role for the community police officer and repeals the requirement that 60 percent of homes within the boundaries of a designated neighborhood partici- pate in the Neighborhood Watch pro- gram. SuperPAC Disclosure -As of early June, House Bill 1491, which will in- crease reporting requirements for so- called SuperPACs, has been approved by the Legislature and was sent to Gov. David lge for his signature. The Governor is reviewing all bills and will have until June 29 to notify the Legislature of his intent to veto any of them. Any bill not on this potential veto list by June 29 will become law. "Equal justice under law" is engraved on the facade of the Supreme Court building GENERAL PLAN County Council members will have extra time, until September 8, to propose amendments to the Gen- eral Plan. COUNTY OF HAW All GENERAL PLAN FEBRUARY 2005 (As Amended) The General Plan is Hawai'i County's policy document for the long range development of Hawai'i Island. The last comprehensive review was in 2005, when it established the vari- ous community development plans that now guide growth and land use patterns around the island. A number of interim amendments have been made since then. However, the time has come again for a comprehensive review of the Gen- eral Plan. Planning Director Duane Kanuha opened the 120-day period for the Council to review and sug- gest amendments, with the deadline originally scheduled for June 6, 2015. Council member Greggor Ilagan, as Chair of the Planning Committee, originally asked Director Kanuha for a two-month extension of the dead- line, because no council members had proposed any amendments to SQUATTING AND ADVERSE POSSESSION TASK FORCE Council member Greggor Ilagan has received a number of com- plaints about squatters living in va- cant, bank-owned homes through- out Puna. He is working to start a public discussion on squatting and adverse possession that will result in legislation to address this prob- lem. Squatting occurs when a person wrongfully settles on the real prop- erty of another without permission. In Puna, where there are a large num- ber of vacant, bank-owned proper- ties, squatting is a huge problem. lla- gan's office often receives complaints about people living in vacant homes, and causing headaches for neigh- bors. At the same time, Ilagan is aware that the discussion needs to include the role of adverse possession. Adverse possession is defined as a doctrine under which a person in possession of land owned by some- one else may acquire valid title to it, so long as certain common law re- quirements are met, and the adverse possessor is in possession for a suffi- cient period of time - in Hawaii, the requirement is 20 years if the land in question is five acres of property or less. "What we see as a problem (with squatting) is that people are going into other people's property with the intent to live in there and reducing the quality of life around the area;' Ilagan said. "But the other end of that spec- trum is adverse possession, when the person is living there and increasing the quality around the area:' the General Plan. Kanuha instead pro- vided a three-month extension. "I wanted to take my chairmanship se- riously;' Ilagan said in the June 2 Plan- ning Committee meeting. "And when I sat down and really thought about it, what is the main goal for the PC and what is the most integral document for the committee? It's the General Plan. That's big; the biggest piece of Plan- ning:' He asked Council members to take ad- vantage of this opportunity to provide initial input. After review by the Plan- ning Director, the public workshops in 2017, and the public hearings by the planning commissions in 2017-2018, the Council will not take up the issue on the agenda again until early 2018. Director Kanuha emphasized that the September 8 deadline only applies to the County Council, and that the pub- lic may provide input to the Planning Department at multiple hearings and workshops during the next three years. Ilagan has reached out to police and prosecutors to find a solution. He is put- ting together a draft of a bill to prohibit squatting in a residential dwelling. But there are a lot of issues that remain un- resolved, regarding enforcement, imple- mentation or similar issues, so he would like to convene a task force that will work together to address the squatting issue and come up with a workable solution. The goal of this effort is to discuss and allow input for some of the challenges faced related to dealing with squatters. What remedies do aggrieved neighbors have? Who owns a foreclosed home and what happens if that owner cannot be reached? When someone calls police for assistance with getting a suspected squatter out of a house, what happens next? What are the County's responsibili- ties and roles regarding squatting as it relates to the state? These are some of the difficult issues that need to be addressed, and there are no easy answers. But by bringing the is- sue to the fore front, Ilagan would like to consider all options and find the best possible solution. ARE You READY? Hurricane season has returned to the Central Pacific. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Asso- ciation is predicting strong El Nino conditions this fall, which in Hawai'i results in more favorable conditions for the formation of powerful hur- ricanes. We all know now what a tropical storm can do. Approaching Hurricane Iselle before mak- ing landfall on the Big Island last year. The American Red Cross, Hawai'i State Chapter, is recruiting disaster services volunteers in the Pahoa area. Training is provided free of charge. The first step is to register online by filling out a volunteer application form on the Red Cross website (Go to fw.to/aN- ArTOY, or call 854-4283 for assistance). When the Red Cross receives your application, you will be contacted about the classes listed below and sign "It's thanks to caring people like the Red Cross volunteers who keep people safe during disasters." - Greggor Ilagan you up if you are able to attend. The new volunteer training series is being offered at the Hawaii Acad- emy of Arts and Sciences PCS, at 15- 1397 Homestead Road, Pahoa, on the following dates: • Disaster Services: An Overview (Saturday, June 27, 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m.) • Shelter Fundamentals (Saturday, June 27, 1-5 p.m.) • Disaster Assessment Fundamentals (Sunday, June 28, 9 a.m.-noon) • Disaster Action Team Orientation (Sunday, June 28, 12:30-4:30 p.m.) All training is free to the public and is funded by a combined $15,000 in district contingency relief funds EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS Make an emergency preparedness kit: • Water • Food • Radio, flashlight, batteries. • First aid kit. • Medication • Copies of important documents • Cell phone chargers. • Multi-purpose tool. • Extra cash. • Pet supplies • Maps. • Personal hygiene items. • Blankets. • Sleeping bag per person. Be informed: • Listen to local media broadcasts or NOAA Weather Radio for the latest storm conditions and follow the advice of local authorities. • If you are told to evacuate, do so immediately. You may choose to evacuate sooner than alerted if you think you may need additional time. If a Hurricane WATCH is issued: • Listen to weather updates from your radio. • Bring in outdoor objects. Anchor objects that cannot be brought inside. • Close all windows and doors. Cover windows with storm shutters or plywood. • If time permits, and you live in an identified surge zone, elevate furniture or move it to a higher floor to protect it from flooding. • Fill your vehicle's gas tank. ~o - Sign-up Hawai'i County Civil Defense Alerts and Notifications Self Enrollment. Go to the following website: www.hawaiicounty.gov/ civil-defense/ 808-935-0031 civil_defense @hawaiicounty.gov provided by Council members Greggor Ilagan, Zendo Kern and Karen Eoff during the last council term. Please take advantage of this opportunity to be prepared to help your Puna community members the next time a disaster strikes. "It's thanks to caring people like the Red Cross volunteers who keep peo- ple safe during disasters;' said Ilagan. For more information, contact Michele Liberty at michele.liberty@redcross.org or at the phone number 854-4283. If a Hurricane WARNING is issued • Listen to the advice of local officials, and leave if they tel I you to do so. • Unplug appliances. • Turn your refrigerator and freezer to the coldest setting • If you have propane, turn off the tank. • If you are not advised to evacu- ate, stay inside, away from windows, skylights and glass doors. • Use flashlights; do not use open flames as a light source. • If power is lost, turn off appliances to reduce damage from a power surge when electricity is restored. Council Member Greggor Ilagan 25 Aupuni Street Hilo, Hawai'i 96720 Phone: 1-808-965-2712 greggor.ilagan@hawaiicounty.gov www.hawaiicounty.gov/district4