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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAC Minutes 12May2015 William P. Kenoi Duane Kanuha Director Mayor Bobby Command Deputy Director 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 Tuesday, May 12, 2015 Meeting Minutes CALL TO ORDER Chairperson Patti Pinto called the Puna Community Development Plan (PCDP) Action Committee ' (AC) to order at 3:00 p.m. in the Keaau Community Center. The following persons were present: Action Committee: June Conant, Leila Kealoha, Patti Pinto, Oshi Simsarian and René Siracusa. Farris Etterlee arrived at 3:03pm and Sharon Daun arrived at 3:04pm. Susan Osborne and Elmer Solis were absent. Sharon Daun left at 4:16pm. Staff: Hans Santiago – PCDP Planner and Keiko Mercado – PCDP Planning Assistant. Members of the public: 1 ADDITIONS TO THE AGENDA: NONE ANNOUNCEMENTS: 1. Hans announced that he will be out of the office for two weeks in May so please make sure to include Patti and Keiko in email communications. 2. René announced that she attended her first PONC meeting and will work as the liaison between the AC and PONC. PUBLIC TESTIMONY: NONE APPROVAL OF MINUTES: June moved to approve the minutes of the April 14, 2015 meeting as submitted. Second by Leila. The motion to approve the minutes as submitted passed with 6 votes aye, 0 votes nay (Sharon was not yet present). NEW BUSINESS: 1.Communication No. 2015-23 Connectivity and Emergency Response Subcommittee (CERS): Patti reported that the subcommittee has completed the annual review and update of their annual report. The Annual Report will be emailed to AC members ASAP for review. René moved to accept the CERS Annual Report. Second by June. Motion passed with 6 votes aye, 0 votes nay and 1 vote to abstain (Sharon arrived mid-vote so chose to abstain). Discussion regarding connectivity and the importance of it within our communities was a hot topic due to a recent fallen tree which blocked Hwy 11 for close to 11 hours. There was only Hawai‘i County is an Equal Opportunity Provider and Employer one bypass that was available, and it’s about 7 miles long. The CERS Annual Report will be agendized next month. The full CERS report (Communication No. 2015-23) can be viewed and downloaded from the following website: http://records.co.hawaii.hi.us/Weblink8/1/doc/73363/Page1.aspx 2.Volcano Long Range Plan Subcommittee (VLRPS): No report. 3.Pāhoa Regional Town Center Subcommittee (PRTCPS): Members of the subcommittee reported on recent activities of the subcommittees. Oshi stated that the subcommittee is still hopeful that they will be able to move forward with the consultant and the acquisition of additional land for public parking. The new Pāhoa Park is moving forward which is great news. Other specific development is dependent on the installation of the planned roundabout on the main highway. Businesses continue to feel like public parking is a big issue. PRTCPS is now meeting on the first Monday of each month at 8am at Luquin’s Restaurant. 4.Communication No. 2015-21 Mt. View Village Center Plan Subcommittee (MTVS): Patti reported that the small working group of writers continues to meet. They have completed their Introduction and Position Statements and are now working on their Plan Outline. The full MTVS report (Communication No. 2015-21) can be viewed and downloaded from the following website: http://records.co.hawaii.hi.us/Weblink8/1/doc/73350/Page1.aspx 5.Communication No. 2015-22 Mass Transit Subcommittee (MTS): June reported that the bus route now includes the Hilo Airport! This is a huge accomplishment and we have to acknowledge that persistence and hard work have paid off! Councilman Danny Paleka asked that the CIP submitted last year by the PCDP AC for a Mass Transit Study be included in the new budget. Councilman Paleka emphasized the importance of a Mass Transit Master Plan and th on May 18 in the Hilo Council Chambers, there will be a special meeting to review the OP/CIP requests. Next MTS meeting will be held Tuesday, May 26, 2015 @ 3:30pm at Kea’au Community Center. The full MTS report (Communication No. 2015-22) can be viewed and downloaded from the following website: http://records.co.hawaii.hi.us/Weblink8/1/doc/73351/Page1.aspx 6.AC Comments to be considered for the General Plan Update: Patti and Hans provided a brief recap on the review/comparison process. Hans then spoke to the draft document provided, emphasizing that this is just the beginning of the process and that there will be many more opportunities to comment on the GP update both as the AC and also as individuals. Discussion began and the following motions were made based on the AC’s discussion. Farris moved to repeat the last bullet under transportation again under recreation specifically noting bike and walking paths. Second by Sharon. Motion passed with 7 votes aye and 0 votes nay. Oshi moved to strike the second bullet under Flooding and Natural Hazards. Second by Farris. Motion passed with 4 votes aye and 3 votes nay (Sharon, René and June). Sharon moved to add a bullet under Flooding and Natural Hazards “Consider strategies that restrict grubbing and grading in flood prone areas that changes topography that could contribute to flooding. Second by Farris. Motion passed with 7 votes aye and 0 votes nay. Farris moved to add “linear parks” to the bullet under Natural Beauty so that it would read “Consider scenic turnouts and linear parks (Hwy 137). Second by Oshi. Motion passed with 7 votes aye and 0 votes nay. Sharon moved to add a bullet under Natural Resources and Shoreline “Support the development and preservation of wildlife corridors”. Second by Leila. Motion passed with 7 votes aye and 0 votes nay. René moved to add a bullet under Land Use “Recommend increasing consistency between LUPAG Maps and County Zoning Maps”. Second by Sharon. Motion passed with 7 votes aye and 0 votes nay. Leila moved to edit the second to last bullet under Public Utilities to read “Advocate for increased cell phone coverage to improve communications but ensure that cell phone towers blend in with the natural environment”. Second by Farris. Motion passed with 6 votes aye and 0 votes nay. René moved to add a bullet under Public Utilities “Advocate for phased undergrounding of utility lines”. Second by Farris. Motion passed with 6 votes aye and 0 votes nay. Leila moved to edit the third to last bullet under Recreation to read “Develop and maintain new and existing trails, forest and coastal”. Second by Farris. Motion passed with 6 votes aye and 0 votes nay. Leila moved to delete the eleventh bullet under Transportation. Second by René. Motion passed with 4 votes aye and 2 votes nay. Oshi moved to add a bullet under Recreation “Consider additional CIP project for ocean swimming areas at Pohoiki/Isaac Hale Beach Park.” Second by Leila. Motion passed with 6 votes aye and 0 votes nay. Oshi moved to add a bullet under Natural Resources “Develop strategies for combating invasive species (2.2.2).” Second by René. Motion passed with 6 votes aye and 0 votes nay. Leila moved to add a bullet under Natural Resources “Consider PCDP section 2.2.2(b)(d)(e). Second by Farris. Motion passed with 6 votes aye and 0 votes nay. 7.Building in Puna Brochure: The AC decided to postpone this agenda item until the June 19, 2015 meeting, when Elmer (who is the lead on this project) is present. 8.Discussion on Finding New AC Members: On December 31, 2015, three AC members (Patti, René and Oshi) will be timing out. Applications for the AC are available on the PCDP website and will also be provided at AC meetings. Current AC members have also been provided applications to distribute. AC members are also encouraged to invite people who may be interested in applying, to attend an AC meeting. It is important for the AC to be comprised of members from all areas of Puna. Upper Puna is highly underrepresented and Kea’au isn’t represented at all. Patti suggested a newspaper article/media release showcasing the successes of the AC to draw attention. Hans will check with the Planning Department regarding the media release. Hans asked that applications also be sent to him for the purpose of keeping accurate records. Applications for the PCDP Action Committee can be viewed and downloaded from the following website: http://www.hawaiicountycdp.info/puna-cdp/puna-cdp-action-committee-application 9.July AC Meeting: René moved to cancel the July 14, 2015 meeting due to lack of quorum. Second by Farris. Motion passed with 6 votes aye and 0 votes nay. 10.Impact of the Lava: Rene shared that Puna Community Medical Center has been trying to work with FEMA for reimbursements but it’s proving difficult and near impossible. Thus far FEMA has denied all reimbursements for PCMC. Leila shared that both HAAS and Kua O Ka La have enormous debt due to the impending lava and are not receiving any help from FEMA or any other agency either. Patti questioned if writing to the Governor, Senators etc. would have any sort of impact. Hans will check with the Management at the Planning Department to see what the proper steps might be. UNFINISHED BUSINESS: None AGENDA FOR NEXT MEETING: (June 9, 2015) 1. CERS Report 2. VLRPS Report 3. Budget Subcommittee Report 4. MTS Report 5. MVPS Report 6. PRTCPS Report 7. Building in Puna Brochure 8. General Plan Update 9. PD-AC Pāhoa Consultant ADJOURNMENT: The Chair, without objection, adjourned the meeting at 5:12 p.m.