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<br /> <br />ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT COMMISSION <br />COUNTY OF HAWAIʻI <br /> <br />MEETING MINUTES <br /> <br />Wednesday, March 28, 2018 <br />9:33 a.m. to 11:14 a.m. <br />West Hawaiʻi Civic Center <br />Building G (Community Meeting Hale) <br />75-5044 Ane Keohokalole Highway <br />Kailua-Kona, Hawaiʻi 96740 <br /> <br />Commissioners present: <br />Richard Bennett, Ph.D., Chair <br />Jon Olson, Vice Chair <br />James Fritz <br />Susie Osborne <br />Jeffry Fear <br />Luana Neff <br /> <br />Staff present: <br />William Kucharski, Director <br />Keyra Wong, Deputy Corporation Counsel <br />Mary Fujio, Secretary <br /> <br />Also present: Several members of the public <br /> <br />1. CALL TO ORDER <br /> <br /> Chair Bennett called the meeting to order at 9:33 a.m. <br /> <br />2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF FEBRUARY 28, 2018 <br /> <br /> Motion and vote: Commissioner Olson moved to approve the minutes, Commissioner <br />Osborne seconded the motion, and all commissioners voted aye. <br /> <br />3. STATEMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC ON AGENDA ITEMS <br /> <br /> Jerome Warren testified about the potential Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) in <br />Nāālehu. ʻHe said the County hired consultants from Brown and Caldwell, and how much they <br />are being paid is unknown. Brown and Caldwell then hired a subcontractor called Earthplan, <br />which means the department won’t be interfacing with the community. A lady from Earthplan <br />called him and said she was familiar with Dr. Bennett and worked with him on a Kealakehe <br />project. The plan for the plant was completed in 2007 and was already paid for, but now these <br />new people are calling him for information. He told the lady he already provided information, <br />and she asked if he could fax it to her. He told her to call the department for it. The lady got his <br />name from his councilmember. This whole thing is hide-and-seek. It’s just money in a <br />downward spiral. The sister project in Pāhala will cost a lot of money, and Resolution 412-17 is <br />another thing that is just hiding. He said he has the retraction statements made last time about <br />EPA fines, because he spoke with a man in the enforcement division in regard to Pāhala. The <br />man said well, gee whiz, if they’re trying maybe they can kick the can down the road a little <br />more. As long as the County keeps saying they’re trying, the EPA will keep giving them some <br />slack. As far as consultants go, he feels the County Council should be made aware before <br /> <br />