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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2018-09-20 Letter to Jobie Masagatani re Request for Meeting re Public Sewer System in Keaukaha . . Wil Okabe Harry Kim 1.•�p� .y`y��_• , Managing Director Mayor Barbara J. Kossow t: + +�_: Deputy Managing Director County of Hawaii Office of the Mayor 25 Aupuni Street,Suite 2603 • Hilo, Hawai'i 96720 • (808)961-8211 • Fax(808)961-6553 KONA 74-5044 Ane Keohokalole Hwy, Bldg C • Kailua-Kona, Hawaii 96740 (808)323-4444 • Fax(808)323-4440 September 20, 2018 Ms. Jobie M. K. Masagatani, Chair Department of Hawaiian Home Lands Hawaiian Homes Commission P.O. Box 1879 Honolulu, Hawai'i 96805 Dear Ms. Masagatani: RE: Request for a Meeting Regarding the Public Sewer System in Keaukaha On April 8, 2018, I wrote and requested a meeting regarding the Department of Hawaiian Homelands (DHHL) community of Keaukaha, County of Hawai'i (COH). You responded on May 1, 2018, and referred this issue to Norman Sakamoto, Acting Administrator, Land Development Division. Your letter indicated that a meeting would be confirmed. This letter is to check on the status of scheduling such a meeting. Since these communications, the State Legislature passed Act 132 (Act), which established a Cesspool Conversion Working Group. The working group met for the first time on September 13 in Honolulu. The Act is an attempt by the legislature to address the myriad issues that closing all State cesspools by 2050 generates. The Keaukaha community will be directly affected by this closure requirement. DHHL and COH have an opportunity to cooperate and use the Act to try and mitigate the looming costs to this community and other DHHL communities across the State. COH is anxious to begin discussions with DHHL as to how we can jointly provide improvements to the health and welfare of the Keaukaha residents through an enhanced and unified approach with the Hawaii Department of Health. The costs to individual homeowners to close and replace cesspools will be high, and developing a County of liaeari is all Equal Opportunity Provider and Employer September 20, 2018 J. Masagatani Page 2 strategy to mitigate the impacts on our communities is an important reason for our meeting. I look forward to your response. If you would like to schedule a meeting, please contact Martha Rodillas, my secretary, at 961-8860 or at martha.rodillas©hawaiicounty qov. Thank you. Sincerely yours, Harry Kim Mayor c: William Kucharski Dept. of Environmental Management County of Hauai'I Is all Equal()pportuntty Provider and Employer.