HomeMy WebLinkAboutComm No 0035.26 - Testimony - CA-18 - PONC Maintenance fundMamo o KANO
P.O. Box 45. Pahala HI 96777
Chairman Douglas Shipman Adams and Hawai'i County Charter Commissioners
Subject: Charter Amendment 18
Dear Chairman Adams and Charter Commissioners:
We, Na Mamo o Kawa ("NMOK"), support Charter Amendment 18 ("CA - 18"). CA - 18
proposes to: (1) transfer responsibility of administering the Public Access Open Space and Natural
Preservation ("PONC") Maintenance Fund from the Elawai`i County Department of Parks and
Recreation to the Department of Finance, (2) allow for the building, renting, leasing, and installing of
restroom facilities, (3) allow for the building, installing, and maintenance of small structures for
education and/or storage purposes, and (4) allow, if approved as part of a business plan, for board
members, officers, and employees to receive a salary or payment for labor and/or services.
Over the past two years, the PONC Maintenance Fund supports NMOK's community
stewardship and maintenance activities. NMOK is grateful for the support as we maintain the Kawa
property, implement the NMOK Dry Forest and Coastal Rehabilitation Project, and complete the
NMOK Spring Restoration Project. Although NMOK has received stewardship grants through the
PONC Maintenance Fund, the process is fraught with delays in funds disbursement and gaps between
grant cycles. These issues place a financial strain on our organization complicating our ability to
fully perform our maintenance duties on the Kawa property.
NMOK supports the use of PONC Maintenance Funds for appropriate restroom facilities and
structures for educational and storage purposes. The Kawa property is approximately 775 acres and
there are only two portable toilets located at the Northern entrance off of Highway 11. These
restrooms are situated almost half a mile away from the property's most used areas. NMOK has
Comm. No. 35.26
frequently observed and cleaned human excrement within Kawa's fragile coastal ecosystem and
cultural sites.
NMOK also supports building appropriate structures for educational and storage purposes on
PONC lands. As part of our community stewardship, we host public workdays and school groups to
engage in culturally -oriented service learning programs. Kali is well known for its powerful
unrelenting winds. Therefore, having a structure for students and community members to gather out
of the elements creates a safe and comfortable learning environment. A structure on the Kw5
property for storage purposes will exponentially increase the efficiency of NMOK stewardship
activities.
Finally, NMOK supports allowing payment to board members, officers, and empioyees out of
the PONC Maintenance Fund. As part of a small, young, community-based non-profit, NMOK
members make personal sacrifices to spearhead the stewardship efforts at Kawa. CA - 18 will
alleviate our member's financial strain and encourage long-term commitments to healing the land.
This provision will help foster lifelong stewards and provide a viable career option for young
community members in a rural area experiencing socio-economic stagnation.
NMOK is extremely happy with the growth of the PONC program. We hope the Charter
Commission approves CA - 18 so the public may vote on the measure in the November 2020
election.
Executive Director
James Akau