HomeMy WebLinkAbout2019-01-28 South Kohala Community Development Plan Action Committee Minutes - FINAL
Harry Kim Michael Yee
Director
Mayor
D uane Kanuha
Deputy Director
County of Hawai‘i
PLANNING DEPARTMENT
SOUTH KOHALA COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PLAN ACTION COMMITTEE
Aupuni Center 101 Pauahi Street, Suite 3 Hilo, Hawai‘i 96720
Phone (808) 961 - 8288 Fax (808) 961 - 8742
Monday, January 28, 2019
Meeting Minutes
CALL TO ORDER
Chair Kaneali‘i called the South Kohala Community Development Plan ( S K CDP) Actio n Committee (AC)
meeting to order at 5 : 12 p.m. in the Waikoloa Village Association Community Room . The following
persons were present:
ROLL CALL
Action Committee Members Present : Diane Kaneali‘i (Chair), Ruth Smith (Vice - Chair), Eddie Akau,
Kevin McLaughlin, Julia Ann Alos, Tristie Licoan, and William Sanborn.
Action Committee M embers Absent - Excused: George “Robby” Robertson, and Mark Gordon .
Staff Planners : Kamuela Plunkett and Heather Bartlett .
Members of the public : 13
ADDITIONS TO THE AGENDA: None.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
1. Communication Number 2019 - 01 : Meeting Calendar. Staff presented the proposed 2019
meeting calendar to the Action Committee. Please note that meeting dates or times may be
subject to change.
Communication Number 2019 - 01 may be viewed and downloaded from the following website:
ht tp://records.co.hawaii.hi.us/weblink/1/doc/97440/Page1.aspx
PUBLIC COMMENT ON AGENDA ITEMS : Two people signed up to provide comment. They both chose
to speak at the start of the meeting .
1. Ron Dela Cruz, representing the Waimea Historic Preservation Socie ty, testified on agenda item
3. He expressed the importance of maintaining the history of Waimea Town with specific
examples of significant areas. He said that preserving the Minuke’ole Park would prevent future
development in the area. He had equal concer ns for the rock wall in the back of the Parker
Ranch center, and the area surrounding the town center going out toward the hospital. He
expressed that the rich Paniolo history needs to be celebrated and preserved.
2. Margaret Willie, representing herse lf, tes tified on agenda item 4. She expressed her support for
the efforts being taken by the Waimea Historic Preservation group. She agreed that the historic
Waimea Town Center needs to be preserved. She said that the Waimea Town Center 2020 P lan
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may have inaccur ately labeled the historic areas of the town and that the affordable housing,
sidewalks, park, and connector road have never been realized. She spoke regarding the two CIP
appropriation requests in the letter and described their history. She encouraged Act ion
Committee members to continue to push for funding. She suggested that Action Committee
members utilize the PONC fund as a mechanism for preserving Waimea’s history , in particular ,
Minuke‘ole Park .
RECOGNITION OF OUTGO ING MEMBERS : Planning Department st aff thanked outgoing members
George Robertson and Eddie Akau for their years of service on the Action Committee. George
Robertson was unable to attend the meeting however . B oth outgoing members were offered
certificates of appreciation from the Mayor ' s o ff ice and kind words from those present .
APPROVAL OF MINUTES:
Vice - Chair Smith moved to approve the minutes of the September 24 , 2018 meeting as submitted .
Second by Committee Member McLaughlin . The motion to approve the mi nute s as submitted pa ssed
with 6 votes aye, 0 vot es nay [ Committee Member Licoan was not present at the time of the vote ] .
BUSINESS:
2. Presentation by Erica Perez from the Coral Reef Alliance.
Erica Perez gave a presentation regarding the Coral Reef Alliance ’s effort to assist the Puakō
com munity in upgrading their wastewater systems. She described the length their organization has
gone to identify the cause and extent of the pollution in the nearshore water area. They compared
contaminant levels to t he EPA guidelines and the water quality c onsidered healthy for coral reefs. They
also conducted dye tests to track the flow of wastewater into the ocean. Their research indicates high
levels of pollutants that are harmful to nearshore ocean life. Their tests also revealed no measurable
difference in pollution output when comparing cesspools, septic tanks, and Aerobic Treatment Units
(ATUs). Additionally, Puakō was found to have higher pollution than the resort areas and was found to
have a low level of resiliency, based on their resiliency criteria.
Ms. Perez went on to compare the different solutions that had been identified in the process. Act 125
was pa ssed in 2017 to mandate the replacement of cesspools before 2050. Act 132 established a
working group to identify priority cesspool replacement areas across the state. She explained their goal
is to establish a County owned collection system with financing through Chapter 12 of the Hawai‘i
County Code, explore the potential to connect to the Kalahuipua’a Lagoon facility, and to overall make
the project afford able to homeowners in Puakō.
Action Committee members and members of the public asked questions and engaged in discussion.
Councilmember Tim Richards shared that the infrastructure improvements in Puakō could serve as a
poster child for other areas that ha ve the same pollution issues.
Erica Perez’s presentation slides, [ C ommunication N umber 2019 - 0 5 ] may be viewed and downloaded
at the following website: http://records.co.hawaii.hi. us/weblink/1/doc/99032/Page1.aspx
More information about the Puakō cesspool replacement project and the Coral Reef Alliance may be
found on the organization ’ s website: https://coral.org/puako/
3. Communication Number 2018 - 12: Action Committee Recommen dation Letter.
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Waikoloa Intersection and Second Access Road: Committee Member McLaughlin said that their
subcommittee is still working on their report and that they hope to present their findings at a future
meeting.
Vice - Chair Smith provided an interim re port on some of the information gathered regarding the
second access road. Her report, communication number 2019 - 0 3 may be viewed and downloaded at
the following website: http://r ecords.co.hawaii.hi.us/weblink/1/doc/99029/Page1.aspx
Committee Member Alos provided an interim report on some of the information gathered regarding
the second access road. Her report, communication number 2019 - 0 4 may be viewed and downloaded
at the foll owing website: http://records.co.hawaii.hi.us/weblink/1/doc/99030/Page1.aspx
Committee Members questioned how to get developers to follow through with their obligations to do
co mmunity infrastructure improvements. They suggested language could be inserted into a future
version of the CDP to better enable that.
Waimea Historic Preservation: Committee Member Sanborn explained his group ' s current goal to
improve communication with P arker Ranch. He said they hoped to better ensure that community
members have a seat at the table so that important historic sites or characteristic areas are preserved
for the community. He explained that Minuke’ole Park is an important center of the Waime a Historic
Town Center. Their group is interested in having the ownership of the park transitioned to the County.
Vice - Chair Smith provided the minutes from the Waimea Historic Preservation community group ’s
November meeting . Their minutes, communication n umber 2019 - 06 m ay be viewed and downloaded
at the following website: http://records.co.hawaii.hi.us/weblink/1/doc/99412/Page1.aspx
Potable Water in Kawaihae: Chair Kaneali‘i st ated that they are still working on a plan and hope to
report back in the future.
Emergency Shelters in District: There were no updates on this project however Chair Kaneali‘i stated
the Kailapa Emergency Shelter is still undergoing progress and that she h opes to keep the Committee
updated in the future.
4. Communication Number 201 9 - 02: Action Committee Capital Improvement Program (CIP)
Recommendation Letter.
The C ommittee discussed strategies for getting funding for projects. Ms. Willie suggested that Action
Committee members communicate more with department heads while they are in their decision -
making phase , well ahea d of the deadline for the next budget ( generally September – October of the
previous year ) .
Councilmember Ric hards offered to assist the Waimea Historic Preservation Community Group in
getting their items into the budget. He offered practical advice as to the process and strategies for
seeking funding.
Committee Member Sanborn moved to send the letter [ Communication Number 2019 - 02] . Second by
Com mittee Member McLaughlin.
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Chair Kaneali‘i moved to amend the letter to include a request for appropriation for the Kailapa
Emergency Shelter, worth about a million dollars.
The motion to send the letter as amended by Chair Kaneali‘i passed unanimously.
Sta ff stated they would be working the Chair Kaneali‘i and the Waimea Historic Preservation Group to
fine - tune the wording of the letter before sending it out.
Communication Number 201 9 - 0 2 : CIP Final Letter may be viewed and downloaded from the following
webs ite: http://records.co.hawaii.hi.us/weblink/1/doc/99378/Page1.aspx
5. Queen Ka‘ahumanu Highway – Kawaihae Road Intersection.
Chair Kaneali‘i introduced this agenda item stating tha t the new intersection improvements have been
criticized by the community as making the intersection more dangerous than it was before .
James Hustace from the South Kohala Traffic Safety Committee shared that there is a high inci dence of
accidents in the intersection compared to before and that the Department of Transportation (DOT) is
aware of the issue. He said they had been additionally working with County Council and State
Legislators to increase awareness of the issue. He urged Action Committee suppor t for the issue.
Staff Plunkett requested a full account of the problem to ensure that they are communicating
effectively with the state . He suggested a letter could be voted on in the March meeting.
6. Nominations of lands in South Kohala for acquisition wit h Funds from the County’s Public Access,
Open Space, and Natural Resources Preservation Fund [PONC].
Committee Member Alos shared that she is working on a nomination application for a plot of land
south of and adjacent to the Lava Lava Beach Club.
Committe e Member Sanborn shared that he would also like to nominate the Minuke‘ole Park in
Waimea.
Committee Member Sanborn moved to have the Action Committee allow for him to fill out a PONC
suggestion form for the historically significant Minuke‘ole Park which i s a 10 - acre parcel in Waimea
(TMK (3) 6 - 7 - 002:056 ) to be preserved as a historic site. Second by Committee Member Smith.
The Action Committee talked about process and how they could support these nominations. It
was decided that there was not enough time t o send a letter prior to the deadline .
Staff Bartlett suggested including an endorsement from the Action Committee in the
application.
Committee Member McLaughlin moved to amend the previous motion to include a statement of
endorsement from the Action Committee to be included in the nomination application.
Committee Member Smith seconded the amendment.
Upon the amended motion a vote was taken, the motion passed unanimously.
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Committee Member Alos moved to include an endorsement from the Action Committee in her
application for a shoreline parcel in North Kona directly sou th of the Lava Lava Beach Club (TMK (3) 7 - 1 -
002:010). Second by Commit tee Member McLaughlin. Upon the motion a vote was taken, the motion
passed unanimously.
PROPOSED AGENDA ITEMS FOR NEXT MEETING: ( March 25 , 201 9 )
1. Subcommittee Reports
2. Kawaihae Intersection Support Letter
3. General Plan Update
4. Other items as identified by the Action Committee or Planning Staff
ADJOURNMENT: The Chair, without objectio n, adjourned the meeting at 7: 24 p.m.
All Action Committee information can be viewed and downloaded from our website:
http://www.hawaiicountycdp.info/south - kohala - cdp
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