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| Robyn and David Baglow helped retrieve junk cars in Ocean View by providing a staging area for pickup. A workshop on community policing of illegal dumping will be held Dec. 15. |
THE TAX FOUNDATION of Hawai`i has warned the incoming governor Neil Abercrombie and the legislature to refrain from raising taxes. Tax Foundation President Lowell Kalapa said that lawmakers must recognize that all taxpayers are struggling to make ends meet and that Hawai'i taxpapers are already some of the most heavily burdened in the nation. Kalapa said that citizens can demand less spending from government to balance the state budget. Higher taxes will drive families out of the state and companies out of business, said Kalapa.
COUNTY PROSECUTOR MItch Roth will spend a day in Ka`u teaching community members how to organize community policing and problem solving. The workshop on crime and livability will focus on Illegal Dumping. Participants will learn how to identify and solve problems through policing concepts and action. Organizer Mike Dubois said that illegal dumps are sources of pollution, possibly containing hazardous waste. Rodents, mosquitoes and flies breed in these smelly eyesores and may carry infectious diseases. These open dump disposal sites attract more dumping and criminal activity to the community, said workshop organizer Dubois. He called for representatives from Pahala, Na`alehu and Ocean View regions to take the training and act as a network to put an end to illegal dumping. Representatives from the Solid Waste Division and Community Policing will attend. Snacks and lunch will be served. The workshop is free on Wednesday, December 15 from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Contact Mike DuBois at 640-1118 for more information.
THE COUNTY'S TEMPORARY transfer station at the county park at Kahuku will be discussed at the monthly meeting of the Ka`u Chamber of Commerce on Monday, December 6 at 7 p.m. The county bulldozed a site, poured a concrete pad and set a 30-yard container in place to collect bagged garbage every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Some residents are upset, stating that the county pushed the project without community input or involvement. County Public Information officer Hunter Bishop will explain. The time for the meeting has been changed from 6:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Ocean View Community Center.
NEW BLEACHERS and an ADA approved walkway at Pahala Ballpark will be installed. The old bleachers, some aluminum and some wooden and metal that were built by Ka`u plantation workers years ago have been taken down to make room for new ones.
THE OUTGOING COUNTY COUNCIL plans to vote today on whether to issue a $56 million bond for capital improvements. Mayor Billy Kenoi proposed the bond issue, stating that the county’s high bond rating makes good sense to finance capital improvement projects for the Big Island. Included would be an $8.8 million dollar recycling and rubbish transfer station in Wai`ohinu. Incoming County Council Chair Dominic Yagong and incoming Ka`u council member Brittany Smart said they are not so sure the county should take on additional debt. Smart said that county tax revenues are expected to decrease. Should the issue come up before the council after she takes office, she would ask for a plan for interest payments that would fit within a balanced budget, she said.
COUNTY PROSECUTOR MItch Roth will spend a day in Ka`u teaching community members how to organize community policing and problem solving. The workshop on crime and livability will focus on Illegal Dumping. Participants will learn how to identify and solve problems through policing concepts and action. Organizer Mike Dubois said that illegal dumps are sources of pollution, possibly containing hazardous waste. Rodents, mosquitoes and flies breed in these smelly eyesores and may carry infectious diseases. These open dump disposal sites attract more dumping and criminal activity to the community, said workshop organizer Dubois. He called for representatives from Pahala, Na`alehu and Ocean View regions to take the training and act as a network to put an end to illegal dumping. Representatives from the Solid Waste Division and Community Policing will attend. Snacks and lunch will be served. The workshop is free on Wednesday, December 15 from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Contact Mike DuBois at 640-1118 for more information.
THE COUNTY'S TEMPORARY transfer station at the county park at Kahuku will be discussed at the monthly meeting of the Ka`u Chamber of Commerce on Monday, December 6 at 7 p.m. The county bulldozed a site, poured a concrete pad and set a 30-yard container in place to collect bagged garbage every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Some residents are upset, stating that the county pushed the project without community input or involvement. County Public Information officer Hunter Bishop will explain. The time for the meeting has been changed from 6:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Ocean View Community Center.
NEW BLEACHERS and an ADA approved walkway at Pahala Ballpark will be installed. The old bleachers, some aluminum and some wooden and metal that were built by Ka`u plantation workers years ago have been taken down to make room for new ones.
THE OUTGOING COUNTY COUNCIL plans to vote today on whether to issue a $56 million bond for capital improvements. Mayor Billy Kenoi proposed the bond issue, stating that the county’s high bond rating makes good sense to finance capital improvement projects for the Big Island. Included would be an $8.8 million dollar recycling and rubbish transfer station in Wai`ohinu. Incoming County Council Chair Dominic Yagong and incoming Ka`u council member Brittany Smart said they are not so sure the county should take on additional debt. Smart said that county tax revenues are expected to decrease. Should the issue come up before the council after she takes office, she would ask for a plan for interest payments that would fit within a balanced budget, she said.
