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Thursday, July 09, 2015

Ka`u News Briefs Thursday, July 9, 2015

An owner of Ka`u Coast property at Pohue Bay plans to build a house at the district's only white sand beach.
AN OWNER OF KA`U COAST PROPERTY at Pohue Bay plans to build a house there. “Mr. Geoff Palmer is proposing to develop a single-family home for his private use on a property he owns … under a company called Nani Kahuku `Aina,” Keli`i Kapali, planner for PBR Hawai`i & Associates, wrote in a letter to Ka`u’s state Rep. Richard Creagan. The company is seeking input from Creagan “as to whether the proposed Palmer Residence may have an impact on any of your existing or proposed projects, plans, policies or programs that we should consider” as the company prepares an Environmental Assessment, Kapali said.
The Palmer Residence would be in State Land Use Conservation District.
Map from PBR Hawai`i letter to Rep. Richard Creagan
      The home site is within the State Land Use Conservation District Resource Subzone. According to Kapali, the house site will be designed in conformance with Conservation District rules related to single-family residential design standards, which limit developable area to 5,000 square feet. Design will include independent electricity, water and wastewater system.
      Kapali said the home site will be within an area of less than five acres and near the shoreline of the parcel that contains 16,500 acres. Previous plans for the property included a hotel, condominiums and a golf course in a development called Kahuku Village.
      In March 2014, owners’ representative Michael Reyes told The Ka`u Calendar, “While we have not taken any affirmative steps to move this (development) forward, we have not officially withdrawn the application, either. There are also no pending discussions with any federal or local government agency regarding the disposition of the property at this time. So basically, we are in a holding pattern and are treating the asset as a longer-term investment.”
      Also in March 2014, Hawai`i County Planning Department announced that the County Council authorized the Director of Finance to enter into negotiations to acquire all, a portion of, or a conservation easement for the 16,000 acres around Pohue Bay.
      PBR Hawai`i requested that Creagan reply by July 24.
      To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

MAUNA KEA PHOTO GUILD has issues with state-proposed rules that would limit access to areas of the mountain. The road to the summit has been closed since June 24, when Thirty Meter Telescope opponents blocked it with strewn rocks and rock structures to prevent construction crews from reaching the summit.
      “As photographers we support open access to Mauna Kea, access that has been legally protected for the people of Hawai`i,” a statement from the group says. “We post pictures as a show of support to protect our right to perform photography on Mauna Kea.
      “Newly proposed rule changes by DLNR will prevent access to Mauna Kea at night between 8 p.m. and 5 a.m., the very time that photographers visit the mountain to photograph the stars. These proposed land management practices also ban camping and the use of backpacks, which photographers use to carry their equipment.
Photographers, including Alan M. Lakritz, who took this photo, have issues
with proposed rules that would limit access to Mauna Kea.
Photo from Mauna Kea Photo Guild's Facebook page
      “Poorly written and lacking in necessary specifics, there are long-term and far reaching economic consequences to these new guidelines that have not been fully considered. While the proposed rule changes may have been aimed at one segment of society, they fail to consider the impact on a broader audience. Many Big Island photographers have spent years honing their skills and purchasing specialized equipment to photograph the night sky from atop Mauna Kea. Their work is displayed in museums and galleries all over the world and enriches the lives of millions of people who cannot travel to Mauna Kea personally.
      “In addition, organizations from across the globe use photography from atop Mauna Kea to educate and inspire young and old alike about the wonders of our Universe. These organizations hire local photographers to take these images that are then shared in a multitude of countries and viewed by millions of people.
      “To deny access to Mauna Kea at night deprives photographers from being able to do their job and earn an income. It also prevents society at large, both here in the U.S. and around the world, from appreciating the unique wonders of the nighttime sky that can only be seen from atop Mauna Kea.
      “We call upon all people who favor full access to join the our cause or create their own organization to advocate. This may include, but is not limited to recreationists, businesses, traditional worshipers, and astronomers.
      “The passage of these proposed new rules will set a precedent that is unacceptable to anyone that appreciates the art of photography and the inspiration of education.”
      Board of Land & Natural Resources will consider the rules at its regularly scheduled meeting tomorrow at 9 a.m. on O`ahu. The meeting will be streamed live at olelo.org.
      To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

Ka`u's Ali`i Hawaiian Hula Hands Coffee won HCA top honors last year.
Photo from Ali`i Hawaiian Hula Hands 
THE 20TH HAWAI`I COFFEE ASSOCIATION Conference and seventh Cupping Competition is July 16-19 at Courtyard Marriott King Kamehameha’s Kona Beach Hotel. Offering a full lineup of informative activities, the annual event attracts statewide coffee industry growers, processors, roasters, wholesalers and retailers.
      The gathering is also open to the public.
      The conference includes workshops covering coffee quality, chemical compounds in green coffee, label compliance, quality control of roasting and packaging, cupping and eradication of the coffee berry borer. Also on tap are legislative updates and reports from a host of agencies, including Hawai`i’s Department of Agriculture, UH’s College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resource, Hawai`i Agricultural Research Center, Synergistic Hawai`i Agriculture Council and Hawai`i Farm Bureau.
      Other activities include an expo, silent auction, coffee farm and processing tour, plus election of HCA officers. Winners of the cupping competition are announced Saturday at a dinner headlined by TV business reporter Howard Dicus.
      The annual cupping competition is an evaluation of coffee based on flavor, aroma, mouth-feel, acidity, sweetness and aftertaste. Last year, a panel of judges, using standardized blind procedures, cupped a field of 82 Hawai`i entries hailing from eight districts. Top honors were given to Ali`i Hawaiian Hula Hands, of Ka`u, Aloha Hills Kona Coffee and Maui Grown Coffee.
Jonithen Jackson, of Ocean View, stars in The Land of Eb.
      For more information and to register, see www.hawaiicoffeeassoc.org/Events.
      To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

JONITHEN JACKSON, OF OCEAN VIEW, stars in a fictional account about the Marshallese situation. The Land of Eb will be shown July 30 on PBS. 
      “Living in the stark volcanic landscape of one of the most remote Hawaiian communities, Jacob, an immigrant father and grandfather, struggles to provide for his large family,” reads the synopsis at thelandofeb.com.
      “When Jacob overhears a cancer diagnosis from his doctor, he keeps the news to himself, foregoing treatment in favor of working to pay off his property which he plans to pass down once he’s gone. As Jacob’s search for work becomes more desperate however, he enters into a dubious agreement with a coffee farmer who promises him the money he needs.
      “His sickness getting worse and the new job beginning to fall apart, Jacob is left with few options. Sensing his own end, Jacob turns a small video camera on himself and begins to record his story — and that of his people, the Marshallese.
      “A hauntingly beautiful affirmation of family, The Land of Eb brings full circle the consequences of man’s destructive nature and lasting effects of the nuclear age with the honor and dignity of love tinged with hope.”
      To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

SEN. MAZIE HIRONO YESTERDAY co-introduced the bipartisan All Students Count Amendment to the Every Child Achieves Act. The amendment would better highlight the needs of Asian American and Pacific Islander students by requiring school districts with more than 1,000 AAPI students to report disaggregated data by the major race categories in the Census, such as Chinese, Filipino, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, Native Hawaiian and Samoan.
Image from KDEN
      “The Hawai`i Department of Education is already a national leader in collecting and using detailed AAPI data to best use resources and help high-need students improve. As we’ve seen in Hawai`i, this detailed data is critical to help educators, parents, and communities ensure that each and every child receives the support they need.”
      The amendment requires school districts to collect and publicly report data on the major AAPI subgroups so that teachers, parents, principals, policymakers, and community organizations can target support to the students who need it most.
      To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

KDEN PRESENTS THE KING AND I beginning tomorrow. Performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2:30 p.m. through July 26. Tickets are $14 general admission, $12 for seniors and students and $10 for children 12 and under. Available at Kilauea General Store, Kea`au Natural Foods, The Most Irresistible Shop in Hilo and at the door.
      Call 982-7344 or email kden73@aol.com.

KA`U SCENIC BYWAY COMMITTEE meets today at 5 p.m. at Na`alehu Methodist Church. The public is invited.
      For more information, email richmorrow@alohabroadband.net.

KA`U RESIDENTS INTERESTED in becoming Red Cross volunteers can attend a meeting today at 7 p.m. at HOVE Road Maintenance Corp. office.
     For more information, call Hannah Uribes at 929-9953.

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS AT PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM. KA`U COFFEE MILL IS OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK.

See kaucalendar.com/Directory2015.swf
and kaucalendar.com/Directory2015.pdf.
See kaucalendar.com/KauCalendar_July2015.pdf.