Ka'u News Briefs Nov. 20, 2011

AmeriCorps volunteers cleaned and organized the Japanese School office several years ago.  Photos by Julia Neal

THE OLD PAHALA HONGWANJI schoolhouse is on its way to being restored for community activities. According to Wayne Kawachi, who is heading up the project, the building will be re-roofed, and a new septic system, required for hosting groups of people at church and school, was recently installed. 

Dolly Kailiawa and Americorps volunteers cleaned up
broken glass and scrubbed walls, floors and windows.

     The schoolhouse was constructed in the early 1950s. A former larger school house and a traditional Buddhist temple burned down in World War II and was rebuilt with materials provided by the military, which had taken over the building during the war. In addition to being used as a Japanese school, the building was used as dojo for judo and kendo practice, with its exterior the site of an annual Bon Dance celebration. In more recent years it was an art teachers studio.
     Kawachi said the building will be used for various community activities. AmeriCorps and the Boys & Girls Club did some work on the old school house several years ago. The next community effort is to re-roof it.

THE HAWAI`I VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK PLAN to reduce wild cattle, sheep, pigs and goats inside its boundaries would give many native plants and animals a better chance of survival, according to an Environmental Impact Statement coming up for public meetings next month.
     The National Park has been successful in removing herds comprised of thousands of goats that once roamed the Ka`u desert. It has fenced areas to keep out the pigs, goats, cattle and sheep that destroy the understory of the Ka`u forests in Kahuku and near Volcano. More than 50 threatened, endangered or candidate species live in these forests, with more than 80 species “of concern.” 

Some hunters want to help the park reduce the number
of goats, pigs and sheep.

     A new effort to control the ungulates may include killing the animals and donating the game to the public, according to a story in Stephens Media. The story quotes Natural Resources chief Rhonda Loh, saying that upcoming public meetings on the park’s new ungulate management plan provide an opportunity for the community to give input on the subject.
     Hunters often say they would like to be allowed to control the ungulates themselves and take home the kill to feed their families. However, a national policy within the parks prohibits recreational hunting for removing the invasive animals. Volunteers helping the park to remove the ungulates would be under supervision of park management and prohibited from taking home trophy heads, horns or meat. Animals would be left in place or moved away from a trail or road in the park. Other methods under consideration are aerial shooting, trapping and snaring the ungulates.
     The public meetings in Ka`u will be held on Monday, Dec. 5 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Kilauea Visitor Center in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park and on Tuesday, Dec. 6, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Na`alehu Community Center.

BIG ISLAND UNEMPLOYMENT hovers around the national average, while the state overall has one of the lower unemployment rates in the country. O`ahu’s unemployment rate in October was 6.5 percent; Maui, Moloka`i and Lana`i averaged 7.5 percent; Kaua`i 8.5 percent and the Big Island 9.1 percent, according to the state Department of Labor & Industrial Relations.

KA`U HOSPITAL HAS NEW PHONE NUMBERS beginning tomorrow. The main number will be 932-4200, and the new clinic number will be 932-4205. The administration number will be 932-4370. All phone numbers for the Hawai`i Hospital Corporation hospitals and clinics in East Hawai`i are changing as a new PBX phone system is installed. The new Hilo Medical Center number is 932-3000.

THE COUNTY REDISTRICTING COMMISSION holds public hearings on its final draft map this week. The map makes new District 6 boundaries, removing Kurtistown and Mountain View and adding Napoopoo, Captain Cook and Kealakekua. Kahaualea Road in Volcano is the northeastern boundary, and the border between Kealakekua and Honalo, on the mauka side of Hwy 11, is the northwestern boundary. The public hearings will be held tomorrow at the West Hawai`i Civic Center and on Tuesday at the Hilo Council Chambers, both at 6 p.m. See the proposed redistricting map at co.hawaii.hi.us/council/reapp/index.htm. 

KA`U RESIDENTS ARE INVITED TO APPLY for openings on county boards and commissions. An opening exists on the Salary Commission, which establishes salaries for the mayor, the prosecuting attorney, County Council members and appointed officials. There is also a vacancy on the Pension Board, which deals with pensions of police and fire departments and the Hawai`i County Band.
     Applicants should be active in and respected by the community, community minded and oriented, knowledgeable about and able to represent the entire community’s interests and concerns, and able to focus on Hawai`i County as a whole without undue influence by special or self interests.
     Interested parties may pick up applications at the mayor’s office of Information and Complaints in Hilo or from the mayor’s office in Kona. For more information, call 961-8223.

CHRISTMAS IN THE COUNTRY at Volcano Art Center in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park features art demonstrations, print and book signings by gallery artists, plus a selection of gifts offered only during the holiday season. The annual event includes a display, sale and competition by artists who make decorative and collectible wreaths from many kinds of materials. Christmas in the Country continues today and next Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Park entrance fees apply.

THE HISTORY AND FUTURE OF ENERGY in Hawai`i is the topic this coming Tuesday at After Dark in the Park at 7 p.m. at Kilauea Visitor Center Auditorium in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Kenyan Beals, Hawai`i Electric Light Company’s educational services coordinator, discusses how HELCO got its start, where we are today and plans for the future. Park entrance fees apply.

Puaiohi

Palila

KEAUHOU BIRD CONSERVATION CENTER in Volcano Village holds its annual open house on Saturday, Dec. 3. Tours, beginning at 8 a.m., 10 a.m., noon and 2 p.m., showcase some of Hawai`i’s avian treasures including Puaiohi, Palila and `Alala. Big Island artists will exhibit their bird-related artwork. Reservations are required, and space is extremely limited. A suggested $10 donation and additional donations are welcome. Call 985-7218 or email kbccopenhouse@gmail.com.

A FLOATING LANTERN CEREMONY for the Ka`u community takes place Saturday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Punalu`u Black Sands Beach. It is sponsored by Ka`u Rural Health Community Association in partnership with the American Cancer Society and HMSA, according to KRHCA founder Jesse Marques. Registration is required, and donations will be used for a college scholarship fund for students enrolled in health careers. Participants are asked to bring a Community Thanksgiving potluck. There will be Taiko drummers, music, cultural dance, interfaith chants and prayers, followed by a lantern release into the ocean. For more information, call Ka`u Resource and Distance Learning Center at 928-0101.

Ka'u News Briefs Nov. 19, 2011

The old Pahala gym was re-roofed in 2007 and will be maintained for school activities after the new gym is built.
Photo by Julia Neal

A TWO-DAY CHARRETTE will be held concerning the function and architecture of the new regional Ka`u disaster shelter and gymnasium to be built on the Pahala school campus. These community meetings, where the architects, engineers and county planners interact with the public for input, will be held at the Ka`u High and Pahala Elementary School cafeteria on Monday and Tuesday, Dec. 19 and 20, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on both days. The interaction with the community is sponsored by the county Department of Public Works. Public Works information officer Noelani Whittington asks that community members “please join us in sharing your thoughts.” 

Warren Lee says LEED
as much as possible.

     The chosen architect and engineering firm for the project is Mitsunaga & Associates, who designed such buildings on O`ahu as the Manoa Field House and Maryknoll gym. Public Works chief Warren Lee said he wants the Pahala building designed with the environmentally sustainable LEED standards as much as possible and that one concern is the cost of conditioning the air to get rid of vog. Would there be the ability to clean air for the entire gym during a bad air day or would the air cleaning be for adjacent rooms only? Concerning the electric bill, some community members have suggested solar panels to cut costs and to reduce the risk of electricity being unavailable during a disaster. 

     The building is funded to become a Federal Emergency Management Agency-certified shelter, which will also be operated as a community recreational center and as the main gymnasium for the school.

Ron Terry

TALKING TO EVERY PERSON IN KA`U would be ideal, Ron Terry told the Ka`u Chamber of Commerce yesterday. With that being nearly impossible, he said he wants anyone with ideas about managing the Ka`u Forest Reserve to contact him. His company, Geometrician Associates, LLC, of Hilo, is tasked with the Environmental Assessment for the Ka`u Forest Reserve, which is state land managed by the Department of Forestry & Wildlife. 

     Ideas for the area include making sure hunters have access through protected land to reach their hunting grounds; more hiking trails and perhaps cabins for the public; cooperation between farmers, ranchers and conservationists to protect the watershed while making water from old plantation resources available to the public; and selecting areas to fence in order to protect wildlife from pigs, goats and sheep, which can destroy the understory of the forest. 

     Chamber board members suggested interpretive signs for trails. Limited public trails and camping opportunities could complement Ka`u’s undeveloped coastline and the national public trail along the shore for outdoor recreational opportunities. Existing public access roads that touch the Ka`u Forest Reserve include Lorenzo Road, Ha`ao Springs Road and dirt roads off Wood Valley Road. Terry said that community groups could possibly volunteer to create and maintain trails.
     Geometrician Associates can be reached by calling 969-7090 or on its website at geometricianassociates.com. Other Ka`u projects by the company have included the EA for the Ocean View Transfer Station and the EA for the Hwy 11 project to prevent road flooding at Kawa.

THE KA`U SCENIC BYWAY program received a boost yesterday, as it became eligible for grants for interpretive and visitor centers. Chamber of Commerce board members talked about appropriate locations for a visitor center yesterday. Suggestions included Ocean View as a gateway to Ka`u, and Honu`apo, where a public park and wildlife preserve are being planned. 

MUFI HANNEMANN, who is running for Congress in this district, is also attempting to revive the Hawai`i Hotel & Lodging Association chapter for the Big Island. The chapter, however, will be under a new name, Hawai`i Lodging & Tourism Association. Hannemann said that agritourism, ecotourism, retailers, bed and breakfasts and small country inns are all involved in the changing visitor industry and are welcome to join the organization at hawaiihotels.org.

Entrance to Ocean View well and spigot site.  Photo by Andrea Peace

WATER FROM THE OCEAN VIEW WELL will likely be available early next year, according to reports to the Ka`u Chamber of Commerce yesterday. Board member Mike Dubois said that testing of the quality of the water by government agencies is ongoing. In addition, community members and the county water department are studying projected traffic flow at the water spigot station to make sure the road is wide enough and strong enough for water trucks passing one another and that the traffic won’t back up to block entries to adjacent properties or back out onto Hwy 11. 

OCEAN VIEW FAMILY HEALTH CLINIC welcomes Cindy Cohen, a board certified Family Nurse Practitioner, to its staff. She joins Vickie Crosby in providing over 3,000 patient visits per year. Cohen said, “Everyone has a right to quality care. I love teaching people about their health, how to prevent illness and how to stay healthy.” For appointments, call 929-9425.

Audrey Wilson signs copies of her books.
Photo from basicallybooks.com

VOLCANO RESIDENT AND CHEF Audrey Wilson signs copies of her cookbook, Big Island Eats, tomorrow from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Volcano Art Center in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. The event is part of the Christmas in the Country celebration happening today, tomorrow and next Friday through Sunday.

HAWAI`I’S ENERGY is the topic at After Dark in the Park on Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Kilauea Visitor Center Auditorium in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Kenyan Beals, Hawai`i Electric Light Company’s educational services coordinator, discusses how HELCO got its start, where we are today and plans for the future. Park entrance fees apply.

Feral pigs dig up the forest floor.
Photo by Jack Jeffrey

MANAGING NON-NATIVE UNGULATES, including goats, pigs and sheep, will be discussed at public meetings about Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park’s newly released draft plan and EIS. Meetings are scheduled for Monday, Dec. 5 at the park’s Kilauea Visitor Center and Tuesday, Dec. 6 at Na`alehu Community Center. Both meetings are from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
     The draft plan and EIS is online at http://www.parkplanning.nps.gov/havo_ecosystem_deis. Hard copies are also available for review at Kilauea Visitor Center and public libraries in Na`alehu and Pahala.

Ka'u News Briefs Nov. 18, 2011

Kamilo Beach cleanup netted tons of trash over Veterans Day weekend. Photo from Hawai`i Wildlife Fund

KAMILO BEACH CLEANUP STATISTICS are in from Veterans Day weekend. Megan Lamson, of Hawai`i Wildlife Fund, reports that 66 volunteers picked up 72 extra large bags of rubbish, 27 burlap bags of trash and eight re-used Dacalio Coffee bags to haul away nearly 3,000 pounds of rubbish in seven pickup trucks. A thousand pounds of derelict fishing nets were removed. Some of the other junk that could hurt wildlife include more than 8,000 plastic caps and lids, black tubing, all kinds of bottles, plastic crates, plastic bags and food wrappers, plastic straws and coffee stirrers, rubber slippers, light bulbs and tubes and cigarette lighters. Volunteers even removed micropalstic confetti from the beach at Kamilo. 

     The next beach cleanup is Dec. 10 at Hon`onoua, the southernmost anchialine pond. Another scouring of a Ka`u Coast beach will is set for Jan. 14. 

JESSANIE L. MARQUES, of Pahala, is a new county police commissioner. She was nominated to the County Police Commission by Mayor Billy Kenoi on Nov. 1 and confirmed by the County Council Nov. 16. 

Jesse Marques (r) with her husband
Raymond Marques and County
Council member Brittany Smart.

     The mayor’s nomination papers say that Marques is an “independent consultant with the Hawai`i County Office of Aging, assisting with establishing the Chronic Disease Health Management Program and is the current president of the Hawai`i Island Rural Health Association and Ka`u Rural Health Community Association.” In 2003, Marques was employed by University of Hawai`i John A. Burns School of Medicine as a vog research assistant and 2006 by Hawai`i Community College as Ka`u Emergency Response Academy Program Coordinator.
     From 2001 to 2010, she volunteered at the Ka`u Rural Health Community Association, Inc. as executive director. She is completing two years of a term from which a commissioner retired and will be eligible to serve another five years as on the Hawai`i County Police Commission.

Mitch Roth

MITCH ROTH, CANDIDATE FOR THE TOP COUNTY PROSECUTOR’S JOB, has been doing some work in Ka`u as a Community Oriented Prosecutor. He said he helped to conduct community problem-solving trainings with mainland leaders on site in Ka`u. He helped with the Ocean View Kahuku community park, working with Robin Lamson, Bob and Mardie Nitche, Bob and Patti Barry and others. He conducted an illegal dumping training session with Mike Dubois for Ocean View volunteers that was followed by community cleanup effort. 

     Roth has also worked with Ka`u High School and Ka`u Community Rural Health Association. He assisted with negotiations when Native Hawaiians moved cattle onto land, believing the land is theirs. He assisted Queen Liliu`okalani Childrens Center and local kupuna with negotiations. He has also helped with Neighborhood Watch and training for preventing and addressing domestic violence.
     Roth faces county corporate counsel Lincoln Ashida in the election next August.

SOLAR FOR THE NEW GYM AND SHELTER in Pahala was one of the many ideas brought up at the public meeting on the Ka`u gymnasium and shelter that has been funded by state government. As the only regional, certified Federal Emergency Management Agency shelter, the facility will be tasked with providing a place for the community to go during hurricane warnings and after such disasters as earthquakes, lava flows, floods, fires and hurricanes. Several speakers at the meeting said that solar could help produce electricity after a disaster event, should the electric company’s transmission be unavailable. 

Rep. Bob Herkes talked about the gym and shelter at a
recent community forum sponsored by Sen. Gil Kahele.
Photo by Julia Neal

     The West Hawai`i Civic Center recently received solar from a company that made the investment and sells the excess electricity to the utility.
     Public comments are due for the shelter and gym by Dec. 6 by emailing project manager David Yamamoto at dpwnews@co.hawaii.hi.us or sending mail to the Department of Public Works, 101 Pauahi Street, Suite 7, Hilo, HI 96720.  Department of Public Works representatives said notes from this week’s public meeting would be posted at www.co.hawaii.hi.us. 

     A draft plan is expected in December, an Environmental Assessment will be conducted, and the bids could go out for construction by March.

KAHU RADIO IS EXPECTED back on the air by the end of the weekend. An engineer is flying in this morning to replace parts that experienced a meltdown almost two weeks ago at the tower site between Na`alehu and Pahala. The radio station has been limited in its local broadcast during the downtime but is always available at KAHUFM.COM. In addition to the repairs, the radios station is planning over the next few months to install a booster at South Point to send the signal to Ocean View.

MANAGING NON-NATIVE UNGULATES in order to protect and restore native ecosystems is the topic of Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park’s draft plan and EIS now available for public review and comment. The park’s current EIS addressing ungulate control is more than 30 years old. The new plan/EIS will provide a park-wide framework to guide non-native ungulate management activities over the next decades that considers the recently acquired Kahuku unit, new invasive species challenges, and current NPS policy and guidance.
     The draft plan and EIS is online at http://www.parkplanning.nps.gov/havo_ecosystem_deis. Comments can also be submitted there or to Cindy Orlando, Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park, PO Box 52, Hawai`i National Park, HI 96718. All written responses must be postmarked or transmitted no later than 8 p.m. on Jan. 20, 2012.
     Hard copies of the draft plan and EIS are also available for review at Kilauea Visitor Center and public libraries in Na`alehu and Pahala.
     Public meetings on the draft plan/EIS are scheduled for Monday, Dec. 5 at the park’s Kilauea Visitor Center and Tuesday, Dec. 6 at Na`alehu Community Center. Both meeting are from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

KA`U FOREST RESERVE is the topic at the Ka`u Chamber of Commerce meeting today at 3:30 p.m. at Punalu`u Bake Shop. The speaker is Ron Terry, of Geometricians Associates, which is conducting an Environmental Assessment for the state Department of Land and Natural Resources management plan. Topics include access for hunters and hikers, ridding the forest of ungulates and invasive plants, and re-introducing `alala, endangered Hawaiian crows, which have been raised in captivity.

The cast of The Hurricane, a mystery play sponsored by Na`alehu Main
Street, performs tomorrow night.

A MYSTERY PLAY CALLED THE HURRICANE will be performed tomorrow at 6 p.m. at Na`alehu Methodist Church social hall. Tickets are $30 in advance and available at the Ka`u Farmers Market or by calling 929-7236. 

TWO CHURCH BAZAARS are set for tomorrow. St. Jude’s Episcopal Church in Ocean View holds its annual holiday bazaar and plant sale from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Items include soup and bread, homemade baked goods, jams, jellies, candies, plants and crafts. Kauaha‘ao Congregational Church in Wai`ohinu has a fundraising bazaar from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. with a flea market, food and entertainment.