Ka'u News Briefs Dec. 21, 2011

Manuel Marques claims thieves stole his coffee cherries, worth up to $10,000. Photo by Julia Neal

KA`U COFFEE FARMER MANUEL MARQUES claims that as much as $10,000 in coffee cherries were stolen from his Cloud Rest farm. He said yesterday that the loss was more than police reported. He contended that thieves did not touch the ripe coffee cherries on the rim of his farm so he would not notice that the coffee cherries were missing inside his orchard. He said it would have taken days for pickers to steal the cherries. He also claimed that thieves showed no regard for the trees or ripping branches. and took both green and red cherries. Marques, whose Ka`u Rainforest Coffee has won international awards, said he has crop insurance but it doesn't cover theft. "I will just have to take the loss," he said. Neighboring farmers said they have suffered no such loss on their farms and didn't see any unusual activity. The Hawai`i Police Department is asking for information regarding the report and Crime Stoppers is offering a $1,000 reward for clues that lead to solving of case. According to the police press release, the theft took place between 5:30 p.m. on Dec. 9 and 7:30 a.m. Dec. 11. Marques said yesterday that thieves may have been in his coffee field longer than he estimated when he made the initial police report.

Traditional rooflines for the new gym and disaster shelter in Pahala shown in preliminary sketch.

DESIGN OF THE NEW KA`U GYMNASIUM AND DISASTER SHELTER was tweaked and revised last night with public input during a charrette in Pahala. Under discussion is the possibility of making the facility more open with outdoor lobby and gathering areas. One option would separate the public recreation rooms from the main gym, locker room, fitness and wrestling room. Public recreation rooms would be parallel to the existing tennis courts with an access road between them. Another grassy area would separate this complex from the main gym. The entire complex would be more than 40,000 square feet in size. It would be located just makai of the school offices.

A layout of the gym after public charrette on Monday.

Another layout with more open space will be

created following last night's meeting.

CONCRETE WILL BE THE MAIN BUILDING MATERIAL for the gym and regional disaster shelter to meet Hurricane Category Three and Earthquake Four Standards. Whether the air in the main gym could be cleaned from vog is still on the table. However, air will be cleaned in the smaller rooms, which planners said, would be easier to control.
              The roofline will match those of the campus buildings that have been placed on the Hawai`i Register of Historic Places. Planners had proposed a kind of Parker Ranch red wood grain siding to be attached to the concrete structure to give a more traditional look. However, members of the public said that a smooth concrete finish would be fine, particularly if it would save money to be put into the functionality of the gym. Members of the public also said that the roofline is the most important architectural statement to keep the building in harmony with Pahala village. The color of the building should be beige or light green to fit in with the other campus buildings said County Parks and Recreation Director Robert A. Fitzgerald.
      The floor of the gym will be made of wood and the layout will include an NCAA size basketball court that can also be used as three volleyball courts. There will be a wrestling/judo room, a place for sports rehab and fitness/weight room and an athletic director’s office.
      The gym will be designed with a portable stage that can be pulled out for community events. A cover will be stored onsite and pulled out to protect the wood floor during community events. With the bleachers and chairs, 1,000 people could gather in the gym. The design will provide for fresh air circulation and possibly air cleaning for voggy days. However, there is concern that the cost of cleaning air could be too expensive for the entire gym.

Public Works director Warren

Lee came to Pahala twice this

week for input on the gym

and disaster shelter.

PHOTOVOLTAIC POWER is also on the table. Architect and engineering firm representative Aaron Fujii said that there may not be enough roof area to power up the building with photovoltaics. Public Works director Warren Lee noted that the West Hawai`i Civic Center photovoltaic system is working well, but was funded by a private business, which sells electricity to the county for a lower rate than the utility. He said photovoltaics could be considered and mentioned that an initiative on Kaua`i will provide photovoltaics for some of the public schools there.

Athletic Director Kalei

Namohala contributes to design

of new gym and disaster shelter

in Pahala.

LIGHTING THE PARKING AREA was also brought up and planners noted that the entire island is covered by regulations to protect the night skies. The county may ask its planning department for a variance to allow overflow parking on the grassy area on the makai side of the gym. The rule is one parking stall for every four permanent seats in the gym. More than 100 stalls are located on the Parks and Recreation parking lot near the football field and around the perimeter of the gym site, the library and tennis court area.
      Ka‘u High athletic director Kalei Namohala said the school wants to keep the current wrestling and weight room building as a possible future classroom. Planners moved the footprint of the new gym to leave the old building in place.

MORE PERSONAL INCOME IS GOING FOR HOUSING than perhaps ever before, according to the 2011 Hawai`i Housing Study, recently released by state and county housing agencies.
      Statewide, about 28 percent of households pay more than 40 percent of their income just to have a place to live. On the Big Island,. where housing is less expensive than other islands, 25 percent of households pay more than 40 percent of income for housing. However, 20 years ago, they paid 11.5 percent of income, and in 2006, they paid 22 percent of income to have a home, showing housing costs have risen steeply for rents and mortgages. In order to get more people into home ownership, the Hula Mae state housing program plans to offer assistance with down payments beginning next year. See more at http://hawaii.govdbedt/hhfdc.

Final council map puts Brittany
Smart and Brenda Ford in same
County Council District 6.

FINAL DISCUSSION ON the County Council Redistricting Map will be held by the Redistricting Commission at a meeting tomorrow, Dec. 22, at 10 a.m. in Hilo.
      The final map moves incumbent council member Brenda Ford into District 6, which pits her against incumbent council member Brittany Smart, should they both choose to run again for the council seat which includes all of Ka`u.

DEADLINE FOR COMMENTS on the Kawa Drainage Project is this Friday, Dec. 23. Comments are being taken on the Environmental Assessment to raise Hwy 11 some ten feet above grade to 46 feet above sea level. An 84-foot-wide culvert, eight feet high, would be placed beneath the highway.
      Comments can be sent to the state Department of Transportation’s Hawai`i District Office, 50 Maka`ala Street, Hilo, HI 96720.
      The draft EA is available at Pahala and Na`alehu public libraries, and online at http://hawaii.gov/ health/environmental/oeqc/index.html.

Haunani's Aloha Expressions entertain tonight

 at Volcano. Photo from HVNP

HAUNANI'S ALOHA EXPRESSIONS hula troupe shares its aloha from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. tonight at Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park in the Kilauea Visitor Center Auditorium. The Hawaiian kane and wahine kupuna, who make all of their own colorful costumes and lei and sing and dance hapa-haole hula, have performed at the park’s annual cultural festival for many years.

KILAUEA MILITARY CAMP holds a Christmas Day Brunch this Sunday, Dec 25, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Kilauea Military Camp’s Crater Rim Cafe in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. The menu includes: baked chicken with mushroom sauce, pasta carbonara, breakfast delights and more. Tickets to the event cost $15.95 for adults and $8.50 for children ages 6 to 11. Park entrance fees may apply. Call 967-8356 for more information.

Ka'u News Briefs Dec. 20, 2011

Traditional roofline shown on preliminary design of the new Ka`u shelter and gym to be built makai of the campus offices.

PRELIMINARY PLANS for the new Ka`u regional disaster shelter and community and school gym went to the public last night, and community members are invited to join the discussion again tonight from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Pahala School cafeteria. 

     Preliminary drawings show rooflines similar to other buildings on the historic campus. Tentative size is 40,000 square feet. Tentative site is just makai of the parking lot in front of the school office building, keeping it away from houses surrounding the campus.
     Preliminary design would allow for the entire student body and guests – more than 700 people – to sit in bleachers on one side of the gym facing a stage for community events. During basketball and volleyball tournaments, the stage would be removed, and bleachers would be extended toward the court. Bleachers on the other side would be partially retracted to complete seating on both sides of the gym. 

Planners may apply for a variance to allow grassy
overflow parking areas to remain around the new gym.

     Planners said existing parking may help meet requirements of one stall for every four seats in the gym bleachers. With 700 seats, 175 parking stalls would be required. Parking lots closest to the football field, the offices and the school library may qualify.
     Department of Public Works director Warren Lee said it may be possible to apply with the county Planning Department for a variance to allow overflow parking on the grassy area around the gym. This could retain some of the village green atmosphere for outdoor recreation around the gym and overflow parking during busy events. The grassy area has been used for overflow since the school was opened. Having grass instead of pavement may also save the expense of paving parking lots, and the money could be put into the actual gym, said Aaron Fujii, chief operating officer of the consulting architecture and engineering firm Mitsunaga & Associates.
     Concerning vog protection, an air cleaning system would be installed for bad air days. It would filter air coming into the gym and push out the foul air, said Fujii. He said locker rooms, wrestling, judo, fitness and community activities rooms could be air conditioned to eliminate vog.
     County Department of Parks & Recreation planners said they have been working hard to design the gym for tournament play. Guy Enriques, who has coached volleyball at Ka`u and Kamehameha School in Kea`au, suggested that planners look at the Kamehameha School-Kea`au gym for design ideas.

Park planners, coaches and the school athletic director
put their heads together on court design.

     Ka`u High athletic director Kalei Namohala also said she wanted courts for tournament play. They all agreed that a tentative plan would be for an NCAA-size basketball court, which could convert to three volleyball courts. County planners noted that a gymnasium designed to host tournaments could bring teams to the school and create income for the community. They referred to tournaments in Kona that each can bring in some $50,000 to the community.
     Planners also talked about constructing the building to withstand category three hurricanes with up to 115 mph-winds. Fujii said that he would like to plant trees around the building, but that disaster shelter status requires keeping trees away from the structure. Whether trees would have to be cut down on the campus remains a question. So does the plan to make the building earthquake-proof. Another issue is the degree of lighting that would be required for parking and whether it would protect the dark night skies of Ka`u.
     The discussion continues with the public this evening from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Pahala School cafeteria. Everyone is invited. This will be a community center open to everyone and operated by the county Department of Parks & Recreation. The state has already released more than $16 million to the county to build it.
     Planners hope to have the design and engineering done by spring and construction sometime next year.

A KA`U COFFEE FARMER has called police claiming that 2,000 to 4,000 pounds of coffee cherry were stripped from trees. Police are investigating and seeking information on the case, and anyone with information can call the non-emergency line at 935-3311. Anonymous tipsters may call Crime Stoppers at 961-8300 and could receive a $1,000 reward.
     According to a release from the police department, the farmer claimed that one or more persons entered a property off an old cane haul road above Pahala sometime between 5:30 p.m. Dec. 9 and 7:30 a.m. Dec. 11. Trees were damaged, and the loss is estimated between $3,300 and $6,600, the farmer contended.

John and Hope Keawe

KILAUEA VISITOR CENTER AUDITORIUM in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park will be filled with Hawaiian music and hula tonight and tomorrow night. John and Hope Keawe perform at After Dark in the Park tonight at 7 p.m. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Donations of two dollars support park programs. Park entrance fees apply. 

     Tomorrow, Haunani’s Aloha Expressions share their aloha from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. The Hawaiian kane and wahine kupuna, who make all of their own colorful costumes and lei and sing and dance hapa-haole hula, have performed at the park’s annual cultural festival for many years.

Ka'u News Briefs Dec. 19, 2011

Three red Radio Flyer wagons, put together by contractor Mike Munnerlyn and Mona Chow, were the grand prizes
for children at Christmas in Pahala, where businesses and community members donated for families needing help
with affording Christmas gifts. Photo by Julia Neal

THE NEW SCHOOL GYM & DISASTER SHELTER for Ka`u is the subject of public meetings today and tomorrow from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Pahala School Cafeteria. This is a meeting in which the community can personally meet the planners from the county, state and engineering and architecture firm. The governor has already released more than $16 million for the county to use to build the regional disaster shelter and community center to be operated by the county Department of Parks & Recreation. Community comments to date have included making the building fit in with the historic village and equipping the main building with the ability to clean the air during bad vog days and during a disaster and fresh air at other times. Other suggestions include building a stage for community events and a fitness room for school athletics and the community, designing parking lot lighting that will not affect the night skies in Ka`u, and limiting the pavement for parking on the open field where the community has been parking on the grass for big events at the school.
     Another question is whether there will be a commission for public art on the site. The state’s Art in Public Places program usually sets aside one percent of the cost of a public building for a sculpture or other work of art. However, the money being given to the county may put the decision on whether to commission the art in the hands of the county. 

A sculpture by Randy Shiroma, who
will create a work of art for the
Pahala school grounds.

A SCULPTURE BY VOLCANO ARTIST Randy Shiroma was recently commissioned by the state Foundation of Culture and the Arts unconnected with the shelter and gym project. The $100,000 commission includes an artist in the schools program in which Shiroma will be teaching at the public schools in Pahala and getting to know the community before coming up with a design for the sculpture on the school grounds. Other public works of art at the school include two paintings that were provided from the state’s collection for the school office and a sculpture outside of the Pahala library that was put there in the 1970s but removed when it deteriorated. There are apparently no other Art in Public Places commissions in Ka`u outside of the school office. 

INTERISLAND SHIPPING COSTS will go up again. The Hawai`i Public Utilities Commission has approved an increase of 16.58 percent. Young Brothers wanted more, stating that cargo volume has fallen short of its forecasts. PUC chair Mina Morita said “the Commission strives to balance a utility’s financial health with adequate service at reasonable rates. We recognize that rate increases are difficult for customers, especially in today’s economic climate, but regular cargo service is critical in maintaining economic activity throughout Hawai`i.” The Commission’s decision approved rate increases in the container, flatracks/platforms, automobile, roll-on/roll-off cargo, G-Vans, and other less than container-load cargo categories, at various percentages; allowed other changes to Young Brothers’ tariff; and granted use, subject to conditions, of a new internal financial closing schedule. The PUC re-stated its authority to examine Young Brothers’ actual earnings to ensure that earnings do not result in a windfall in an improved economy where actual cargo volume surpasses the forecasted cargo demand relied upon to determine the approved rate increase. More detail about Young Brothers’ application can be found on the PUC’s website, puc.hawaii.gov, on the Select Dockets page. (See Docket No. 2010-0171.) 

MORE AUSTRALIANS are expected to visit this Big Island from their big island south of here. New flights from Australia to Hawai`i were just announced by Air Australia. As with Alaskans who seem to like the Big Island for its open space and mountains, Australians are expected to enjoy the Big Island for its grand landscape. The new flights will come from Melbourne and Brisbane. Current flights from Australia come from Sydney. 

MONEY COLLECTED THROUGH THE COUNTY’S HI-5 recycling program is being distributed to 10 Big Island nonprofits. The funds were accumulated from recyclers who turned away the cash when they took their cans and bottles to redemption centers.
     O Ka`u Kakou is one of the recipients of the funds. President Wayne Kawachi, a long-time recycler, said the donation, designated by Wai`ohinu workers, will be useful for a number of the organization’s projects. “We take care of cemeteries,” he said. “We are doing rock walls around the cemeteries. The money could go for that.” Or, he said, they could cover the cost of a couple of months’ rental of portable toilets at Punalu`u Black Sand Beach or South Point, another of the organization’s costs. Another alternative, he said, would be to use the money for the projects the group undertakes helping senior citizens complete maintenance and safety projects around their homes. 

The band Keaiwa offered music at Christmas in Pahala.

CHRISTMAS IN PAHALA drew hundreds of residents to Kamani Street last night. Organized by Keala Kailiawa, the celebration included the music of Demetrius Oliveira and the band Keaiwa. The Holy Rosary Church’s Harmonies choir arrived on a float and sang Christmas carols. Keiki sat on Santa’s lap. Local businesses and residents provided gifts for needy families, including red Radio Flyer wagons, a tricycle, grill, Ka`u Coffee Mill coffee, Punalu`u cookies, Oven Treats, lunch bags, children’s books, volleyballs, toys and Hawaiian CDs. O Ka`u Kakou provided popcorn and shave ice. KAHU Radio donated many presents. The Kailiawa family donated stew. Residents donated turkeys, hams, bags of rice and other gifts. Olson Trust donated gift certificates from KTA and the community Christmas tree that will light up Kamani Street at Pahala Plantation Cottages through New Year’s Eve.

Santa had a helper at Christmas in Pahala last
night by the lighted tree on Kamani Street.

A PROPOSAL TO REVISE MONK SEAL critical habitat designations is open for public comment until Jan. 6, 2012. Except for areas excluded for national security reasons, the proposal extends critical habitat from the 200-meter depth contours to the 500-meter depth contours surrounding the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands and the main Hawaiian Islands. It also includes previously excluded Sand Island at Midway. 

     The National Marine Fisheries Service of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which submitted the proposal, is responsible for ensuring the survival and recovery of the endangered monk seal. NOAA Fisheries, in partnership with the state Department of Land and Natural Resources, has worked for more than 20 years to address the monk seal’s decline. However, 40 percent of its population has been lost in the last ten years, and it is facing the threat of extinction, according to NOAA. The agency reports that only about 1,100 seals remain, and an additional four percent of the population is lost each year.
     The proposal, identified as 0648-BA81, can be read at www.regulations.gov. Comments can be submitted at the website or sent to Regulatory Branch Chief, Protected Resources Division, National Marine Fisheries Service, Pacific Islands Regional Office, 1601 Kapiolani Blvd., Suite 1110, Honolulu, HI, 96814. 

THE DEADLINE FOR COMMENTS on the Kawa Drainage Project is this Friday, Dec. 23. Comments are being taken on the Environmental Assessment to raise Hwy 11 some ten feet above grade to 46 feet above sea level. An 84-foot-wide culvert, eight feet high, would be placed beneath the highway.
     Comments can be sent to the state Department of Transportation’s Hawai`i District Office, 50 Maka`ala Street, Hilo, HI 96720.
     The draft EA is available at Pahala and Na`alehu public libraries, and online at http://hawaii.gov/ health/environmental/oeqc/index.html.

Harmonies Choir from Holy Rosary Church arrived at Christmas in Pahala
on a float and sang carols.

JOHN AND HOPE KEAWE ring in the holidays with their music, hula and aloha spirit at After Dark in the Park tomorrow at 7 p.m. at Kilauea Visitor Center Auditorium in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Donations of two dollars support park programs. Park entrance fees apply. 

THE LIGHTS AND COTTAGE DECORATIONS at Kilauea Military Camp cottages are up, and the public is invited to vote on the best. The effort was made by the staff of KMC. Those who enjoy the stroll along the cottage row can receive a Holiday Dollar redeemable at various KMC venues.