Ka`u News Briefs May 3, 2012

PMK Capital Partners, LLC, wrote to the legislature that it is developing a macadamia processing plant on the old mill property in Pahala and will be putting the Pahala Water Shaft back in service. Photo by Julia Neal

OLD PAHALA MILL SITE OWNERS went to the 2012 state legislature asking for loan guarantees and tax credits. Albert Kam, Jr. submitted testimony as chair of PMK Capital Partners, LLC, which owns the 60-acre mill site between Maile Street and Hwy 11. He wrote that the group is developing a macadamia processing plant on the old mill property “in order to provide local farmers with a better price for their macadamia crop.” In addition, the testimony says, the group “will be putting the Pahala Water Shaft that we own, with a capacity of 6.78 million gallons a day, back in service to lower the cost of irrigation for macadamia farmers.” The water shaft and its defunct pumping station that lies underground were developed for the sugar mill to process cane and as back up water for the village.
      Kam’s testimony says that the “New Market Tax Credits program provides an added incentive to PMK to undertake this major effort of creating a stimulus for the economically deprived community of Pahala.”  Kam’s testimony refers to the 2010 U.S. Census, saying Pahala is categorized as “Severely Distressed with the Percent of People in Poverty at 23.92 percent and tract Income at only 60.4 percent of the Average Mean Income for the State of Hawai`i. With a total population of 1,356 people and a labor force of 592 people, Pahala will be the beneficiary of the 25 –fulltime jobs that PMK operations will create,” the testimony contends.
      Bill 2895 called for loan guarantees to increase the maximum levels of Community-Based Economic Development Revolving Fund loans from $250,000 to $5 million. It would have allowed flexibility to participate in attracting funds through federal programs to community development projects. However, the bill failed to pass the legislature, according to the state Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism.

Jared Blumenfeld. Photo from epa.gov

ILLEGAL CESSPOOLS are the target of the federal Environmental Protection Agency, which announced yesterday that it fined an apartment complex, a coffee visitor center and a commercial office complex on this island for failing to shut down gang cesspools. 

      Jared Blumenfeld, regional administrator for the EPA’s Pacific Southwest said that more than 2,800 large cesspools “have been closed, but an alarming 1,200 are still in use. We are working to shut these illegal cesspools down.” Among them are the gang cesspools in Pahala and Na`alehu, left over from the sugar plantation camps. The county has taken over their maintenance, charging everyone along the sewer lines that go to the cesspools and planning a new sewage system for both villages. The county is also subject to fines if the new sewage systems are not completed soon.
      No large capacity cesspools have been allowed since April 2000. Old gang cesspools were supposed to have been shut down by April 2005. According to the EPA, Hawai`i uses more cesspools than any other state. 

PAHALA LIBRARY will not be transferred to the state Department of Education and used for other purposes. The measure was deferred and unlikely to come up again as the state legislature is scheduled to close today. Friends of Ka`u Libraries lobbied legislature to prevent shutting down the library adjacent to Ka`u High School. The organization urges the public to ask for the library to be open more hours for the use of students and community members. 

Brown tree snakes have devastated bird populations
 on Guam and could the same in Hawai`i if left unchecked.
Photo from fort.usgs.gov

BROWN TREE SNAKES, native to the Solomon Islands and common on Guam, could hitch rides on air and sea craft coming into Hawai`i, particularly with the expected growth in military presence in these Islands. This prompted a bill that comes up for a vote at the state legislature today.

      Supported by the Hawai`i Farm Bureau, it was initiated by Big Island Rep. Clift Tsuji and would restore a program to employ dogs to sniff out the invasive snakes in air and sea cargo. State Department of Agriculture Chair Russell Kokubun supports the measure, as do conservationists who remind legislators that the bird population of Guam was severely reduced by the brown tree snakes.

      The budget is $162,540 a year for dogs, handlers and a trainer and could help prevent Hawai`i from spending the millions that Guam spends to control the snakes. When Hawai`i operated the dog patrol in the past, the dogs also found other invasive species that could have damaged agriculture in Hawai`i, the Farm Bureau pointed out. The federal government will also help with funding.

GEOTHERMAL EXPANSION on the Big Island is the subject of a docket opened this week by the state Public Utilities Commission. The proposal by Hawai`i Electric Light Co. asks for permission to add on up to 50 megawatts from geothermal sources. HELCO plans to seek proposals for the project, which it hopes to have online sometime between 2018 and 2023. The request for the docket by HELCO Pres. Jay Ignacio says HELCO wants to “encourage the identification, evaluation of geothermal resources on the Island of Hawai`i in reducing its reliance on fossil fuels while allowing for the integration and management of intermittent renewable resources such as wind and solar power.”

OCEAN VIEW NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH meets tonight at 7 p.m. in the Ocean View Community Center. Call 939-7033 for more.

Precious Ka`awa won the student dessert category last
 year with her "Ka`u Coffee Espresso Brownies."
Photo by Geneveve Fyvie

RECIPE CONTEST ENTRIES for cookies, candies and crackers using Ka`u Coffee are due by the end of today. Students, amateurs and professionals are encouraged to enter this free contest. The competition, an official event of the 2012 Ka`u Coffee Festival, is hosted by the Ka`u Coffee Mill at their facility on Wood Valley Road this Sunday starting at 1 p.m. The contest is sponsored by Ka`u Chamber of Commerce and Pahala Plantation Cottages. 

      Doubling as the Grand Opening of the mill’s Visitor Center, the event is open to all. The organization encourages the public to attend and celebrate Ka`u Coffee while enjoying free music, original artwork and murals by Kathleen Kam, farm and mill tours and coffee tastings. Several cash prizes, including $500 to the top winner, will be distributed at the event. For more see kaucoffeefest.com or kaucoffeemill.com.

KA`U HIGH & PAHALA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL hosts a Scholastic Book Fair today from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and tomorrow from 7:30 a.m. to noon. The fair is located in the high school conference room, on the first floor behind a pink door. A variety of books and educational gifts will be available for purchase. All proceeds will benefit high school clubs: Akamai Finance Academy, National Honors Society and the Interact Club. For more, call Sheilah Okimoto or Julia Williams 928-2088.

KA`U HIGH SCHOOL SOPHOMORES host fundraisers this month. Tomorrow, the sophomore class sells Krispy Kreme doughnuts at Na`alehu and Pahala Shopping Centers from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. The class will sell loco moco at the Ka`u Coffee Festival on Saturday, May 12, at Pahala Community Center.

CINCO DE MAYO FIESTA will be held tomorrow at St. Jude’s Church on Paradise Cove Circle in Ocean View. The menu includes: enchiladas, Spanish rice, refried beans, green salad, flan, and virgin margaritas. Enjoy lively Latin music, and a special guest artist. Doors open at 6 p.m. with dinner at 6:30 p.m. Tables may be reserved for parties of six and more. Tickets are $12 each or two for $20. For tickets contact Elaine at 808-561-6900 or Cordelia at 939-7555.

Ka`u `Ohana Band will open the Spring Fling on Saturday.
Photo by Julia Neal

KA`U SCHOOL OF THE ARTS’ Spring Fling Arts & Crafts Fair happens this Saturday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., at Punalu`u Bakeshop Pavilion & Gardens. The event features local art and entertainment, with Ka`u `Ohana Band starting the festivities at 9 a.m. See kauarts.org.

LAVA LOUNGE AND CRATER RIM CAFÉ celebrate Cinco De Mayo on Saturday with themed specials. The café and lounge are located within Kilauea Military Camp in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. In the Lava Lounge guests are invited to enjoy a soft taco and chicken fajita buffet from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. At Crater Rim Café, diners are offered Chef’s special house nachos along with the regular ala carte menu starting at 5 p.m. These events are open to authorized patrons and sponsored guests. Park entrance fees apply. For more, call 967-8371.

A HAM RADIO OPERATORS POTLUCK PICNIC is offered by All America Radio Emergency Service members at Manuka Park on Sunday. Anyone interested in learning how to operate a ham radio along with their families are invited to attend. For more, call Dennis Smith at 989-3028.

Ka`u News Briefs May 2, 2012

After passing the legislature, a bill that eliminates mandatory certification of origin for Hawai`i-grown coffees now goes to the governor.
Photo from fairtradecoffeefacts.com

Chris Manfredi

A BILL THAT ELMINIATES mandatory certification for various regions of Hawai`i-grown coffee passed the legislature yesterday. Ka`u Farm Bureau President Chris Manfredi says that self-certification combined with tough penalties are needed. Under the current system, he said, the shortage of state ag inspectors and delays in inspections "crimp cash flow to farmers and businesses because the coffee cannot be shipped until inspected and certified."
       HB 280, however, would not only put the burden on the farmers and businesses to make sure the labeling is truthful, it would make false labeling of Hawaiian coffee a felony, punishable by a $10,000 fine and up to five years in prison. "It places enforcement with law enforcement rather than the Department of Agriculture," Manfredi explained. "The current Department of Agriculture rules do not serve as an effective deterrent for coffee counterfeiters." Manfredi noted that the majority of coffee commodity groups statewide support the bill.
       Some coffee growers, however, including the 350-member Kona Coffee Farmers Association, say that the bill is an attempt for the larger growers and wholesalers to get around the certification and guarantee of origin that built the industry. Bruce Corker, their Legislative Committee Chair, said 529 signatures have been collected opposing the measure and the petition is going to the governor, asking him for a veto. Croker said that his organization represents most of the Kona coffee growers.

FINING TRANSPORTERS OF AXIS DEER between $100 and $25,000 passed the state House and Senate yesterday. Bill 3001 awaits the signature of Gov. Neil Abercrombie. An axis deer was recently shot in Ka`u by a staff member of the Big Island Invasive Species Committee. Farmers, ranchers and conservationists fear that herds could grow here and damage crops, pastures and native forest. The new law would make it a crime for anyone to transport the deer from one place to another in Hawai`i. It is suspected that the axis deer were introduced for hunting on the Big Island – the mode of transportation? Helicopter.

Mayor Kenoi came to Na`alehu in March to discuss the county budget.
Photo by Julia Neal

THE $365.3 MILLION BUDGET for Hawai`i County’s next fiscal year, beginning July 1, is set, according to Mayor Billy Kenoi. He told Hawai`i Tribune Herald yesterday that the final budget, due this Friday, will have few changes and that county income from property taxes is expected to be close to earlier predictions. The Nancy Cook Lauer story explains that the “final budget takes into account the certified property values, the amount of the tax base after final assessments are done and appeals are resolved.” Hawai`i County property taxes next year are expected to bring in $198.5 million, a reduction of 4.3 percent from the $207.3 million taken in this year. The mayor’s budget calls for ending West Hawai`i golf course subsidies. It defers $20 million for future retiree benefits, payments that some County Council members want to pay now. Under the mayor’s plan, monthly furlough days for county workers would be continued. The County Council plans to take up the budget over the next few weeks.

OCEAN VIEW BAPTIST CHURCH has a new pastor. Dr. Michael S. Landry comes from Bethel Baptist Fellowship in Jennings, LA, where he served as Senior Pastor and administrator of a Christian School. He and wife Connine have served as missionaries in Romania and other Eastern European and Western European countries as well as Latin America and Canada. Landry’s first service at his new post will be May 6 at 1 p.m. 

Keoki Kahumoku performed at the Ka'u Coffee Mill blessing in January and
will perform again at the Grand Opening of the Visitor Center this Sunday.
Photo by Geneveve Fyvie

THE KA`U `OHANA BAND Community Chorus, along with Keoki and Moses Kahumoku will entertain as Ka`u Coffee Mill Visitor Center opens to the public this Sunday. Ka`u Ohana Band will open with the Star Spangled Banner at 2 p.m. The musical ensemble, sponsored by the Ka`u School of the Arts, will play such marching tunes as the Liberty March, Andromeda Overture, the X Brigade and finish up with the Big Band Bop. The Ka`u Community Chorus will sing songs of the Beatles. Keioki and Moses Kahumoku will entertain with Hawaiian slack key. The event also features the Triple C Recipe Contest and entry blanks and coffee for the recipes are available at R&G Store, the Olson Trust Building and Ka`u Coffee Mill in Pahala and at Will & Grace in Na`alehu. There is no entry fee to this recipe contest, which is offering up a $500 grand prize.

KA`U HIGH & PAHALA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL hosts a Scholastic Book Fair today and tomorrow from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Friday from 7:30 a.m. to noon. A variety of books and educational gifts will be available for purchase. The fair will be held in the high school conference room located on the first floor – look for a pink door. All proceeds will benefit high school clubs: Akamai Finance Academy, National Honors Society and the Interact Club. For more, call Sheilah Okimoto or Julia Williams 928-2088.

KA`U HIGH SCHOOL SOPHOMORES host fundraisers this month. This Friday, the sophomore class sells Krispy Kreme doughnuts at Na`alehu and Pahala Shopping Centers from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. The class will sell loco moco at the Ka`u Coffee Festival on Saturday, May 12, at Pahala Community Center.

Mexican Flag.

CINCO DE MAYO FIESTA will be held this Friday at St. Jude’s Church on Paradise Cove Circle in Ocean View. Menu will include: enchiladas, Spanish rice, refried beans, green salad, flan, and virgin margaritas. There will be lively Latin music, and a special guest artist. Doors open at 6 p.m. with dinner at 6:30 p.m. Tables may be reserved for parties of six and more. Tickets are $12 each or two for $20. For tickets contact Elaine at 808-561-6900 or Cordelia at 939-7555.

KA`U SCHOOL OF THE ARTS’ Spring Fling Arts & Crafts Fair happens this Saturday, May 5, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Punalu`u Bakeshop Pavilion & Gardens. The event features all local art and entertainment, with Ka`u `Ohana Band starting the festivities at 9 a.m. See kauarts.org.

Ka`u News Briefs May 1, 2012

Kathleen Kam moves her latest mural, which will be installed for this weekend's Grand Opening of Ka`u Coffee Mill. The public is invited to the event which starts at 1 p.m. along Wood Valley Road. Photo by Julia Neal

THE COUNTY SALARY COMMISSION voted last night to abandon pay cuts for the top 40 county executive positions as a way to balance the next budget. However, County Council members will suffer a slight slide in their salaries. According to a West Hawai`i Today story this morning by Nancy Cook Lauer, the top 40 compensations include $114,768 for police and fire chief, $113,580 for county prosecutor and $109,152 for mayor. The commission also voted to get rid of automatic step increases in pay. From now on, any hikes require commission vote.
      The salary commission also voted to give all the council members the same $48,000 pay, despite their tenure. This ends the compensation ranging between $47,928 and $49,920 depending on how many times they win elections. The council chair earns $54,336. According to the West Hawai`i Today story, “the Salary Commission in 2009 gave County Council members a 22 percent raise. The council on a 6-2 vote had killed Council Chairman Dominic Yagong’s attempt to have the raise rescinded.” This year, Yagong asked for a 12 percent salary cut for county executives, to save $1 million a year, but the commission rejected the proposal.

The drought has eased in Ka`u, bringing needed rain
 to the award winning coffee farm of Trini and
Francis Marques at Cloud Rest. Photo by Julia Neal

DROUGHT CONDITIONS seem to be improving in Ka`u, according to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor Report, pointing to “some crops and pastures visibly benefiting from recent light rain.” Throughout Hawai`i, however, April was a very dry month, hurting pastures and crops that don't have irrigation. Precipitation measured 60 percent below historic averages, the report states. 

EARLY LEARNING is the subject of a Hawai`i State Legislature bill that goes to the floor on Thursday. The bill, SB2545, establishes a new Executive Office of Early Learning to further prepare Hawai`i keiki for school through early learning programs. It also establishes an Early Learning Advisory Board to replace the Early Learning Council.
      The bill repeals junior kindergarten programs at the end of the 2013-2014 school year and sets a new age limit for Kindergarten students. Starting with the 2014-2015 school year, students will be required to be at least 5 years of age by July 31 of the school year in order to attend Kindergarten. If passed, $300,000 in funding would be released for early education programs across the state. Sen. Gil Kahele of the Ways and Means Committee supports the bill. For more, see www.capitol.hawaii.gov.

A Liquid Robotics Wave Glider.
Photo from edlu.com

LIQUID ROBOTICS IS OFFERING a $50,000 grant plus use of its Wave Glider data. The Wave Glider marine robots were recently launched and are crossing the Pacific, earning a Guinness World Record for longest voyage completed by an unmanned ocean vessel. One of Liquid Robotics' stations is on the Big Island. Interested parties can submit a 500 word abstract with research goals and objectives, ancillary data and desired scientific results and conclusions. Deadline is July 17. See more at www.liquidr.com.

A THIRD KATHLEEN KAM MURAL commissioned for Ka`u Coffee Mill about Ka`u will be unveiled this Sunday at the facility's Grand Opening. The mural, depicting wildlife of Ka`u from the ocean to the top of Mauna Loa, shows native plants and animals as well as Ka`u’s landscape. The installation will be in the Ka`u Coffee Mill Visitor Center near her murals about the history of Ka`u farm life and the evolution of farming to the coffee industry. The grand opening is at 1 p.m. and includes meeting the artist, farm and mill tours, music by the Ka`u School of the Arts and Keoki Kahumoku, and the Triple C Recipe Contest, which is still taking entries. Call 928-9811 or see www.kaucoffeefest.com or www.kaucoffeemill.com for more.

Frances Kakugawa.

FRANCES KAKUGAWA shares stories of her life growing up in Kapoho at After Dark in the Park tonight at 7 p.m. at Kilauea Visitor Center Auditorium in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Two-dollar donations support park programs. The program is free, and park entrance fees apply.

KA`U HIGH & PAHALA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL hosts a Scholastic Book Fair tomorrow and Thursday from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Friday from 7:30 a.m. to noon. A variety of books and educational gifts will be available for purchase. The fair will be held in the high school conference room located on the first floor – look for a pink door. All proceeds will benefit high school clubs: Akamai Finance Academy, National Honors Society and the Interact Club. For more, call Sheilah Okimoto or Julia Williams 928-2088.

KA`U HIGH SCHOOL SOPHOMORES host fundraisers this month. This Friday, the sophomore class sells Krispy Kreme doughnuts at Na`alehu and Pahala Shopping Centers from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. The class will sell loco moco at the Ka`u Coffee Festival on Saturday, May 12, at Pahala Community Center.

CINCO DE MAYO FIESTA will be held this Friday at St. Jude’s Church on Paradise Cove Circle in Ocean View. Menu will include: enchiladas, Spanish rice, refried beans, green salad, flan, and virgin margaritas. There will be lively Latin music, and a special guest artist. Doors open at 6 p.m. with dinner at 6:30 p.m. Tables may be reserved for parties of six and more. Tickets are $12 each or two for $20. For tickets contact Elaine at 808-561-6900 or Cordelia at 939-7555.