Ka'u News Briefs Dec. 22, 2011

Commercial beekeepers working hives yesterday in macadamia orchards up Wood Valley Road. Photo by Julia Neal

AN ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT is under way for the new Ka`u $16.9 million regional disaster shelter and gym. PBR Hawai`i has been given the contract and is expected to put the EA out to the public for a 30-day review sometime in February, around the same time that the final architectural plan will be completed. Some Pahala residents have received letters from PBR asking how the project might affect them.
     Nearby community members have talked about drainage, should the grass field next to their houses be paved for parking. Water could flow onto the their residential properties instead of sinking into the soil during floods, they contended. However, engineers working on the project said they will be responsible to contain any water and that a variance may be sought to keep much of the grass field unpaved, allowing the water to drain into the soil.
     Surveyors can be seen on the property, just makai of the Ka`u High office building, studying the land for is slope and other measurements needed to design the project.
     Whether parking lot lighting that could shine into the windows of adjacent residents and whether lighting for the parking would disturb the dark Ka`u skies famous for stargazing are other questions.
     Rep. Bob Herkes said funding was raised for the purpose of building a regional disaster shelter and secondarily for athletics for the school and community. Whether the main room – the gym –which could accommodate about 1,000 people – will have the equipment to clean air from vog during athletics and for disaster shelter purposes is still undecided, according to county Public Works director Warren Lee.
     The facility will have a certified kitchen, room for Red Cross supplies and equipment storage, and an emergency communications center, he said. Whether there will be solar photovoltaic electricity and solar hot water to serve the disaster shelter and gym is still on the table, said Lee.
     The roof design, as shown, will be plantation style, and the building will be painted to blend in with the historic campus structures on the Hawai`i Register of Historic Places.

KA`U INTERMEDIATE students will be able to join the After School All Stars program in 2012 to encourage higher academic performance and physical activity. The initiative will create after-school sports leagues for basketball, volleyball and soccer, according to a Dan Nakaso story in this morning’s Honolulu Star-Advertiser. There will be no try-outs or cuts, as the program is aimed at participation rather than winning. It focuses on encouraging all children to be physically and academically active. The only limitation is that students will have to maintain a 2.0 grade average to participate in the sports league. When they are not playing sports they will concentrate on studies after school. 

     Some 3,700 students around the state will have the program on their campuses. On this island, other schools are Kea`au and Pahoa. On O`ahu they are Waianae and Nanakuli.

     Keith Amemiya, former executive director of the Hawai`i High School Athletic Association, said he has dreamed of after-school sports for middle school students for years. Now a member of the state school board, he said the program is a three-year pilot and will cost more than $800,000 funded by donations. 

Keith Amemiya

     Amemiya told the Star-Advertiser that ‘the middle school years are just as critical, if not even more important, than the high school years in making sure our students are appropriately engaged and involved in after-school activities…. Students change physically and emotionally. If you lose some of those kids, they may go down the wrong path. By the time they reach high school, it’s difficult to get them back on the right track.” 

     Amemiya also told the Star-Advertiser that the academic side would include classroom-style instruction, rather than monitoring completion of assignments. Social service workers, psychologists and medical professionals will be involved to help out. “A lot of these kids don’t go to the doctor regularly, so we’ll bring healthcare professionals and counselors to them and offer everything from birth certificates to Social Security cards,” Amemiya said. “We firmly believe that sports and other after-school activities teach teamwork, discipline, perseverance, hard work and accountability. But we’re using athletics as a tool to help students academically as well as in other areas to help their development.
     “The ultimate goal is to roll out this program to every middle school across the state. Already some other complex areas have expressed interest in starting their own middle school athletic programs,” he told the Star-Advertiser.

HAWAI`I SCHOOLS MUST SHOW IMPROVEMENT during a comprehensive federal review in January or risk losing the $75 million Race to the Top grant. A letter from the U.S. Department of Education yesterday said, “We are placing Hawai`i’s Race to the Top grant on high-risk status. The letter, addressed to Gov. Neil Abercrombie, noted “Hawai`i’s unsatisfactory performance during the first 14 months of the grant.”
     The federal DOE also put the state on cost-reimbursement status, meaning that the state must carry out programs and pay for them before receiving the grant funds.
     State school board members and DOE officials said they would work hard on meeting the federal demands to keep the Race to the Top grant.

A BAN ON PLASTIC BAGS provided at retail check-out counters, with the exception of use for meat and produce, passed the County Council yesterday. Plastic bags would still be for sale in stores. The measure, authored by Council member Pete Hoffmann, passed with a five to three vote. Ka`u Council member Brittany Smart voted for the measure, as did South Kona Council member Brenda Ford. Council chair Dominic Yagong, who works for Foodland, abstained. Voting against the measure were J Yoshimoto, Dennis Onishi and Donald Ikeda. The measure goes to Mayor Billy Kenoi for his signature.

Alison Yahna teaches the art of beekeeping.
Photo from www.artemissmiles.com

DROUGHT, SMALL HIVE BEETLES AND VARROA MITES have hit bee colonies hard in Ka`u, according to beekeeper Alison Yahna, who has stopped selling honey to rebuild the bee colonies. She said that after the long drought and invasions by pests, the bees need their honey for energy to survive. Yahna said more than 50 percent of her colonies have survived. Islandwide, more than 70 percent of feral and managed hives have been lost. First the varroa mite came in with viruses that weakened colonies, then came the small hive beetle that preyed on weak colonies already infested by the varroa mite. Hilo and Puna were hardest hit, she said. 

     Yahna said that while her hives were affected, she predicts that they will hold their own without being treated. Once the nectar flow starts from the rains, “I will be working to rebuild colonies from my survivor queens which will hopefully have more resistance to these pests.”
     She asks that people who see bees swarming call her at 929-8117. She said that people are reporting fewer bees in their gardens. See more on her honeybee sanctuary at www.artemissmiles.com.

Reefer keeper
Kaohi Mokuhali`i

PIPIKAULA IS BEING SOLD to help raise funds to keep the Ka`u Reefer in Na`alehu open. Kaohi Mokuhali`i is selling the old Hawaiian-style, marinated sun-dried beef in one- and two-pound packages for $10 a pound. Contact her at 938-9040 or kmokuhalii@yahoo.com, or Carol Massey at 929-9001 or masseys2@hawaii.rr.com.

THE PAHALA AND WAI`OHINU transfer stations, along with all others on the island, will be closed this Sunday, Christmas Day. 

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.