Kaʻū News Briefs Oct. 20, 2024

  

A new development plan for hotel, condos and retail at Discovery Harbour may be activated early next year following a ruling
favoring investors in Third Circuit Court. Discovery Harbour Community Association says it will appeal.
Image from South Point Investors is from the May 19, 2015 article in The Ka'u Calendar News Briefs.

AN APPEAL TO HAWAI'I'S INTERMEDIATE COURT OF APPEALS TO REVERSE A RULING FAVORING A DEVELOPMENT PLAN FOR DISCOVERY HARBOUR is expected to be filed by Discovery Harbour Community Association, according to a Hawai'i Tribune-Herald article in Sunday's edition. John Burnett reported that DCHA plans to appeal Hilo Circuit Court Judge Henry Nakamoto's summary judgement issued early this month. The judge's ruling favors South Point Investment Group's contention that the Association cannot restrict use of its land to constructing only residences, nor prevent commercial development there.

     The article refers to a story in The Ka'u Calendar's May 2015 edition, in which South Point Investment's Gary McMickle described a plan for a small hotel, condominiums and shopping center, along with renovation of the Discovery Harbour Golf Course. The investment group owns the 174-acre golf course, 11.7 acres zoned conservation, and 18.23 acres zoned agriculture and describes the two smaller properties as "the commercial lots," says the Tribune-Herald story.       .

   The Tribune-Herald reports that a brief filed with South Point Investment's lawsuit against DCHA  "claimed that aggressive opposition to SPIG’s plans by the DHCA caused the Ka‘u Community Development Plan steering committee to recommend 'low density urban' zoning for the development instead of its preferred designation as a 'retreat resort' area. 

     “The DHCA’s interference in the Kaʻū CDP process has delayed development of the commercial lots and repair of the golf course lots, has cost SPIG a favorable land use designation, and has caused it to incur significant other monetary damages.” 

    In addition to issuing a summary judgement in favor of the developer, Nakamoto ordered the Community Association to come up with $5,385.42 toward the developer's legal expenses. The developer earlier asked the judge for $260,570.73 for attorney fees and costs.

Discovery Harbour Golf Course would be renovated, along with construction of a small hotel, condominiums and retail, according to South Point Investment Group. Photo by Cort Gariepy

 
    Discovery Harbour Community Association website says that after filing the appeal and completion of briefing, a three-judge panel from Intermediate Court of Appeals "will be assigned to decide the case. Our attorneys expect that it may take two to four years for the ICA to issue a ruling.”

     In the meantime, according to the Tribune-Herald story, the developer said he may begin pursuing a plan in early 2025. McMickle told journalist Burnett: “We’re looking at mid-density zoning, about 500 units, and the hotel would probably be between 50 and 75 units.”

     See the entire Hawai'i Tribune-Herald story by John Burnett at https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/10/20/hawaii-news/were-open-to-what-the-community-wants-judge-rules-in-favor-of-kau-resort-developer/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_source=email&utm_campaign=daily_news.

     See the May 19, 2015 story in The Ka'u Calendar Newsbriefs at http://kaunewsbriefs.blogspot.com/2015_05_19_archive.html

     Board members of Discovery Harbour Community Association are Sue Bartlow, Nels Eklund, Karen Morrow, Rich Morrow, Erik Ott and Dave Tate.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see facebook.com/kaucalendar. See upcoming events, print edition and archive at kaunews.com.

A BILL TO ALLOW VENDING ON COUNTY ROADSIDES IS UP FOR SIGNATURE BY MAYOR MITCH ROTH, following its passage by the County Council last week. Council member Michelle Galimba, who represents all of Kaʻū into Volcano and South Kona, voted for the measure.

     With approval of the Mayor, the Director of the Department of Public Works would grant $50 annual special activity permits to business licensees along county roads. Applicants would have to show capacity to handle any waste management and other concerns put forth by the County Council, Public Works, Hawai'i Police Department and other agencies. The Council would determine the roads where vending would be allowed.

    County roadside vendors without the required permit kept on site for inspection could be fined $250.00.
Exempt from the permitting would be fundraisers by non profit and educational groups raising money for their programs.
      Grassroots Institute of Hawai'i issued a statement saying that allowing more roadside vending would support local families and entrepreneurs, giving them a chance to benefit not only from sales to locals but to tourists.
   The only council member opposing the bill was Rebecca Villegas from Kona, advocating for safer vending places than the roadsides.

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Kaʻū News Briefs Oct. 19, 2024

Opelu fisherman Chuck Kealoha Leslie discusses netmaking and fishing in a new Ike Kaiāulu video. DLNR image

 
FOUR NEW VIDEOS ON THE CONNECTION OF NATURAL RESOURCES TO COMMUNITIES have been released by the state Department of Land & Natural Resources. Called Ike Kaiāulu - Community Knowledge video series, they were produced by education teams within the DLNR Division of Forestry & Wildlife and Division of Aquatic Resources. The program "seeks to tap into an understanding of this rich history of caring for ‘āina and kai," says the DLNR statement.
    The series premiered in 2023 with four videos sharing community knowledge related to limu, wood carving, lāʻau lapaʻau (medicinal plant use), and caring for special places.

Kumu Hula Mele Kahalepuna Chun shares family history with Hawaiian featherwork and its relationship to the health of forest birds in new Ike Kaiāulu video. DLNR image

    The new videos feature experts with knowledge to share across a variety of practices. While sharing their mana'o, interviewees express common themes, talking about  knowledge coming from parents, grandparents and other kūpuna and the importance of passing on that knowledge to younger generations.
    ʻŌpelu fisherman Chuck Kealoha Leslie discusses his knowledge of net making and his hopes for the future of fishing in Hawaiʻi. He shares that he wants keiki to know how we did things in the old ways, and then they can make it their own. He adds, “If they want to do fishing, make fishing their life and make it joyful.”    

    Kumu Hulu Mele Kahalepuna Chun explores her family’s history with Hawaiian featherwork and its relationship to the health of forest birds in Hawaiʻi. She says that passing along the knowledge provided by her tūtū and her mother was not a job, but a kuleana. “What I want to say to our keiki is to make sure it lives. Just holomua: keep it going.” Chun adds that her tūtū was often asked, “Isn’t this a dying art?" She’d say no, "not as long as I can help it.”

Hiʻilei Kawelo shares  experiences with fishponds connection to mauka and makai ecosystem health in new Ike Kaiāulu video. 
DLNR image

   Paepae o Heʻeia Executive Director Hiʻilei Kawelo shares her experiences with loko iʻa (fishponds) and their connection to mauka and makai ecosystem health. Reflecting on endurance of cultural practices in communities, she says, “The relationships we have within the ahupuaʻa, that’s what makes the magic happen.” 

    Dr. Kawika Winter, Director of the Heʻeia National Estuarine Research Reserve, discusses biocultural restoration and the importance of centering indigenous ways of thinking in ecosystem management. He articulates his views of cultural practice as part of management and life in Hawaiʻi, saying, “We’ve been here a long time, we’re going to continue being here a long time.” On the importance of sharing experience and knowledge, he adds, “So many of the elders who came before me have said that Hawaiʻi has the answers that will help heal the world.”
    All videos are available on the DLNR website. See ʻIke Kaiāulu videos: http://dlnr.hawaii.gov/dofaw/education/videos

Dr. Kawika Winter discusses biocultural restoration and centering indigenous ways of thinking in ecosystem management in a new Ike Kaiāulu video. DLNR image

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 Sunday and Monday will be the peak of the Orionid Metero Shower with more than 20 shooting stars

 an hour between midnight and dawn. A meteor shower seen in this photo was

 captured this summer on Maunakea. Image from NAOJ & AsahiShimbun

MORE THAN 20 SHOOTING STARS PER HOUR ARE EXPECTED to be seen in Ka'u's clear night skies on Sunday and Monday with the peaking of the Orionid Meteor Shower. The best time to view is between midnight and dawn as the shooting stars zip in front the the Orion Constellation.The meteors will be fainter than they would be if they were not traveling by at the same time as the full moon.
    According to The Planetary Society, "The Orionid meteor shower is caused by debris from Halley's
Comet, also known as comet 1P/Halley. The comet's 76-year orbit brings it close enough to Earth to have been seen in the night skies for centuries. It last passed close to Earth in 1986 and will return in 2061."
    "Meteors are also known as shooting stars, but they aren't actually stars at all. Meteors are streaks of light in the sky caused by dust and small rocks burning up as they hit Earth's atmosphere at very high speeds — tens of kilometers per second. These small particles create bright streaks of light you can see from the ground at night. In general, the bigger the piece of space dust, the brighter the meteor. See more at planetery.org.

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MOST GENERAL ELECTION BALLOTS COMING BY MAIL HAVE ARRIVED TO KAʻŪ  RESIDENTS. To count, they must be received by 7 p.m. on Nov. 5 General Election Day. 
    Registration is still available online at any time or in-person at a voter service center. See https://www.elections.hawaiicounty.gov/voter-registration. For an Absentee Ballot, deadline to request a ballot be sent to an alternate address is Oct. 29.
    Some candidates in the Primary Election won their positions that serve  Kaʻū and beyond. County Prosecuting Attorney Kelden Waltjen won the Primary for a four-year term. County Council member Michelle Galimba won the Primary for a two-year term. Kai Kahele won the Primary for the Office of Hawaiian Affairs Trustee seat for Hawai'i four year term.

    On General Election ballots. Kaʻū voters select from the following candidates:
    For Mayor, incumbent Mitch Roth is challenged by Kimo Alameda for the four-year term.
    For state Senate, incumbent Dru Kanuha is challenged by Republican Kurt Sullivan for the four-year term.
    For state House of Representatives, Democrat Jeanne Kapela is challenged by Republican Ashley Oyama and Libertarian Frederick Fogel.
    For Office of Hawaiian Affairs Trustees at large, Keli'i Akina is challenged by Lei Ahu Isa.
    For U.S. Senator representing Hawai'i, Democrat Mazie Hirono is challenged by Republican Bob McDermott, Green Party's Emma Pohlman and We The People Party Shelby Pikachu Billionaire.
    For U.S. House representing rural Hawai'i, incumbent Jill Tokuda is challenged by Republican Steve Bond, Libertarian Arron Toman and Nonpartisan Randall Kelly Meyer.
    For U.S. President, current Vice President Kamala Harris, a Democrat, faces former President Donald Trump, a Republican, and other candidates for the four-year term.

    For U.S. Vice-President, Tim Waltz, a Democrat, faces JD Vance, a Republican and other candidates.
    The other Parties on the ballot for U.S. President and VP are Green Party with Jill Stein for President and Rudolph Ware for VP, Libertarian with Chase Oliver for President and Mike ter Maztt for VP, Party for Socialism and Liberation with Claudia De La Cruz for President and Karina Garcia for VP, and Solidarity Party with Peter Sonski for President and Lauren Onak for VP.
    Two State of Hawai'i Constitutional Amendments are on the ballot. One, which seeks to protect same-sex marriage, asks: “Shall the state constitution be amended to repeal the legislature’s authority to reserve marriage to opposite-sex couples?” A second proposed constitutional amendment would make the selection process of district court judges the same as other judges.

    Three Hawai'i County Charter Amendments are on the ballot. One asks, "Shall the Hawai'i County Charter be amended to provide that any vacancy on the County Council that occurs or exists after a person was duly elected to fill that seat for the upcoming Council term shall be filled by that duly elected successor for the remainder of the unexpired term?" The second asks, "Shall the Hawai'i County Charter be amended to require the Mayor to appoint department heads within 30 days of the start of each mayoral term and within 60 days for any vacancy in office that occurs during the mayoral term?" The third asks, "Shall the Hawai'i County Charter be amended to increase the term length for members of the Cost of Government Commission from 11 to 22 months and extend the deadline for the Commission to submit its report from 11 months after appointment to 20 months after appointment?"

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Kaʻū News Briefs Oct. 18, 2024

Degraded wooden boardwalk at Sulphur Banks Trail in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park will be replaced through Dec. 12.
NPS photo

Sulphur Banks boardwalk to be replaced.
NPS photo by Jessica Ferracane

SULPHUR BANKS TRAIL WILL BE CLOSED OCT. 21 - DEC. 12 in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. National Park Service staff will remove and replace the aging wooden boardwalk to improve visitor safety at Haʻakulamanu. 

    The area, also called Sulphur Banks, is known for the bright yellow sulfur crystals that adorn the lava rocks, and for other volcanic gases and steam that seep from the ground. Durable yellow cedar will be used to replace the aging facilities. Exposure to volcanic gas, sun, and rain has contributed to the degradation of the boardwalk. Two trail crew workers from Yellowstone National Park will assist staff from Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park during the eight-week project.
    The Sulphur Banks boardwalk replacement project is one of several construction projects in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. Park visitors and partners are encouraged to bookmark the construction web page for updates: https://www.nps.gov/havo/planyourvisit/construction-closures.htm.

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Alaya-Joy Kanehailua portrays Nani

of Kahuku Ranch in the 1880s in the

one-woman play on Saturday.

NANI O KAHUKU LIVING HISTORY PLAY will be live on Saturday, Oct. 19 at the Kahuku unit of Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park at 11 a.m. 

    The encore of Nani o Kahuku is a first-person living history performance, the script taken from the diary of Hannah Piilani Jones (Nani). She was the daughter of George W. C. Jones, owner of Kahuku Ranch in the 1870s. It is a lyrical account of life on the ranch, including day-to-day activities as well as historic visits from Hawaiian royalty.

    Star of the one-woman Nani O Kahuku history play is Alya-Joy Kanehailua. She portrays the eleventh and youngest child of Kahuku Ranch owner from 1871-1887, taking attendees through the memories of ranch life in the 1880s.

    Admission is free. Parking is available at the Kahuku Unit of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. The entrance is located just south of the 70.5 mile marker on the ma uka (mountain side) of Highway 11.

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 Kaʻū Trojan rises up to fend off Kamehameha in volleyball on Wednesday. Photo by Kamamalu Kauwe

KAʻŪ HOSTED KAMEHAMEHA ON WEDNESDAY in Girls Volleyball. Kamehameha is coached by Punalu'u resident Guy Enriques. Kaʻū is coached by Pāhala resident Josh Ortega. Kamehameha won with 25-11, 25-12, 25-22.

Two Trojans take to the air in Girls Volleyball on home court on Wednesday against Kamehameha. Photo by Kamamalu Kauwe

5,000 in the mail, 2,500 on the street.