 |
| The beach at the end of Road to the Sea would be preserved with a 3,000-acre purchase using Legacy Land funds. |
ROAD TO THE SEA land, some 3,000 acres at Kahuku in Ka`u, could be purchased by the county with the help of state Legacy Land funds. The proposal comes up before the state Board of Land and Natural Resources next week. Community members like Jamie Kawauchi and Megan Lamson are encouraging community members to weigh in on the issue. In her letter to the BLNR, Lamson says “the parcel exists in the middle of an 80-mile stretch of coastline that has been limited to no development. This claim is unheard of elsewhere in the state. Protecting this parcel is a step toward preserving the invaluable natural and cultural resources and history that are represented in this region. I adamantly believe that Legacy Land Funds would be well spent funding this purchase, and I urge you to support this decision.”
 |
| The property in Kahuku, makai of Ocean View, is up for funding by the state next week. |
Lands have been purchased along the Ka`u Coast for preservation next to Punalu`u, at Kawa and Honu`apo ahead of development to make the largest coastal preserve in Hawai`i. The Ka`u Coast is considered a resource for Hawai`i residents statewide as well as an attraction for visitors interested in seeing wild coastal areas. The purchases were possible because land is still less expensive to buy in Ka`u than in other more developed areas.
Interested parties can write to the Board of Land & Natural Resources, 1151 Punchbowl Street, Suite 130, Honolulu, HI 96813. Fax 808-587-0390. Send email to Adaline Cummings, Board secretary at Adaline.F.Cummings@hawaii.gov.
THE FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT for the Ka`u District Gym & Shelter is now available for public review. The complex consists of two buildings, the gymnasium with main gym floor surrounded by rooms for various purposes and an ancillary building with a multi-purpose room. An exterior courtyard connects the two buildings.
The Final EA shows increased capacity as a shelter, expanding total shelter space by 1,575 square feet. The Draft EA called for shelter for 1,500 people, while the Final EA says the complex will serve 1,928 people during such emergencies as hurricanes.
Interested parties can write to the Board of Land & Natural Resources, 1151 Punchbowl Street, Suite 130, Honolulu, HI 96813. Fax 808-587-0390. Send email to Adaline Cummings, Board secretary at Adaline.F.Cummings@hawaii.gov.
THE FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT for the Ka`u District Gym & Shelter is now available for public review. The complex consists of two buildings, the gymnasium with main gym floor surrounded by rooms for various purposes and an ancillary building with a multi-purpose room. An exterior courtyard connects the two buildings.
The Final EA shows increased capacity as a shelter, expanding total shelter space by 1,575 square feet. The Draft EA called for shelter for 1,500 people, while the Final EA says the complex will serve 1,928 people during such emergencies as hurricanes.
 |
| The Final Environmental Assessment for the Ka`u District Gym & Shelter has been released for public viewing. |
The Final EA also shows increased capacity as a vog shelter. The Draft EA called for the air-conditioned multi-purpose room to be 2,000 square feet with a capacity to hold 120 people. The Final EA increases the size to 2,894 square feet with a capacity to shelter 192 people. Along with this room, the Final EA also calls for the recreation room within the main structure to have an air filtration system that would provide shelter from vog for another 125 people. Total capacity as a vog shelter is 317 persons. The Final EA says “the gym main floor area may not meet the true requirements of a vog mitigated room, however any entrance into the gym has at minimum a vestibule to help keep vog out of the gym area and may serve as an area for people to go who do not have severe reactions to the vog.”
The Final EA calls for four more parking spaces than the Draft EA, for a total of 163 spaces. It also states that a zoning variance has been submitted to reduce the number of paved parking spaces and to allow grass parking.
Noelani Whittington, of the county Department of Public Works, said bids will be solicited from contractors later this month.
The Final EA can be viewed online at oeqc.doh.hawaii.gov. Click on current issue.
The Final EA calls for four more parking spaces than the Draft EA, for a total of 163 spaces. It also states that a zoning variance has been submitted to reduce the number of paved parking spaces and to allow grass parking.
Noelani Whittington, of the county Department of Public Works, said bids will be solicited from contractors later this month.
The Final EA can be viewed online at oeqc.doh.hawaii.gov. Click on current issue.
AIR QUALITY MONITORING inside Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park has earned a national Safety and Health Group Award from the National Park Service. The park uses seven monitors and updates information online every 15 minutes to inform the public and employees about particulates and S02 levels.
Kilauea’s two active locations at Halema`uma`u and Pu`u `O`o influence air quality with their emissions. The findings are monitored and shared in real time at http://www.hawaiiso2network.com.
 |
| Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park ecologist David Benitez checks the SO2 monitor at Steam Vents. Photo from NPS |
The site also reports on other air quality findings, weather conditions and wind direction with links to other sites for the state and Hawai`i Island, and the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory webcams and updates.
The team also established an Air Quality Policy to guide corrective actions within the park, including temporary area closures to protect visitors and staff from fumes. Mobile hand-held
monitors, or gas badges, are used by field crews.
“Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park has the highest average SO2 levels in the National Park Service due to ongoing volcanic activity, a natural event,” said Park superintendent Cindy Orlando. “Our air quality program is a model for naturally occurring SO2 emission management nationally. With a solid communications system in place, visitors can safely visit our fascinating World Heritage Site on Hawai`i Island,” she said.
Park visitors, staff and the public are also alerted by mobile electronic road signs programmed to convey real time AQ conditions. Monitors displaying the AQ website are also available for the public and staff inside Kilauea Visitor Center on the visitor center lanai (accessible 24 hours a day), and at Jaggar Museum.
The AQ team is comprised of staff from Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park, Air Resources Division of the National Park Service, Hawai`i Pacific Parks Association and USGS.
TONIGHT’S AFTER DARK IN THE PARK program features UH-Hilo’s vocal ensemble, Kapili Choir, performing an eclectic blend of gospel, early American and contemporary Hawaiian choral arrangements. The concert begins at 7 p.m. at Kilauea Visitor Center Auditorium in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Two-dollar donations support park programs. Park entrance fees apply.
The team also established an Air Quality Policy to guide corrective actions within the park, including temporary area closures to protect visitors and staff from fumes. Mobile hand-held
monitors, or gas badges, are used by field crews.
“Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park has the highest average SO2 levels in the National Park Service due to ongoing volcanic activity, a natural event,” said Park superintendent Cindy Orlando. “Our air quality program is a model for naturally occurring SO2 emission management nationally. With a solid communications system in place, visitors can safely visit our fascinating World Heritage Site on Hawai`i Island,” she said.
Park visitors, staff and the public are also alerted by mobile electronic road signs programmed to convey real time AQ conditions. Monitors displaying the AQ website are also available for the public and staff inside Kilauea Visitor Center on the visitor center lanai (accessible 24 hours a day), and at Jaggar Museum.
The AQ team is comprised of staff from Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park, Air Resources Division of the National Park Service, Hawai`i Pacific Parks Association and USGS.
TONIGHT’S AFTER DARK IN THE PARK program features UH-Hilo’s vocal ensemble, Kapili Choir, performing an eclectic blend of gospel, early American and contemporary Hawaiian choral arrangements. The concert begins at 7 p.m. at Kilauea Visitor Center Auditorium in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Two-dollar donations support park programs. Park entrance fees apply.
 |
| Oral Abihai |
ORAL ABIHAI shares his passion for creating `ukulele from discarded or naturally fallen pieces of wood tomorrow from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Kilauea Visitor Center’s lanai in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. The event is free, and park entrance fees apply.
A FULL LINEUP of entertainment is set for the Ka`u Coffee Festival Ho`olaule`a this Saturday beginning at 9 a.m. with Emcee Skylark, Ka`u `Ukulele Band,
Keoki & Moses Kahumoku, Ben Kaili, Kaneala Aukahi Pride, One Journey, The Bamboo & Water Dance of the Miss Peaberry Court, Halau Hula O Leionalani, Cyril Pahinui & Moses Espaniola, Bruddah Waltah & Sammi Fo,
Keaiwa with Demetrius Oliveira, Riki Masaoka and Hands of Time.
SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS AT WWW.PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND WWW.KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM.