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| Ka`u CDP draft materials outline strategies to manage Ka`u's natural and cultural resources. Photo from Ka`u CDP |
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| Kyra Phoebe Michiko Gomes practices for performances of the National Anthem and Hawai`i Ponoi at the Merrie Monarch Festival. |
KA`U CONNECTIONS to this year’s Merrie Monarch Festival are growing. Kyra Phoebe Michiko Gomes, the nine-year-old granddaughter of Phoebe and Bobby Gomes, of Pahala, is the chosen singer of the National Anthem and Hawai`i Ponoi tonight at the opening of the Merrie Monarch Festival’s Ho`oike and the opening of each night’s competition, from Miss Aloha Hula Thursday to the traditional and modern men’s and women’s hula competitions Friday and Saturday.
She will also perform Saturday at 11 a.m. at Hilo Civic Auditorium. The event is open to the public.
Kyra is the daughter of Wendy and Jeffrey Gomes. The festival is televised and online through KFVE.
TRANSIENT ACCOMMODATIONS TAXES, which amount to 9.25 percent of the rate charged by the state for every hotel, bed-and-breakfast and vacation rental accommodation, is a major funder of the county. Mayor Billy Kenoi said yesterday that he doesn’t want the county’s portion whittled away by the state. Addressing the Kona-Kohala Chamber of Commerce, the mayor pointed out that the county receives approximately $17.5 million a year, and even though the visitor count is rising with more accommodations rented at higher rates, the state isn’t offering up more to the counties. Without the extra income from the visitor tax, which can pay for improving parks, roads and other public places used by visitors, the burden will fall on the local taxpayer. The mayor also objected to a proposed tax on utility franchises. “We’re asking the state to look elsewhere for revenue. You’re balancing the budget on the backs of county residents,” said Kenoi, according to a report in this morning’s West Hawai`i Today. See www.west-hawaiitoday.com.
A 3.1 EARTHQUAKE was felt in Ka`u this morning, the rumblings concentrated between Pahala and Volcano as the epicenter was near `Ainapo, mauka of Hwy 11, nine miles west of the summit of Kilauea volcano. No damage reported.
CIVIL DEFENSE SIRENS blared throughout Ka`u and across the island yesterday, but the warning sounded only an equipment error during testing and repairs. A message saying there was no real threat was soon texted to those signed up for Civil Defense alerts.
Kyra is the daughter of Wendy and Jeffrey Gomes. The festival is televised and online through KFVE.
TRANSIENT ACCOMMODATIONS TAXES, which amount to 9.25 percent of the rate charged by the state for every hotel, bed-and-breakfast and vacation rental accommodation, is a major funder of the county. Mayor Billy Kenoi said yesterday that he doesn’t want the county’s portion whittled away by the state. Addressing the Kona-Kohala Chamber of Commerce, the mayor pointed out that the county receives approximately $17.5 million a year, and even though the visitor count is rising with more accommodations rented at higher rates, the state isn’t offering up more to the counties. Without the extra income from the visitor tax, which can pay for improving parks, roads and other public places used by visitors, the burden will fall on the local taxpayer. The mayor also objected to a proposed tax on utility franchises. “We’re asking the state to look elsewhere for revenue. You’re balancing the budget on the backs of county residents,” said Kenoi, according to a report in this morning’s West Hawai`i Today. See www.west-hawaiitoday.com.
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| A 3.1 earthquake occurred in Ka`u at 9:28 a.m. |
SOLVING THE GARBAGE PROBLEM is a goal that Mayor Billy Kenoi expressed yesterday at his talk for the Kona-Kohala Chamber of Commerce. He said he sees waste reduction as a major way to handle the garbage problem and mentioned the H-Power project on O`ahu turning waste into energy.
A 3.1 EARTHQUAKE was felt in Ka`u this morning, the rumblings concentrated between Pahala and Volcano as the epicenter was near `Ainapo, mauka of Hwy 11, nine miles west of the summit of Kilauea volcano. No damage reported.
CIVIL DEFENSE SIRENS blared throughout Ka`u and across the island yesterday, but the warning sounded only an equipment error during testing and repairs. A message saying there was no real threat was soon texted to those signed up for Civil Defense alerts.
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| Mayor Billy Kenoi talked to "Uncle Abel" Simeona Lui last year about the county planning to protect Kawa. Lui was evicted from Kawa last October and has made camp in Hilo. Photo from Big Island Video News |
ABEL SIMEONA LUI, who lived near the Ka`u Coast at Kawa for some 20 years, has set up camp and taro plantings in Hilo. According to a Tom Callis story in this morning’s Hawai`i Tribune Herald, “Time and the state’s patience may be running short for the small group of Hawaiian sovereignty activists who have symbolically reclaimed a corner of the Wailoa River Sate Recreation for the kingdom.” The story says the “grow-in” started Jan. 17 on the 120th anniversary of the overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom. It reports “Uncle Abel” sleeping in a tarp tent to oversee 14 rows of kalo plantings, which the sovereignty group calls its Kanaka Garden, the story says.
Lui told the reporter, “The food is for the people. To me, if they want to take it back, who is going to feed all the people we have now?” The story reported the group Aloha Uprising and its leader Gene Tamashiro, who supports Lui’s efforts, saying they will give away the taro grown there and that they received word that the state Department of Land & Natural Resources may soon attempt to evict the group.
Aloha Uprising on its website says the group is “trying to do something meaningful about: pono self-reliance; energy independence; strong, diversified local economy; food security through national organic farming; government accountability; media freedom and home rule with aloha.”
FOUR BILLS CALLING FOR IMPROVEMENTS to Kahuku Park in Ocean View unanimously passed their first reading in County Council last Thursday. Council Member Brenda Ford introduced the bills that break improvements down into phases.
Phase 1 lists water system improvements to address public health and safety relating to water for drinking, irrigation and an auxiliary source of potable water in a disaster).
Phase 2 addresses improvements related to Americans with Disabilities Act and seeks $600,000 for installation of ramps to the pavilion and ball field.
Phase 3, budgeted at $250,000, would add, replace, improve and repair children’s playground equipment, regulation matting, a gazebo and BBQ apparatus.
Phase 4 calls for construction of a community center, gymnasium, restrooms, certified kitchen, storage for Civil Defense supplies and a second water reservoir to serve the community center. Funding for this $5,100,000-phase as well as the other phases would be provided from general obligation bonds, capital projects fund and/or other sources.
Another bill for Phase 5 passed the Finance Committee unanimously last Wednesday. It calls for $100,000 for grading to provide an additional area to the park for future use.
FOUR BILLS CALLING FOR IMPROVEMENTS to Kahuku Park in Ocean View unanimously passed their first reading in County Council last Thursday. Council Member Brenda Ford introduced the bills that break improvements down into phases.
Phase 1 lists water system improvements to address public health and safety relating to water for drinking, irrigation and an auxiliary source of potable water in a disaster).
Phase 2 addresses improvements related to Americans with Disabilities Act and seeks $600,000 for installation of ramps to the pavilion and ball field.
Phase 3, budgeted at $250,000, would add, replace, improve and repair children’s playground equipment, regulation matting, a gazebo and BBQ apparatus.
Phase 4 calls for construction of a community center, gymnasium, restrooms, certified kitchen, storage for Civil Defense supplies and a second water reservoir to serve the community center. Funding for this $5,100,000-phase as well as the other phases would be provided from general obligation bonds, capital projects fund and/or other sources.
Another bill for Phase 5 passed the Finance Committee unanimously last Wednesday. It calls for $100,000 for grading to provide an additional area to the park for future use.
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| Ka`u CDP calls for policy maps to link land use policies and conservation strategies to specific landscapes. |
DRAFT MATERIALS FOR KA`U Community Development Plan, which were released yesterday, detail types of strategies for managing Ka`u’s natural and cultural resources. The CDP employs four complimentary and sometimes overlapping types of core strategies for managing natural and cultural resources:
One strategy is to establish policy with maps and statements related to land use, watersheds and natural features, public improvement priorities, government services, and public re/development. Policy maps link land use policies and conservation strategies to specific landscapes. For example, a map showing urban growth boundaries identifies areas to be protected for agriculture and areas where growth will be encouraged.
Another strategy is to recommend advocacy with federal and state policy makers and agencies for policies, regulations, incentives, programs, and action.
Another third strategy is to detail community-based, collaborative resource management, including research, place-based planning and program design and program implementation. The draft CDP recommends community-based management plans to assure that human activity doesn’t degrade the quality of Ka`u’s unique natural and cultural landscape; to protect, restore, and enhance ecosystems, including mauka forests and the shorelines, while assuring responsible access for residents and for visitors; and to protect, restore, and enhance Ka`u’s unique cultural assets, including archeological and historic sites and historic buildings.
The draft CDP also calls for identification of easement and acquisition priorities, either by fee simple ownership or through conservation easements. It lists criteria for such acquisitions: level of community support; identified management and maintenance partners; benefit to the general public; urgency; special opportunity for acquisition exists (e.g., special funding is available, landowner willing, etc.); resources can be leveraged through partnerships with other government, private, or nonprofit entities; land or property entitlements are available for acquisition.
Draft Ka`u CDP documents are available at hawaiicountycdp.info/kau-cdp.
Another strategy is to recommend advocacy with federal and state policy makers and agencies for policies, regulations, incentives, programs, and action.
Another third strategy is to detail community-based, collaborative resource management, including research, place-based planning and program design and program implementation. The draft CDP recommends community-based management plans to assure that human activity doesn’t degrade the quality of Ka`u’s unique natural and cultural landscape; to protect, restore, and enhance ecosystems, including mauka forests and the shorelines, while assuring responsible access for residents and for visitors; and to protect, restore, and enhance Ka`u’s unique cultural assets, including archeological and historic sites and historic buildings.
The draft CDP also calls for identification of easement and acquisition priorities, either by fee simple ownership or through conservation easements. It lists criteria for such acquisitions: level of community support; identified management and maintenance partners; benefit to the general public; urgency; special opportunity for acquisition exists (e.g., special funding is available, landowner willing, etc.); resources can be leveraged through partnerships with other government, private, or nonprofit entities; land or property entitlements are available for acquisition.
Draft Ka`u CDP documents are available at hawaiicountycdp.info/kau-cdp.
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| Kenneth Makuakane performs tomorrow on Kilauea Visitor Center's lanai. Photo from NPS |
HAWAI`I VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK and Volcano Art Center continue their celebration of the 50th annual Merrie Monarch Festival with arts and crafts this week.
Tomorrow on Kilauea Visitor Center lanai from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Lehua Hauanio shares traditional lei making techniques. Ku`uleimomi Makuakane-Salave`a shares the art of kapa making. Helene Hayselden demonstrates making a feather kahili. Na Hoku Hanohano Award-winning singer, songwriter and producer Kenneth Makuakane plays original songs, and park ranger Adrian Boone and volunteer Ed Shiinoki teach participants to create and play nose flutes.
Tomorrow from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Volcano Art Center Gallery, Caren Loebel-Fried, illustrator of legends and myths of Hawai`i, signs books and prints including her hula-themed works. She also conducts a demonstration of her process and has pull prints and both original and giclee images available for purchase.
The events are free, and park entrance fees apply.
SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS AT PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM. KA`U COFFEE MILL IS OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK.
Tomorrow from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Volcano Art Center Gallery, Caren Loebel-Fried, illustrator of legends and myths of Hawai`i, signs books and prints including her hula-themed works. She also conducts a demonstration of her process and has pull prints and both original and giclee images available for purchase.
The events are free, and park entrance fees apply.
SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS AT PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM. KA`U COFFEE MILL IS OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK.
ALSO SEE KAUCALENDAR.COM AND FACEBOOK.COM/KAUCALENDAR.