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| The Wood Valley proposed research site to detect Fast Radio Bursts from deep space. Photo by Katie Graham |
TEN SATELLITE DISHES, EACH 20 FEET WIDE, COULD BE TEMPORARILY PLACED IN WOOD VALLEY on .5 acres at the corner of Center and North Roads. The site is on a 21.8-acre agriculture zoned parcel owned by Pam and Ray Mizuno. Ray's family has owned and farmed the land for generations; it is listed for sale.
The applicant is leasing five acres to include a buffer zone around the .5 acre satellite dish site. The ten dishes would be attached to 6-ft. aluminum posts. The plan is to use satellite dishes to record Fast Radio Bursts, which are sudden blasts of radio-frequency radiation from deep space that last a few microseconds. The dishes themselves put out no radiation nor radio signals, says the permit application. According to the planning document, Wood Valley was chosen because, along with all of Kaʻū, it is the most "radio quiet" site on the island.
The applicant is leasing five acres to include a buffer zone around the .5 acre satellite dish site. The ten dishes would be attached to 6-ft. aluminum posts. The plan is to use satellite dishes to record Fast Radio Bursts, which are sudden blasts of radio-frequency radiation from deep space that last a few microseconds. The dishes themselves put out no radiation nor radio signals, says the permit application. According to the planning document, Wood Valley was chosen because, along with all of Kaʻū, it is the most "radio quiet" site on the island.
The proposal to the County Planning Commission for a Special Permit comes from applicant Academia
Sinica Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics, based in Taiwan. It researches solar systems, star formation, extragalactic astronomy, interstellar and circumstellar medium, and high energy astrophysics. Astronomers discovered the Fast Radio Burst phenomena in 2007 and have since detected thousands of FRBs from deep space.
On Wednesday, Feb. 23, Land Planning Hawaii LLC sent notice of the special permit request to landowners within 500 feet of the site, as required by County Zoning Code, and Planning Commission Rules.
The applicant is a research institute of Academia Sinica, the national academy of the Republic of China. ASIAA is based on the National Taiwan University campus, with a field office in Hilo. ASIAA operates two observational facilities on Hawai'i Island - the Submillimeter Array on the summit of Mauna Kea and the Y.T. Lee Array on Mauna Loa.
The notice states that, if approved, in addition to the satellite dishes, ASIAA plans to temporarily locate two storage containers, one catchment tank, and one port-o-potty on the site. The satellites would face the northeastern sky and are designed for reception only, with no transmission of radio signals.
The Planning Commission will hold a public hearing, with date to be announced. If needed, a contested case hearing will be conducted on the matter. To provide input, written testimony can be submitted prior to the public hearing or verbally at the public hearing. Written testimony can be sent to Written testimony can be sent to County Planning Commission, 101 Pauahi St., #3, Hilo, HI 96720. Questions and concerns can be sent to Land Planning Hawaii LLC at 194 Wiwoole Street, Hilo, HI 96720.
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| An example of the kind of satellite dishes planned for Wood Valley by Academia Sinica Institute of Astronomy & Astrophysics. Photo from ASIAA |
On Wednesday, Feb. 23, Land Planning Hawaii LLC sent notice of the special permit request to landowners within 500 feet of the site, as required by County Zoning Code, and Planning Commission Rules.
The applicant is a research institute of Academia Sinica, the national academy of the Republic of China. ASIAA is based on the National Taiwan University campus, with a field office in Hilo. ASIAA operates two observational facilities on Hawai'i Island - the Submillimeter Array on the summit of Mauna Kea and the Y.T. Lee Array on Mauna Loa.
The notice states that, if approved, in addition to the satellite dishes, ASIAA plans to temporarily locate two storage containers, one catchment tank, and one port-o-potty on the site. The satellites would face the northeastern sky and are designed for reception only, with no transmission of radio signals.
The Planning Commission will hold a public hearing, with date to be announced. If needed, a contested case hearing will be conducted on the matter. To provide input, written testimony can be submitted prior to the public hearing or verbally at the public hearing. Written testimony can be sent to Written testimony can be sent to County Planning Commission, 101 Pauahi St., #3, Hilo, HI 96720. Questions and concerns can be sent to Land Planning Hawaii LLC at 194 Wiwoole Street, Hilo, HI 96720.
Anyone requesting a contested case hearing must file a Petition for Standing in Contested Case Hearing with a $200 fee no later than seven calendar days prior to the Commission's first hearing. The contested case form and filing fee must be submitted via County of Hawaii Electronic Processing and Information Center at https://hawaiicountyhi-energovpub.tylerhost.net/Apps/SelfService#/home.
Applications for a contested case hearing are available at the County Planning Department, 101 Pauahi Street, Hilo and its Kona office in the Kona Civic Center at 74-5044 Ane Keohokalole Highway, Kailua-Kona, HI.
To learn more about this case, call Land Planning Hawaii LLC at (808) 333-3393 or the County Planning Department at (808) 961-8288.
Applications for a contested case hearing are available at the County Planning Department, 101 Pauahi Street, Hilo and its Kona office in the Kona Civic Center at 74-5044 Ane Keohokalole Highway, Kailua-Kona, HI.
To learn more about this case, call Land Planning Hawaii LLC at (808) 333-3393 or the County Planning Department at (808) 961-8288.
To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see www.facebook.com/kaucalendar/. See latest print edition at www.kaucalendar.com. See upcoming events and Kaʻū Calendar newspaper sponsors at http://kaunewsbriefs.blogspot.com/2022/02/events-of-february-2022.html.
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| Land is being subdivided for a wastewater treatment plant in Pahala. The county will present plans at a public meeting March 16 to consider several options. Photo by Julia Neal |
A PUBLIC MEETING ON OPTIONS FOR WASTEWATER TREATMENT IN PAHALA will be held on Wednesday, March 16 at 6 p.m. at Pāhala Community Center. The county's Department of Environmental Management will host the session and issued a statement today saying:
"Hawai‘i County entered into an administrative order on consent with the
United States Environmental Protection Agency to close the existing Pāhala Large
Capacity Cesspools and provide secondary wastewater treatment to Pāhala residents.
In January 2021, the (Mayor Mitch) Roth administration determined that the (proposed) Lagoon Wastewater Treatment
system was excessively expensive, inefficient, disruptive, and ultimately unfeasible. Hawai‘i
County has requested approval from EPA to take a new path, and is gathering community input
on its proposal.
Representatives from DEM and other departments will be present to 
answer questions about
ongoing efforts to update the connections to the houses currently connected to the large capacity
cesspools."
In the meantime, the county remains in the process of acquiring land through condemnation in Pāhala for a sewage treatment plant, as required by the EPA, while alternatives are researched and brought before the public and EPA. The Kamehameha School land is 14.9 acres at the corner of Maile Street and Hwy 11 and is being subdivided from a larger piece.
To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see www.facebook.com/kaucalendar/. See latest print edition at www.kaucalendar.com. See upcoming events and Kaʻū Calendar newspaper sponsors at http://kaunewsbriefs.blogspot.com/2022/02/events-of-february-2022.html.
A VIRTUAL RESOURCES FAIR FOR EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS be held Wednesday March 2 from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Link is bit.ly/EmPrep1. The second is Tuesday, March 8 from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. with link at bit.ly/EmPrep2. The third is Tuesday, March 22 from 9 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. with link at bit.ly/EmPrep3.
Hawai'i County Civil Defense staff will teach participants how to prepare 'ohana for emergencies; start community planning group in the community; understand the County's resources and what to expect in a disaster event; preparedness and rescue of animals and plants; and volunteer opportunities and roles. Emergencies include hurricanes, lava flows, eruptions, tsunamis, earthquakes, wildfires and drought.
For further information or inquiries, use request form: https://recovery.hawaiicounty.gov/connect/contact-us.
To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see www.facebook.com/kaucalendar/. See latest print edition at www.kaucalendar.com. See upcoming events and Kaʻū Calendar newspaper sponsors at http://kaunewsbriefs.blogspot.com/2022/02/events-of-february-2022.html.
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| Sen. Mazie Hirono has leant support to Joe Biden from his days as a Senator through his Vice Presidency and today's first State of the Union by Pres. Biden |
The Senator said, "Under President Biden's leadership, Democrats will not stop fighting to improve the lives of every person in this country, including people of color, women, LGBTQ+ individuals, people with disabilities, immigrants and undocumented people. President Biden laid out his plan tonight of building a better America—and I look forward to supporting each of these policies in Congress."
A MUSIC TALENT SEARCH IS LAUNCHED for students in Kaʻū-Keaʻau-Pāhoa Area Schools. It is sponsored by HISessions, a YouTube music channel, and Pacific Literacy Consortium. Applications opened March 1.
BISHOP OF THE EPISCOPAL DIOCESE OF HAWAI'I, the Right Rev. Robert Fitzpatrick, will lead the service at St. Jude's Episcopal Church in Ocean View on Sunday, Mar. 6. The service will be on zoom and live at 96-8606 Paradise Circle Drive. Sunday services are at 9:30 a.m. The zoom link is https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85987340947?pwd=VmJOUWkvM3lCT0N2cVN2RUFiM1kzQT09 Meeting ID: 859 8734 0947; Passcode: Aloha.
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| SPARX music contest is open to those in seventh to 12th grade. |
It's called the SPARX Hawai'i Music Contest and its aim is to encourage students to explore areas that spark their interests. "Following that spark could lead to following their passion and creating their own path in life," says a statement from the organizers.
"This is a fun vocal and instrumental talent search connecting promising singers and musicians in the Kaʻū-Keaʻau-Pāhoa area with an audience. The goal is to uplift the community through the increased discovery of its talented musical artists."
The SPARX Hawai'i Music Contest is accessible to qualifying student musicians from seventh to 12th grades at Kaʻū High, including the intermediate students, Keaʻau Middle, Keaʻau High, and Pāhoa High & Intermediate, who record a video of themselves performing a song, and submit by April 1.
The contest is an educational outreach component of the 'Aha Lamakū 'Oia'i'o federal grant administered by the Pacific Literacy Consortium, College of Education, University of Hawaii at Mānoa. ALO targets supplemental educational support to secondary students in four schools in Hawai'i Island's KKP complex area.
For more information visit SPARXHI.com The plan for the website is to. use it to tell stories of others who have found their own path. "It will provide resources, inspiration and support. They seek to make a difference in student's lives."
"This is a fun vocal and instrumental talent search connecting promising singers and musicians in the Kaʻū-Keaʻau-Pāhoa area with an audience. The goal is to uplift the community through the increased discovery of its talented musical artists."
The SPARX Hawai'i Music Contest is accessible to qualifying student musicians from seventh to 12th grades at Kaʻū High, including the intermediate students, Keaʻau Middle, Keaʻau High, and Pāhoa High & Intermediate, who record a video of themselves performing a song, and submit by April 1.
For more information visit SPARXHI.com The plan for the website is to. use it to tell stories of others who have found their own path. "It will provide resources, inspiration and support. They seek to make a difference in student's lives."
To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see www.facebook.com/kaucalendar/. See latest print edition at www.kaucalendar.com. See upcoming events and Kaʻū Calendar newspaper sponsors at http://kaunewsbriefs.blogspot.com/2022/02/events-of-february-2022.html.
GIRLS DAY ORIGAMI at Kaʻū District Gym & Pāhala Community Center. Wednesday, Mar. 2, 2:30 – 4 p.m. Open to ages K through 6. Register for free from Feb. 24 – Mar. 1. For more information and to register, contact Recreation Director, Nona Makuakane at (808) 928-3102.
THE BUSINESS OF ART WITH IRA ONO at Volcano Art Center, Saturday, Mar. 5, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Learn basic business principles from internationally-known Volcano artist Ira Ono. Class topics covered include: pricing your artwork for profit, creating presentations that focus on gallery buyers, gift shops, and department stores, and visual merchandising. Cost for the full day workshop is $55/$50 for VAC members. To learn more and register, visit volcanoartcenter.org/events/.
THE BUSINESS OF ART WITH IRA ONO at Volcano Art Center, Saturday, Mar. 5, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Learn basic business principles from internationally-known Volcano artist Ira Ono. Class topics covered include: pricing your artwork for profit, creating presentations that focus on gallery buyers, gift shops, and department stores, and visual merchandising. Cost for the full day workshop is $55/$50 for VAC members. To learn more and register, visit volcanoartcenter.org/events/.
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| Volcano Artist, Ira Ono, will be offering a full-day workshop on the Business of Art on Saturday, Mar. 5 at Volcano Art Center. |
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