Ka`u News Briefs May 18, 2011

Nani Kahuku 'Aina's Kahuku Village plans will be presented tomorrow night, 5:30pm, at Yano Hall, Captain Cook.

NANI KAHUKU ‘AINA will present plans for its Kahuku Village resort development along the coast near Ocean View tomorrow, Thursday at 5:30 p.m. at Yano Hall in Captain Cook. The development is on 16,000 acres between Ocean View and South Point and would include hotels, condominiums, golf courses and a nature park around Pohue Bay. For more information, call project manager Aaron Eberhardt at 808-224-5308. 

THE COUNTY OF HAWAI‘I has made a motion to participate in the ‘Aina Koa Pono rate case that would raise the price of electricity to help pay for a refinery and biofuel farm near Pahala. The county states that the economic development impacts of the project need to be fully evaluated and understood by the county, including the impact that the proposed facility and contract with HECO companies will have on the development of other renewable energy resources that do not have the land and greenhouse gas emission impacts associated with the biofuel proposal. 

      The motion from the county also states that the county wants to ensure that the development of renewable resources is accomplished in a sustainable fashion. It points out that the proposed contract will provide an amount of fuel that will account for a substantial percentage of HELCO's annual energy production. The contract value may be in the range of $50 to $100 million a year. "Because the contract is long-term, twenty years, this contract would essentially lock in a cost structure and generation mix for Hawai‘i Island that may preclude additional biofuels contracts and may well preclude many other forms of renewable energy resources available on the Big Island, including proven technologies such as geothermal, wind and solar," the motion states. The PUC denied the county's motion, stating that it came too late in the process. 

MAILE PICKERS WERE RESCUED above Wai‘ohinu Tuesday afternoon after being reported missing at 9:03 a.m. The men failed to return home Monday after hiking above Wai‘ohinu to pick maile. They apparently became disoriented in the heavily forested area.  

     The reporting party gave fire personnel directions to the missing parties vehicle and general directions to the maile picking area. The fire crew established communication with the missing parties via text messages. They instructed the men to build a signal fire, which allowed the Fire Department’s Chopper One to pinpoint their location. The smoke indicated the men were 1.5 miles above Lorenzo Road in Wai‘ohinu; about 1.6 miles North West of their vehicle. 

     The helicopter crew airlifted the men one at a time via Billy Pugh net along with one Fire Rescue Specialist in the net to safety. The men were uninjured and did not require any medical attention. 

THE PROPOSED HIKE IN BUS FARES for the island-wide Hele On system failed to pass the County Council this week. Ka‘u's council member Brittany Smart voted against the fare hike and she was joined by Dennis Ikeda, Brenda Ford and Pete Hoffman. Voting for the fare hike were Dominic Yagong, Angel Pilago, J Yoshimoto, and Dennis Onishi. Mayor Billy Kenoi proposed the hike; he says the system needs income to pay for itself. Excluded from paying would be students, the disabled and the elderly. Discount passes would be available to everyone, including visitors. The council deadlocked on the issue and it will come up again at a future council meeting. 

      Smart talked about the importance of people riding the bus to reduce traffic congestion and extending the life of county roads. Na‘alehu resident Eva Uran testified that this part of the island needs more bus service. The bus goes to Hilo twice a day and is sometimes so crowded that she has to stand, she said. 

Brittany Smart

COUNCIL MEMBER BRITTANY SMART voted this week to spend money in Mayor Billy Kenoi's reserve fund to hire a consultant to study the property evaluation system for property taxes. J Yoshimoto, Dennis Ikeda, Fresh Onishi and Angel Pilago voted against the expenditure. The opponents said the review and revisions could be done in house and save the county the consulting fee, which could cost up to $250,000. Pilago said the legislative auditor could handle it. The measure is a non-binding resolution. The review is fueled by perceptions that West Hawai‘i properties are unfairly valued many times more than East Hawai‘i properties. 

THE COUNTY COUNCIL will help shepherd the construction of a new slaughterhouse for the island. Ranchers have said during the last few years that it is difficult to get an appointment to take care of livestock at the limited slaughterhouse operations available on the island. The state is providing $4.5 million to change the situation. 

Hilo Landfill takes Ka'u garbage, Pahala through Volcano

GARBAGE FROM NA‘ALEHU AND OCEAN VIEW north is hauled to the west side of the island to the landfill at Pu‘uanahulu while Pahala and Volcano garbage is hauled to the Hilo landfill. With only five to eight years of space left at Hilo the county administration is in the middle of another study, this one costing $200,000 and culling information to decide whether the garbage from Hilo should be trucked through such routes as saddle road to the west side of the island. Another alternative is to expand the Hilo landfill. The County Council's Environmental Committee reviewed the issue and some members, such as Pete Hoffman called the study a waste of money, saying there is no way that garbage should be hauled from one side of the island to the other. Either way, garbage from Ka‘u will still make a long haul. 

Mike Cooney won a grant to
study crops for biodiesel

A MILLION DOLLAR, TWO-YEAR grant to study appropriate crops for biodiesel has been won by the U.H. Hawai‘i Natural Energy Institute's Mike Cooney. Also involved will be Department of Tropical Plant and Soil Science, Department of Oceanography, College of Business Administration and the company RealGreen Power. The study will focus on jatropha curcas, which resists drought and grows quickly. It will also study whether waste biomass could become an appropriate soil enrichment for Hawai‘i farms. A competition for the grant was held by the U.H. Office of Research & Graduate Education. 

Southside Volleyball Club held a
booth at the Ka'u Coffee Festival
to raise money

THE SOUTHSIDE VOLLEYBALL CLUB will host a carwash this Saturday, May 21st at the Ka‘u Federal Credit Union parking lot in Na‘alehu from 8 a.m. to noon. There will be baked goods and desktop plants, such as anthuriums rooted on lava rocks for sale. The fundraiser helps send Ka‘u youth to a national volleyball championship on the mainland. 

KILAUEA VISITOR CENTER AUDITORIUM, will host a dance tonight with Halau Hula Kalehuaki‘eki‘eika‘iu, under the direction of kumu hula Ab Valencia. Show time is 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Ka`u News Briefs May 17, 2011

Sustainable Resources International, Inc. came to Honu`apo to make the wetlands study. Its co-principal Andy Hood
gave a presentation Sunday to local residents.  Photo by Kristin Dunn

PUBLIC COMMENTS are still being taken for the Wetlands Habitat Restoration Plan for Honu`apo Estuary. The deadline for comments is this Friday, May 20. The goal is to improve local and migratory bird habitat, and the proposal calls for controlling avial predators like cats, dogs and mongoose with active predator control, predator-proof fencing around the Honu`apo estuary, and removing kiawe trees and other alien vegetation to restore freshwater input. Alien vegetation in the mudflats would also be removed to improve bird forage habitat. Endemic and native plants would be planted to provide habitat. The effort would be to restore more open mudflats for foraging birds and deepwater pools for birds, fish and turtles. Call Ka `Ohana O Honu`apo executive director Lehua Lopez Mau to see the complete plan and with questions at 929-9891.

Sen. Dan Akaka

SEN. DAN AKAKA is backing up Hawai`i’s new law to force lenders to negotiate with property owners in foreclosure. He and ten other senators have introduced the Regulation of Mortgage Servicing Act. The bill is aimed at helping homeowners who are at risk of foreclosure stay in their homes by bringing more fairness and transparency into their dealings with mortgage servicers. 

     According to Akaka staffers, the act would end the dual track process, under which a foreclosure process proceeds at the same time that a homeowner is being considered for non-foreclosure alternatives. It would also require banks and other mortgage servicers to create a single point of contact for homeowners to work with and provide an independent, third-party review before sending a family to foreclosure.
     “My office has received countless requests for help from local families frustrated by delays, confusion, broken promises, and conflicting advice from their loan servicers. These families are simply trying to find a way to stay in their homes, and the added hardships they have endured are inexcusable,” Akaka said. “This legislation will help families and loan servicers to communicate and work more effectively toward their mutual benefit.”
     Hawai`i ranked 11th in the nation for foreclosures with one of every 45 housing units receiving a foreclosure filing during 2010. There were 12,435 properties with foreclosure filings — including notices of default, public auctions and bank repossessions — in Hawai`i last year.

THE LEGACY LAND CONSERVATION program is not only protecting coastal lands and other scenic places, it is purchasing agricultural land for preservation. The state Legacy Land fund is providing $4.5 million in grants for the purchase of lands on the Big Island and O`ahu, with $7.6 million in private, federal and county money.
     The legacy land money comes from ten percent of the state income from a tax generated when properties change hands. It is called the land conveyance tax. Ten percent of the conveyance tax goes to the Legacy Land Conservation Fund, and a commission decides which parcels to buy. This year’s funding goes to ag land in North Kohala and near the Turtle Bay resort on O`ahu, as well as a heiau and wetland. Ideas for other ag lands to be preserved are being taken for next year.

Ka`u Coffee Mill owner Ed Olson and miller Lee Segawa
check the coffee beans.  Photo by Julia Neal

THE NEW KA`U COFFEE MILL hosted visitors during the Ka`u Coffee Festival over the weekend. The mill can now take coffee cherry and mill it, dry it, hull it and roast it. Ka`u Coffee Mill has a Pinhalense mill and Diedrich Roaster. It is located on Wood Valley Road. To make an appointment to visit the mill or to bring in coffee call 928-0500. 

KILAUEA DRAMA & ENTERTAINMENT NETWORK is holding auditions for their July presentation of Gilbert and Sullivan’s operetta Patience. They are looking for five women, five men, a chorus of maidens and dragoons of all ages. Auditions take place at Kilauea Military Camp Theater in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park tonight starting at 6:30 p.m. Contact Suzi Bond at 982-7344 or kden73@aol.com.

NANI KAHUKU `AINA will present plans for their Kahuku Village development along the coast near Ocean View on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. at Yano Hall in Captain Cook. Refreshments will be provided. For more information, call project manager Aaron Eberhardt at 808-224-5308.

Precious Ka`awa's Ka`u Coffee Espresso
Brownies.  Photo by Geneveve Fyvie

KA`U COFFEE RECIPE CONTEST winner for the student category in Candies, Drinks and other Desserts is Precious Ka`awa, with her Ka`u Coffee Espresso Brownies. The winning recipe will be included in a cookbook to be produced by the Ka`u Coffee Festival. The recipe contest is an annual event at the Ka`u Coffee Festival at Pahala Community Center. 

THE ENDANGERED HAWAIIAN PETREL is the topic of After Dark in the Park tonight at 7 p.m. at Kilauea Visitor Center Auditorium in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Seth Judge, from UH-Hilo, presents his graduate research on this species that has suffered a drastic decline because of numerous threats.

ALSO AT KILAUEA VISITOR CENTER AUDITORIUM, Halau Hula Kalehuaki‘eki‘eika‘iu, under the direction of kumu hula Ab Valencia, performs tomorrow from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. 

Ka`u News Briefs May 16, 2011

Miss Ka`u Peaberry and Young Miss Ka`u Coffee courts rode into the festival on a float
with artwork by Anna Kailiawa.  Photo by Julia Neal

AFTER BEING PRESENTED AT THE KA`U COFFEE FESTIVAL on Saturday, the wetlands plan for Honu`apo drew about 40 people to the park yesterday. Longtime residents like Toku Nakamura, Iwao Yonemitsu and Pele Hanoa, who lived nearby and frequented the area when a sugar mill and port operated at Honu`apo, attended and shared their stories. Wildlife specialists and cultural practitioners also came to the meeting, including Megan Lamson and Bill Gilmartin of Hawai`i Wildlife Fund. Kiko Johnston-Kitazawa took people for rides in one of his outrigger canoes. The public reviewed the plan to protect the wetlands. Consultants said that trees, including some milo that are forming an island in the pond, kiawe, and possibly coconut trees would be cleared from the flat area around the wetlands. The wetlands would be fenced to provide a six-foot-tall barrier with a cap on the top to keep out cats and other predators. Clearing and fencing would require permits and more plans which could cost the county and Ka `Ohana O Honu`apo at least a hundred thousands dollars. The wetlands plan, which cost $40,000, is available by calling executive director Lehua Lopez-Mau. Another overall plan calls for building a new pavilion, roads, public campsites and fireplaces. Call 929-9891. 

Lehua Lopez-Mau (right), Ka `Ohana president Ken Sugai,
vice president Wendy Vance (with hat) and member
Ola Kochis presented a wetlands plan at the Ka`u
Coffee Festival on Saturday and at Honu`apo
on Sunday.  Photo by Julia Neal

KA `OHANA O HONU`APO has a new president, Ken Sugai. Sugai owns the home next to the ponds and has been a key supporter of preservation of the Ka`u Coast and wetlands within the 235-acre park. Also on the board are secretary/treasurer Megan Lamson, vice president Wendy Vance, Chris Manfredi, Michelle Galimba, Puahi Pulham and Sue Barnett.

KA`U COFFEE FARMERS were warned that keeping their farms clean of berries and branches on the ground and using a fungus spray to hold back a coffee berry borer infestation is the only way to keep the pest from destroying farms. Only one active farm in Ka`u has been found with the borers, and Ka`u Coffee Farmers Cooperative members volunteered to help the farmer strip all the branches of berries and bury them. The borers can be buried underground or burned to get rid of them. In Kona, some farms are cleaning up and some seem to have given up, according to UH-Manoa researcher Dr. Elsie Burbano, who has been studying the small beetle that lives inside the coffee cherry and eats the bean.

KA`U COFFEE FARMERS wound up their two day festival with a day of education yesterday from coffee roasters, buyers and café chain owners who have been in the business for many years. They stressed the importance of the place, which they admired as a good coffee growing location in the mountains of Ka`u. They stressed good farm practices, processing and storage and described many techniques to farmers on hand. They noted that the best coffee can bring a high price to people who want the highest grade coffee for their restaurants, stores and homes.

The Norberte family, with their JN Coffee Farms, got ink in
West Hawai`i Today when Joann Norberte called Ka`u Coffee
 "Kona's hotter, younger sister."  Photo by Julia Neal

THE KA`U COFFEE FESTIVAL made the front page of West Hawai`i Today on Sunday. Reporter Chelsea Jensen quoted Joann Norberte as saying, “Ka`u Coffee is like Kona’s younger, hotter sister.” Promoter of her family’s JN Coffee Farms, Norberte told West Hawai`i Today that “coffee all happened in Kona first, and we were able to learn from the good and bad to create a special coffee.” Joann Norberte, daughter of Leo and Herme Norberte, grew up in Pahala and lives in Las Vegas, where she promotes here family coffee online and to buyers and at conventions. The farm has 25 acres and produces 200,000 pounds of cherry each year. She also told the newspaper that she knows that the Ka`u farmers will pull together to keep the coffee borer pest from spreading and ruining crops. 

ROAD PAVING IS PLANNED throughout the week on Hwy 11 in the vicinity of South Point Road. Alternating lane closures will occur between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. each day, as weather permits.

KILAUEA DRAMA & ENTERTAINMENT NETWORK is holding auditions for their July presentation of Gilbert and Sullivan’s operetta Patience. They are looking for five women, five men, a chorus of maidens and dragoons of all ages. Auditions take place at Kilauea Military Camp Theater in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park today and tomorrow starting at 6:30 p.m. Contact Suzi Bond at 982-7344 or kden73@aol.com.

THE ENDANGERED HAWAIIAN PETREL is the topic at After Dark in the Park tomorrow at 7 p.m. at Kilauea Visitor Center Auditorium in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Seth Judge, from UH-Hilo, presents his graduate research on this species that has suffered a drastic decline because of numerous threats.

ALSO AT KILAUEA VISITOR CENTER AUDITORIUM, Halau Hula Kalehuaki`eki`eika`iu, under the direction of kumu hula Ab Valencia, performs on Wednesday from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.