Ka`u News Briefs June 29, 2011

Halemaumau vent at Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park. Photo by Geneveve Fyvie

     REP. BOB HERKES is hoping that his vog task force bill, aimed at studying the effects of vog here will survive the veto pen of Gov. Neil Abercrombie. Herkes told the Hawai`i Tribune Herald that the task force would accomplish a job left undone by a state Interagency Task Force on Sulfur Dioxide Emissions, a 45-member group from around the state. The new 15-member task force would be chaired by the County Civil Defense Director. While vog is much less than it was two years ago when Halemaumau’s new vent opened and the major vog events began, it is still a problem affecting agriculture, wildlife and people, said Herkes. Chief of state Civil Defense, Maj. Gen. Daryll Wong helped Herkes write the bill. The governor said it would duplicate exiting programs, but Herkes hopes to change his mind.

     PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHERS may wind up with a 5 percent wage decrease and paying half of their health insurance costs as the teachers’ union contract with the state expires tomorrow with no agreement in place. Labor law allows the Department of Education to implement its last, best contract offer. The governor said yesterday said that the unprecedented deficit has created a situation in which everyone has to sacrifice.

Military helicopter trainees at
Poakuloa Training Area.
Photo courtesy of PTA.

MAUNA LOA & MAUNA KEA will be free of high altitude military helicopter training at least until the Army completes environmental impact reviews for the sate. Gov. Neil Abercrombie wrote to the military saying that he was sure they could be done “with dispatch.” Environmental studies were already completed and approved by the federal government. Training is for pilots getting ready to go to Afghanistan, where challenging high altitude flying is required for moving troops by helicopter.

     ‘AINA KOA PONO plans to present its proposal for a refinery between Pahala and Wood Valley and a biofuel farm between Na`alehu and Pahala to the Hawai`i Island Economic Development Board today at the organization’s meeting to be held at Puna Geothermal. The development board is comprised of such business leaders as the president of Hawaiian Electric Light Co., mangers of GasCo., KTA, Bank of Hawai`i and First Hawaiian Bank, along with some non-profits such as Kamehameha Schools.

     PAHALA PUBLIC AND SCHOOL LIBRARY will shut down for more than a month beginning on Friday. The stated reason is a staffing shortage. The library reopens on Monday, Aug. 8. Librarians are directing patrons to Na`alehu Public Library on Hwy 11. Call 939-2442. To line up books to check out from public libraries, go to librarieshawaii.org for a catalogue of titles, eBooks, digital audio books and a wide variety of online databases with access to full-text materials from magazines, newspapers, journals and other publications. Also online is an Ask-A-Librarian E-Reference service. A library card is not required to use this service.

    THE KOHALA CENTER has come out with a new report called Energy Efficiency Strategies for Low-Income Communities on Hawai‘i Island, written by the Center for Industrial Ecology at the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. It can be seen online at www.kohalacenter.org/research.html. U.S. Department of Energy data shows Hawaii has the highest electricity rates in the country. According to the report, local households spend roughly six percent of their income on electricity, three times the national average of two percent.
     The report analyzes money spent to educate and help low income people with energy efficiency and concludes that a company contracted for this island was paid $3 million but spent less than $1 million here on the service.
     Will Rolston, the county’s Energy Coordinator, said the county will pursue and remedy any inequity in energy efficiency money that should be deployed on our island. “It is self-evident that as we lift under-served community members, it strengthens the entire Island.”

     THE DEADLINE TO SIGN UP to be part of the Na`alehu Independence Day Parade is this Friday, July 1. The parade starts at the Hongwanji and travels down Hwy 11 to the school on Saturday, July 2, beginning at 11 a.m. It is sponsored by `O Ka`u Kakou. Call 929-9872 to sign up.
     The Volcano Parade is on Monday, July 4 at 9 a.m. starting at the Volcano Post Office on Old Volcano Hwy. Participants can show up at 8 a.m. Call 967-7800.

Keiki, men and women enjoy the annual Independence Day Rodeo at the Na'alehu Rodeo Grounds. Photo by Julia Neal

     THE ANNUAL INDEPENDENCE DAY RODEO will be held after the parade on Saturday, July 2, and all day Sunday July 3, at the Na’alehu Rodeo Grounds, with events for keiki, men and women.

     THE COMMUNITY BOOKSTORE at Kauaha`ao Church in Wai`ohinu is open tomorrow and every Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Call 938-0411 for more information.

Ka`u News Briefs June 28, 2011

Gov. Neil Abercrombie plans to veto a bill that was put forth as a measure to protect important agricultural lands.
Photo by Geneveve Fyvie

GOV. NEIL ABERCROMBIE INTENDS TO VETO A BILL that passed the state Legislature and was put forth as a measure to protect important agricultural lands. While the bill was intended to encourage landowners to keep the best Hawai`i lands in ag forever, it also gave many incentives for industrial development that could be connected to ag. It would have given property tax breaks, reduced requirements for building permits, reduced electric rates to run the operations and state funding for water development.
     Department of Ag Chair Russell Kokubun testified during the Legislature, calling for the bill to be delayed until the counties come up with their mapping of important ag lands to be preserved. The Land Use Research Foundation, comprised of large landowners and developers, had strongly supported the bill, as did the Hawai`i Cattlemen’s Association.
     The Sierra Club testified against portions of the bill, stating that it could intentionally if not automatically “approve undesirable development projects throughout Hawai`i.” The Sierra Club pointed out that the measure would create a 90-day automatic approval of any construction project connected to crops or other agriculture on lands designated as important ag lands. “Automatic approval of any permit is simply poor policy,” the Sierra Club wrote. “Permits should be granted on their merits, not by mistake or governmental inefficiency,” stated the Sierra Club.

THE GOVERNOR HAS ALSO INFORMED THE LEGISLATURE of his intent to veto the following bills:

THE FOOD SAFETY AND SECURITY PROGRAM proposed for the state Department of Agriculture.

THE VOG TASK FORCE bill, which passed the 2011 state Legislature. An interagency task force, championed by Rep. Bob Herkes, was designed to find ways to address vog and its impact on the people of Hawai`i.

A LIGHT POLLUTION BILL designed to make Hawai`i a “Starlight Reserve.” It would have required new and replacement outdoor light fixtures to be fully shielded beginning on July 1, 2013. It specified that replacement of existing roadway lighting may be partially shielded under certain conditions. 

     The bill stated that “the Legislature finds that the night sky is a tremendously valuable natural and cultural resource for the residents of Hawai`i, and for visitors to Hawai`i. The dark night sky has tremendous scientific value for astronomy, and is vitally important for endangered species in Hawai`i, including birds and turtles. Mauna Kea, on the island of Hawai`i, is the best astronomical observatory site in the northern hemisphere.
     Unnecessary light pollution is threatening the dark night sky over the Hawaiian islands. This light pollution includes sky glow, energy waste, glare, light trespass, visual confusion, and environmental harm. Light can travel enormous distances through the Earth’s atmosphere, and therefore does not respect county boundaries, the bill that passed the Legislature stated.
     While the University of Hawai`i and the telescope companies and a number of citizens testified for the bill, there were calls for delay in passing it because of concerns about the cost during tough economic times.

A VOTER REGISTRATION BILL that would have provided online voter registration requirements and voter registration through the website of the office of elections by Jan. 1, 2014.

COUNCIL MEMBER BRITTANY SMART said she supports the 2 percent fund to purchase land for preservation but decided the money taken from property taxes to conserve lands for the public could be reduced to 1.5 percent for this fiscal year in order to help pay for retirement benefits for county workers. She said she worries that failing to set aside the money for future retirees could not only threaten the county’s ability to pay retirement benefits but could also threaten the county’s good bond rating. She voted for the 1.5 percent clause during Council budget deliberations in early June. This was a compromise, as the Council had been considering reducing it to 1 percent, she noted.
     Last Friday, Smart explained, she voted on an entirely separate issue, along with seven of the other nine Council members to change the county code to require a minimum of 1 percent of property tax income to be put in the land use fund. The wording matches the County Charter amendment passed by voters in the last election that requires at least one percent of property tax income be used for purchasing lands for conservation. She also said she supports Council member Brenda Ford’s Charter Amendment effort to restore the fund to 2 percent of property taxes received. 

Ka`u Summer Fun will again participate in the Fourth of July Parade
in Na`alehu this Saturday. Photo by Julia Neal

THE DEADLINE TO SIGN UP to be part of the Na`alehu Independence Day Parade is this Friday, July 1. The parade starts at the Hongwanji and travels down Hwy 11 to the school on Saturday, July 2, beginning at 11 a.m. It is sponsored by `O Ka`u Kakou. Call 929-9872 to sign up. 

     The Volcano Parade is on Monday, July 4 at 9 a.m. starting at the Volcano Post Office on Old Volcano Hwy. Participants can show up at 8 a.m. Call 967-7800.

THE COMMUNITY BOOKSTORE at Kauaha`ao Church in Wai`ohinu is open tomorrow and every Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Call 938-0411 for more information. 

THE PAPAHANAUMOKUAKEA MARINE NATIONAL MONUMENT is the topic at After Dark in the Park tonight at 7 p.m. at Kilauea Visitor Center Auditorium in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. UH graduate Jennifer Nelson discusses the Northwestern Hawaiian Island Chain, which is the single largest conservation area under the U.S. flag and one of the largest marine conservation areas in the world.

Ka`u News Briefs June 27, 2011

The Hawai`i County Band will march in the Na`alehu parade July 2 and Volcano parade July 4.  Photo by Julia Neal

HABITAT FOR HUMANITY yesterday celebrated providing a new four-bedroom, two-bath home in Ocean View for the Deanna and Kealoha Martin family. The mother of four said the family went through hard times and was reduced to living in a “bust up tent.” The father of the family thanked everyone and said his family had grown beyond his wife and children to the members of New Hope Church, Habitat and his neighbors. The new home allows the Martins to service an affordable mortgage without interest. It was provided with help from many community volunteers who offered labor and materials, as well as Habitat for Humanity, which provided financing and logistical support and funding.

The Martin family and friends with a tearful and thankful
prayer for their new Habitat home in Ocean View.
Photo by Julia Neal

    Volunteers, friends and family wrote words of hope on ribbons and attached them to a citrus free provided to the family along with other housewarming gifts and a luncheon. Habitat for Humanity—West Hawai`i covers an area that extends to Ocean View. Habitat for Humanity – Hilo covers the rest of Ka`u. The organization helps provide home ownership in a program that gives families a chance to work on their own success rather than giving them a handout. 

COUNCIL MEMBER BRITTANY SMART said she supports the 2 percent fund to purchase land for preservation but decided the money taken from property taxes to conserve lands for the public could be reduced for a year or two until the county finances are in better order. Last Friday, Smart voted along with seven of the other nine council members to cut the 2 percent fund in half. She said that she decided it was more important to pay ahead for benefits for retired workers, as the county has been doing for years, rather than delay those payments and wind up owing more to the retirement system next year.

COUNTY BAND funding was also a budget item that could have been cut for now, in favor of making payments into the pension system, said Smart. “Why we are funding the County Band while deferring pension payments is beyond me,” she said. She said the County Band could move into becoming a private nonprofit to open up more funding avenues. She also said she helped arrange for the county to cover the cost of transporting the band to Ka`u for the Independence Day Parade on July 2, which would have otherwise cost the sponsoring organization, `O Ka`u Kakou, $400. “The claims of the county cutting the band funding as killing a 128-year-old tradition is inaccurate if they have the amount of support for the band as they claim to have,” said Smart.

FIREWORK PERMITS FOR INDEPENDENCE DAY celebrations will be available this Wednesday, June 29 through Friday, July 1 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. However, you have to drive to Kona or Hilo to retrieve them. The county locations are open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays at the Fire Administration Office at the County Building in Hilo and the Fire Prevention Kona Office located at the West Hawai`i Civic Center Bldg. They will also be available at Pinky’s along Hwy 11 in Papaikou and at Thunder Fireworks at 75-1022 Henry Street in Kailua-Kona. Each $25 permit entitles the holder to purchase 5,000 individual firecrackers. Permits will be issued to persons 18 years of age or older and are non-transferable and non-refundable. Permits, if purchased, should be visibly displayed at the site of use on the day at the time of the firing. The recent ban on consumer fireworks implemented on O`ahu does not affect Hawai`i County. Firecrackers (with a valid permit), and consumer fireworks will be allowed to be set off during the approved hours of 1 p.m. to 9 p.m. July 4th only. 

The Fire Department will parade July 2 and stand by for any
Fourth of July fireworks problems. Photo by Julia Neal

     Fire Chief Darryl Oliveira reminds the public it is illegal to remove the powder or pyrotechnic contents from any fireworks; throw fireworks from a moving vehicle; set off any fireworks at any time not within the time periods as permitted; set off any fireworks within 1,000 feet of any operating hospital, nursing home, home for the elderly or animal hospital or in any school building or on any school grounds and yards on any occasion; and to set off any fireworks on any highway, alley, street, sidewalk or other public way; in any park, or within 1,000 feet of a church during the periods when services are held.
     It is illegal for any person to offer for sale, sell, or give any fireworks to minors, and for any minor to possess, purchase, sell, or set off, ignite, or otherwise cause to explode any fireworks, except under the immediate supervision of an adult.
     The Hawai`i Fire Department also asks everyone to do their part to prevent fires and injuries caused by fireworks. Public Fireworks Displays will be at 8 p.m. on Coconut Island in Hilo; 8:30 p.m. from a barge off-shore on Ali`i Drive in Kailua-Kona and at 8 p.m. at Queen's Marketplace in Waikoloa.
     For more information on purchasing fireworks permits, or the use of fireworks, call the Fire Prevention Bureau at 932-2912 or 323-4760.

THE PAPAHANAUMOKUAKEA MARINE NATIONAL MONUMENT 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. UH graduate Jennifer Nelson discusses the Northwestern Hawaiian Island Chain, which is the single largest conservation area under the U.S. flag and one of the largest marine conservation areas in the world.

THERE IS STILL TIME TO SIGN UP to be part of the Na`alehu Independence Day Parade. The deadline is Friday, July 1. The parade travels down Hwy 11 on Saturday, July 2 beginning at 11 a.m. and is sponsored by `O Ka`u Kakou. Call 929-9872.
     The Volcano Parade is on Monday, July 4 at 9 a.m., starting at the Volcano Post Office on Old Volcano Hwy. Participants can show up at 8 a.m. Call 967-7800.