Ka'u News Briefs Dec. 30, 2011

Ka`u High and Pahala Intermediate Schools provide less than 5.5 hours of classroom teaching each day but more than
many other Hawai`i schools. Photo by Julia Neal

CLASSROOM TIME at Ka`u High and Intermediate Schools must increase to at least 5.5 hours a day to meet a state mandate, according to a new report to the state Legislature.
     Ka`u has fewer classroom hours than Farrington, Castle, McKinley and Campbell, which have more than 1,600 minutes of class time a week. However, Ka`u has more class time than Kaua`i, Maui, Olomana and Waiakea High Schools, which have under 1,300 minutes of class time a week.
     Ka`u is in the middle of the pack with 1,495 minutes a week, according to the state Department of Education report. Meeting the mandate for more class time for students in all public schools is expected to be a major issue at the state Legislature when it opens in January.

COUNTY COUNCIL MEMBER Brittany Smart has listed priorities for 2012 in an article in the Hawai`i Tribune Herald this morning. The Nancy Cook Lauer story said “Smart lists waste issues, increased communication with the public and completing a reasonable county building code as her top priorities for 2012.” 

Na`alehu Civic Center with its unused courtroom is
considered a possible location for a County Council
satellite office with videoconferencing.

     “Smart, who is finishing her first year on the Council, introduced very little legislation this year, but said she and her staff have been doing the research on several issues to be introduced next year,” the story says. It also states that her first priority will be “a plan to use discarded tires in rubber asphalt for road repaving. That requires coordination with the state Department of Health, as well as the county administration.” It also says another Smart priority is “reducing waste going into the Hilo landfill through the tire program.”
     Smart also told the newspaper that she still hopes to establish a place in Ka`u district where members of the public can participate in meetings through videoconferencing. Establishing a Ka`u office was one of Smart’s campaign promises. Cook Lauer’s story says Smart mentioned “using social media such as Facebook and creating a way for the public to share documents and agendas” as one of her top priorities. “We have to be able to go where the communication is taking place and not expect it to come to us,” Smart told Hawai`i Tribune-Herald.

Guy Kaulukukui, of Volcano, talks about the ahupua`a
management system. Photo from The Kohala Center

THE DIVISIONS OF AQUATIC RESOURCES AND FORESTRY AND WILDLIFE may merge under the state Department of Land and Natural Resources. Deputy DLNR director Guy Kaulukukui, of Volcano, told West Hawai`i Today that putting them together would help manage resources from the mountain to the coastal regions, much like the traditional Hawaiian ahupua`a management system. “The department’s realigning its mission around the primacy of the watershed,” he told reporter Erin Miller. 

     Ka`u is the site of the most DLNR management acreage in the state, including the largest pristine native forests and the longest uninhabited coastline.

TODAY IS THE DEADLINE to send in comments on the cellular tower proposed for land in Pahala across Maile Street from the Old Pahala Clubhouse. A legal notice from Crown Castle says the company would install a 130-foot-tall structure and requests “comments from any interested party on the impact of the proposed tower.” Comments should be addressed to Monica Gambino at 2000 Corporate Drive, Canonsburg, PA 15317 or monica.gambino@crowncastle.com or by phone at 724-416-2516. The company’s regulatory advisor for the project is Janice Merritts, who can be reached at 480-735-6931 or janice.merritts@crowncastle.com. 

Plantation era cottage under restoration in Pahala. Photo by Julia Neal

ANOTHER HISTORIC COTTAGE is being restored in Pahala. The small plantation home on Huapala Street was purchased through a foreclosure for a total of around $21,000. The new owner is using sweat equity, putting in new house posts and doing other improvements with his own labor. The yard was previously overgrown and looked abandoned. 

IN TWO MORE DAYS, voting closes on competition for best decorated cottage at Kilauea Military Camp inside Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. The KMC staff strung lights and created Christmas scenery. Vote on the best display and receive a Holiday Dollar redeemable at KMC venues. 

KILAUEA MILITARY CAMP’S NEW YEAR’S EVE PARTY offers up music by the group Edge beginning at 9:30 p.m. Saturday at the Lava Lounge. No cover charge. For more information, call 967-8365.

ON SUNDAY, KMC’S Crater Rim Café offers New Year’s Day brunch from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Park entrance fees may apply.

THE AMERICAN AUTOMOBILE ASSOCIATION reminds drivers that even one drink can reduce mental and physical skills, affecting vision, steering, braking, judgment and reaction time. AAA will offer free tow services and a ride home for drunken drivers over this New Year’s holiday weekend. It’s called the Tipsy Tow service and is available from 6 p.m. tonight to 6 a.m. on Sunday for towing cars home no farther than five miles. If the distance is farther, the drinker will have to pay the difference to the tow company. The number to call is 800-222-4357. 

Ka'u News Briefs Dec. 29, 2011

The Disaster Shelter and Gym will be constructed between the tennis court, the weight room and school cafeteria. It
could cover some 40,000 square feet of the field. Photo by Julia Neal

THE KA`U DISASTER SHELTER/COMMUNITY GYMNASIUM, already funded with $16.8 million from the state, is up for more community comments through Tuesday, Jan. 10. PBR Hawai`i, the engineering and consulting firm based in Honolulu, has been hired by the county, which will own the facility, to conduct the Environmental Assessment. PBR sent letters this week to area residents saying, “As part of the scoping process, we are seeking concerns, issues, and comments on the proposed project.”
     Comments can be sent to tkapali@ pbrhawaii.com or by mail to PBR Hawai`i, Tammy Kapali, 1001 Bishop Street, Suite 650, Honolulu, HI 96813-3484.
     The proposed complex went to public meetings in December at Pahala School cafeteria with the chosen architect and design firm Mitsunaga & Associates on hand. The county Department of Public Works, which will oversee construction of the project, and the county Department of Parks & Recreation, which will operate the building, also weighed in.
     After two days of meetings, the big picture came into focus with a plan for a complex of about 40,000 square feet, with possibly two separate buildings made of concrete with traditional plantation rooflines and painted to fit in with the other school buildings.
     The main purpose for the funding of the facility is to create a regional disaster shelter, and still being planned is whether the main shelter room – the gym –will have the ability to clean the air from vog. Planners promised that smaller rooms could be air conditioned to help clean the air.
     Also still in planning is the amount of ground around the complex that would have to be paved to accommodate parking requirements of one stall for every four permanent seats in the gym. County public works representatives said they may seek a variance that would allow continued parking in the grassy area around the building.
     Another question is whether the parking lot will be required to have light poles and lighting that would pollute Ka`u’s famous dark night skies and preclude the open area from being used for events and field sports.
     The proposed location for the disaster shelter and gym is makai of the Ka`u High School offices and between the current gym and the tennis courts.

Mufi Hannemann

MUFI HANNEMANN has won the endorsement of the 6,000-strong Hawai`i Teamsters & Allied Workers Union that represents 6,000 people in this state and Guam. In a statement, Teamsters president Ron Kozuma said that “Mufi knows and understands firsthand the needs of working people and their families.” Hannemann is running for the congressional seat of Mazie Hirono, who is running for Senate. In the Democratic primary, Hannemann faces Hilo attorney Bob Marx, Honolulu City Council woman Tulsi Gabbard, state Office of Hawaiian Affairs advocate Esther Kiaaina and patients’ rights advocate Rafael del Castillo. 

Tulsi Gabbard 

HONOLULU COUNCIL WOMAN TULSI GABBARD campaigned in Ka`u recently as she seeks the Democratic nomination for Congressional District 2. Her campaign literature describes her as “a public servant by nature, who possesses the humility to respectfully listen to both sides of a debate, the experience to handle any challenge and the courage to make the right decision and get the job done.” Her service has included working with at-risk youth. She is a captain and company commander in the Hawai`i National Guard, serving twice in the Middle East. She has also being elected to the Hawai`i State Legislature and the Honolulu City Council. She served as legislative aide to Senator Daniel K. Akaka, and said she works on environmental issues and projects. 

     In 2002, at age 21, Gabbard became the youngest woman ever elected to state office in the United States. While in Ka`u she said she understands and appreciates the challenges of rural life with its economic and environmental challenges. Here father is state Sen. Mike Gabbard. 

TOMORROW IS THE DEADLINE for comments on the cell tower proposed for land across from the Old Pahala Clubhouse on Maile Street. In a legal notice, Crown Castle, the company that would install the 130-foot-tall structure, asks for “comments from any interested party on the impact of the proposed tower.” Comments should be addressed to Monica Gambino at 2000 Corporate Drive, Canonsburg, PA 15317 or monica.gambino@crowncastle.com or by phone at 724-416-2516. The company’s regulatory advisor for the project is Janice Merritts, who can be reached at 480-735-6931 or janice.merritts@crowncastle.com. 

Applications open next week for summer boarding at Kamehameha Schools, with Ka`u public school students
invited to apply. Photo from Kamehameha Schools

KAMEHAMEHA SCHOOLS SUMMER BOARDING applications will be available starting next Tuesday. Deadline to apply is Feb. 29. Three separate weeklong programs, designed for different age groups, include field trips to fishponds and taro fields. Students learn about the different moku – the districts of the islands and the mele – the song, the culture and the ways of making a living in each place.
     For program details including information on session fees, call 534-8272. Additional information can be found at apps.ksbe.edu/enrichment.

BOYS AND GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL SOCCER teams played at Ka`u last night. Both games were TKOs, with boys playing ten minutes into the second half and girls playing only one half. Final score for the boys was Konawaena 9 and Ka`u zero. In the girls game final score was Kona 9, Ka`u zero.
     Top boy scorers were Gabriel Magana and John Keplogie - with a Hat Trick (3 points). Single goals were scored by Trevor Yamagata, Angel Valdovinos and Edwardo Meneses, Kona girl players Malissa Goevia and Ua Rued each scored two with Saxon Nagata, Anu McRight, Kaulana Teshima, Shaylene Nakamoto and Kaulana Ruedy each scoring one.

THREE MORE DAYS until the voting closes on competition for best decorated cottage at Kilauea Military Camp inside Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. The staff used many lights and Christmas scenery to brighten up the accommodations. Those who vote receive a Holiday Dollar redeemable at several KMC venues.

KMC’S NEW YEAR’S EVE PARTY featuring music by the group Edge begins at 9:30 p.m. Saturday in the Lava Lounge. There is no cover charge, and park entrance fees may apply. For more information, call 967-8365.

Ka'u News Briefs Dec. 28, 2011

Most of The Nature Conservancy's preserves on the Big Island are in Ka`u and include Kamehame Beach, where
turtles nest. Photo by Steve Rayner

THE NATURE CONSERVANCY, with most of its Big Island preserves in Ka`u, has newly acquired land to oversee farther north. The nonprofit was gifted 7.5 acres valued at $6.5 million at Kiholo Bay in North Kona. The land was donated by Angus Mitchell, son of John Paul Mitchell and heir to the family hair care company.
     Paul Mitchell had a long history in Hawai`i, having started creating hair products from the Hawaiian Awapuhi shampoo ginger found here. Paul Mitchell Systems grew into a salon training company and major hair care products manufacturer.

Kiholo Bay is the new acquisition of The Nature
Conservancy. Photo from TNC

     The Kiholo Bay property is covered by two large, interconnected freshwater spring-fed pools which contain habitat for native species such as hapawai (mollusk) and `opae (shrimp). The ponds are connected by a 200-foot-long `auwai, or stone channel, to Kiholo Bay, which is rich with marine life and has a resident population of green sea turtles, which use the inland ponds to feed and rest.
     The parcel hosts threatened, migratory shore birds and abuts Kiholo State Park and a few small private landholdings. It is a culturally important site to native Hawaiians, especially those who continue to live in the area and trace their ancestry back to the land. The area remains under the stewardship of the nonprofit group Hui Aloha Kiholo, said TNC executive director Suzanne Case.
     Ka`u properties owned by TNC include the Kamehame Bay turtle preserve, Kaiholena and native forests around gulches between Kapapala and Na`alehu. The main office for TNC on the Big Island is located on Hwy 11 in Na`alehu. 

BAY CLINIC, which operates in Na`alehu and will soon start building a new clinic there, has received funding for its diabetes initiative and Chlamydia screening from AlohaCare’s Quality Improvement Incentive Program. 

     In the last two years AlohaCare has funded more than $3 million for childhood immunization, well-child visits, and improving access to care. Eligible projects are closely monitored for achieving goals through pay-per-performance measurements. John McComas, CEO of AlohaCare, said the incentives program for the clinics is “more than a pay-for-performance rewards program. It’s designed to help these centers and clinics create their own sustainable quality improvement programs that will, over the long term, help them operate more efficiently and achieve better results in terms of keeping their patients healthy. This is especially important in these tough economic times when health centers and clinics are experiencing increased patient demand, declining reimbursements and increased health care costs.”
     AlohaCare, a nonprofit, is the third largest health care plan in Hawai`i. It has 75,000 members and provides coverage for those enrolled in Quest.

Restored cottage across from proposed cell phone tower
site on Maile Street in Pahala. Photo by Julia Neal

LOCATION OF THE CELL TOWER on Maile Street in Pahala has drawn some comment. Dr. Robert Domingos wrote the cell tower developer Crown Castle USA, saying: 

     “To construct a tall, ugly cell tower right on the highway at the beginning of town is ludicrous! The nearest buildings are historical plantation era beauties lovingly restored and used by the community. What are you thinking? Any place above town, upslope, out of sight, would give wider cell coverage and be much less obtrusive. Crown should reconsider the location of their planned 130-foot cell tower.”
     Other questions include whether the tower could be disguised to look like a tree and whether there are any health risks to people living nearby.
     The monopole would be 120 feet tall before putting on the antennae and 130 feet tall with the appurtenances. The company says it would be painted dark green “as coordinated with the county Planning Department.”
     Crown issued a legal notice in The Ka`u Calendar newspaper in December saying it “invites comments from any interested party on the impact of the proposed tower on any districts, sites, buildings, structures or objects significant in American history, archaeology, engineering or culture that are listed or determined eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places.” The deadline is this Friday, Dec. 30. Comments should be addressed to Monica Gambino at 2000 Corporate Drive, Canonsburg, PA 15317 or monica.gambino@crowncastle.com or by phone at 724-416-2516. The company’s regulatory advisor for the project is Janice Merritts, who can be reached at 480-735-6931 or janice.merritts@crowncastle.com.
     The proposal was also submitted to the county Planning Department. Earlier cell tower proposals for Pahala were mauka of the town. 

A HEAVY DOSE OF SO2 VOG blanketed Ka`u this morning. Pahala experienced more than three hours of air rated unhealthy for sensitive groups. During this kind of air, health officials recommend that everyone avoid outdoor activities that cause heavy breathing or breathing through the mouth. There were 15 minutes of air rated unhealthy when health officials recommend that everyone avoid outdoor activities and stay indoors. 

     Ocean View experienced more than five hours of air unhealthy for sensitive groups. Most of the very bad air was before dawn, and most people were sleeping.
     The County of Hawai`i and engineering and architectural firm Mitsunaga & Associates are designing a $16.9 million regional disaster shelter and gymnasium for Pahala where residents could retreat during sustained periods of unhealthy air.
     See the SO2 index at http://www.hiso2index.info/?siteid=22106

COUNCIL MEETINGS will be held in Hilo until contractors for the new West Hawai`i Civic Center finish their work, according to County Council chair Dominic Yagong. The audiovisual system, which allows the public and county employees to participate in Council meetings remotely from Hilo, Waimea and Kona, is inoperable at the new facility and has cost the county an extra $6,000 using a portable system. Other problems include overheating in some rooms, requiring design change, according to a Nancy Cook Lauer story in West Hawai`i Today. The county charter requires at least one meeting per quarter in Kona. Yagong told the reporter that bringing the problem to the public by canceling the West Hawai`i meetings could help get the contractors moving. The county administration is also retaining final payments on the project until it is finished.

VOTE FOR THE BEST DRESSED cottage at Kilauea Military Camp through Saturday, Dec. 31. This is the third year that KMC employees have put up holiday lights and decorations for the enjoyment of the community and visitors. Park entrance fees may apply.